Name: Nicholas Negroponte. From: He grew up in Switzerland and New York, then later moved to Boston.

Who is he?

The world's leading "Digital Age" guru. Also, the founding director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab.

What else? "Oh boy - I went to MIT in 1961 and never left. I was 17." He is the author of several books, and a regular columnist in Wired magazine.

Marital status: Married, one grown-up son who lives in Milan.

How much does he travel? Around 300 days of the year.

Why is he in the news? He is the keynote speaker at the IBEC "Irish Business in the Information Age" conference in Jurys hotel, Dublin, today.