Strange New World Picks of the Week

Sept. 27, 2007 — -- It seems that good causes and good times are in the air here on the "Strange New World" this early fall. The folks over at the One Laptop Per Child initiative -- that's the MIT-spawned effort to put a slick laptop in the hand of every child on the planet -- are rolling out a pick-of-the-week-worthy two-for-one deal. And Microsoft has sent the video gaming set into blissful hyperspace with its release of "Halo 3." Our early "testing" (read: Dan blasting aliens) shows this game will not only let you star in your own living, breathing B sci-fi flick, it is critical to Microsoft's future.

And if that's not enough, the year's big solar power show is happening in Long Beach, Calif. The tree-hugging days of solar power are definitely over: The event is red hot. Harnessing heat and power from the sun has never been cooler or more potentially lucrative.

Here, then, are our picks for the week:

One Laptop Per Child is the brainchild of MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte. The much publicized initiative aims to provide $100, ruggedized laptop computers to kids around the world, rich or poor. When St. Nick was globe-trotting, talking up his PC to world leaders, he got pledges up down and sideways to purchase large quantities of these bad boys. But now that the laptop is ready to ship -- guess what -- just like PBS, Negroponte is having a hard time collecting on all those good wishes.

This is where we -- the good and generous peeps of North America -- come in: For two weeks in November the OLPC folks plan a "buy one, give one" special: For $399 you can buy not one, but two Linux-based ruggedized laptops, one for you and one for charity. The second laptop is tax deductible. And the first one is the perfect gift for that kid who's been bugging you for a laptop, but who you just know would break a high-end model within 10 minutes.

Go ahead, do the right thing.