Senior-friendly Computing on the Horizon

I have been following the next-generation developments in low-cost "Senior-friendly" computers as well as community wifi. We 're on the horizon of a new wave of technology.

The OLPC project at MIT has failed to live up to expectations with their first low-cost ($188 us) "XO laptop" and only some 600,000 units were distributed to children and geeks, not the billion expected. But a second-generation machine, that looks and works like a book was unveiled in May, 2008, and is scheduled for production in 2010. Meanwhile, the clunky Open-source operating system "Sugar" written by MIT professors, now faces the commercial alternative of a customized Windows XP from Microsoft. Better software and a book-like format, may just be the near-future solution for computer-shy Seniors.

"Senior" has a loose definition, as my wife and I discovered, during our August 2008 treck across USA and Canada. Hotels kick in a "senior's discount" of 10% after age 50 or 55, but if you are 60+ and savy enough to ask for the "SSV" rate, you get 20% discounts. But in the technology area, some baby boomers <65 color="#009900">"inHERITAGEwifi" has been on-line but essentially dormant these past few months, awaiting new technology developments and community acceptance. We're looking at the next generation access points and directional antennae. The back-end software monitoring system has been upgraded and we're looking at alternative and cheaper hardware as well as Open Source software solutions.

The free Internet access is still accessible for Kerry Court homes and others near Diana Park to Cherry Blossom Lane. The bandwidth is throttled but sufficient to use Google Earth, web browse and e-mail . It is not sufficient for excessive downloading, streaming video or VoIP. The splash-page logo for inHERITAGEwifi comes up once per day, per user.

While in B.C., I had the opportunity to visit Gerry Bakker of Liveport Co., the most knowledgeable fellow in Canada with respect to setting up a wifi-mesh. Since June 2007, he has set up low-cost Internet access for hotels and motels at more than 100 locations across Canada. Thank him for the free wifi connections you can now get at many Choice Hotels and at the 250 room Blackfoot Inn in Calgary.

Gerry's efforts can focus on the technology issues since installation requires only the consent of the hotel owners - free Internet to all their customers is a killer sales-pitch. Our efforts to bring low-cost high-speed Internet to Heritage Village via Wifi has the daunting task of convincing 360 households, numerous condo boards and a skeptical computer club. The Village naysayers already announced it can't be done. They havn't tried out inHERITAGEwifi.

Professor Catherine Middleton, Ryerson University published a review of community Wifi in June, 2008 at the International Telecommunications Society Conference (Montreal). Our efforts with a Meraki wifi-mesh in Heritage Village received mention. But opportunity to be the first adult lifestyle community in Canada fully connected to the Internet, everywhere, 24/7, is fading fast.