Being Digital - Negroponte

1995

“The secretary listened to the story and then translated it from beginning to end, with Mr. Shikanai listening attentively. At the end, Mr. Shikanai reflected, paused, and then looked up at us and emitted a shogun-size Ohhhh." The male secretary then translated: "Mr. Shikanai says that he too is very impressed with the work of Calder and Mr. Shikanais most recent acquisitions were under the circumstances of. . ." Wait a minute. Where did all that come from?

This continued for most of the meal. Wiesner would say something, it would be translated in full, and the reply would be more or less an "Ohhhh," which was then translated into a lengthy explanation. I said to myself that night, if I really want to build a personal computer, it has to be as good as Mr. Shikanais secretary. It has to be able to expand and contract signals as a function of knowing me and my environment so intimately that I literally can be redundant on most occasions.” (P.150)

Negroponte, Nicholas. Page 150-151, Being Digital. Hodder and Stoughton, 1995.