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Geeks Without Borders – Status Update for January 23rd, 2011. |
Greetings and Felicitations!
Welcome to our first status update of the new year.
So, what's going on with GWoB this year? First of all, we're still working on the Red Cloud project. We've sent them the first batch of scientific calculators. Our goal is 50, and with the ones we've already sent and the ones we have and are sending in the next shipment, along with the laptops, we'll be halfway there, at 26, so we're still looking for more to send them.
Speaking of searching – none of our original sources for computer projectors have panned out. So, I'm asking all of you. Do you work in an office that has some LCD projectors that you plan on upgrading soon? Or know of a retail store that would like to donate a floor model? Remember, all donations are tax deductible, and we're putting together a special thank-you package of GWoB merchandise to whoever finds us one. (We're looking for two of them.)
If you know of one, email pat@geekswithoutborders.org
In other news – it is official that Geeks Without Borders will be returning to Norwescon again this year. I haven't heard back yet from the con committee about a table, but we are excited to announce that the Cult of Scott Bakula and the Gnomes have invited us to join their party, so if you're at Norwescon, you can find us across the street from the main hotel, at La Quinta, on Friday and Saturday nights, after 9.
We will also be roaming the halls selling GWoB Scout cookies, and hauling Ye Bucket of Change for Change with us, so bring your appetite, your dollars, and your spare change for the bucket. If you'd like to join us as a GWoB scout yourself, all you need is a blue plaid skirt and a white blouse. We can provide you a sash and a “St. Isidore's School for Wayward Geeks” pin. Email pat@geekswithoutborders.org if you are planning on joining us and I'll make sure to have a sash for you. To get a better idea of what the GWoB Scouts look like, I've uploaded some pictures to flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64849940@N00/sets/72157625876307329/
OK, that's all I can think of right now, but I'm still getting over the flu, so I'm sure there's some stuff I forgot to put in here. Also, we're having a board meeting soon, so even more will come out of that. Watch this space!
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November 7th Status Report |
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Hi, Everybody!
Yep, it's another Geeks Without Borders update! Lots of exciting things on the horizon at the moment.
First up, we have a couple of projects coming up soon. One is for a school on an Indian Reservation in North Carolina. I'll have more details soon. Briefly, though, the school is the largest on the reservation, and is entirely funded by donations. It gets no federal or state education funds, and it does not charge tuition to its students. So, you can imagine that budgets are pretty tight.
We're going to be sending a few laptops and projectors, and a whole bunch of scientific calculators.
About those scientific calculators...
Our goal is to send them 50 scientific calculators, so we're asking for your help. So far, we have 8. That leaves us with the magical number of 42 more to gather. So if you have any extra – remember these are scientific calculators we're looking for, not just regular 10-key style – please consider sending them our way. (If you're not sure if your calculator is a scientific calculator or not, look for keys labeled “sin” “cos” and “tan”. If it's got 'em, it is.)
If you have a chance to check your local thrift store (there aren't currently any more in any of the ones in Eugene), or if you watch sites like dealsea.org or craigslist or just want to go to amazon.com or somewhere and purchase some (remember, all donations are tax deductible), please send them on down to us. If you plan on having them shipped, the best address is to send them directly to me at:
Geeks Without Borders
attn: Pat Luther
490 Figueroa St
Eugene, OR 97402
Also, if you want to help with expenses for this project, feel free to hit that big old Donate button on our front page there and chip in a few bucks for gas. If you want to make sure your money goes directly to this project, mention the “Red Cloud” project in the notes and it will.
Our other major upcoming project is setting up a computer lab on the Lummi Reservation in northern Washington state. This will be a simpler project consisting of a lab and a network of 5-7 desktop PCs (and the usual printers, web cam, etc., we send with them). We have the equipment for this one, and it looks like our total deployment cost will be about $140, which is the cost of gas to drive them all up there, and back. So, if you want to chip in on that project, again you can hit that Donate button and put “Lummi Project” in the notes.
Also, starting with the new year, we'll be doing several local fund-raising events. We have a new Director of Promotions (Everyone say hi to Henry!) who has lots of exciting ideas, so watch this space for more news coming soon!
One thing we've planned for sure is our return to Norwescon! We haven't been there for a few years, and are missing it, so if you're planning on being at Norwescon look for us there. There are a few new developments in the works for that, too, but I'll let Henry tell you all more once everything's confirmed. For now, though, I can say we will indeed be there. There will be GWoB Scouts roaming the halls again. And, yes, there will be GWoB Scout Cookies.
We may also have a table and maybe a panel. More info as the time approaches.
We are also looking for more GWoB Scouts, so if you're going to be at the convention and want to join in, send me email (pat at geekswithoutborders dot org)
Our web site continues to be overhauled, so if you check back over the next few weeks you will see many changes. Remember, our only URL now is http://geekswithoutborders.org. Which brings me to the last status update. If you'll recall (or scroll down through the news) we (OK, I) accidentally let one of our domain names expire. (We've always been at geekswithoutborders.org but it used to forward to gwob.org). Before I noticed the mistake, a domain squatter had snatched it up, and was demanding money for its return. Rather than give in, we decided to just stop forwarding geekswithoutborders.org and set up shop there.
Shortly thereafter, another person started using the name Geeks Without Borders, and set up shop on our old domain name. After a bit of correspondence with him, he changed the name he was working under, and came up with a similar, but different enough, name that still fit the gwob acronym so he could keep the domain name.
This seems to have been an honest mistake, however, rather than an intentional fraud, and we happily welcome “Geeks Without Bounds” into the community of geek-based charities. The more the merrier as far as we're concerned, and we're sorry for any confusion that may have arisen in the meantime.
And, speaking of Geek based charitable activities, we have a few volunteer opportunities for people who are into that sort of thing. Most of them are needed in Eugene right now:
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Warehouse cleaning and inventory. Not the most exciting part of what we do, but we've got quite a few older systems that need to be gone through, have hard drives pulled and wiped and prepared for recycling. Some of this work involves sitting at a table working on computers, and some of it involves carrying systems up and down stairs.
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Building computers. We need to update our standard disk images, including ones for Windows XP and for Ubuntu. Then, we need to build and test a bunch of computers, set them up on networks together, and prepare them for shipping to various projects. Mostly this will involve putting together and testing hardware and searching for and downloading drivers off the internet.
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Inventory Management. We are in need of a better inventory management system. I know there's some good open source systems out there, but don't have time to research them ourselves. If anyone is interested in putting one together, let me know. Drop me a line and I'll send you the requirements (or you can wait a couple of weeks and find them on our web site)
If you're interested in any of the above, please email me at pat at geekswithoutborders dot org.
And that's all the news I can think of at the moment! More coming more sooner than later than earlier!
-Pat of GWOB |
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We have recently been made aware that there is another group trying to represent themselves as "Geeks without Borders". We are the only legitimate organization in the United States called Geeks Without Borders.
Also, note that geekswithoutborders.org is our only legitimate domain name. (Our other domain accidently expired last year due to a bookkeeping error, and a domain squatter snatched it up before we could renew it.)
The legitimate representatives of Geeks Without Borders are its board members:
- Pat Luther
- Chantel Saban
- Matthew Kale
- Henry Perreault
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May 22, 2010
Hi!
Welcome to our new web site!
Our old domain at gwob.org, got snatched up by a domain squatter. But we're settling in nicely to our new home here at geekswithoutborders.org
Watch this space for exciting news upcoming. |
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Who We Are
Mission Statement:
Geeks Without Borders Inc. is a private, not for profit organization that was founded in October 2002 and received our 501(c)3 status in April of 2003. Our mission is to provide computers and related technology, education, and support to people with limited resources around the world, regardless of race, religion, creed, or political affiliation.
Who We Are:
Geeks Without Borders, or GWoB, was founded on the principle that the best way to strengthen and expand one's horizons, is to make full use of the tools at hand. One of the greatest, most versatile tools of our age is the computer, especially with access to the world through the internet.
Technology presents a great resource to help people achieve their goals, whether those goals are a greater means of communication, education, or archive and reference purposes. People all over the world recognize the vast potential in having access to and learning about computers, but due to severe lack of resources and funding, it is often not possible to obtain one, let alone learn to effectively utilize it.
GWoB wishes to fill that need by supplying computer technologies, training, and support. Our services our aimed at international educators, human rights advocates, medical personnel, and community leaders. We firmly hold that all peoples, regardless of creed, race, religion, or political affiliations, are entitled to live their lives as they see fit, and work freely towards the betterment of themselves and their communities. And while computers are no short term solution to many of the problems that exist in the global community, we believe that through greater ease of communication, better familiarity with the humanitarian resources available, and greater access to enormous pools of knowledge, people can more easily move towards solutions to difficult situations.
Doctors with internet connections will have access to medical information, reference tools, patient histories, and the ability to receive feedback from other doctors, to the benefit to their patients. Doctors who already have these tools find them indispensable. Teachers in small villages, with limited teaching materials will, with access to a computer, suddenly have greatly expanded resources. In the case of a human rights advocate, recording, archival, and internet services might mean life or death for many.
Geek culture spans borders because of a shared enthusiasm for technology. Because of this we are uniquely able to bridge cultural divides. Expanded communication leads to greater education, knowledge, and understanding.
GWoB is made up of computer and high tech professionals, as well as computer aficionados and tech "laypersons", whose collective vision is to see tech resources reach a broader range of people.
We sincerely invite you to join us whether you are a software engineer, a hardware developer, or a person who can barely surf the web. Everyone has something valuable to add...not the least of which is enthusiasm and compassion.
Thank You!
In Service to the Dream :D
The Geeks at GwoB
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