MIT's $100 Laptop for Kids in the Third World

Don't get us wrong - Bostonist loves killer robots, time-traveler conventions, and throwing pianos off buildings as much as the next guy. But sometimes, we'd like our resident cadre of nerds at MIT to come out with something so obviously and immediately useful that it requires no imagination on our part to see its real-world applications. Enter Nicholas Negroponte, head of MIT's media lab (who used to appear on TV with the awesomest title ever: "Futurist"), and a non-profit called One Laptop Per Child. They have developed a super-low-budget laptop that can be manufactured and distributed for around $100 (!). The idea is that the governments of developing countries will buy these computers and distribute them to kids for free, facilitating their access to porn educational materials. The machines will have some kind of high-tech, low-cost, super-pimptronic screen, USB ports, wi-fi connectivity, Linux operating systems, and, of course, they'll be incredibly cheap and will run off a plug, batteries, or a hand crank (!). Although we can imagine lots of cool stateside, consumer applications for this technology, it's nice that Negroponte et al. are focused on charitable endeavors (also, Radio Shack has some sort of super-chintzy internet computer in the works, if you absolutely must have something like this). So let Bostonist say, "Thanks, MIT, for making us proud. You may now return to building cyborgs and breaking stuff."