While the title of this post is a bit cryptic to those not “in the know”, the news is of interest to at least a few. I participated in the “Give-1 Get-1″ campaign being promoted by Laptop.org where people in Canada and the United States with a postal address in Canada and the United States can donate a One Laptop per Child XO for about twice the production price and in return receive one for themselves. I participated early on the first day of the promotion.

Last night I received a email – generic but informative – telling recipients that the first batch XO computers will ship to G1G1 donators between 14-December and 24-December [2007]. They are trying very hard to get at least a few of the units to donators before the end of the year.

One of the interesting aspects of the OLPC is its mesh networking and integrated collaborative features. These go by without experience when the OLPC is all by itself. It would be both interesting and “educational” to have gatherings for people who will receive the XO. Perhaps OLPC, it’s Wiki or other site will create a Google map mashup of gatherings where people with an XO can meet for coffee and interact. It would give parents, children, and/or geeks (and in this instance I will agree to be groups under this moniker) the opportunity to experience the XO more completely. Geeks in particular could also use these gatherings as an opportunity to test out hacks and new software for the XO. Eventually, I hope developers will extend the collaborative capabilities so the mesh will function seamlessly across the internet.