It was good to chat briefly on the mumble session, and hear about your vision.
I am a huge advocate of open source hardware and it seems incredible to have allies such as you in the field!
I have been following the work at Studio Kosagi:
http://www.kosagi.com/ The Novena laptop in particular, quite a feat. I'm sure you must be familiar... another talented crew to collaborate with.
Everything else has mostly been said. I agree with fuzz that the importance of building a foundation on open hardware is key to our long term survival, and I see it as a huge priority.
And this...
The possibilities are endless once you're willing to commit code to metal.
Let's explore those possibilities!