This surely is a good thing happening…..from CNN’s AP feed:

The government of Libya reached an agreement with an American nonprofit group to provide inexpensive laptop computers to all of its 1.2 million schoolchildren, The New York Times reported in Wednesday’s editions.

The project, scheduled to be completed by June 2008, could make Libya the first nation to enable all school-age children to connect to the Internet through educational computers, said Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of One Laptop per Child.

The $250 million deal, reached Tuesday, would provide the nation with 1.2 million computers, a server in each school, a team of technical advisers, satellite Internet service and other infrastructure.

One Laptop per Child, which has the support of the United Nations Development Program, aims to provide laptops to school-aged children worldwide at a cost of about $100 per computer. It has also reached tentative purchase agreements with Argentina, Brazil, Nigeria and Thailand.

More here on this great story: laptops for schoolchildren

Yes, that’s right. Microsoft has a new game in town and it’s called “Expressions”.

Microsoft? Expression? Web gives you all the tools you’ll need to produce high-quality, standards-based Web sites the way you want them. Take advantage of the best of dynamic Web site design, enabling you to design, develop, and maintain exceptional standards-based Web sites.Go here to see more and watch a tutorial on this new software from M/S.

Create dynamic, interactive pages and sites that leverage the power of the Web to deliver compelling user experiences. Easily design to standards and optimize your sites for accessibility and cross-browser compatibility with built-in support and validation for Web standards.

Hmmm, time to see just what all the fuss is about. I’ll report back when I’ve had a chance to try out this newest software from the Bill Gate$ family.