Negroponte revealed at the OLPC MIT Media Lab event (Reported by Xconomy) that the next OLPC will be $75 and have dual screens by 2010 with the intention of being more like an eReader than a laptop. I have several problems with this and think they can do better. 
The first problem being that they have a poor history of setting prices this far in advance. The OLPC was originally dubbed the “$100 Laptop” as that was the original price target. Its initial release was a buy 2, get 1 program at $400 (meaning each laptop was $200). Doubling of the price meant halfing the number of laptops that children would get their hands on. Not good. I am wondering if this new device is going to be closer to $125 or higher. They have a goal of making the original OLPC $100 in 2008. The problem is, we are nearly halfway through 2008 and we haven’t seen any movement on that.
My second problem is the screens. Did Negroponte get hooked playing on a Nintendo DS or something? They are going to use commodity portable DVD screens and somehow turn them into touch screens then for $20 each. These screens are generally very low resolution, require a lot of power for the backlights, don’t operate in non-backlit modes and hell to read text on.
Why in ~5 years since Amazon begun developing their Kindle couldn’t they get the same thing out there (without the profit) for approximately $175 or so? I’m thinking they could do it by 2010 and their ePaper looks great and lasts forever on batteries it seems.
I’m a supporter of OLPC, but I find this move to be disturbing as I find many of their moves to be lately. Why do we need Windows XP on children’s laptops in Africa? Why do they need dual screens? Why did they misjudge their pricepoints so badly before, and will they do the same again?
While very productive and an amazing tool; the internet helps me waste time in a way that not even TV was able to. So what are the sites that I end up wasting my time on? And as a better question, what do you waste your time on?
- Digg: I hate this site. I really do. I use Reddit on occasion too, but for whatever reason Digg keeps pulling me back. Half of the stories are worthless crap, and the other half are inaccurate and sensationalized. I guess it’s like the internet version of a tabloid newspaper like the Boston Herald. It’s not quality, but you keep reading it when you want to kill a few minutes and some brain cells.
Why I don’t stop reading it: For me the internet isn’t actually information overload. Being a child of the 90′s has given me a massive thirst for data/information. Digg keeps this flow going for me. I love Slashdot, but there’s just not enough unless I’m drinking from the firehose. But more than anything, I feel that if I don’t read Digg/Reddit that I’m behind or miss something. I feel this horrid need to be 100% on top of every internet fad/trend and piece of news. Sigh.
- Gearslutz: This is just a webboard about recording music and gear. It’s not the best out there, but at the same time offers so much. It’s full of some great people, and also full of morons and newbies with mBoxes and pirated versions of Fruity Loops.Why I don’t stop going there: I feel that I am a semi-respected community member and occasional troll on there. It’s fun. I like keeping on top of engineering even if I am no longer doing it professionally. Plus, they have a great classifieds section.
- CNN: Some days I think this is worse than Digg and less accurate. It’s near the level of Fox News. Yet, I check it at least once a day. It’s like not understanding why you wash your hands or pull out your hair compulsively. It really is a sickness that I wish would go away. Maybe I should block it from my router.Why I don’t stop going there: Occasionally, and I mean super-rarely they have something that’s worth reading. Also, unlike the NYT they have a ton of video daily that I can watch when my hair is drying from the shower.
- Slashdot: The Original Time-waster. The firehose has made it that much worse since I don’t have to wait for them to actually approve articles prior to reading them.Why I don’t stop going there: The comments. Each news thread has generally at least 100 comments, and they are much better structured and generally more intelligent (or at least at a moderation of 3 and above) than Digg or elsewhere.
- New York Times: This to me is real news. I wish I could afford to have it delivered every morning, but I’d also hate to kill that many trees. Maybe if I get a Kindle I’ll read it even more (that isn’t a good thing).Why I don’t stop going there: Because it’s actually decent reporting. I feel that some of the “lifestyle” articles get repetitive, but overall it’s also a great conversation piece. It seems that everyone I’ve been on a date with in the past few months reads it daily, so it’s something easy to reference. It doesn’t change fast enough for me (I mean it’s real writing though, so that’s to be expected since they actually edit their stuff unlike CNN).
Yes, I know that I could put many of these into an RSS reader and digest them that way, but there is some enjoyment I find to going to the actual websites.
