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Nicholas Negroponte @ Techonomy (video):
“50% of the kids in Peru that use this laptop are teaching their parents how to read and write.”

“In Afghanistan, we are spending $2B per week on war. We are spending $2M per week on education. Think about that. Mr. President, all you have to do is move half of 1% from column A to B, then every child in Afghanistan will have a connected laptop in less than 18 months. That is what the United States will be remembered for. That will make a change.”

“Paper books will not exist in 5 years. The argument against books as paper objects turns out to be the developing world.”

16 responses to “One Laptop Per Child”

  1. Dr DAD (Daniel A D'Auria MD) Avatar
    Dr DAD (Daniel A D’Auria MD)

    I would agree that the concept of educating children will help to end the insanity in places like Afghanistan, but it won’t completely end it. Remember that many of the "terrorists" have received good educations in western facilities. Educating the young is never wrong, and should be a primary goal around the world. Unfortunately, it has to take a back seat to feeding them in some places.
    Although there will be fewer books in 5 years I can’t imagine that they will "not exist". Better call my broker and tell her to sell Barnes and Noble!

    Reply
  2. biotron Avatar
    biotron

    "paper books will not exist in 5 years" – hmmmm; is that entirely desirable? i’m sure there are other valid arguments against books as paper objects besides the potential educational benefit of laptops in developing countries; this seems to be a case of grandstanding within the context of his philanthropic project.

    the question of how to sustain / repair these laptops in the event of malfunction, breaking or stealing leads to further questions of "dependency" and "reliance" and how "one laptop per child" really might turn out to be "several laptops per child" across the 6-year span intended for the target audience – although i now read that this is basically factored into the OLPC’s "five principles" under the section of "saturation" regarding "community responsibilty" and "commitment".

    and what about the viability of easily securing footholds for acceptance of new technologies in a society where many elements may foster distrust for anything the US does to "improve" their lives? the phrase "biting the hand that feeds" comes to mind if these networks are co-opted by those opposed to US hegemony in cultural / technological terms, however altruistic the driving intent… but then i suppose Negroponte is aware of this, in the statement: "OLPC cannot know and should not control how the tools we create will be re-purposed in the future" from the "five principles".

    are there any known questions or challenges to Negroponte over the (potentially political) choice of OS or type of proprietary software he envisages shipping with these laptops, regardless of his vision of open source content being freely shared or developed?

    in any case, without wanting to rain on his parade, i’m sure he’s right in that a connected laptop rather than a well-chosen paperback is more likely to effect important and constructive change – and for sure is better than WAR. but if you could choose ONE paperback to drop en masse (a la propaganda leaflet) into "complex" regions, assuming it was available in a sensitive and patiently-wrought translation, what would it be? – *lame attempt to hijack thread* – i’d be fascinated to hear any answers and reasons for the choice 🙂

    Reply
  3. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    Sam Harris, End of Faith

    Reply
  4. Dr DAD (Daniel A D'Auria MD) Avatar
    Dr DAD (Daniel A D’Auria MD)

    Of course when you drop it, you had better start running fast!

    Reply
  5. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    =) I assumed an air drop!

    Reply
  6. biotron Avatar
    biotron

    quite… the image of tiptoeing around a foreign and potentially hostile country – gingerly placing books in strategic places – was not exactly what i had in mind Dr! 🙂

    i realise now that i can’t possibly think of any decent single answer to my own question. *passes the buck with excuse for further public gibbering*

    i’m wondering if End of Faith might not have that critical "engaging" element or sufficient universal appeal… perhaps there ought to be some sort of (Juvenalian as opposed to Horatian) satirical flavour… Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 perhaps? there’s an irony that Negroponte might appreciate… or some sort of region/religion-specific adaptations of Swift’s A Tale of a Tub for a decent honing in critical reading skills?

    or if someone could re-translate Buckminster Fuller’s No More Secondhand God into relatively plain, simple English and beyond… that might be interesting. or Diamond’s Guns, Germs & Steel? or Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything?

    Reply
  7. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    just read that last one by Bryson, but it felt more like a random walk to me.

    Generally, I think the positive attractor is the more likely path to change (e.g., Unweaving the Rainbow) than the blunt instrument… To show the beauty of science and marveling at the frontiers of the unknown… but I lose patience as a see the world backsliding into medieval mind traps.

    Reply
  8. biotron Avatar
    biotron

    yes, the Bryson one is a bit of a flapper – but nevertheless is still encouraging some people i know (who are usually instantly repelled by scientific terminology of any kind) to embrace the wonder, pierce the cloud of iterated cynicisms and look at the world around them with renewed awe… and i’m very fond of Unweaving the Rainbow…

    indeed, how to negotiate the tricky path betwixt slowburn positive attractor influence and signal loss from autoimmune responses to blunt instruments? is there such a book – along similar lines to any above – that pulls no punches in a simultaneously enticing manner?

    sorry vennettaj – i dunno whether to take "tricky" as a compliment or an insult 😉 – then again, i’m not sure i even understood my own statement either. it’s been a long day.

    Reply
  9. Dr DAD (Daniel A D'Auria MD) Avatar
    Dr DAD (Daniel A D’Auria MD)

    I was going to say that there was certainly no shortage of ignorance in this country. I live in what has been called the "bible belt" of NJ. I work with individuals (some well educated) who still question the validity of evolution, and others who overtly reject it. And so my thought was that perhaps we should be dropping those computers or books (of your choosing) here at home first. Then I realized that they are already here! Perhaps that answers some questions. If ignorance and skepticism can flourish in the face of overwhelming evidence in a country where exposure to these concepts is not suppressed then will 100 million laptops really make a difference? I would have to say that it is not a reason to stop trying. For even if 1000 children are lost in the mire, we win if even one is inspired to greatness. Inspiration is not uniform. For each child that spark is individual. Getting to know the child and find the spark that lights an incendiary path is the difficult and time consuming process, but well worth it!

    Reply
  10. biotron Avatar
    biotron

    "amen" to that! (sorry, wrong word…)

    Reply
  11. TomiTapio Avatar
    TomiTapio

    Good reporting, Mr. J.

    Reply
  12. jgury Avatar
    jgury

    Connect every child in Afghanistan with a laptop? That will make them like our way of life for sure when they see how much fun the rest of the world is having. I’m sure mom and dad Taliban will love that too once they get a taste of latest web memes. Sorry to rain on the faith in technology to solve all problems parade but this is just more naive Western wishful thinking about a rosy new world order. The pipe dream luxury of the Thrasymachean advantage of the technologically stronger. The fact is that any and all technology that we throw into the region just winds up in the bazaar of violence. Want to make a real difference in Afghanistan? Go there and open up a Women’s center and abortion clinic financed with opium.

    Reply
  13. jgury Avatar
    jgury

    If my logical arguments did not convince you of the folly in tech enabling the world then this website and video should. Enough to convert even Sam Harris to the Taliban…
    christwire.org/2010/08/baby-got-book-a-rap-song-for-black…

    Reply
  14. biotron Avatar
    biotron

    wow – how have i missed this before? i see it as one of my life’s objectives to sniff out bad cover versions, and here is one of the classiest pieces of terrible nonsense i’ve heard in a long time.

    not quite sure where the logic is, though, regarding how atrocious faith-based rap détournements might turn anyone against either Christian Luddism at one extreme or secular belief in technological empowerment on the other… isn’t this just a case of tech enabling (some of) the world to have a good laugh at something as potentially misguided as the original message it seeks to subvert?

    Reply
  15. jgury Avatar
    jgury

    It gets worse. Enough to bring out your inner Che or inner Tamerlane depending on your particular political orientation towards Western society.

    Reply
  16. vennettaj Avatar
    vennettaj

    biotron, i swear(lol)..i just today read the second part of your comment..about the good laugh..
    not important but thought it’s funny.. as i don’t know which part u find funny..it is indeed overall funny ..but in detail-they may be addressing multiple issues..
    i don’t want to open a discussion…just saying..

    Reply

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