MIT and their partners continue to attempt to fulfill Negroponte's long-held dream of building a $100 crank-powered laptop to bring information techno

I have always admired Nicholas Negroponte, former head of the MIT Media Lab. For many years now, he has been throwing his challenge towards the computer industry – build me a $100 USD laptop that can be hand-powered, so that developing nations can join the information revolution. This year at the Product Design Awards 2006, the current incarnation won a Silver medal.

Here is a picture of the winning entry. Bravo, Mr. Negroponte! Is this more important than wells or food? No. But he’s doing more than most people. And he’s to be congratulated I think for his vision and for setting up a challenge that was grand enough that it energized so many people at MIT, AMD, Red Hat, and other partner companies.