Hate being the grunch. I hope the OLPC accomplishes everything it sets out to and more.
What I suspect is that - having learnt something about complexity and dynamic systems from computers - that the most profound effects of the initiative will be unintended ones. Let's hope they are mostly good. Particularly given this, I don't understand the embedded need, as part of the process, to the compromise on some basic ideas - normally called science. We - on edu-sig - were trying to form some consensus on the need for empiricism around these issues. And in his own way, by my reading of events, my erstwhile friend Kirby was trying to suggest something along these lines during his participation at the Shuttleworth summit. Or - maybe more what he was suggesting - is that until there is empricial evidence that leads us in a certain and clear direction, best encourage the diversity of ideas. OLPC seem to represent very much a counter vision. Seems to me the OLPC has counter ideas on both empiricism *and* the diversity of ideas. Here is Nicholas Negroponte's reaction to the idea of bringing empricism to the party. http://www.olpcnews.com/implementation/plan/implementation_miracle.html So there will not be consensus, apparently, Art _______________________________________________ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
