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OLPC Founder Negroponte Wanted to Make Multitouch XO-2 Laptop 20 Years Ago
Posted by Matt Buchanan at 7:40 AM on June 3, 2008
Long before the XO Laptop climbed over US$100 and OLPC's name was sullied by infighting (and then redeemed by its dual multi-touchscreen XO2 concept) OLPC founder Nick Negroponte was preaching the gospel of ten-finger multi-touch over the "mouse on Macintosh," which sounds profoundly clunky compared to his vision of interfacing with computers. In this 1984 TED talk, the experience he describes sounds remarkably like the XO-2--over 25 years later, he'll finally build the computer he's always wanted. (And I want too.) The clip is long, but prescient and brilliant--you'll feel smarter afterward. [TED via Mental Floss]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
DavidPFarrell
Posted 8:25 AM 3/6/08
Wow I'm ahead of the curve, I watched this clip last week.
I subscribe to TED through iTunes and try to have "TED days" where, instead of listening to music, I watch TED videos during the day.
Anyway, I was completely blown away by this talk and I could not believe it was from 1984.
I had just finished watching the vid from the guy who designed the OLPC (and Y-Water, yay?) case and it was interesting seeing how modern day presentations differ from back then - 1984 was the year TED launched.
DavidPFarrell
beekerstudios
Posted 8:12 AM 3/6/08
Anyone talking at TED knows their crap. Every single TED discussion I have ever heard was pure genius, and as much as this guy gets knocked, he is charismatic, correct, and eloquent.
Everyone who visits this blog should really check out TED, some really ahead of their time thinkers and TRUE innovators talk at it.
beekerstudios
Hiphopopotamus
Posted 7:49 AM 3/6/08
According to Negroponte, they want people to steal the design - Get to work Apple - I will buy like 20.
Hiphopopotamus
takashimike 2.0
Posted 7:46 AM 3/6/08
Ah, The joys of the human imagination and ambition. It's a shame technology couldn't keep up at the time.
takashimike 2.0
inboulder1
Posted 9:42 AM 3/6/08
Please stop putting Negroponte's name in print. That is all.
inboulder1
SeattleTed
Posted 10:29 AM 3/6/08
I check out Ted regularly as I plan my lawsuit.
SeattleTed
nordbyk
Posted 11:05 AM 3/6/08
I really liked being drawn in and lulled by the tech-sweet talk, only to be dropped, hard, by the site of a laserdisc.
nordbyk
jimbowyer
Posted 12:11 PM 3/6/08
Interesting video- I wonder is it that he's forward thinking and visionary, or that it has taken until now for computers to catch up with the technology?
jimbowyer
DeadWriter
Posted 12:46 PM 3/6/08
[www.ted.com] The TED talks are a great video pod cast. Most are great. A few are lame, but more often than not, 60-80% are worth the time spend downloading and watching them.
DeadWriter
The Monarch
Posted 2:34 PM 4/6/08
Brilliant!
Too bad he cooks pengiuns...
The Monarch