Agenda & Documentation

Brian Eno and Will Wright discussed the idea of emergent and regenerative systems. It was a shifting of perspectives: instead of imagining that our big ole' brains create the reality around us, we must surrender and embrace the fact that reality is creating our intelligence.

Kevin Kelly, Marianne Weems and Hasan Elahi approach the question of surveillance in a technological world through distinctly different methods. Whereas Kelly treats technology in a Darwinian sense by asking "what technology wants" at every level, Weems and Elahi are investigating what technology does to us at every level: in our homes, in the economy, and in our personal saftey and privacy.

Tom Friedman, Steward Brand, Lester Brown, and Robert Freling. Rename, reclaim, revive and reuse were the words of the day as the Green Shift session reframed the green conversation. The speakers steered the focus away from the "feel good, do good" mantra into good ole' fashioned red, white and blue patriotism and practicality. They turned the issues on their side to reveal the potential for mutually beneficial goals.

Bruce Sterling, Blaine Brownell, and Alex Steffen. All three thinkers and designers are asking us to look a bit more closely at our materials--not to reject them, but rather to refine them. Sterling calls for a new vocabulary with a fabulous new collection of words to describe our experiences with technology. Brownell highlighted new innovations in materials, while Steffen's blog Worldchanging.com continued to be the hub for real-world applications in social innovation.

Both Juan Enriquez and Thomas Barnett are thinking about maps: what they reveal and what they hide. Enriquez called attention to the mythmaking behind the map representing our own country and our supposedly united states. The borders and flags and national symbols are only as powerful as the last generation that chooses to believe in them. Instead of assuming that The United States is immune to separatist movements, Enriquez suggests taking action through dialogue. Nothing is permanent in a system of constant change.

Pair up The Yes Men with Kwame Anthony Appiah, preeminent expert on race, ethics and philosophy and you have another quintessential Pop!Tech conversation swirling across themes of moral responsibilities, the fluidity of identity and the danger of deeply entrenched power structures.

Martin Marty and Richard Dawkins

Education Fellows, Erin McKean, and Losang Rabgey

Chris Anderson, Kent Nichols, and Ze Frank

Victoria Hale, Neema Mgana, and Zinhle Thabethe

Artful Invention with Clifford Ross and Homaro Cantu

The Chicago-based improv troupe's signature show, Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, had its first performance on December 2, 1988, is now in its eighteenth year, making it the longest-running show in Chicago today.

Roger Brent and Craig Venter

Bob Metcalfe and John Sculley