One Laptop Per Learner

By Sanders Kleinfeld

Nicholas Negroponte's incredible, buzzworthy nonprofit, one laptop per child, whose goal is to supply free, energy-efficient laptop computers to all children in the developing world, is having a special 2007 holiday promotion: Give One. Get One. If you donate a laptop to a child through the program, you'll receive one of your very own.

Yes, they look like plastic toys, but these laptops will change children's lives—opening up educational resources and vast avenues of possibility for students in even the most cash-strapped, remote villages in the world. Check out what's available on these Linux-based machines:

Twelve-year-olds who've never seen a public library can Google Project Gutenberg. Eight-year-olds who love music can compose their own melodies using TamTamEdit. And the next Bill Gates can teach himself how to program in Python using Pippy.

Don't miss out on the chance to donate to this worthy cause (and get a free computer)!