Comments on: And This Surprises Who?

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 23 May 2007 17:58:11 +0000

OWL, like Steve, I think that clean drinking water should be a higher priority that laptops for kids. Poor countries have limited resources, and those resources should be used for live and death issues, not live-style issues.

By: Steve Bates

Steve Bates — Wed, 23 May 2007 06:05:07 +0000

While I have no philosophical objection to OLPC, I’ve always thought it to be a fantasy (one in which Newt Gingrich indulged, if I recall). Nicholas Negroponte may not be as naive as Newt, but if he thinks slamming Intel in a public statement will help his own cause, he is mistaken. A genuine visionary would have found a way to co-opt Intel into the cause.

Personally, I doubt a $100 laptop is at the top of the list of things a poor third-world child needs most. But I may be wrong.

By: oldwhitelady

oldwhitelady — Wed, 23 May 2007 05:10:30 +0000

Aw, drat!

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 22 May 2007 02:32:15 +0000

It may survive, Ellroon, but Intel has the corporate connections to the lobbyists in a lot of the third world so the fact that their system is twice what Dr. Negroponte is offering isn’t the advantage it should be.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised, but he wouldn’t have bought it until after the shift from the founders to “professional managers”. It’s sad when a technology business becomes a business that involves technology. I don’t doubt for a second that Intel will take some kind of tax write off for their machine.

By: whig

whig — Tue, 22 May 2007 01:15:17 +0000

I understand that Karl Rove owns a sizable investment in Intel.

By: ellroon

ellroon — Mon, 21 May 2007 20:41:07 +0000

Saw the 60 Minutes article on the laptops last night. Crap. It was nice while it lasted….