Requirements

In no particular order higher sound fidelity
requires a number of factors:

Software

• xrcd cd's
• 24/96 dvd's
• any carefully mastered disk
• a non-compressed source

---

Equipment

• a system to pass on uncompressed sound
• full range speakers
• good cable wire & connections
• a quiet non-absorbing or bouncing room

---

The Listener

• Functioning ears (wax etc.)
• an awareness of the sound's purpose (classical, Cage, jazz etc.)
• attentiveness
• awareness of own & equipment limitations

The above & more contribute to a functioning high fidelity
sound system.

Better Sound Requirements

In no particular order higher sound fidelity
requires a number of factors:

Software

• xrcd cd's
• 24/96 dvd's
• any carefully mastered disk
• a non-compressed source

---

Equipment

• a system to pass on uncompressed sound
• full range speakers
• good cable wire & connections
• a quiet non-absorbing or bouncing room

---

The Listener

• Functioning ears (wax etc.)
• an awareness of the sound's purpose (classical, Cage, jazz etc.)
• attentiveness
• awareness of own & equipment limitations

The above & more contribute to a functioning high fidelity
sound system.

MIT 3rd World Laptop is a Commodore 64

MIT has offerred (via Dr. Negroponti), to produce a computer for $100 that
will be availble to any 3rd world citizen.

The computer already exists, although the production line shut down in the
early 90's.

The Commodore 64

One key use of a 3rd world computer would be to ease writing. The C=64
has access to a number of good, usually public domain word processing
programmes. I use The Write Stuff, which contains a spell checker, word
count, outliner, & the ability to send formatted emphasized text to my
Epson ink jets. Commands can call from the Epson size scaling, dingbats,
etc.

Internet use for e-mail connections & information searches can be
accomplished by dialing service providers such as community networks that
support the Lynx browser & Pine e-maiol programme. As these "boards"
become fewer, Novaterm 10 does allow use of dialup connections with the
C=64, & telnetting to "boards" with that dialup connection.

Spreadsheets according to some sources, only have about a half dozen
regularly used commands. Commodore spreadsheets have far more commands,
but always include the normally required ones.

Normally, the Commodore 64 requires an intelligent but slow disk drive,
which takes
some of the workload from the computer cpu. There are though non-volatile
ram drives that can function as the primary drive & are as fast as any pc
storage device (Ramlink, BBU supported REU, BBGram, QBB, etc.).

Most C=64's need ac power. But I have known people off the grid in Alaska
& Arizona who ran the computer from a car battery. There was a prototype
laptop C=64, which did not go into production.

The basic C=64 is now available as a joystick with all of the C=
capabilities built in. Hacks have connected a pc keyboard & Commodore
disk drive.

I bought my joysticks in June for $10 each.
If a flash memory card & pc keyboard were added, I wonder how much less
that $100 would be spent.

The largest caveat is that the Internet as an audio-video device would not
be supported. I can view & print gifs & jpegs in lower resolution, &
listen to short wav's on my C=64. Educational purposes do not need a
mimic of high resolution television.

John Elliott

MIT 3rd World Laptop (fwd)

_Wired_, other magazines & news sites have referred to a prospective $100
laptop, developed by MIT that might be used in the 3rd world. Especially
for students.

Most articles do not state the purposes of the computer. I assume that
writing skills & internet access for information & e-mail would be the
main functions, although there are educational justifications for
spreadsheets & databases also.

During the 90's, I placed enough Tandy WP2's in a kindergaten to allow one
processor between 2 students. Writing & recording skills (& attempts),
seemed to improve. I also published a monograph on database use in
elementary classrooms, based on work in several elementary schools. Our
internet research at that time indicated that there was little information
in depth in any elementary subject that could be found with a search
programme.

What I have seen of daily elementary classroom use, normally is limited to
keyboarding skills, & project publication.

So although computers have good potential for classroom use, my anecdotal
experience is that they are not used to expand or deepen the eduacational
experience.

BTW

If an inexpensive computer with wide potential were needed, there has been
one available for over 2 decades: the Commodore 64 that I amusing to type
& post this message.
John Elliott