Phuket News tells us about the new way to recycle your electronic trash. You can even win the prize for that!
The project has a Facebook page. I wonder what they are going to do with the item #84001 though…
It seems AIS intends to deploy 3G connectivity island-wide from July 28.
PHUKET: The organizers of a new technology-based initiative note that many children continue to grow up in Phuket without acquiring even the most basic computer skills, often because their parents cannot afford to buy them a PC or send them to places that can make one available without charge.
This seriously deprives many intellectually gifted youngsters of an opportunity to realize their potential, the organizers say.
At the other end of the spectrum, the relentless pace of innovative computer marketing means that the more affluent segments of society are constantly discarding computers in favour of upgraded, higher-spec models. And much of the discarded hardware, left to gather dust, is still serviceable with, or even without, repairs.
PCs4Kids seeks to exploit the gap in these two circumstances in an imaginative enterprise. The people involved will collect unwanted computers, parts and accessories; re-furbish them where necessary; and donate them to deserving children. Each child selected will have a mentor – a computer professional who will guide the student through the learning process.
You can donate cash, or your old hardware by contacting Ross James at the e-mail address or phone number below. Donated hard drives are securely scrubbed to protect your data. For the time being, ‘PCs4Kids‘ is a tentative title for the initiative, but regardless of the project’s final name its work and mission will remain the same.
The technical expertise will be supplied by Woody Leonhard, long serving Phuket Gazette columnist and the island’s favorite guru for all digital technologies, products and services; and Dr Rattana Wetprasit, Associate Dean for Special Affairs at the Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkhla University.
Dr Rattana has been at the heart of Phuket’s software development since its inception and now heads the Phuket ICT Skills Development and Training Center, a group which already works with children in this field.
The ‘Phuket Has Been Good to Us’ Foundation will be approached to liaise with local schools and identify children who have the natural aptitude to benefit from the project.
PCs4Kids will ask the Rotary Club of Patong Beach for assistance with some funding, though not much is likely to be needed. For example, it is estimated that $1,000 would be sufficient to re-build something close to a dozen computers.
Microsoft Thailand will be asked to donate software.
The Phuket Gazette and AWPR & Marketing will sponsor the initiative with media and promotional support.
Readers interested in helping PCs4Kids in any way should contact Ross James: rosspjames@hotmail.com or 087-418 3127.
It was amazing to see Keehin Electrical Shop in Phuket still using Windows 3.11 for Workgroups with Paradox database for stock and sales… I wonder if they run it in a virtual machine though. Last time I worked with Paradox was in 1995!
Toshiba Shop had a grand opening ceremony yesterday in Phuket town.
Last Friday CAT Telecom office in Central Festival Phuket started selling yet another model of CDMA USB modem – Novatel Wireless Ovation MC760. The price is set at 7250 baht. We will test this modem with our CDMA Sharing Router this week.
We have all versions of Windows 7 available for sale. For some reason 64-bit versions (what many people desire) are on order from our distributor. If you are looking for ways to legalize your software that’s probably the good moment. Please remember you can always use free OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office. If you are using old specialized software (booking etc.) please consult us first about the upgrade.
Getting a lot of these errors today, looks like the connections limit is too low on TOT server?
Today we released a new version of our CDMA Sharing Router. We made some tests using Huawei EC226 USB CDMA modem and in Phuket, Kathu area we’ve got the speeds of 2.3Mbps! We are using speedtest.net with Bangkok server for speed tests. The price of the router will stay the same – 6000 baht including setup.
CAT Telecom stopped selling Novatel Wireless MC727 and now selling a new modem, Huawei EC226, which is even cheaper (6xxx baht). We successfully tested it with our CDMA Sharing Router.