Negroponte + $100 laptop

Stanford Kwinter introduced Negroponte, who is to my belief, a future Nobel prize winner! The most fantastic thing about the $100 laptop, is that is for non profit, i.e. for HUMANITARIAN purpose… Here are my notes, en vrac!!

As opposed to the “next billion users market”, Negroponte wishes to address the “last billion users.” “Scale [building that many] is important” because if you have scale, you can argue for a change of corporate strategies says Negroponte. “They will do things differently.”
The ideas are “(1) to use technologies to learn learning, not to learn something [.ppt or .xls]; (2) teaching is one but not the only way to achieve learning; (3) leverage children themselves.”
“The problem of technology is not the problem anymore.”
“Teachers say about it: (1) attendance has gone up; (2) discipline has gone down; (3) teaching is more fun; (4) parents are more involved; (5) teachers get more e-mails at night from students needing help.” :)
“The first prototype had a crank… […] it shows that human power is important.”
“What about gray market issues [reselling parts]? […] No white Volvo is stolen in South Africa because there is no market for it!” “We hope that it is sufficiently unique.”
There is a concept currently under consideration… “If you buy a computer, a child gets one free.”
“Side effects? Linux, NO CAPS LOCK key, peer to peer everything, learning by doing, no bloated software, power consciousness, viral communications…” “Sharing, [the more together the more power] is deeply rooted in its conception.”
“A censored Internet is better than no Internet at all.”
“When you close it Bill [Gates], it WILL go off!” [Laughs]…
“You know the English expression “you never watch a rented car?” “By giving ownership of the laptop to the kids, the maintenance can happen locally.”
“There is STILL [wants to reduce the number] 75 people on the assembly line, though the laptop contains a 1/3 of a regular laptop.” “When the laptop arrives at a school, it comes with a person that stays a month…”
“Launch countries: Brazil, Nigeria, thailand, Argentina, Libya; in discussion with: China, Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh, Palestine…”