Free (to borrow) New XO Laptops to Contributors Worldwide

Free  (to borrow) New XO Laptops to Contributors Worldwide

One Laptop per Child is getting ready to launch new XO-1.5 laptop.

Start a Laptop Project to Change Kids’ Lives Worldwide…

“Anyone can contribute: would you mentor a small group of tinkerers, or might you alone write a 21st century textbook to be put on all our laptops? Simply demonstrate your project furthers innovative education in poor countries, architecting something new – we will then provide the hardware you need to lead the way.”(Contributors Program)

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Open Your Mind and Close Your Wallet

Open Office Software vs. Microsoft Office

We’ve noticed these days, that many PC’s no longer ship with Microsoft Office included for free.  Instead, you might receive Microsoft’s scaled down version called Microsoft Works instead.

Hey, PC’s cost enough by themselves, even before you consider the additional costs of the software needed to use the computer effectively.

Ok, so what are my options?  Well the answer to this question is becoming more and more….Open Office software.

According to OpenOffice.org , here area few reasons why you may want to use Open Office:

• Open Office can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.
• Open Office can also read and write files from other common office software packages.
• Open Office works on all common computers.
• Open Office stores all your data in an international open standard format.
• Open Office is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more.
• Open Office is available in many languages and works on all common computers.
• OpenOffice.org 3 is the result of over twenty years’ continuous high quality software engineering. Designed from the start as a single piece of software.
• Open Office is easy to choose, easy to install, easy to learn – OpenOffice.org 3 is the easy choice for an office software suite.

According to ZDNET Asia, the following companies are major contributors to the Open Office product include:

• IBM
• Google
• Novell
• Red Hat (associated with Linux)

The following chart outlines product offerings and prices associated with Microsoft Office (Home & Student) and Microsoft Office Standard as of October 25, 2009.

Click here to download Open Office 3 for free (no, really its FREE).

Open Office

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Finding free stuff that’s actually free….

When it comes to free stuff, the saying “there is no such thing as a free lunch” applies most of the time.  You end up working for potentially  free stuff  by giving out your email and street addresses, completing surveys and jumping through several internet based hoops.    We took a look around on the internet and found some deals that are actually free.

• Earn college credits (or even a degree) by taking free online courses.  No, were not kidding.  That being said, you will need to do some leg work of your own for this to work.
  • We think that this web site is probably the best place to start.  Remember stay away from the many bait and switch web sites where free is not actually free.
• Free software
  • If don’t feel like shelling a bunch of cash for Microsoft’s office product, try the free software equivalent called  open office (Word processing (like Microsoft Word), Spreadsheet software (like Excel), a drawing application (like Visio) and even presentation software (like Power Point).
  • Free software replacements for proprietary applications running on Microsoft windows.
  • A well respected and free Anti-Virus software package known as AVG
  • Ad-Aware free SpyWare removal software.
• Free Food
  • Apparently Saturdays are the best time to snag free samples at grocery and warehouse stores (like Costco)
  • Kids eat free deals  (search for restaurants by zip code)
  • Sign up for email specials directly on restaurant web sites (only give out a trashable email address that you will check weekly.  Never give out your actual street address or phone numbers if you want to avoid unwanted spam).  Examples include:  El Torito,  Sizzler,  Olive Garden,  California Pizza Kitchen, PF Changs Outback Steak House , Dennys
• Free teacher and learning resources from the Federal Government
  • Federal resources for education excellence.
• Free eBooks  – Project Gutenberg has 28,000 eBooks to download and print free.
  • Project Gutenbert FREE ebooks
• Free Internet Radio customized to your specific artists.  Essentially, you build the station play list yourself.
  • Pandora Internet Radio
• Print your own Free graph paper (several different styles)
  • Incompetech Free Graph Paper PDF’s
• Create your own work or personal planner forms. Choose from about 100 templates.
  • Download, print and customize your own planner at D*I*Y planner
• Kinda Free stuff - There  are tons of free stuff web sites on the internet.  Most of them will require you to provide your name, email and street address, etc.  If you want to try this, I would strongly suggest that you:
  • Sign up with the post office for a local post office box ($30 for 6 months).
  • Create a new email address that you are willing to trash later
  • Never provide your real birthday, social security number or phone number (or any other private information).
  • So, when you sign up provide them with your P.O. Box Address, your new trashable email address, a fake birthday, etc.
  • Go forth and Google something like “free stuff”
  • One final word of advice, if the site suggests that you try something to win a discount coupon, etc.  Skip it and move on.   The main thing you have to loose is your time.
• More kinda free stuff.
  • 250 Business Cards for Free?
    Well, not exactly.  After going through the online setup for the free business cards,  you’re billed about six bucks for the shipping and handling.  And that is the cheap slow boat to china shipping option.  So, you figure that might make two to three bucks on the deal.  The other not so free aspect of  order the business cards online is the avalanche of  offers you need to skip (or de-select) before you can finalize your order.  That being said, it was worth it for us to sign up for the not so free cards.  If you are interested just google “free business cards”.

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