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VOLUME 23
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Welcome to this month's E-zine. Let's get right at it this month. Through the 1990s I was deeply influenced by a man Nicholas Negroponte. A regular contributor to Wired magazine, presenter at the TED conferences, author, thinker and general savant, Negroponte was a poster boy for the new world of web-based connectedness. I was thrilled to see recently that the result of the last few years of his work is about to be shipped, and it seemed only appropriate to feature him - and his exciting new product - in this month's E-zine. I hope you enjoy the story of the XO. I think it is a great example of putting brainpower to work and tackling a modern day problem that most people said was "impossible". It is also a wonderful story of the power of industrial design leadership. Have a great month.
Please visit our website at www.themarkofaleader.com |
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FEATURE
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QUOTABLE QUOTES It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not. Unknown |
NICHOLAS NEGROPONTE - CREATING THE FUTURE AGAIN
In the 1990s, Nicholas Negroponte gained global celebrity status as chairman of the MIT Media Lab, a pioneering group that was instrumental in helping usher in the world of Multimedia and the Internet. His impact was immeasurable on helping people understand the new world in which we are all connected with each other. His book, Being Digital, is still a great read over 10 years later, and shows us just how prescient Mr. N was - and still is. Negroponte resigned his post at the Media Lab two years ago to take on another project with several MIT colleagues. Called One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), its goal is to provide children in developing nations with laptop computers, thereby starting to resolve the terrible disparity between those humans who are "connected", and those who are not. The vision has been a laptop computer that sells for $100 US or less! Most people, upon first hearing of this project, have said "impossible". The challenges are formidable. The device must be virtually indestructible, have a very bright screen that will work indoors and out, work in areas where there is no electricity, provide internet and local area connections, be literally self-teaching - and on and on - and then sell for under $100. Well once again, Negroponte has shown that if you put enough smart and passionate people on a project, anything can happen. |
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QUOTABLE QUOTES Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. Warren Bennis |
Introducing XO. The world's smartest, most inexpensive laptop computer. Not available to consumers, the XO will be sold in bulk to third world governments, and then distributed to children in even the most remote regions, with the goal of one per child. Have a look under the hood to see just how smart this little beast is. First, survivability. The XO packs a rugged water and dirt resistant rubberized keyboard and a body capable of withstanding five years of rough use and strong sunlight. The screen is 7.5-inch diagonal high-resolution color, capable of being easily seen outdoors in daylight. It also has a low power, high contrast black and white mode. The screen can swivel in all directions or fold flat to create a tablet computer for reading or playing games. 
Power was one of the greatest challenges. The remarkable XO uses about 2 watts, which is 1/10th the amount used by a typical laptop. In areas without a reliable electrical supply, the XO can be powered by a handheld generator - pull the string for one minute to produce 10 minutes of operating time. There will eventually be a solar energy power solution. The operating system is based on Linux open-source software, ignoring both Windows and Mac. It includes an Internet browser, a word processor, games, and a toolkit for a wide variety of musical activities. |
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QUOTABLE QUOTES It's never too late to become what you might have become. George Elliot |
Wi-Fi antennas are built into the handles, and automatically create a "mesh network" with any other XO computer within about one-third of a mile. A screen displays icons showing the other XO computers within range at any given time, and only one computer requires Internet access for them all to have it. Servers and satellite connection will be dropped in remote places, allowing the kids to connect from anywhere, and access schoolbooks and lessons from the school directly. In places where an Internet connection already exists, no server will be needed. Skype, Google, Echostar and Linux Red Hat are some of the more high profile partners, and thanks to an integrated video camera, microphone and the powerful Wi-Fi antennas, children will be able to connect readily. |
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QUOTABLE QUOTES Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose. Bill Gates |
The genius of the design is thanks to San Francisco's fuseproject, who have taken a formidable challenge and emerged with what appears to be a smart, elegant solution. And it is not just the hardware that is smart. Both fuseproject and OLPC believe passionately in children's abilities to figure out how to work these little electronic marvels, particularly by sharing their knowledge together. The machines are being built by Quanta Computer in Taiwan, and are currently being tested in a dozen countries. The plan is to ship 5 million XOs around the world by the end of 2007, a first step toward reaching the 1 billion school-age children now growing up in the developing world. While the XO will not solve the problems of providing food and healthcare for the world's poorest, it will help narrow the world's fundamental education gap problem. By providing access to knowledge, they will be providing a new future for a huge percentage of the world's kids. 
Negroponte's unique mark is not just that he has seen the future, but that he has then spent his formidable leadership talent on bringing that future to life. The world has changed according to his vision once already, and I believe it is about to do it again! |
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Please visit us at www.themarkofaleader.com. Copyright 2007 Mark of a Leader |
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