Display Standard - Veritas et Visus

Veritas et Visus Display Standard February 2009
Indian OLPC “rival” is a farce
It was supposed to be a laptop computer. It was supposed to cost $10. It was supposed to come with 1GB memory
and wireless connectivity. And it has been designed to rival OLPC’s XO-1. At the time of writing only the last
statement could be confirmed as true and the first two have been confirmed as false, even though the backers are
still making the “laptop” claim. This is the sorry tale of India’s “$10 laptop”. Billed as India’s home-grown XO-1,
the final result of the efforts of the brightest minds from two top Indian universities has been dubbed “a damp
squib” by the Times of India, a “hoax” by Indian technology journalist Randeep Ramesh and, in what might
actually be an unbiased piece of journalism, as a “nearly useless brick” by Fox News. Although the full specs are
still not available, those released so far suggest that this 10x5-inch device is little more than a pen drive the size of a
modem. Despite this, the “nearly useless brick” is to be rolled out to thousands of Indian schools, colleges and
universities to develop e-learning and improve literacy rates. Electronic classrooms are being set up and free access
to online textbooks has been secured, as are improvements to Internet access (which isn’t free but is being
subsidized). In a month that has finally brought some good news for the beleaguered OLPC project it is hard not to
respond to this news with a wry smile, but ultimately it is the Indian people whose tax dollars have been wasted
who will pay the price - whatever that price turns out to be.
Will Obama sign up to Basel?
Far be it from this column to ignore the political event of the year, so congratulations to the USA for electing the
president that the rest of the world deserved. But does this have any implications for the USA’s deplorable record
on e-waste? The good news is yes. Whilst still a senator, in 2008 Obama co-sponsored a bill banning the export of
mercury, so he clearly knows a thing or two about toxic substances, and the signs are that he will act to close two
gaping holes in US waste policy. One will be federal-level WEEE legislation, a task that grew more complicated in
the dying years of the Bush administration as many states developed their own bills, resulting in a patchwork of
different legislation that will require significant effort to mesh together. It currently appears that the US may sign
Basel Convention in Obama’s first year in office. 2009 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Convention, which
has largely failed to achieve its goals – in no small part due to the lack of a US Presidential signature and a lack of
commitment from those nations that did sign up. Arguably this is a symbolic gesture that will have little impact
outside the US and those nations that have been on the receiving end of its e-waste exports, although the impacts on
both will be significant, but symbolic gestures made in symbolic years can sometimes have far-reaching effects.
Washington State introduces e-waste fee
Move over California. Washington has become the first state to require electronics manufacturers pay for recycling
of TVs, computers and other e-waste. The new legislation, which is similar to that in the WEEE Directive, preempts
the rumored federal-level legislation but it remains to be seen how many other states will continue to go it
alone.
Oregon set to ban disposal of all computers, monitors and TVs
Oregon E-Cycles, established by Oregon’s Electronics Recycling Law (ORS 459A.300-.365), is a new statewide
program that requires electronics manufacturers to provide responsible recycling for computers, monitors and TVs.
Product stewardship directs everyone involved in the life cycle of a product to take shared responsibility for the
impacts to our health and environment that result from the production, use, and end-of-life management of the
product. Oregon E-Cycles provides free recycling of computers, monitors and TVs to anyone bringing seven or
fewer items to a participating collection site at one time. However, collection sites may accept more than seven
items from households, small businesses and small non-profits with 10 or fewer employees. Effective January 1,
2010, all computers, monitors and TVs will be banned from disposal in Oregon. Manufacturers must label their
computers, monitors and TVs with a visible, permanently affixed brand, and register those brands with DEQ. All
manufacturers are required to pay a registration fee, which covers DEQ’s administrative costs to implement Oregon
E-Cycles. Manufacturers choose to either pay a recycling fee to participate in the DEQ-administered State
Contractor Program or, if they meet certain requirements, to implement and pay for their own statewide program.
http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/ecycle/moreabout.htm
80