Fan Mail

Hi Cyrus, Three thoughts on your excellent “skeptical inquiry” into Negroponte’s $100 computer. A. You probably haven’t enough gray hair to remember the Timex Sinclair. More a stunt than a computer, but reached cult popularity with those who enjoy the challenge of writing TIGHT programs. Here’s a website with a jpeg of it being well-used as a doorstop! B. To be fair, I’m imagining that Negroponte isn’t projecting today’s costs/components, but counting on continued leaps in integration and reductions in…

Hi Cyrus, Just wanted to let you know that I enjoy your blog and am going to link it to mine. In particular I thought your Persian Web 2.0 post was very cool. As it happens, I am also a persian involved with Web 2.0! I guess we are really all over that. Anyway, keep up the good work. Have a good one! Cheers, Hooman Radfar Pittsburgh, PA

A thought in response to your Slate article and the more practical Inveneo stuff. The latter relies on 12V DC for the good reasons that it’s been made ubiquitous by the car and truck industry, the gear is simple and tough, and big economies of scale have already been made. Why then does every new DC gadget call for a different voltage and its own transformer? Big purchasers like the Pentagon or the Indian government could push the industry towards…

This one came in before the one this morning: Hello, My name is Samir Raiyani and I am a Senior Scientist at SAP Research in Palo Alto. I really liked your article on Slate about Negroponte’s $100 computer idea. I had written exactly along the same lines on my blog – even pointing to the silly Simputer idea. My angle was slightly different and would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks, Samir > Samir, > > Thanks so much for…

A reader named Trent Krupp left this comment on my blog this morning: I read your article on Slate today and felt that it was poorly researched with a fundamental lack of understanding as to what the $100 laptop is meant to do. While there are numerous errors of reasoning, a few that you should personnally look into are the real purposes of the WIFI adapter (hint: Ad-hoc networks are what is envisioned, not infrastructural networks). Also the mention of…

Ed: I figured that this whole Slate/Wikipedia thing would blow over by the end of the week, and it has, pretty much. The discussion as to whether or not I deserve a Wikipedia entry is still ongoing, but has died down a bit. Before the week is up, however, I wanted to post a really weird bit of email that I received: John Stamey of New York State writes: I’m sorry, but I think I missed something in your story.…

Cyrus, I have never responded to or written in a blog, so here goes. I think that what is happening with your Wikipedia entry is fantastic. First of all, I loved your article on Slate even before I discovered the arguments surrounding it. Those who are mad at you for exposing them are fools; if everyone who discovered a prank in progress played along, there would be no pranks. ThatÕs the point: pranks are difficult to do right. The ÒgreenlightingÓ…

Before I get to the fan mail, I find it even more amusing that Jimmy Wales himself has gotten involved. And if this further drives my “egomaniac” tendencies, so be it. Best article I’ve read in a while. Brilliant! The toothing hoax was so good that not only didn’t I know that it was a hoax, but CSI Miami Season 3 Episode 20 “Killer Date” was specifically about “toothing” and the consequences of it (in this case a cop loses…

This is from one “Ding Chavez” (oh come now, Internet pseudonyms are so 1996). With all due respect, you seem like the kind of person that would go to a child’s birthday party uninvited, and then proceed to explain loudly how the magician does all his tricks. Don’t you have anything better to write about? Like that whole political corruption and war thing going on, that’s a popular one. Please get a sense of humor and then optionally go report…

Check it. Technorati watch. Sorry for the crazy bloggage today. I clearly don’t have enough to do.