Coming soon to the Commonwealth Club—really
Some of you may recall that I was supposed to speak at the Commonwealth Club in November, but publicity problems forced us to reschedule. Well, we’re back on track and I’m set to go on Wednesday, March 7th; we’ll start with a small reception at 5:30, with the program beginning at 6:00.
The Club’s formal announcement, official abstract, and a “make a reservation” link, are on their 6-week Calendar.
Here’s the inside scoop. This talk plays off some of the themes from my book, Digital Phoenix: Why the Information Economy Collapsed and How it will Rise Again (MIT Press, 2005; soon to be available in Chinese).
Digital Phoenix explored some of the formative stories of the information economy, including the dotcom adventures so near and dear to our own hearts. My general goal in writing the book, though, was to see the patterns of opportunities and conflicts that arose when information technology ushered us into a new era of communication and globalization. The book’s last chapter projects these patterns into other arenas, including broader business settings and the political arena.
This talk will pick up on that theme. (No, you need not have read the book to follow the talk). What I hope to show, in the space of less than hour, is that the relationships among technology, opportunity, backlash, and conflict that Napster introduced to the world of music also characterize the ongoing conflict about the offshoring of jobs, and even the phenomenon of international Islamic terrorism. I contend that understanding these patterns will help us spot new opportunities and adapt to predictable challenges. Then I’ll take questions from the floor (just in case there are any).
You’re invited to see how well I do.
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