Think you can handle rapid change? Better hope so, because coming technologies will turn our world on its head. What we need to navigate the coming decades is the best-informed advice we can get, combined with the moral support of a community that shares our values and goals:
maximizing freedom
extending human lifespan
restoring the environment
empowering individuals
exploring and settling space
spreading knowledge through openness
alleviating poverty
And this one's critical without it, we lose all the rest:
preventing the abuse of powerful technologies
Sounds great, but how? First, we need to get up to speed on the new tools already on the horizon:
nanotechnology
machine intelligence
private digital currencies
"supersurveillance"
life extension
new forms of intellectual "property"
open source R&D beyond software
new organizational forms enabled by the net
ever-larger "grassroots" projects formerly requiring government or large corporation support
Seems overwhelming. How to convert this into a personal action plan that makes a difference to you, your organization, and your larger goals?
It's time to meet face-to-face with those on the cutting edge. It's the only way to see who's who, what makes sense, and initiate the personal contacts that lead to the working relationships and companies of tomorrow. So join us at:
What, Who, When ...
What:
Foresight's Fall Senior Associates Gathering
Who:
150 of those most able to look unblinkingly at what's coming and figure out what the heck to do about it.
When:
Sept 8 evening through Sept 10, 2000
Where:
Palo Alto in Silicon Valley the place where tomorrow seems closest
How:
Not just podium-based talking heads there's more discussion time than "lecture" time
Why:
Because already we can feel the changes starting,
Because if we start now, there is still time to convert confusion into clear thinking and doable goals,
Because there's nowhere else to meet the people you need to meet,
well-known troublemaker, cypherpunk, co-founder of Electronic Frontier Foundation tells how nanotech is motivating his fight for intellectual property reform and open source
father of our favorite website Nanodot, sketches the next big thing online
Jim McCoy:
founder & CTO of Autonomous Zone Industries, tells of Mojo Nation, the open-source software for secure private swapping of files and Mojo, which is not money...yet
renowned expert on security, system survivability, reliability, fault tolerance, safety, systems-in-the-large, and risk avoidance -- gives us his views on, well, whatever he thinks we need to hear.
Friday, 2-4 pm: Informal seminar by special guest Robert Grudin, foresighted philosopher, on "The Morality of Power". Limited to ten Senior Associates. RSVP by Sept 1 with $80 donation.
Friday, 4-6 pm: Informal seminar by special guest Vernor Vinge, foresighted sf author. Limited to ten Senior Associates. RSVP by Sept 1 with $80 donation. [This seminar is fully subscribed as of August 11.]
Friday, 6-8 pm: Speaker Dinner, open also to Senior Associates at and above the Fellow level ($500/year, includes Dual Senior Associates--both Foresight and IMM). Due to space limitations, we are unable to invite spouses at this time. If your spouse would like to attend, please contact the office after Sept. 1 to see if there is seating available. RSVP by Sept 1 with $40 meal fee (does not qualify as charitable donation).