Hi Futurists,

Just a little reminder. This evening FreeRisk Future Salon.

We are about one year into the financial crisis and to me it looks like no real
reform has been implemented to make sure that it will not happen again.

Insult to injury the banks payed themselves the biggest bonuses ever.

One of the root causes for the problem was that securities got AAA ratings that
should have never gotten it.

FreeRisk, the topic of the Future Salon tries to tackle that problem with more
transparency and market competition.

Last week the TARP Congressional Oversight Panel warned, that there are still
too many toxic founds on the books of the banks:
http://cop.senate.gov/reports/library/report-081109-cop.cfm
But the bonuses for the bankers are back.

Interesting movie covering the financial crisis: American Casino
http://www.americancasinothemovie.com/

It is going to be an interesting debate.

See you there, Mark.



> Hi Futurists,
>
> Blog post with links:
http://www.futuresalon.org/2009/08/freerisk-future-salon-thursday-20th-of-august\
-.html
>
> Even though we had the biggest financial breakdown since the great depression,
so far no fundamental changes that I know of to our economic system have been
implemented. It sets us up for a similar crisis in the future. This is the first
Future Salon in a series where we are looking at alternative economic solutions.
>
> One of the problems was, that even Moody's and Standard & Poor's AAA rated
companies were falling. Their risk assessment was useless. This month's Future
Salon speakers are working on solving that problem by bringing transparency and
competition to risk assessment.
>
> Please join us at the FreeRisk Future Salon on Thursday the 20th of August 6pm
please RSVP http://budurl.com/j6n2.
>
> Abstract:
>
> Internet entrepreneurship, and increasingly low margins have made new classes
of companies possible.  Public-private partnership firms designed around the
idea of becoming benevolent natural monopolies.  These companies leverage the
massive consolidation and centrality possible in a networked environment to
obtain market power to create institutions that can innovate at a private
industry scales, but by virtue of their openness and transparency can achieve
governmental levels of responsibility.
>
> There's more to this story than just exploiting network effects. The current
administration has prioritized working with the private industry as a means to
achieving its goals while leveraging the creativity and capital of the private
sector,
>
> We will survey the landscape, starting with our own firm:
>
> Financial technology – something we all thought was complete – has been
upended. Fundamental assumptions have been exposed as faulty. And now we have
the opportunity to recreate our finance industry from the bottom up. We have a
choice: a path of openness and information sharing, or more opacity and secrecy.
>
> We will show you the potential of an open approach to assessing corporate
credit risk by supplying corporate financial information that can be openly
analyzed, avoiding conflicts that have been exposed in the current market.
>
> With our latest project, FreeRisk, we aggregate accurate, accredited risk
data, enabling users to generate crowd-sourced algorithms to analyze credit risk
and allowing anyone to view the results of these algorithms. FreeRisk aggregates
both all standardized XBRL data and public-domain financial data, as well as
user-generated content incorporating unstructured data released in financial
reports like footnotes, critical to accurate risk assessment. This system allows
credit evaluators to focus exclusively on creating and applying risk analytics,
instead of working through the complex data management tasks traditionally
required to solve these problems or relying on black-box credit ratings.
>
> Speaker bios:
>
> Jesper Andersen is the co-founder of Freerisk and is a statistician, computer
scientist and entrepreneur.
>
> He is currently a consultant with the Open Data Group, focusing on machine
learning, risk assessment and artificial intelligence systems. He's spoken
internationally on finance and statistical systems and is the founder of
Certainty Labs, a startup focusing on making complex statistical modeling
simpler. Previously he was the lead architect at Visible Path which was sold in
2008.
>
> Jesper holds a B.Sc. in Physics from Haverford College and an M.B.A. from
University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, where he received the "Most
Promising Entrepreneur" award in 2008.
>
> Toby Segaran is the co-founder of Freerisk and is the author of the O'Reilly
title, "Programming Collective Intelligence", Amazon's top-selling AI book. He
frequently speaks on the subjects of machine learning, collective intelligence
and freedom of data at conferences worldwide.
>
> He currently holds the title of Data Magnate at Metaweb Technologies, where he
works on large-scale data reconciliation problems. Prior to Metaweb he founded
Incellico, a biotechnology software company, which was acquired in 2003.
>
> Toby holds a B.Sc in Computer Science from MIT and is deemed a "Person of
Exceptional Ability" by the USCIS. He loves applying data-analysis algorithms to
everything ranging from pharmaceutical trials to online dating to financial risk
models.
>
> Future Salons have the following structure: 6-7pm is networking with light
refreshments proudly sponsored by SAP; 7-9+pm is the presentation followed by
questions and discussion.
>
> SAP Labs North America, Building D, Room Southern Cross or Cafeteria depending
on number of RSVPs. SAP is located at 3410 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA
94304[map]. Free and open to the public. Please spread the word and invite
others, but be sure to RSVP http://budurl.com/j6n2 so we know how many people to
expect.
>
> See you all there, Mark.
>

Hi Futurists,

Just a little reminder. This evening FreeRisk Future Salon.

We are about one year into the financial crisis and to me it looks like no real
reform has been implemented to make sure that it will not happen again.

Insult to injury the banks payed themselves the biggest bonuses ever.

One of the root causes for the problem was that securities got AAA ratings that
should have never gotten it.

FreeRisk, the topic of the Future Salon tries to tackle that problem with more
transparency and market competition.

Last week the TARP Congressional Oversight Panel warned, that there are still
too many toxic founds on the books of the banks:
http://cop.senate.gov/reports/library/report-081109-cop.cfm
But the bonuses for the bankers are back.

Interesting movie covering the financial crisis: American Casino
http://www.americancasinothemovie.com/

It is going to be an interesting debate.

See you there, Mark.



> Hi Futurists,
>
> Blog post with links:
http://www.futuresalon.org/2009/08/freerisk-future-salon-thursday-20th-of-august\
-.html
>
> Even though we had the biggest financial breakdown since the great depression,
so far no fundamental changes that I know of to our economic system have been
implemented. It sets us up for a similar crisis in the future. This is the first
Future Salon in a series where we are looking at alternative economic solutions.
>
> One of the problems was, that even Moody's and Standard & Poor's AAA rated
companies were falling. Their risk assessment was useless. This month's Future
Salon speakers are working on solving that problem by bringing transparency and
competition to risk assessment.
>
> Please join us at the FreeRisk Future Salon on Thursday the 20th of August 6pm
please RSVP http://budurl.com/j6n2.
>
> Abstract:
>
> Internet entrepreneurship, and increasingly low margins have made new classes
of companies possible.  Public-private partnership firms designed around the
idea of becoming benevolent natural monopolies.  These companies leverage the
massive consolidation and centrality possible in a networked environment to
obtain market power to create institutions that can innovate at a private
industry scales, but by virtue of their openness and transparency can achieve
governmental levels of responsibility.
>
> There's more to this story than just exploiting network effects. The current
administration has prioritized working with the private industry as a means to
achieving its goals while leveraging the creativity and capital of the private
sector,
>
> We will survey the landscape, starting with our own firm:
>
> Financial technology – something we all thought was complete – has been
upended. Fundamental assumptions have been exposed as faulty. And now we have
the opportunity to recreate our finance industry from the bottom up. We have a
choice: a path of openness and information sharing, or more opacity and secrecy.
>
> We will show you the potential of an open approach to assessing corporate
credit risk by supplying corporate financial information that can be openly
analyzed, avoiding conflicts that have been exposed in the current market.
>
> With our latest project, FreeRisk, we aggregate accurate, accredited risk
data, enabling users to generate crowd-sourced algorithms to analyze credit risk
and allowing anyone to view the results of these algorithms. FreeRisk aggregates
both all standardized XBRL data and public-domain financial data, as well as
user-generated content incorporating unstructured data released in financial
reports like footnotes, critical to accurate risk assessment. This system allows
credit evaluators to focus exclusively on creating and applying risk analytics,
instead of working through the complex data management tasks traditionally
required to solve these problems or relying on black-box credit ratings.
>
> Speaker bios:
>
> Jesper Andersen is the co-founder of Freerisk and is a statistician, computer
scientist and entrepreneur.
>
> He is currently a consultant with the Open Data Group, focusing on machine
learning, risk assessment and artificial intelligence systems. He's spoken
internationally on finance and statistical systems and is the founder of
Certainty Labs, a startup focusing on making complex statistical modeling
simpler. Previously he was the lead architect at Visible Path which was sold in
2008.
>
> Jesper holds a B.Sc. in Physics from Haverford College and an M.B.A. from
University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, where he received the "Most
Promising Entrepreneur" award in 2008.
>
> Toby Segaran is the co-founder of Freerisk and is the author of the O'Reilly
title, "Programming Collective Intelligence", Amazon's top-selling AI book. He
frequently speaks on the subjects of machine learning, collective intelligence
and freedom of data at conferences worldwide.
>
> He currently holds the title of Data Magnate at Metaweb Technologies, where he
works on large-scale data reconciliation problems. Prior to Metaweb he founded
Incellico, a biotechnology software company, which was acquired in 2003.
>
> Toby holds a B.Sc in Computer Science from MIT and is deemed a "Person of
Exceptional Ability" by the USCIS. He loves applying data-analysis algorithms to
everything ranging from pharmaceutical trials to online dating to financial risk
models.
>
> Future Salons have the following structure: 6-7pm is networking with light
refreshments proudly sponsored by SAP; 7-9+pm is the presentation followed by
questions and discussion.
>
> SAP Labs North America, Building D, Room Southern Cross or Cafeteria depending
on number of RSVPs. SAP is located at 3410 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA
94304[map]. Free and open to the public. Please spread the word and invite
others, but be sure to RSVP http://budurl.com/j6n2 so we know how many people to
expect.
>
> See you all there, Mark.
>

Futurists,
Here is a link to pictures and text to last Thursday's Future Salon
about FreeRisk.
http://www.djcline.com/2009/08/22/aug-20-2009-future-salon-freerisk/
Enjoy!
-DJ

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Futurists,
Here is a link to pictures and text to the electric car I saw on the
way to last Thursday's meeting.
http://www.djcline.com/2009/08/24/aug-20-2009-stanford-solar-car-
project/
Enjoy!
-DJ Cline

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Here is the link for Aug. 24, 2009 SDF Nokia Augmented
http://www.djcline.com/2009/08/25/aug-24-2009-sdf-nokia-augmented/
Enjoy!
-DJ

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Futurists,
On August 25, 2009 in Palo Alto at Tibco Software SDForum's Cloud
Services SIG hosted "Storage in the Cloud".
At what point could putting so much data in the cloud make it self
aware?
If that happens, will the cloud look like a cute fluffy bunny or a
thundercloud?
Just wondering...
Here are pictures of the event,
http://www.djcline.com/2009/08/26/aug-25-2009-sdf-cloud-storage/
Enjoy!
-DJ

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Neuro Revolution
Tech Nation
31 minutes, 14.6mb, recorded 2009-08-18
Topics: Biotech Health and Medicine

Moira interviews Zack Lynch, co-author of the Neuro Revolution. The
book reviews how history has already progressed through an
agricultural revolution, an industrial revolution, and an information
revolution. The Neuro Revolution foretells a fast approaching fourth
epoch, one that will radically transform how we all work, live and
play.

http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/audio/download/ITC.TN-ZachLynch-2009.08.18.m\
p3

--
Alison Chaiken
(650) 279-5600  (cell)
     http://www.exerciseforthereader.org/
You can't bomb human knowledge.   -- US Ambassador William Burns

http://cluebytwelve.net/anticipation/Stross-Krugman%202009-08-06-24.mp3

Topics include robocars, AI, the future (and past) of kitchens, CO2
sequestration via fermentor production of diesel fuel, laboratory
growth of edible meat, the principal industries of Atlanta, and much
much more.     Well worth a listen!

--
Alison Chaiken
(650) 279-5600  (cell)
     http://www.exerciseforthereader.org/
  "A terrorist cell is essentially a project team like any other." --
Valdis Krebs

Hi Futurists,

Blog post with links:
http://www.futuresalon.org/2009/08/collaborators-dilemma-future-salon-with-nilof\
er-merchant.html

Collaborator's Dilemma Future Salon on Thursday 17th of September 6pm at SAP
Labs in Palo Alto. Please RSVP http://budurl.com/6qx6

Abstract: Just as Clayton Christensen highlights The Innovator's Dilemma, we
must identify and name The Collaborator's Dilemma to describe the way we
create—or fail to create—strategies that work. Organizations, and the people
within in them want to tap the talents of their people, generate lots of great
ideas and have everyone co-own the solution.
But we don't do that. We instead have an "air sandwich" between the executives
and others.

Collaboration can fill that gap I call an Air Sandwich: the empty void in an
organization between the high-level strategy up in the stratosphere and the
realization of that vision down on the floor. Where there should be connective
pieces between the vision and the reality, in an Air Sandwich the filling
consists mainly of misunderstandings, confusions, and disinformation. It is that
Air Sandwich which prevents us from winning.

This session explains how this problem is fixable if one is willing to reinvent
their firm to win. Discussion will center on the future of work and
organizations and how collaboration will play out in 5, 10, 15 years.

Speaker Bio: Nilofer Merchant
CEO, Author and Strategist, Nilofer is a leading authority on creating business
strategy to win markets. Having worked inside and outside major corporate brands
like Adobe, Apple, Nokia, SAP and others, Nilofer has honed her collaborative
approach to solving tough problems. Her firm is hired by global brands such as
Hewlett-Packard, Pinnacle, Logitech, Openwave, Symantec and others to create the
solutions to win markets.

Her keynotes attract SRO crowds at business leadership events, technology expos,
women's conferences and universities – ranging from AjaxWorld to CTIA and PBWC
to Stanford. Having won multiple awards for her insights on applying strategic
thinking and innovation, she's been quoted or published in major business
publications such as BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur, Fortune and The Wall Street
Journal.

Nilofer earned her MBA from Santa Clara University, a BS in Economics from
University of San Francisco and is a certified Instructor of Facilitative
Leadership from Interaction Associates. O'Reilly Media is publishing Nilofer's
book on the "the new how: creating winning outcomes through collaborative
strategy", in Fall 2009 (http://bit.ly/AKF4g)

Future Salons have the following structure: 6-7pm is networking with light
refreshments proudly sponsored by SAP; 7-9+pm is the presentation followed by
questions and discussion.

SAP Labs North America, Building D, COIL (Co-Innovation Lab). SAP is located at
3410 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304[map]. Free and open to the public.
Please spread the word and invite others, but be sure to RSVP
http://budurl.com/6qx6 so we know how many people to expect.

We will do our best to webcast the event again via Ustream.tv on the Future
Salon Channel: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Future-Salon

See you all in person if you can make it or on the web.

So looking forward to it, Mark.

Dear Future Salon members,

As you may have heard, The Seasteading Institute (www.seasteading.org) is
accepting registrations for our second annual conference, to be held September
28-30, 2009 in San Francisco, California. We thought the conference would be of
interest to BA Future group members, due to its focus on alternative living.

Our mission is to establish permanent, autonomous, innovative ocean communities.
We invite seasteading enthusiasts and newcomers alike to explore our progress
and envision our future. Talks and workshops, social activities, special TSI
member events, and a unique seasteading simulation fill the 3-day conference
schedule. Featured speakers include executive director Patri Friedman,
philanthropist and investor Peter Thiel, education pioneer Michael Strong,
scholar Paul Romer, and economist David Friedman. In addition, an unconference
will feature presentations by seasteading community members.

We've included our press release below. You can learn more about the event and
register on the seasteading website:
http://seasteading.org/interact/events/conference09.

The Seasteading Institute will also launch its first floating festival,
Ephemerisle, on October 2-4, 2009 in the Sacramento River Delta. Conference
attendees are welcome to join us at Ephemerisle and take our ideas to the water!

We hope you'll share this announcement with your community, and that we'll see
you at the conference this September!

Sincerely,

Cheryl Cline, Public Relations
The Seasteading Institute
www.seasteading.org

- - - - -

The Seasteading Institute Announces its Second Annual Conference

August 10, 2009 -- The Seasteading Institute is excited to announce that
registration is open for the second annual Seasteading Conference, to be held
September 28-30, 2009 in San Francisco, California.

Building on the success of last year's conference, TSI has expanded this year's
schedule to 3 days and recruited a lineup of prominent speakers, including
executive director Patri Friedman, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, and Stanford
economist Paul Romer. TSI invites the community to learn more about our work and
participate in talks, workshops, socials, and a seasteading simulation!

Conference attendees are also invited to join TSI for our first-ever floating
festival, Ephemerisle, conveniently scheduled for the weekend following the
conference. To be held October 2-4 in the Sacramento River Delta, Ephemerisle
will celebrate political experimentation, community, and art. Join us as we take
our ideas to the water!

To learn more and register for the conference, please visit us here:
http://seasteading.org/interact/events/conference09. Early registration ends
September 13, so sign up soon!

This release can be linked as:
http://seasteading.org/stay-in-touch/press-releases/the-seasteading-institute-an\
nounces-its-second-annual-conference.

Patri Friedman founded The Seasteading Institute in 2008 with the goal of
establishing permanent, autonomous, politically innovative ocean communities.
TSI is taking an incremental approach to creating homesteads on the high seas,
and welcomes input and participation from the community.

Speakers include:

* Patri Friedman: Opening Keynote (Executive Director, The Seasteading
Institute)
* Peter Thiel: Back To The Future (Philanthropist and PayPal co-founder)
* Michael Strong: Seasteading for Entrepreneurial Government, Innovation, and
Letting a Thousand Nations Bloom (CEO and Chief Visionary Officer, FLOW)
* Paul Romer: Charter Cities (Senior Fellow, Stanford Center for International
Development and Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research)
* David Friedman: Legal Systems Very Different From Our Own (Professor, Santa
Clara University)
* Joe Lonsdale: Ocean-Based Business Models (Chairman of the Board, The
Seasteading Institute)
* Sean Hastings: Experiences with HavenCo and SeaLand (Co-founder, HavenCo)
* Erwin Strauss: How To Start Your Own Country (Author, How To Start Your Own
Country)
* Russ George: Ocean Stewardship (Founder, Planktos Science)

Press Inquiries:
press@...
http://seasteading.org/learn-more/press

General Inquiries:
info@...
http://www.seasteading.org/

About TSI: The Seasteading Institute is a California nonprofit corporation that
is in the process of applying for recognition of tax exemption under Section
501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. TSI's mission is to establish permanent,
autonomous ocean communities to enable experimentation and innovation with
diverse social, political, and legal systems.

Hi Futurists,

Blog post with links:
http://www.futuresalon.org/2009/09/ray-kurzweil-and-vishal-sikka-the-acceleratin\
g-pace-of-change.html

Just a quick note that Ray Kurzweil will be in discussion with Vishal Sikka at
2pm today (Wednesday 9th).

Tweet to you then, Mark.
http://twitter.com/futuresalon


In 2004 and 2005 I helped John Smart organize the Accelerating Change
Conferences. At both of them Ray Kurzweil gave the keynote. (In 2004 Ray tried
to be present via hologram from New York, but the technology wasn't there yet
and we ended up with a conference call.)

His prediction is, that within the next 20 years, technology will accelerate to
a point, where the computational power of computers will surpass human
intelligence: The Singularity. Check his presentation at Google from 2 months
ago, if you want to get his latest insights.

The cool thing is, he will be the keynote speaker together with Vishal Sikka
from SAP at SAP TechEd in Phoenix later this year.

Vishal is one of the smartest people at SAP and instead of accelerating change
and hockey sticks he looked at our lessons learned from 30 years of enterprise
software development and derived the concept of timeless software from it.

In a couple of hours (Wednesday 9th 2pm PST) Vishal and Ray will do a live video
conversation that you shouldn't miss.

According to some calculations, about 50% of the worlds GDP touches at least one
SAP system, that gives us a unique perspective on what is going on at
enterprises worldwide.

Yes, technology is accelerating, but the complexity of our systems that are
running our companies is accelerating as well. Not sure which one has the upper
hand.

I also can't shake the feeling that Mitch Kapor is right, who called the notion
of a technological singularity "intelligent design for the IQ 140 people...This
proposition that we're heading to this point at which everything is going to be
just unimaginably different—it's fundamentally, in my view, driven by a
religious impulse. And all of the frantic arm-waving can't obscure that fact for
me.

Rumor has it, that the live twitter stream will be integrated into the video
conversation. Tweet with you there soon.

Hi Futurists,

Blog post with links: http://tinyurl.com/q75sol

Collaborator's Dilemma Future Salon on Thursday 17th of September 6pm at SAP
Labs in Palo Alto. Please RSVP http://budurl.com/6qx6

Many of you don't know that I am one of the people that built the very vibrant
SAP Community Network: 1.8 million members and ~7000 posts per day in the
forums.

When we started 6 years ago, very few people saw the power of community,
collaboration or co-creation. The big advantage for us was, that we had a lot of
freedom to experiment and try things out: Blogs, Wiki, point system, face to
face meetings, while expanding our reach outside as well as within SAP.

By now the world has awoken to the opportunity that an active community brings
with it, even though I believe we are just scratching the surface of the
possibilities.

What we have done was mostly grassroots. Yes, we had a mandate from the board to
create a developer community, but not one to apply the community advantages to
all aspects of the business.

This is why I am so happy about this months' Future Salon speaker Nilofer
Merchant. She has almost finished her book: The New How Building Business
Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy.

Look like powerpoint

How do you best run your company with the new realities of collaboration and
co-creation? That question and many more will be answered this Thursday the 17th
at the Collaborator's Dilemma Future Salon.

Don't miss this talk, it is going to be amazing.

Nilofer is walking the talk of collaboration and is sharing her slides on
SlideShare.

You can also find her on Twitter @nilofer: http://twitter.com/Nilofer

By the way Future Salon is also active: @futuresalon
http://twitter.com/futuresalon

Praise for Nilofer this week on twitter:

RT: @suemarks Fantastic preso by @nilofer today at Pinstripe. -- Next week's
Future Salon speaker :-) Can't wait http://tinyurl.com/mkfc2x

RT: @SueMarks: @futuresalon thx for the RT!  @nilofer was great!

Cartoon from the book drawn by Huge Macleod aka @gapingvoid reprinted with
permission.

Future Salons have the following structure: 6-7pm is networking with light
refreshments proudly sponsored by SAP; 7-9+pm is the presentation followed by
questions and discussion.

SAP Labs North America, Building D, COIL (Co-Innovation Lab). SAP is located at
3410 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304[map]. Free and open to the public.
Please spread the word and invite others, but be sure to RSVP
http://budurl.com/6qx6 so we know how many people to expect.

We will do our best to webcast the event again via Ustream.tv on the Future
Salon Channel: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Future-Salon

Going to be great. Hope you can join, Mark.

I am looking forward to tonight's Future Salon on Collaboration.
I was in Palo Alto and saw what I think is an adult tricycle that may
partially run on batteries.
Does anybody here know who owns this vehicle?
http://www.djcline.com/2009/09/17/electric-tricycle-or-electriketm/

I'd love to know more about it,
-DJ Cline

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Future Saloners,
Here are fun pictures from last Thursday's event.
http://www.djcline.com/2009/09/19/sept-17-2009-future-salon-
collaboration/
How do we  get a cool shirt like Mark's?
Enjoy!
-DJ

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello Futurists,

The SDForum Virtual World SIG will be hosting our 3rd annual "Future of Virtual
Worlds" session on Tue. 10/13/09 -  "Virtual Worlds in 2020 Workshop". I'd like
to ask for your input, and for any of you futurists who would like to lead a
breakout session on this SIG meeting to contact me.

In particular it would be great to involve forward looking folks (futurists? or
not)who might want to lead a table of VWSIG attendees (4-6 persons) in input on
a question facing virtual worlds in the coming decade. Hey, jump in and do this,
it's fun.

We have an input form at
(http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=cjh3ZGJIZjU4WnVKQVZGVEJWU\
lpLcHc6MA..)

Do you care?  Do you want to be part of it? Let me know bob[at]studiosfo.net if
you do and I'll add you to the description.
This will be held at:
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM October 13, 2009
Pillsbury Winthrop
2475 Hanover St.
Palo Alto,, CA

* Leaders in virtual worlds also welcome to arrange parallel virtual sessions!
Details below:
-----------------------------------------------------------
This year we host an interactive workshop where you can bring ideas, input and
questions for a very rare, long term view of virtual worlds.

In just a few weeks we enter a new decade equipped with abilities that existed
only in science fiction a few years ago.  Although plans for using using
graphical, collaborative virtual worlds  predate the internet itself by many
years, many advances in productivity remain unclaimed.  It's time now to take a
look ahead. This workshop will produce a set of inputs showing what might be
possible - along with a list of challenges to be overcome along the way over the
next decade.

Some questions to consider:
- What must virtual worlds eventually do that they do not do now?
- What known changes will have the most impact on virtual worlds between now and
2020?
- What hurdles must be overcome to enable more collaborative virtual worlds?
- What goals should virtual world developers be most focused on in coming years?

Joining this workshop will be guest leaders in the virtual world space such as
Sun Wondeland Project's Michael Gialis, and VP of Forterra Studios Laura
Kusumoto. Michael Gialis will be kicking off the session with a quick view of
the inputs recieved  from the just released Virtual Worlds Roadmap survey (still
open for input at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Z8DOutL8NOOAcV2Fnbjvvg_3d_3d),  and Laura
will have an on site demo of Forterra's new meeting product Meeting labs(tm)
(http://www.meetinglabs.com).

We will then break into discussion groups to outline some of the most crucial
factors for virtual worlds between now and 2020.

Have questions of your own?  Bring them on! Have ideas about solving challenges
facing virtual worlds? Meet others interested in the same.

An input form is available for input at
(http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=cjh3ZGJIZjU4WnVKQVZGVEJWU\
lpLcHc6MA..) and results will be posted from the workshop.

Don't miss this highly interactive session where you can directly impact the
vision of the next generations of virtual worlds!
-----------------------------------------------------------

This will be held at:
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM October 13, 2009
Pillsbury Winthrop
2475 Hanover St.
Palo Alto,, CA

Hi Futurists,

blog post: http://www.futuresalon.org/2009/09/fit-body-fit-soul-future-salo.html

Let's end the Future Salon year with a bang: 9 steps to a healthier happier you
presented by Mark Allen  6 times Ironman winner and Brant Secunda a shaman,
healer and ceremonial leader in the Huichol Indian tradition of Mexico. Tuesday
10th of November 6pm at SAP Labs in Palo Alto. Please RSVP
http://tinyurl.com/ybclfbp.

Fit Soul Fit Body, 9 Keys to a Healthier Happier You

World-renowned shaman Brant Secunda and legendary Ironman Mark Allen will talk
about their bestselling book, Fit Soul Fit Body. They will speak about how to
become truly fit from the inside out and take your life to the next level.
Whether you’re training for an athletic event or just want to improve the
quality of your life and how you feel about yourself, Fit Soul Fit Body - 9 Keys
to a Healthier Happier You is about everything that makes you well.

Think you know what it means to be fit? Think again.

Let’s face it: fitness goes far beyond how long it takes to walk or run a
mile. When you’re stressed out, emotionally drained, overworked, overweight,
and not satisfied with your physical body, you can’t get much of anything
accomplishedâ€"at work, at home, on the race track, wherever and in whichever
capacity.  Put simply, when you’re spiritually unfit, life is a greater
challenge. That mythical “balance� you’ve always dreamed of achieving was
just a myth. Not anymore!

Mark Allen was one of the top triathletes in the world but struggled to overcome
the barriers that were preventing him from winning the grueling Ironman World
Championship Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.

Then he began studying with Brant Secunda, healer and teacher in the Huichol
Indian tradition of Mexico. Brant is the only Westerner to have completed a
12-year apprenticeship with Don José Matsuwa, the revered Huichol Indian shaman
who lived a vibrant, happy life to 110 years old. Brant taught Mark the
spiritual and healing exercises that allowed him to integrate his physical and
psychological fitness. He gives Brant much of the credit for his remarkable
success.

Mark went on to win a never-before-achieved six Ironman World Championships in a
row, and was eventually dubbed “The World’s Fittest Man� by Outside
magazine.

Bio

Brant Secunda is an internationally acclaimed shaman, healer and ceremonial
leader in the Huichol Indian tradition of Mexico. He completed a twelve-year
apprenticeship with Don José Matsuwa, the renowned Huichol Shaman who lived to
be 110 years old and who adopted Brant as his grandson. Alongside other
dignitaries including President Jimmy Carter, Brant cofounded the Peace
University in Berlin, and is a founding member of the American Herbalists Guild
and has taught at the American Holistic Medical Association Annual Conference.

Brant lectures at conferences and universities worldwide, and since 1979 has
been the director of the Dance of the Deer Foundation Center for Shamanic
Studies in Soquel, California. He has worked with many organizations including
The World Health Organization and the American Holistic Medical Association, was
the cofounder of the Humanistic Medicine Congress in Germany, and was a nominee
to be a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Award for his service worldwide.
He leads seminars and retreats at spectacular places of power like Japan, Crete,
the Italian Alps, Alaska, Mt. Shasta in California, and the Grand Tetons in
Wyoming. His work has been documented on television, radio, and in articles and
books throughout the USA, Europe and Japan.

Mark Allen is a six-time Ironman World Champion. He has been called “The
World’s Fittest Man� by Outside magazine and “The Greatest Triathlete of
All Time� by Triathlete magazine. He attributes his success to his ongoing
studies with Brant Secunda, who showed him how to find fitness not only in
physical strength but in the power of personal spirit and balanced living. Mark
and his races have been featured numerous times on major network television and
in national publications; he has appeared on more than 100 popular covers
worldwide.

Since leaving the sport after a successful 15-year career while still at the top
of his game, Mark has worked as a sports commentator and advisor for NBC. 
He’s also consulted with and spoken to many Fortune 500 companies, including
American Express, Honeywell, Northwestern Mutual, and Oracle.  He developed
“Forever Fit,� a special program designed to help people live a healthy
life.

Brant and Mark continue to work together at events and retreats around the world
and to develop Fit Soul, Fit Body programs. Their book was inspired by a
successful workshop they created 12 years ago for people in the US and Europe
seeking practical tools for transforming themselves from the inside out. The
tenets of Fit Soul, Fit Body offer the ultimate, unique roadmap for fostering
optimal health, happiness, and wellbeing.

Future Salons have the following structure: 6-7pm is networking with light
refreshments proudly sponsored by SAP; 7-9+pm is the presentation followed by
questions and discussion.

SAP Labs North America, Building D, COIL (Co-Innovation Lab). SAP is located at
3410 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304[map]. Free and open to the public.
Please spread the word and invite others, but be sure to RSVP
http://tinyurl.com/ybclfbp so we know how many people to expect.

We will do our best to webcast the event again via Ustream.tv on the Future
Salon Channel: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Future-Salon

See you all there, Mark.

Hello Futurists,
Join us for our workshop "Virtual Worlds in 2020" happening Tue. 10/13/09 in
Palo Alto. This is a meeting of the SDForum Virtual Worlds SIG.  In addition,
I'm looking for 2-3 adventurous futurists to submit scenarios and join us in
leading discussion breakouts.

Here's the structure of the event - we'll get a demo/introduction of Forterra's
new approach "Meeting Labs" as a kickoff.  Then we'll break into up to 4 groups
to look at a scenario for 2020 and answer the questions "In general, how must
virtual world platforms change to be compatible with and relevant to this
future?" and "What are the opportunities for virtual world approaches and
platforms in this future?"

Right now I'm working on the scenarios that we'll use.  It would be great to get
some input by others as well.  Form for doing so is at
http://virtualworldsig.com/future-of-virtual-worlds/ .

Got scenarios? Feel free to contact me directly.  Results from the workshop will
be shared, posted so jump in to this unique workshop!
See you there,
Bob Ketner



-------------------------------------------
"Virtual Worlds in 2020 Workshop"

Join us Oct. 13, 2009  for our 3rd annual "Future of Virtual Worlds" session - 
"Virtual Worlds in 2020 Workshop".
This year we host an interactive workshop where you can bring ideas, input, and
questions for a rare, long term view of virtual worlds available exclusively at
the Virtual Worlds SIG.

In just a few weeks we enter a new decade equipped with abilities that existed
only in science fiction a few years ago.  Although plans for using using
graphical, collaborative virtual worlds  predate the internet itself by many
years, many advances in productivity remain unclaimed.  It's time now to take a
look ahead. This workshop will produce a set of inputs showing what might be
possible – along with a list of challenges to be overcome along the way over the
next decade.

Some questions to consider:
- What must virtual worlds eventually do that they do not do now?
- What known changes will have the most impact on virtual worlds between now and
2020?
- What hurdles must be overcome to enable more collaborative virtual worlds?
- What goals should virtual world developers be most focused on in coming years?

Kicking off this workshop will have a rare introductory demo of Meeting Labs
(http://www.meetinglabs.com), a new offering from Forterra Systems by Laura
Kusumoto, VP Forterra Studios and Chris Badger, VP, Marketing.

We will then break into discussion groups to outline some of the most crucial
factors for virtual worlds between now and 2020, within a format of distinct
scenarios. Leading discussion and breakout groups we will be joined by other
leaders in the virtual world space such as Michael Gialis of Project Wonderland
at Sun Microsystems, Inc. and others to be confirmed.

Have questions of your own?  Bring them on! Have ideas about solving challenges
facing virtual worlds? Meet others interested in the same.  An online form is
available for your advance input at (http://tinyurl.com/futureofVW) and results
will be posted from the workshop.

Don't miss this highly interactive session where you can directly impact the
vision of the next generations of virtual worlds!

Bios:
Laura Kusumoto Vice President, Forterra Studios
Laura Kusumoto has over 20 years of experience in engineering, operations,
creative design, 3D graphics, and AI. Before coming to Forterra Systems, Laura
was President of IDO Systems, Inc., a startup that developed an MMP platform
with virtual chat, dance, and robot-fighting applications. Before that, she
headed operations for the digital media R&D group for LEGO, which included the
commercial production Mindstorms. Laura was the producer in charge of the first
Intuit (makers of Quicken) website, editor-in-Chief of the Pricewaterhouse
Coopers Technology Forecast, and instrumental in the creation of a jet-fighter
VR location-based entertainment system. Before moving into multimedia, Laura was
an engineering consultant and analyst for organizations such as Hewlett-Packard
and Xerox; and a project manager and software engineer in artificial
intelligence, nuclear safeguards, and oceanographic applications. Laura received
a MS in computer science at Santa
Clara University.

Chris Badger Vice President, Marketing, Forterra Systems Inc.
Chris Badger is a visionary executive leader for high growth business software
application companies with a keen ability to launch and grow large revenue
streams. He provides strong cross-functional management background bringing new
products to market ahead of competition by collaborating closely with strategic
customers and partners. Chris also has broad expertise managing high growth
marketing, alliance and sales teams focused on maximizing market share, revenue,
and profits. His extensive experience closing multimillion-dollar deals in
domestic and international markets has yielded global revenue streams up to
$210M per year.

Chris co-founded and was CEO of InsideScoop, an On-Demand business intelligence
platform which launched two products before being successfully sold to
Harte-Hanks (HHS), a worldwide, direct and targeted marketing company. At his
prior company, gForce, he created and managed the North American sales
organization as well as managed the strategic alliances for Cisco and Siebel
before the company was sold to SumTotal Systems (SUMT), the global eLearning
market leader. Chris held a variety of product management, alliance and sales
management positions at Clarify, an early CRM market leader before the company
was sold to Nortel, and with Quantum Corp. He has received an MS in Engineering
Management from Stanford University and a BA Engineering Sciences from
Dartmouth.
SDForum Virtual World SIG (http://www.sdforum.org/vwsig) brings together the
developers, programmers, and visionaries required to build virtual world
platforms and their interconnected applications.  Meets fourth Monday of every
other month, 6:30PM at Pillsbury Winthrop Office, 2475 Hanover Street, Palo
Alto.

Logistics:
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM October 13, 2009
Pillsbury Winthrop
2475 Hanover St.
Palo Alto,  CA

Price:
$15 at the door for non-SDForum members
No charge for SDForum members
No registration required

Agenda:
6:30 PM Registration and Networking
7:00 PM -8:40 PM Presentations

Blog coverage:
http://www.3dtlc.net/2009/10/forterra-to-present-meeting-labs-at-vw-workshop.htm\
l

[See you there! -Bob Ketner]

http://www.mountainview.gov/mvcpa/oct09.html

Drop me a line if you'll be attending and want to meet first for
dinner on Castro.

--
Alison Chaiken
(650) 279-5600  (cell)
     http://www.exerciseforthereader.org/
Play a little bit out of tune and you don't have to worry about
copyright.   -- Debashish Bhattacharya

http://www.mountainview.gov/mvcpa/schedule.html

NASA Ames Research Center presents

DAVID GRINSPOON:
Evolution of Planetary Exploration
Thursday, September 24 at 7 pm
The NASA Ames Research Center sponsors this free public lecture by author
and scientist David Grinspoon of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science,
who will speak on the Evolution of Planetary Exploration and the search for
extrasolar planets. This event ,co-sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology
Institute, is part of a series honoring the 200th anniversary of the birth
of Charles Darwin.
MainStage -Free (Limited seating, first come, first served on day of event
only. No advance seating available)

NASA Ames Research Center presents
GEORGE DYSON:
Evolution of Technology
Monday, October 19 at 7 pm
The NASA Ames Research Center sponsors this free public lecture by Mr.
George Dyson (author of Darwin Among the Machines and Project Orion). This
event, co-sponsored by the Lockheed Martin Corporation, focuses on the
Evolution of Technology: where is technology taking us? The series honors
the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.
MainStage -Free (Limited seating, first come, first served on day of event
only. No advance seating available)

NASA Ames Research Center presents
JOHN BAROSS:
Evolution of Astrobiology
Monday, November 2 at 7 pm
The NASA Ames Research Center sponsors this free public lecture by noted
oceanographer John Baross (University of Washington), on the Evolution of
Astrobiology. This event, co-sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Institute,
looks at how life begins and evolves, whether it exists elsewhere in the
universe, and the future of life on Earth—and beyond. The series honors the
200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.
MainStage -Free (Limited seating, first come, first served on day of event
only. No advance seating available)


Email me if you will be attending the lectures and want to have dinner on
Castro St. first.

--
Alison Chaiken
(650) 279-5600  (cell)
http://www.exerciseforthereader.org/
You can't bomb human knowledge.   -- US Ambassador William Burns


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Notes I took this week at an IEEE Seminar called, "Sensing EEG Signals
in Consumer Devices:
Introducing the Brain to Main Street."

http://codechix.pbworks.com/f/NeuroSkyEEG.html

Best wishes,
Alison

--
Alison Chaiken
(650) 279-5600  (cell)
     http://www.exerciseforthereader.org/
You can't bomb human knowledge.   -- US Ambassador William Burns

Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge
10.17.09

You are invited to attend the 2009 Regolith Excavation Challenge, a
nation-wide competition under NASA's Centennial Challenges prize
program to promote development of new technologies by a "citizen
inventor." This year, 23 teams will compete for a $750,000 prize
purse, provided by Centennial Challenges.

In this challenge, teams design and build robots to excavate
simulated lunar soil, or "regolith." Teams then test their robots in
a box approximately 13 feet square and one-and-a-half feet deep
containing eight tons of simulated lunar regolith. In order to
qualify for a prize, a robot must dig up and then dump at least 330
pounds of regolith into a container in 30 minutes. The teams with the
robots that move the most regolith will claim the three cash prizes.

The event also will feature exhibits and speakers focused on
highlighting hands-on education projects, robotics and space
exploration.

The Regolith Excavation Challenge is organized by the California
Space Education and Workforce Institute and co-hosted by the
California Space Authority in collaboration with the NASA Lunar
Science Institute.

Admission is free and open to the public.

WHAT: The 2009 Regolith Excavation Challenge robotic prize competition.

WHEN: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009.
All times PDT.

Saturday, Oct. 17:

8 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Team competition. The audience will be able to view
the competition via a closed circuit television in a tent outside
Bldg. 503.

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.: The Livermore Unit of the National Association of
Rocketry will launch rockets as high as 1,000 feet from Moffett
Federal Airfield. Weather permitting.

Speakers:

      * 8 - 8:30 a.m.: Opening remarks Andrea Seastrand, executive
director, California Space Authority Lynn Baroff, executive director,
California Space Education and Workforce Institute Andy Petro, NASA
Centennial Challenges Greg Schmidt, deputy director, NASA Lunar
Science Institute
      * 10:30 - 10:50 a.m.: Maria Bualat, NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group
      * 12:30 - 1 p.m.: David Morrison, director, NASA Lunar Science Institute
      * 1 - 1:30 p.m.: Chris McKay, planetary scientist, NASA Ames
      * 2 - 2:20 p.m.: Joshua Neubert, executive director, Conrad Foundation
      * 3:30 - 3:50 p.m.: Kris Zacny, director of Drilling and
Excavation Systems, Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms
Corporation
      * 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.: Team Recognition Banquet (By invitation only)
Lynn Baroff, executive director, California Space Education and
Workforce Institute Jennifer Heldmann, planetary scientist, NASA Ames


Sunday, Oct. 18:

8 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Team competition. The audience will be able to view
the competition via a closed circuit television in a tent outside
Bldg. 503.

The announcement of a winner will depend on how quickly the teams
finish. If all teams complete on Oct. 17 and there is a winner, they
will be announced at the Team Recognition Banquet that evening. If
the competition continues through Oct. 18, a winner will be announced
approximately two hours after the last attempt is completed.

WHO: 23 teams from across the United States.

WHERE: Building 503 in NASA Research Park, Moffett Field, Calif.

For more information about the challenge, visit: http://www.regolith.csewi.org

For more information about NASA's Centeniall Challenges program,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/innovation_incubator/centennial_challenges

Hi all --

Wonderfest (http://www.wonderfest.org) is a fun, free, nonprofit
science festival held annually on the Stanford and UC Berkeley
campuses.  If you can help out, or know someone who can, please let
them know and/or forward this message.  If not, at least attend and
donate (and forward this message :-) ).  Thanks!

Live long and prosper,
Kennita

Begin forwarded message:
> Dear Wonderfest friends,
>
> Wonderfest 2009 is less than three weeks away. This year's dialogues
> address fascinating and important topics: energy technology, media
> violence, Darwinian fallibility (if any!), robot astronautics, the
> creation of life, and the origins of emotion & spirituality. The
> nearly complete roster of events is available here <http://www.wonderfest.org
> >.
>
>
> The roster is incomplete in only a few details, details with which
> you may be able to help:
>
> Would you like to recommend an individual or organization to
> participate in the Amateur Science Forum (the "ASF," at Stanford, on
> Saturday, Nov. 7)? Please let me know; or, more simply, just ask
> your science lover/amateur to register for the ASF here
<http://www.wonderfest.org/wp/amateur-science-forum-signup/
> >.
> Do you know a science artist, author, craftsperson, gadget-maker,
> etc., who might like to display and sell her/his creations at the
> Bay Area Science Expo (the "Expo," at UC Berkeley, on Sunday, Nov.
> 8)? Please encourage such folks to register for the Expo here
<http://www.wonderfest.org/wp/basesignup/
> >.
> Would you, yourself, like to offer help before, during, or after
> Wonderfest 2009? Then please visit the volunteer registration page
> here <http://www.wonderfest.org/wp/volunteer-registration/>.
>
> Thank you.
> Tucker Hiatt, Director of Wonderfest
>
>
> P.S. Congratulations and a big THANK YOU to Wonderfest volunteer
> Dean McCully for putting together the three online registration
> pages identified above.
>
>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

What is Pecha Kucha Night?

Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (Klein Dytham
architecture), was conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to
meet, network, and show their work in public. Each presenter is allowed
20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds
of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations
concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to
show.

Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation) has tapped
into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and
informally shown, without having to rent a gallery or chat up a magazine
editor. This is a† demand that seems to be global – as Pecha Kucha
Night, without any pushing, has spread virally to over 100 cities across
the world.

20 slides x 20 seconds = 400 seconds of fame.

Doors at 7:30, show at 8:00

Admission is free with a two drink minimum.

The Improv
62 S 2nd St · San Jose

(408) 280-7475
http://www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/san-jose-ca/1

Sorry, I got the date mixed up.  Hopefully therre will be another one
soon.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Elise Engelhardt [mailto:engelhardte@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 2:12 PM
> To: 'bafuture@yahoogroups.com'
> Subject: Tonight at The Improv in San Jose -- Pecha Kucha
> (free with 2 drinks)
>
>
> What is Pecha Kucha Night?
>
> Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham
> (Klein Dytham architecture), was conceived in 2003 as a place
> for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in
> public. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for
> 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before
> the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise,
> the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.
>
> Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation)
> has tapped into a demand for a forum in which creative work
> can be easily and informally shown, without having to rent a
> gallery or chat up a magazine editor. This is a† demand that
> seems to be global – as Pecha Kucha Night, without any
> pushing, has spread virally to over 100 cities across the world.
>
> 20 slides x 20 seconds = 400 seconds of fame.
>
> Doors at 7:30, show at 8:00
>
> Admission is free with a two drink minimum.
>
> The Improv
> 62 S 2nd St · San Jose
>
> (408) 280-7475
> http://www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/san-jose-ca/1
>
>

This should be really interesting.  It's last minute, but feel free to
forward to your Bay Area futurist, humanist, transhumanist,
consciousness, etc. lists.

http://www.fmbr.org/newsletter.php

"What if we could deliberately engineer the genetics of happiness,
spirituality and love?  We’re actually at that point already.  ....There
are tools of consciousness that we can use to ... deliberately trigger
the expression of these genes at will....  [Presentation of research
results, and demonstration of techniques.]  This lively and engaging
presentation is guaranteed to leave the audience buzzing with a
gene-induced natural “high”!"

PLACE: Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
A $15 donation is asked of non-members, at the door.
Students with ID, a $5 donation is asked.

Whether spirituality and love are an illusion or not, and framed by
religion or not, they are a real and positive part of the human
experience, worth turning on as much as possible, for health -- and
athletic performance.  - Chris
--
Chris Duffield Ph.D.
Science Technology & Biomedicine Consultant

I'd have good luck watching the live video of these talks using
Firefox on Fedora.

--
Alison Chaiken
(650) 279-5600  (cell)
http://www.exerciseforthereader.org/
Play a little bit out of tune and you don't have to worry about
copyright.   -- Debashish Bhattacharya


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Yvette Subramanian <yvette@...>
Date: Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 8:43 AM
Subject: CITRIS Research Exchange, Jacob Rosen on Oct. 28
To:


Please join us for the next CITRIS Research Exchange at the Banatao
Institute at Berkeley this semester:

"Medical Robotics – Bioports to the Human Body"
Jacob Rosen [Prof. of Computer Engineering, UC Santa Cruz]

12:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 28
Banatao Auditorium, 3rd floor, Sutardja Dai Hall, UC Berkeley
http://www.citris-uc.org/events/RE-Oct-28

The complete schedule for the semester is online at
http://www.citris-uc.org/events/RE-fall2009. As always, these talks
are free, open to the public and broadcast live online at
mms://media.citris.berkeley.edu/webcast, and questions can be sent via
Yahoo IM to username: citrisevents. Sponsored by Infineon
Technologies.

Abstract :
Medical Robotics is an emerging sub-discipline of robotics in which
humans are the focal point of its creation. Humans interact with
medical robotics either as health providers such as physicians or as
the healthcare recipients - the patients. Introducing a medical robot
at the interface between a physician and a patient is based on an
understanding of the medical treatment itself and its related biology,
physiology and anatomy. Inherent to the field of medical robotics is a
unique synergy between medicine, life and health sciences, and many
sub-disciplines of engineering. In this talk, two categories of
Medical robotics will be explored: surgical robotics and wearable
robotics.

The operating room of the future is envisioned as fully automated cell
that includes only one human being - the patient. The local surgeon
will be replaced by a surgical robot that will be teleoperated through
wired and wireless communication, from any place around globe. The
system will manage all the aspects of surgery, from monitoring the
movements of the surgical robot to managing the supply chain.
Achieving such a system depends on answering research questions such
as what are the physical variables that lead to tissue damage; how to
optimize the robotic arms to minimize their footprint in the operating
room; how to objective assess surgical skill, and how to control the
system from a distance to perform telesurgery.

A wearable robot is a system that humans wear as an extension of their
body. In case of a missing limb a wearable robot serves as prosthetic
device. In case of an existing limb with disabled functions it
servesas an orthotic device. As opposed to surgical robotics where the
human machine interface is limited to the physical level, wearable
robot may interact with the patient at the neural level, utilizing the
body's own control signals. The end result is to achieve a natural
control of the wearable robot by the human operator as an extension of
his or her body. Establishing the human machine interface at the
neural level leads to research questions such as how to predict the
muscular activity in real time and utilize this information for the
exoskeleton operation along with additional questions in biosignals
processing, neuromuscular modeling, and human motor control.

Biography:

Jacob Rosen received his B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering, M.Sc.
and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Tel-Aviv University
in 1987, 1993 and 1997 respectively. From 1987 to 1992 he served as an
officer in the IDF studying human-machine interfaces. From 1993 to
1997 he was a research associate developing and studying the EMG based
powered Exoskeleton at the Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of
Biomedical Engineering, Tel-Aviv University. During the same period of
time he held a position in a startup company developing innovative
orthopedic spine/pelvis implants. From 1997 to 2000 he was a
Post-Docat the departments of Electrical Engineering and Surgery,
University of Washington while developing surgical robotic and medical
simulation systems. From 2001- 2008 he served a faculty member at the
Departmentof Electrical Engineering, University of Washington in
Seattle with adjunct appointments with the Departments of Surgery, and
Mechanical Engineering. Since 2008 he has been an associate professor
at the Department of Computer Engineering, University of California -
Santa Cruz (UCSC). His research interests focus on medical robotics,
biorobotics, human centered robotics, surgical robotics, wearable
robotics, rehabilitation robotics, neural control, and human-machine
interface.




We look forward to seeing you there!

best, Yvette

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
yvette subramanian, ph.d. | CITRIS publications and events coordinator
386 Hearst Memorial Mining Building, UC Berkeley campus
(510) 643-4866 | (510) 642-1800 fax | yvette@...
http://www.citris-uc.org/

Is there any way to just learn about Future Salons?  I'm sure these
other events are cool, but I subscribe to this list specifically for the
Future Salon.  Can non-future-salon announcements elsewhere?

- Andy

bafuture@yahoogroups.com wrote:
> There are 2 messages in this issue.
>
> Topics in this digest:
>
> 1. Tonight at The Improv in San Jose -- Pecha Kucha (free with 2 drinks
>     From: Elise Engelhardt
>
> 2. Oops, missed it- last night at The Improv in San Jose -- Pecha Kucha
>     From: Elise Engelhardt
>
>
> Messages
> ________________________________________________________________________
> 1. Tonight at The Improv in San Jose -- Pecha Kucha (free with 2 drinks
>     Posted by: "Elise Engelhardt" engelhardte@... workitelise
>     Date: Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:11 pm ((PDT))
>
> What is Pecha Kucha Night?
>
> Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (Klein Dytham
> architecture), was conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to
> meet, network, and show their work in public. Each presenter is allowed
> 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each -- giving 6 minutes 40 seconds
> of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations
> concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to
> show.
>
> Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation) has tapped
> into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and
> informally shown, without having to rent a gallery or chat up a magazine
> editor. This is a+ demand that seems to be global -- as Pecha Kucha
> Night, without any pushing, has spread virally to over 100 cities across
> the world.
>
> 20 slides x 20 seconds = 400 seconds of fame.
>
> Doors at 7:30, show at 8:00
>
> Admission is free with a two drink minimum.
>
> The Improv
> 62 S 2nd St · San Jose
>
> (408) 280-7475
> http://www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/san-jose-ca/1
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Messages in this topic (1)
> ________________________________________________________________________
> ________________________________________________________________________
> 2. Oops, missed it- last night at The Improv in San Jose -- Pecha Kucha
>     Posted by: "Elise Engelhardt" engelhardte@... workitelise
>     Date: Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:25 pm ((PDT))
>
> Sorry, I got the date mixed up.  Hopefully therre will be another one
> soon.
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Elise Engelhardt [mailto:engelhardte@...]
>> Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 2:12 PM
>> To: 'bafuture@yahoogroups.com'
>> Subject: Tonight at The Improv in San Jose -- Pecha Kucha
>> (free with 2 drinks)
>>
>>
>> What is Pecha Kucha Night?
>>
>> Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham
>> (Klein Dytham architecture), was conceived in 2003 as a place
>> for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in
>> public. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for
>> 20 seconds each -- giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before
>> the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise,
>> the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.
>>
>> Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation)
>> has tapped into a demand for a forum in which creative work
>> can be easily and informally shown, without having to rent a
>> gallery or chat up a magazine editor. This is a+ demand that
>> seems to be global -- as Pecha Kucha Night, without any
>> pushing, has spread virally to over 100 cities across the world.
>>
>> 20 slides x 20 seconds = 400 seconds of fame.
>>
>> Doors at 7:30, show at 8:00
>>
>> Admission is free with a two drink minimum.
>>
>> The Improv
>> 62 S 2nd St · San Jose
>>
>> (408) 280-7475
>> http://www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/san-jose-ca/1
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Messages in this topic (1)
>
>
>
>      bafuture-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>


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Hi Futurists,

Quick reminder Don't miss the Fit Body Fit Soul Future Salon next Tuesday
November 10:
http://www.futuresalon.org/2009/09/fit-body-fit-soul-future-salo.html

I finally posted the second part of the Brain Plasticity Future Salon video:
http://www.futuresalon.org/2009/10/video-brain-plasticity-future-salon-with-prof\
essor-michael-merzenich-part-2.html

You may want to jump to minute 44 where he lists 13 elements from as he says
1000s that have an influence on our brain plasticity development in ways that we
don't yet comprehend and why he thinks that we are not evolved enough to handle
the pace of development that we are jumping in literally head first:

We are driving culture too fast and are too dump to understand the consequences.

    1. Cutting umbilical cord too early: Leads to 2 minutes of no oxygen to the
brain, which is a suspect for the rise in autism.
    2. Only very few drugs have been studied regarding their influence on the
brain.
    3. Chemical safety regulations: 100s of 1000s of chemicals are created every
year and they are only banned if there is a clear demonstration of harm.
    4. Car seats (He put that one up for fun). Is it a good idea to put our
little kids into little prisons? Same with making our babies sleep on their
back. Consequence is that the baby is slower in regards to crawling.
       His prediction: We will have a female president in the future and she will
be very authoritarian because of the restrictions put on her via our current car
seats.
       The interest of our children to go to the outdoors or to the parks will
continue to decline because our children don't see what is happening outside of
the car window.
       We come from growing up in the wilderness and we are now wilderness
deprived.
    5. We have paved our ways. We have hard shoes to take away the unevenness.
Our brains are amazing at balancing out the differences and it actually burns
lots of calories doing it, but we don't want hardship. It is not a surprise that
it has been proven, that people living on cobble stone streets are healthier. It
is one of the reasons why in old age we are frailer than we should be. We were
not designed for paved roads.
    6. Hand held devices.
    7. We systematically make our children being afraid of all adults. What a
screwy idea to make every child being afraid of every adult. It's insane.
    8. TV addiction
    9. Taking executive control of our children's lives. [24 hour surveillance.]
Shouldn't that be one of your main goals to give our kids the executive control
of their lives?
   10. Video games.
   11. Narcissism: One word Twitter.  [Comment: That on a day when I twitter more
than ever ;-)] Let's all be really self-interested. Let's practice many hours a
day on how cool we are.
   12. Pornography and media: Is that really a good idea? Praying to the lowest
denominator?
   13. By using GPS your brain shrinks. London taxi drivers are able to pass the
license test after 3 years of studying, aka driving around on scooters to
memorize streets. One year after introducing GPS the London taxi driver's
extended brain shrunk back to the usual size. [Comment: There is always a
trade-off. Since we can read, we can't remember as good as we used to. We just
didn't know how big the difference is for your brain. Another proof of use it or
loose it.]

One of our problems is, that these things are just too complicated to do
anything about them.

We have about 1000 things that are really important, most of them we don't even
know about. Individually we may know about one of them deeply, may be a handful,
but that is it.

We have to figure out how we as a society get true expertise around these
problems to resolve them and we have to figure out how by accepting our
individual limitations we can accept societal solutions.

We have a long long way to go to do that and we may be incapable to do it,
because remember we are inherently selfish, a fundamental problem that we have
to deal with.

We are at the beginning of enlightenment or disaster. Somehow we have to bring
science and knowledge back into this for a true understanding of what we are.

In a sense the only hope we have really is to identify what we are and accept
what we are with our limitations.

Food for thought, Mark.

Hi Future Salon Lovers,

Blog post with the questions embedded: http://bit.ly/413Bk0

Last week was the last Future Salon for this year. Even though I wasn't able to
participate, I hear John Smart did a great job hosting and it was a big
success.Thank you. It is great to have people like John to carry the torch.

Actually it would be even better, if more people that like what the Future Salon
is doing would join. With your extra push, we are convinced, it will be even
better next year.

"Yes, but how much effort will it be?" I hear you think ;-) No one has time
these days. We want to make it as easy and efficient as possible.

Early December we will have an evening meeting where we talk about the general
direction and split up the months between us. Depending on how many people we
are, you focus on your theme and month, host that month and that is it.

The overarching theme of the Future Salon is:
Boldly creating a world that works for us all.

Therefore we are not covering the latest gadgets at our salons. We are
interested in taking a look at larger trends, limits of our own human
capabilities and how to overcome them. What can be done to create a more just
society that gives opportunities to everyone involved to grow to their full
potential?

If that aligns with your own vision and interests, please fill out the following
couple of questions and we will contact you regarding the December meeting.

Of course filling out this form doesn't commit you to anything. We know that
even with the best intentions life has the tendency to catch up with and sweep
you into a different direction than planned.
(Live is what happens while you are making other plans ;-)

Here is the link to the questions:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dHhYLTdlR3NUaEdPOHFEWmJadE\
R0ZlE6MA

Looking forward to another exciting Future Salon year, Mark.

I've just read a wonderful book about a teen in Africa who built his
own windpower generator.
http://www.djcline.com/2009/11/25/the-boy-who-harnessed-the-wind/
An inspiring story for young engineers,
-DJ

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