Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic talk about the OLPC

[BombayRepertoire]

if this Negroponte really want's to make an impression, he should design the computer out of high impact rubber or polyurethane....

[marianstefan1]

Interacting with people trough technology .

[happygolucky360]

WHERE CAN I BUY THE OLPC? Charbax? where can I buy, how much will it cost? - I would prefer to buy olpc, but the intel classmate 2, has a lot more power, and longer battery life.! but does cost $400 dollars. the olpc is $180 dollars, but how much retail, price? - yes the OLPC is cool cuz of the price.!

[Charbax]

OLPC has 5 times longer battery life then Intel Classmate, costs 2 to 3 times less to manufacture. OLPC is much better optimized so even though it is less "powerfull" it runs software better and faster.

[artiefacts]

So, we disagree on the 'mostly overwhelmingly positive' aspects of the internet. How do _you_ account for the 'political implications' with Negoponte, Media Lab and OLPC that Sterling lists? Why does he dismiss the 'digital divide?"

Why doesn't Sterling endorse OLPC unequivocally?

[Charbax]

Nicholas Negroponte's political statement is basically to use open source. You simply cannot be against open source. That's like being against freedom of speech, or being against democracy. If certain countries do not support freedom of speech, do not want to use better democracy to solve problems more effectively and if countries do not want open source, then Nicholas Negroponte isn't going to be able to sell the project there. But there are many countries so at this point it is unstoppable.

[artiefacts]

You're missing the point: I have nothing against OSS, nor does Sterling. Why do foreign countries resist Negroponte and OLPC? (it's not about OS) Why doesn't Sterling endorse it unequivocally?

[artiefacts]

"people throw away computers really quickly..."

Yes, what a pity. We already have landfills full of e-waste leaching heavy metals, and Negroponte wants to build - and sell - millions of these things with useful lifetimes of maybe 5 years. It takes lots of fresh water and fossil fuel to build new computers. Great argument for recycling old computers instead of building cheap new ones.

"outreach of Negroponte and his collaborators...that's what makes it problematic" You know? I mean, you know?

[Charbax]

OLPC is the greenest computer ever made.

[artiefacts]

So what? Why build millions of cheap 'green' computer if they're not needed? No one's shown that poor kids need or want to "be digital." Sterling's right - Negroponte wants to sell computers in bulk.

[Charbax]

It is undisputable fact that computers and the Internet improves peoples lives. If it improves your life, how can you decide that poor kids and their families shouldn't have access to the same tools and thus have the same opportunities as you?

[artiefacts]

How do decide they should? It's arguable that computers and the internet 'improve' *some* aspects of *some* people's lives. I'm not sure the internet has improved my life, or yours, or if a new minimalist laptop - with or without the associated telecom infrastructure, electricity, instruction, ongoing maintenance, etc - would improve the life of a sick, hungry, or impoverished child in a developing nation.

The internet giveth and the internet taketh away. Your mileage may vary.

[Charbax]

Not everyone of the 5 billion people who don't yet have a computer and the Internet are sick and starving.

Look outside the window if you want to see something that was improved thanks to computers and the Internet. Everything practically in our society has been affected by computers and the Internet, and every of those aspects are mostly overwhelmingly positive. (in terms of performance, precision, quality, affordabillity, availabillity...)

[happygolucky360]

This is my FAV interview, this guy speaks so candid and brutally honest about the OLPC Project. 5 Stars!

[Charbax]

Yup he is cool, but I think that he is going to be proven wrong.

[happygolucky360]

charbax, time will only tell, who the winner will be.! I hope the olpc wins.! :)

[verica7]

TRUE,

so true....

[marianstefan1]

Oau !!! he knows DJ Spooky !!!

[heartafar]

"i'm not a cynic"

uh huh.. you're a hypocrite

[seesaw]

Good video clip.