One Laptop Per Child 

Under the Give One Get One  program I got an XO Computer. I've had it for 6 days and would like to write a reflection on my experience.  Up front I will say that this machine was designed with the use in mind and from what I can tell, that design is great.  It is not like any pc that I have used, but I can use this laptop well and I am sure that it will benefit those children who receive and use it.  It is sturdy, uses very little power, can be used in broad daylight, and has an interface and programs that a child could figure out by poking around.  A child with no experience of a computer would "get it" while someone like me who has a lot of Windows and Linux experience on a pc needs the support page. :-)  

The paper that came with the machine had a link to help me since I could not figure out how to open the laptop: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Getting_Started under "opening the laptop."  Then I went on to "getting connected" which meant pushing the first little button in a series of 4 and then clicking on a circle.  It was really easy once I got the idea of thinking simple. There was an open wifi in my area; so I was online.  

The third button took me back to the Home View. That is where the action begins.  Using the touchpad I could move the cursor around.  In the center I could choose to reboot or shutdown.  At the bottom are the program icons which start various programs.  When you start a program you see an icon for that program begin blinking in the activity circle in the center of the screen.

Once the program begins, you see something like this image of the browser at work.  Notice to the left the word Activity.  When that is selected there will be the X on the right top with the Book next to it.  Clicking on the Book saves information, like the place where you are currently browsing.  The X stops the program.

If you want to start another program, but not stop this one, then you press the third button again to go to Home View and start something else.  If you want to go back to the browser, go back to the Home View and right click with the touchpad and the right click button on it.  Then select Resume and you will be back in the browser.

Then there is the Journal.  All the activities you do are kept in the journal.  You can get there from the Home View by clicking on the Book at the bottom of the Activity Circle, or you can press the 4th button which takes you directly there.  Here is what the journal looks like. That page also tells you how to start a previous activity from the journal and how to get files to or from a usb drive.  Yes, there are 3 usb ports and a slot for an SD memory card.  You can open ogg files in browse and play them or pdf files for reading.

This laptop can open up in book reading mode by twisting and turning it.  This is really nice.  If only I could read those DRM locked e-books I've purchased!  They aren't pdf either; so I'm doubly out of luck there.  

You can write on this machine and save as rtf.  You can't print, because they don't have a lot of paper to waste in places where these are going, but I kind of like that idea and have been getting used to saving stuff by printing to pdf when some place tells me to save a copy of something by printing.  You can save the rtf to a usb stick and print elsewhere if you need to.

The OS is basic Fedora 7 with a python GUI called "Sugar."  Yes, you python lovers, this is what is used for these programs.  There is a program here to learn python as well.  These kids will be writing their own programs, I bet.

There is a built in microphone and camera and programs for editing such things.  The kids can network together even if they don't have internet and work on projects or communicate.  The antennae on the machine don't just receive wifi, they send as well.  A mesh network can be set up where all can use the internet if one has it.  Granted, the connection is quite slow, because they wanted to keep down the energy use.  Here I got a cord that I can plug into the wall to get current to recharge.  The kids will get a sort of yo-yo thing and I think something solar to recharge by hand.

There is an email client in the works, but so far email has to be via webmail.  WPA is also in the works for wifi.  I think it can be used by setting it up under the hood by hand.  The keyboard is small, but not as small as your cell phone. :-)  

There is an active community on their forum and mailing lists.  Some folks are working very hard on this.  There is good dedication in this project and I am hopeful that it will bear much fruit.

Oh, I almost forgot my next project with this laptop .  Just kidding!! 

I'm switching to Mambo for the site.  Word Press was good, but I really want a some static content and navigation.  I think this is going to work better for me.  I hope this doesn't mean some people get a bunch of RSS notifications. 

The material will get moved over in the next couple of days.  Meanwhile, this post is about all there is.  

Computers are a hobby for me. I use a computer with Windows at work, but at home Linux is on my machine.

I've been using it since 1998 when I first installed RedHat 5.2. I started out on a Compaq 486 that had MediaGX for video. In a nutshell it meant that X wouldn't work out of the box. I went to xfree86.org and got in contact with the author of the driver and he directed me to XFree86-Video-Timings-HOWTO. If you ever want to read something fun as a total Linux newbie, give that a whirl! Richard Hecker is his name and he authored the cyrix driver and moved on to become a developer for Debian. After he helped me I knew that I would try to help others in the same way. He was my introduction into the Linux community. He didn't spoon feed me, but he nudged me on my way. There have been many others since him and I've done my best to return the favors by "paying forward."

During my time of figuring out how to make X work on my machine, I learned to love the command line. I encourage you to take time to learn a little bit with that black and white screen or at least to bring up an xterm and try some commands. You may need it some day; so it's good to have a little skill there.

I began studying Linux at Basiclinux.net and stayed there helping out for several years. That site is no longer operational, but Henry White did the Linux community a great service by developing the course and running it for years. I'm one of the admins at LinuxBasics.org which 4 of us who assisted on Basiclinux manage. I still remember what it's like to be a newbie. Whenever I try something new in Linux, I go through that same feeling again. It can be aggravating, but it's all part of the fun.

by Joanne L. Headland

Most Reiki practitioners have been taught that a Reiki I cannot do absentee treatments. Cannot do Distant Reiki. This belief is based on the fact that the symbols are not usually given until Reiki II and there is a specific symbol for distant Reiki.

Some of us believe that once a person has been attuned to Reiki, the limitations regarding the different levels of Reiki are not as great as had previously been thought. Some of these limitations are only in the minds of the practitioners. Generally speaking, the more attunements that a person has, the more "in tuned" one becomes with the Reiki energy. The more one practices Reiki, the more strength may be felt in the flow of Reiki through oneself.

With that in mind, let me share with you the methods I believe work for a Reiki I practitioner for doing Distant Reiki.

Use of Distant Reiki by a Reiki I Practitioner

Decide upon an object which will represent the recipient; the person you intend to send Reiki to.

Several suggestions are: Use a photo. On the back of the photo, write the person's name, age, and geographical location. or Use a piece of paper. Draw a little stick figure to represent the person and write their name, age, and geographical location. or Use a stuffed teddy bear, pillow, or any object which you intend to have represent the person you are going to send Reiki to.

I advise you NOT to use your own body. You may hear some methods such as using your knee or thigh (or a combination of your knees and thighs) designating the hand positions each one represents. Or using your non-dominant thumb and cup the fingers of your dominant hand over it. Because there is a possibility (albeit slim) that you could pick up the feelings from the imbalance of the recipient, I strongly advise against using your own body.

Whatever method you decide upon should be one that gives you the most potential to have a strong connection with the recipient.

Now, you put your hands on or around the object and state mentally or verbally information about the recipient and your intent. For instance: "This picture, pillow, pretzel, ?????, or whatever, represents Joan Blow, age 64, who is a little old lady living in the Arizona desert. It is my intent to send Reiki energy to Joan Blow as long as I am giving Reiki to this donut." Now, you simultaneously visualize the image of the person you are sharing energy with while holding the object between your hands. As long as you hold the image of that person, you are connecting with them (through the object) and they are receiving extra energy into their body.

Having a photo, piece of paper or an object is to help you made a connection to the recipient and to help you keep your focus. If you are able to do strong visualizations without other aids, an object is not really necessary. There are many different views on this and my suggestion is to do it first with some kind of object and occasionally try it without an object. You will know what works best for you and therefore what works best for the recipient.

No other Reiki practitioner can tell you what is right for you or what will work for you.

You may have the question about why is it necessary to write down some facts about the recipient. Keep in mind that there may be times that you will be sending Reiki to someone you have never met and know nothing or next thing to nothing about. It is good for you to learn a method that will provide a good connection to anyone whether you know them or not.

Let me clarify that point a little more. If I asked you to send Reiki to my friend John Smith in California, how connected do you think you would feel? If I asked you to send Reiki to my friend John Smith, 86, who lives in Pomona, California and is suffering from not being able to meet the demands of his girlfriend who is 56, how much more connected do you think you might be?

The best way to learn Reiki is to use Reiki - do self-Reiki, hands-on-Reiki, distant Reiki and Reiki thoughts.

July 24, 2004