When Gov. Butch Otter and state superintendent Tom Luna announced the state’s Students Come First laptop deal, they wanted you to take away this one number: $292.77. That was the per-unit cost announced last week — and, at first blush, it sounds like the state got a bargain. But the fine print tells another story. The details were unearthed Tuesday by the Spokane Spokesman-Review’s Betsy Russell, who obtained a copy of the state’s contract with Hewlett-Packard under the state’s public records act. First, you need to keep in mind that this is an annual per-unit cost. The computers for high school students and teachers will be replaced on a four-year cycle, pushing the four-year per unit cost to $1,171.08/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Curiouser and Curiouser?