My calendar popped up a to-do item this morning, reminding me that the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) donation period begins today, and runs through November 26th. In a nutshell: you spend $400, which purchases two of the open-source, highly innovative machines known as “XO”. One laptop gets sent to you, and the other is donated to a child somewhere, in a developing country. Not only that, you get a $200 charitable contribution on your income tax (well, at least that’s true in the U.S.; don’t know about other parts of the world).

I’ve now ordered mine, and am eagerly awaiting its arrival (though the website makes it clear that I shouldn’t expect overnight delivery a la Amazon). I’ll let you know what I think of it once I get my hands on it; in the meantime, check out the OLPC website, and consider making a contribution of your own.

I realize, of course, that some people might object to this whole idea, arguing that a $200 contribution would be much better spent on food for hungry children, or clean water, or anti-malaria drugs, etc. Well, perhaps that’s true (in which case, I should cough up a couple more $200 contributions) … but I’m a firm believer in the old saying that “If you want to feed a man for a day, give him a fish. If you want to feed him for a lifetime, teach him how to fish.”