The idea that every African having a computer will solve Africa's problems is stupid. This story is built on the myth that physical poverty is the root of evil, and that if everyone just had a certain critical amount of stuff, then we'd have peace on Earth. Naive.
I know I should stay out of the feedback, but I feel a need here to repeat the closing quote from this episode, by
Nicholas Negroponte in relation to his
One Laptop Per Child project, because I believe it's very important to the story and bears on your interpretation:
"If you take any world problem, any issue on the planet, the solution to that problem certainly includes education. In education, the roadblock is the laptop."
The story wasn't about
stuff at all, Mr. Tweedy. It was about
education. The laptop wasn't the story; the transformation of the children's ways of thinking was the story. If you try to look at it that way, as a question of education rather than resources, does it make any more sense?
And while I'm complaining, am I the only person who is tired of hearing about Cunning Minx in the intro to every episode? I listen to hear science fiction, Steve, not to hear how wonderful your non-monogamous lifestyle is. It's your show, of course, but these forums are for feedback, right?
Sure. But I think you're leaning to hyperbole. ...I should be above this, but you're sort of making it personal here, and it's been one of those days so I'm going to respond:
This week's intro was about Dragon*Con. Minx was only mentioned once. The sentence was: "One of the highlights of the convention was simply sitting down Sunday evening with Minx and another couple, and having a real conversation about real things." The emphasis was not on Minx; it was on the conversation.
Is that really a gratuitous propagandizing of "non-monogamous lifestyle?" How would you revise it to your tastes: should I not have mentioned Minx and simply said that
I sat down with a couple? Should I not have referenced the conversation, despite its relevance to the theme I was developing of small-scale social interaction? Or should I not have talked about Dragon*Con at all?
(I also mentioned her name once in the closing notes, because she helped me with a French pronunciation -- which I mangled anyway. Are you uncomfortable that I gave her credit for helping me? If I had asked and credited Anna instead, would you feel better about it?)
On a more general note: do I talk about her in the intros? Yes, I've talked about her. I talk about Anna a lot more. And there are people wanting to know when I'll do the next Geek Dad intro. No one seems to object when I talk about Anna or Alex. I've written 122 of these intros so far, and if I had to completely separate my personality and personal life from them I don't think I'd be able to deliver one every week. I'm not an academic; I know science fiction, but not
that well. Not well enough to deliver a cold, dispassionate, and
good essay every week.
So it comes to this by necessity: I reference my personal life in my intros at least
some of the time, as my muse guides me, or I don't do intros. More people seem to want intros than not want them, so I'm going to reference my personal life. If that bothers you, sorry. You can always skip ahead approximately 3.5 minutes. (And if I find out enough people are doing that, maybe someday I'll put the work into an enhanced podcast with chapter stops.)
And if you're okay with my talking about my personal life: well, Minx is a part of it. If you're not okay with my talking about her, but you
are okay with my talking about Alex or Anna, I don't see that as my problem. The "lifestyle" is what
her podcast is about. I'm just talking about me.