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Walter Bender Resigns From OLPC

Posted by timothy on from the shiny-but-not-an-ass dept.

westlake writes "Walter Bender, the former executive director of MIT's Media Lab, and, in many ways, the tireless workhorse and public face of OLPC, has resigned from OLPC after being reorganized and sidetracked into insignificance. The rumor mill would have it that 'constructionism as children [learn] learning' is being replaced by a much less romantic view of the XO's place in the classroom and XO's tech in the marketplace."

4 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. oblig by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 5, Funny

    Did his final words as he left have anything to do with biting his shiny metal ass?

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    1. Re:oblig by thhamm · · Score: 5, Funny

      with biting his shiny metal ass?

      nah, but: 'i'll make my own OLPC ... with blackjack ... and hookers.'

  2. Sadly, no... by nweaver · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The software stack may be questionable, but the hardware is brilliant.

    Nothing else comes close for efficiency, cost, battery life (with working software), ruggedness, total lifetime, etc.

    The thing is VERY tough (i've tossed mine several times), very low power (3 hours battery life with 100% broken power management. Good power management should get 6+ hours battery life for typical users), with a brilliant screen. Just put real software on it and its very nice.

    Let alone the environmental tolerance: Normal notebook batteries die if you try charging them at 100F.

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  3. It looks by esocid · · Score: 5, Interesting
    like Bender was kind of forced to resign since all of his responsibilities were absorbed into the other 4 restructured areas. Since January the OLPC has lost three top execs, one of whom was asked to stop collaborating with Bender. Something seems a little fishy with this operation now.

    In an interview with BusinessWeek in early March, OLPC Chairman Negroponte said OLPC was "doing almost impossible things," and that the organization needed to be managed "more like Microsoft." He said OLPC was reorganizing into four departments and looking for a CEO to lead the nonprofit.
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