Comments on: Nicolas Negroponte’s difference engine http://cultureby.com/2007/11/nicolas-negropo.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:58:46 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Charles http://cultureby.com/2007/11/nicolas-negropo.html/comment-page-1#comment-2192 Charles Sun, 02 Dec 2007 11:02:18 +0000 http://grantmccracken.com/cco/http:/grantmccracken/page-title#comment-2192 <p>This is brave talk for a guy who hasn't had an idea since the 20th century. Microsoft is Japan circa 1950, an imitator incapable of innovation that matters.</p> <p>Lovely point.</p> <p>Mobile phone telephony is rapidly turning into a competitor for a lot of what is need to bridge the digital divide. I say get whatever we can into the hands of the poor and the disenfranchised. And lets do it quick.</p> This is brave talk for a guy who hasn't had an idea since the 20th century. Microsoft is Japan circa 1950, an imitator incapable of innovation that matters.

Lovely point.

Mobile phone telephony is rapidly turning into a competitor for a lot of what is need to bridge the digital divide. I say get whatever we can into the hands of the poor and the disenfranchised. And lets do it quick.

]]> By: MEL http://cultureby.com/2007/11/nicolas-negropo.html/comment-page-1#comment-2191 MEL Sat, 01 Dec 2007 20:35:28 +0000 http://grantmccracken.com/cco/http:/grantmccracken/page-title#comment-2191 <p>I'm reminded of Clay Christensen's "The Innovator's Dilemma" -- namely, that innovation usually happens on a feature or dimension that the market does not currently value. It's usually the later entrants into the market who actually capitalize on it.</p> I'm reminded of Clay Christensen's "The Innovator's Dilemma" — namely, that innovation usually happens on a feature or dimension that the market does not currently value. It's usually the later entrants into the market who actually capitalize on it.

]]> By: TJIC http://cultureby.com/2007/11/nicolas-negropo.html/comment-page-1#comment-2190 TJIC Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:25:36 +0000 http://grantmccracken.com/cco/http:/grantmccracken/page-title#comment-2190 <p>Re: "He pays yet another penalty of taking the lead. He is paying for making a market where once there was none."</p> <p>Negropante didn't "take the lead"; he saw the obvious point that Moore's law was taking us to, and tried to make a big production out of getting in front of the parade and pretending that he was leading it.</p> <p>In fact, 20 years ago it was clear that computers would someday hit $100 each.</p> <p>I'll go on record as saying that devices with the power of a full server rack of multi-core blade servers will someday fit in a shirt pocket, sell for $10, and be in use in even the poorest countries.</p> <p>By saying that, I'm not a visionary - I'm just echoing the conventional wisdom.</p> <p>What Negroponte did was to pretend. He pretended that the $100 laptop wasn't going to happen without him. He stood up and said "I have a dream - a dream of a $100 laptop! I can make it come true through force of will! ...but first, I need a few thousand fawning press features, and meetings with lots of very famous and powerful people".</p> <p>I'd like to try the same thing.</p> <p>"I have a dream that, despite the sun having gone down today, it will rise again tomorrow. All I need to make it come true is a meeting with the Dali Lama, Al Gore, and the presidents of the 10 largest charities...".</p> <p>The fact that Negroponte is upset with "competition", instead of welcoming other people working to achieve the same thing tells you what you need to know.</p> Re: "He pays yet another penalty of taking the lead. He is paying for making a market where once there was none."

Negropante didn't "take the lead"; he saw the obvious point that Moore's law was taking us to, and tried to make a big production out of getting in front of the parade and pretending that he was leading it.

In fact, 20 years ago it was clear that computers would someday hit $100 each.

I'll go on record as saying that devices with the power of a full server rack of multi-core blade servers will someday fit in a shirt pocket, sell for $10, and be in use in even the poorest countries.

By saying that, I'm not a visionary – I'm just echoing the conventional wisdom.

What Negroponte did was to pretend. He pretended that the $100 laptop wasn't going to happen without him. He stood up and said "I have a dream – a dream of a $100 laptop! I can make it come true through force of will! …but first, I need a few thousand fawning press features, and meetings with lots of very famous and powerful people".

I'd like to try the same thing.

"I have a dream that, despite the sun having gone down today, it will rise again tomorrow. All I need to make it come true is a meeting with the Dali Lama, Al Gore, and the presidents of the 10 largest charities…".

The fact that Negroponte is upset with "competition", instead of welcoming other people working to achieve the same thing tells you what you need to know.

]]> By: jen_chan, writer SureFireWealth.com http://cultureby.com/2007/11/nicolas-negropo.html/comment-page-1#comment-2189 jen_chan, writer SureFireWealth.com Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:38:07 +0000 http://grantmccracken.com/cco/http:/grantmccracken/page-title#comment-2189 <p>It's sad to see something that was supposedly all about giving turn into a competition of sorts. Bad-mouthing and confusion really hurts the cause. Big names and big companies should just focus on the real reason for the campaign and not their own blistered egos.</p> It's sad to see something that was supposedly all about giving turn into a competition of sorts. Bad-mouthing and confusion really hurts the cause. Big names and big companies should just focus on the real reason for the campaign and not their own blistered egos.

]]> By: jen_chan, writer SureFireWealth.com http://cultureby.com/2007/11/nicolas-negropo.html/comment-page-1#comment-2188 jen_chan, writer SureFireWealth.com Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:34:16 +0000 http://grantmccracken.com/cco/http:/grantmccracken/page-title#comment-2188 <p>It's sad to see something that was supposedly all about giving turn into a competition of sorts. Bad-mouthing and confusion really hurts the cause. Big names and big companies should just focus on the real reason for the campaign and not their own blistered egos.</p> It's sad to see something that was supposedly all about giving turn into a competition of sorts. Bad-mouthing and confusion really hurts the cause. Big names and big companies should just focus on the real reason for the campaign and not their own blistered egos.

]]> By: Nicholas Greco http://cultureby.com/2007/11/nicolas-negropo.html/comment-page-1#comment-2187 Nicholas Greco Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:56:48 +0000 http://grantmccracken.com/cco/http:/grantmccracken/page-title#comment-2187 <p>Since the announcement of the availability of the laptop, I have been looking on with much interest, trying to convince myself (and my wife) that this is a worthwhile charity to be giving to, while also receiving a novel and historic product. This post might help me finally decide what to do this holiday season. Thanks, Grant.</p> Since the announcement of the availability of the laptop, I have been looking on with much interest, trying to convince myself (and my wife) that this is a worthwhile charity to be giving to, while also receiving a novel and historic product. This post might help me finally decide what to do this holiday season. Thanks, Grant.

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