Topic: Nicholas Negroponte

John C. Dvorak recounts personal experiences with media hit pieces, including a profile in Wired Magazine orchestrated by Nicholas Negroponte following Dvorak's criticism of the MIT Media Lab. He warns against allowing photographers to manipulate subjects into posing for "idiot" shots. A separate anecdote involves an aborted Playboy profile by writer David Renson that was canceled because Dvorak was deemed too boring for the format.

A host recounts a visit to the MIT Media Lab with Will Hearst, where Nicholas Negroponte allegedly bragged about "pre-selling" books to manipulate bestseller lists. After writing a critical column about the lab's inventions, the host was targeted by a "hit piece" in Wired Magazine written by Paulina Borsuk. The story concludes with a comparison to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem using campaign funds to buy her own books to inflate sales figures.

A personal anecdote describes a visit to the MIT Media Lab with Will Hearst, where Nicholas Negroponte discussed a book deal with Stewart Brand. MIT had reportedly pre-purchased 50,000 copies of the book to secure its publication, a common industry practice. The story concludes with the narrator being removed from the meeting by Marvin Minsky after being identified as an un-vetted observer.