On Monday, November 4, 2013 11:07:38 Christopher Havel wrote:
"Need" is a bit of a strong word... but I really really really really want one ;)
first, what Luke says about poverty is completely true. and i feel you: i’ve experienced poverty myself.
that all said, something i’ve learned with hardware is that if you give it away 99% of people don’t do anything with it. i say that as someone who has been involved with giving away more than a few devices in the past, 100s at a single event even :)
we want these devices to be *used*, and by having people pay for them not only do we help support production and development but it gives people a pretty good reason to actually *use* them.
so that’s the “why i don’t plan on just giving these things away”.
however, i am very open to the idea of putting aside a limited # of these devices for people who demonstrate not just need, but also a plan, and sending earmarked devices to those people at our expense.
what i’d look for is:
* a short, written plan of what you are going to use the device for. it wouldn’t have to be ground breaking / earth shattering in amazingness, just a “here’s what i’ll be doin’ with it”. this will help us prioritize between different kinds of projects
* a commitment to post regular updates (e.g. 1-3 times / month) online so others can follow your progress. believe it or not, this is a *really* nice way to give something back to the community and would be a way of supporting the project with your time rather than your money.
for me, such a program would have to:
* be able to produce results everyone would identify with as “good”; put another way: no losers, only winners
* be respectful to everyone involved; i would not want to initiate a beg’n’grovel fest, for instance, so the application process should be focused on positives: a description of my project(s), how i plan to document my progress so the community can join in on my successes, etc.
would that work for you, or would you tweak something in there?
i can’t promise we’d have this program ready for launch, but i’d be willing to make it happen in the mid-term.