[gdubs]

I read his books when I was young and impressionable, and impress upon me they did. Wrong or not, I think his alternative perspectives about technology are more than healthy. For all the good, there's definitely a lot of snake oil out there, and there's definitely a lot of good in enjoying life's simple things: friendships, food, gardening, music.

Negroponte is a freak of nature (a compliment). I read an older book of his recently, and he was incredibly accurate about so many predictions. Interesting to go back and read predictions (both the wrong ones and the right ones) and try to understand the frame of mind that those with insight possess. Steve Jobs (by way of Wayne Gretzky) called it "skating to where the puck is going to be". Paul Allen called it "reading the chips" (like "reading the tea-leaves", you could say).

Anyway, it's really worth reading Stoll's books. They're entertaining, well-written, and are a nice counter-balance to the hype we ingest on a daily basis.