Topic: Science and Technology (general)

Mitch Kapor at the Web 2.0 Conference: "What's wrong with politics and what should technology do about it? How technology can help heal a broken political system, and how to make the system work for everyone?" (audio from IT Conversations)

(The Gillmor Gang on IT Conversations). Steve and The Gang may be suffering from post-election traumatic-stress syndrome. They consider the effect of the election on technology and vice versa. Reviewing a clip from a presentation by Thomas Barnett, they ask: Is keeping the peace really a system-administraton problem? The U.S. is clearly divided, even polarized. But is it dynamically stable or will it soon tip in one direction or another? And what is the effect of information (including blogging) on the country and the election process? Is there too much data for most people to absorb and understand?

Biomimicry: It's the conscious emulation of life's genius. Janine Benyus is a life sciences writer and author of six books, including her latest -- Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. In Biomimicry, she names an emerging science that seeks sustainable solutions by mimicking nature's designs and processes (e.g., solar cells that mimic leaves, agriculture that looks like a prairie, business that runs like a redwood forest). [IT Conversations audio from the Pop!Tech 2004 session on New Naturalism]

"We're screwed," Alex Steffen begins. We need 4.5 planet Earths just to meet the current consumption of resources, and it's only getting worse. But there's hope, and Alex gives his favorite examples of cool ideas of innovation, particularly in the developing world. It's amazing what necessity can breed. How about a flower that turns from white to red in the proximity of a landmine?! [IT Conversations audio from the Pop!Tech 2004 session on Happiness]

From Gnomedex 4.0: A panel of experts explores the future of IT security. Are hardware methods superior to software? How do memory-managed languages help? How can we make security management within the skill set of the average user? Is automation the answer? Should upgrades be mandated? Should there be a security tax for those who don't upgrade their systems. DRM: Does it increase security risks? And what attacks should we expect in the future?

RFID -- Radio Frequency Identification -- is transforming the way companies track inventory, artwork and even law briefs, but some fear it could be used for more "Orwellian" pursuits. A panel of leading technology developers and pioneer end-user corporations explores this promising and yet maligned emerging technology that both empowers consumers and raises privacy issues.

This presentation is part of a series of events produced by SofTECH.

One of the characteristics of diversity--in science, in technology, in biology, in culture, in software, or in children--is that the underlying programming tends to be open source, or connected in all directions. Freeman Dyson and George Dyson think in all directions, but each filters through a particular lens. Esther Dyson, also scheduled, was stuck in Texas and couldn't be there.

The most important things to pay attention to aren't always the most obvious. In his keynote presentation from the O'Reilly Open Source Convention, Tim O'Reilly takes a look at some of the deep trends underlying open source, and some of the cool projects and ideas that are keeping folks at O'Reilly up at night. He also presents some results from O'Reilly's recent market research efforts, combining information from book sales patterns with other indications of technology adoption and interest patterns.

John Robb talks with Valdis Krebs on how the terrorist network that attacked on 9/11 was organized and how we can use a similar network analysis to improve our ability to protect crtical infrastructure.

Business is increasingly distributed. We work in shifting teams separated by organization boundaries and geography, in organizations increasingly dependent on independent contractors, telecommuters, and outsourcers. How can technology help rather than hinder those processes? Will the grand visions of Web services and federated digital identity become realities? Can any vendor make money in an increasingly standards-based, commoditized marketplace? And what happens to the people involved as centralized organizations are blown apart?