Lambda the Ultimate

Here's the most recent update I have. If I hear more, I will post it here.

From: Nicholas Negroponte [mailto:nn@media.mit.edu]
Sent: Thu 12/14/2006 10:44 AM
To: all@laptop.org
Subject: Update on Seymour - Dec 14

Hello to Seymour's friends

The two most significant changes since the last newsletter are that

1) Seymour has continued to improve, albeit very slowly. He has opened
his eyes more times and his condition has stabilized and

2) he has been approved for international transport, which means that he
should leaving on the Swiss ambulance plane on Friday night, Boston time
and he is being flown directly to Boston. The flight plan calls for the
plane to arrive at Logan airport at 2:00 PM on Saturday, 12/16.

If he were to develop any complications, such as a fever, in the next 36
hours then the trip might be delayed. The jet will be departing from
Zurich to Hanoi later today.

Other than this, there is not too much to report. Four of the members of
"Team Seymour" in Vietnam will be able to come back on the jet -- Suzanne,
Artemis, Elizabeth, and Sergei. There will be four pilots and two medical
personnel -- a neurologist and a nurse. It is possible that the plane, in
calculating weights and balances for this extremely long flight, may have
to leave one passenger behind to return on a commercial flight, but we hope
that it will not be the case.

I know that everyone who has been part of the team will be sorry to say
goodbye to Thao Griffths, the tireless, miracle-working friend and
colleague who has moved mountains for Seymour and everyone in his party.
Fortunately we believe that Thao may be coming for a visit to the US in
early 2007.

Once he lands, Seymour wlll be brought directly to Mass General, where he
will be under the care of Dr. Robert Martuza, the chairman of the
department of neurosurgery, and his colleague William Curry. Once Seymour
has arrived at Mass General, we will begin a whole new phase of analyzing
his condition and supporting his recovery.

My sister Susanna is flyng up from Kentucky tomorrow to be part of the
support team. Elizabeth will be returning swiftly to Los Angeles in order
to celebrate her son Theo's second birthday! Artemis will be staying in
Boston for the foreseeable future.

We will continue to keep you posted if we hear anything more. This is
going to be a very long and demanding flight for Seymour, so please
continue to pray for him.

Bob Massie

It was my favourite programming language when I was learning to program in late '80s on Commodore 64. Not just because of the turtle graphics; it was more high level than anything else I've encountered on such a small machine, with first-class lists, dynamic typing, higher order procedures, and introspection. Only many years later when I learled about Lisp I realized that Logo is a mini-Lisp.