Derek E. Baird :: Barking Robot

H+ Summit: What Geeks Can Learn From Gurus [VIDEO]

“I set as a goal the maximum capacity that people have. I settle for no less. I make myself a relentless architect of the possibilities of human beings.” --Benjamin Zander

Last week Humanity+, an international nonprofit which advocates the ethical use of technology to expand human capacities, held their annual 2010 H+ Summit on the Harvard University campus.

The H+ Summit is part of a larger cultural conversation about what it means to be human and, ultimately, more than human. This issue lies at the heart of the transhumanism movement.

During the two day summit, held at Harvard, the keynote speakers explored the potential of technology to modify your body, mind, life, and world. What will it mean to be a human in this next phase of technological development? How can we prepare now for coming changes?

While the H+ Summit featured keynotes by well-known visionary thought leaders (Ray Kurzweil, Stephen Wolfram and Aubrey de Grey) it was Robert Tercek's keynote, "What Geeks Can Learn from Gurus", that caught both the imagination and attention of many people outside of the transhumanist community.

After Robert's talk was posted online, I had a steady stream of colleagues tweet, FB post and email me the link to both the video and SlideShare of his H+ Summit @Harvard presentation. All of them urged me to take the time to watch the video. I did and was not disappointed.

I don't want to say too much here (no spoilers!) but I urge you to take some time and have a listen and/or review the presentation slides for yourself. Rob Tercek is a very good speaker and he does a masterful job of talking about the challenges and future of the transhumanist movement and how they can better engage with the general public.

View more presentations from Humanity+.

Berkman Center for Internet & Society: Building and Managing Online Communities [podcast]

This Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University panel looks at the challenges, both legal and journalistic, facing media organizations that seek to build and maintain online communities, from article comments to community forums and blogs.

Issues include the role of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, content strategy, dealing with and protecting anonymous commenters, and concerns regarding defamation and privacy.

Building and Managing Online Communities: Anonymity, Defamation and Privacy, Oh My! by barkingrobot

Panel

• Patrick Carome - Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP Bill Densmore

• Eric Goldman - Associate Professor, Santa Clara University School of Law

• Jeff Howe - Contributing editor at Wired.com and author of Crowdsourcing

• Barbara Wall - Vice President/Senior Associate General Counsel, Gannett Co.

• David Ardia (moderator) - Director, Citizen Media Law Project, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University

This panel is part of the Online Media Legal Network's 2010 conference "Journalism's Digital Transition: Unique Legal Challenges and Opportunities" held at Harvard Law School on Friday, April 9, 2010.

Pew Research Center | Cyberbullying 2010

This talk provides an updated look at the research and definitions around bullying and cyberbullying and  draws upon the work of Amanda Lenhart from the Pew Internet Project, UNH's Crimes Against Children Research Center, the work of Internet Solutions for Kids as well as research by professors Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin.

Cyberbullying 2010: What the Research Tells Us

View more presentations from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

Originally presented to the Youth Online Safety Working Group assembled by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), this talk unpacks both what current research can tell us about cyberbullying as well as where the gaps our understanding of this issue lie.

Related: Printable Handout: Digital Parenting Social Media & Internet Safety Resources

The Myth of the Digital Native

“If we over-estimate their skills we underestimate the support they need and misunderstand their practices.” – Dr. Sonia Livingstone

Over the last decade there has been lots of talk, in both the press and educational circles, about the technological prowess of "digital natives." We've heard a lot about what's exciting in educational technology, but the reality is that teachers still see a lot of kids struggling to use technology.

Sonia Livingstone 2010 Digital Media and Learning Conference Keynote

During her keynote at DML 2010, Dr. Sonia Livingstone (London School of Economics) shared the following examples from her research and interviews with both parents and kids on the difficulties "digital natives" face using technology:

• Example: Going to a Web site–can take a half hour, involve parents & most give up.

• Example: Parents thought their child was very savvy, but something about the style of her use didn't reveal her struggles. "Megan" is confident, but one can observe her many struggles while she uses technology.

• Example: 17-year-old, quoted: "With books it's a lot easier to research. I can't really use the internet for studying." Another, "Every time I try to look for something, I can never find it. It keeps coming up with things that are completely irrelevant."

• Example: Teens often didn't know how to change their privacy settings, unsure about what to click to manage this task. (Nervousness about unintended consequences: stranger danger, parental anxiety, viruses, crashed computers, unwanted advertising, etc.)

When it comes to youth and digital media we tend to be conservative in the type of content we give young people and far more aggressive when approaching them with digital media tools.

It’s important to remember that just because we include digital media doesn’t mean youth know how to make meaning or engage with these technologies.

[podcast] User Generated Online Content for Kids Freedom vs Safety

User Generated Online Content for Kids Freedom vs Safety by barkingrobot

Podcast recorded at Engage! Expo 2010, features Joi Podgorny [Director of Community Engagement, Smart Bomb Interactive], George Zaloom [Founder & CEO, FaceChipz], Pierre Le Lann [Co-CEO, TribalNova] and Tamara Littleton [CEO, eModeration].

This podcast is a must listen for anyone working in the education, youth media, marketing or strategy space. These are the trends that will impact your ability to effectively connect with youth on various levels. Plus it's a great opportunity to hear from some of the leading voices in the youth media space.

The user-generated content phenomenon prevalent on social networks and web sites like MySpace, Second Life, and YouTube hasn't yet trickled down to kids, but that isn’t because they aren't craving it.

From designing clothes and objects, capturing gameplay on video, to designing games inside of virtual worlds, kids and tweens yearn for self-expression and creation the web makes possible – and in many cases are being handed the tools to create.

Primarily, it is concerns of security, safety and COPPA compliance that toy creators going online and virtual world creators must address. This session will look at how virtual world companies and brands can harness the power of user-generated content -- giving kids as much freedom as possible without putting them at risk.

2010 Digital Hollywood Content Summit

Digital Hollywood has evolved into the definitive technology and brand / advertising conference for the digital era during the past 15 years.

Held bi-annually in the Los Angeles area, Digital Hollywood has become a fixture on everyone’s annual conference schedule in the entertainment  industry. The Digital Hollywood Content Summit is the latest addition to the program.

Some additions this time around include a Filmmakers Lounge for all four days which means we own our space for the entire conference. There will be a hospitality area that can be used for recruitment and presentations and some sponsors are very interested to utilize this space for monitors.

You can learn more about the event over on the Digital Hollywood Content Summit website.

Call for Nominations: 2010 Ypulse Mashup Totally Wired Teacher Award

2010 Ypulse Mashup Totally Wired Teacher Award on Prezi

Ypulse is teaming up once again with Dell's Edu4U community The 2010 Totally Wired Teacher Award to be presented at this year's Mashup event. The application is now LIVE so help us spread the word to teachers you think should apply. 

The Totally Wired Teacher Award is inspired by Ypulse.com founder Anastasia Goodstein’s book, Totally Wired: What Teens & Tweens Are Really Doing Online, and the challenges she observed when teachers tried to integrate technology into their public school classrooms.

The goal of the award is to recognize a teacher who has overcome these challenges and is inspiring to both students and other educators. This year Ypulse is asking applicants to upload a 60-second video tip or advice they would like to share with other educators related to integrating technology into the classroom.

Learn more about The Totally Wired Teacher Award and get all the details over on the Ypulse Mashup site!

LIVE: Alliance for Youth Movements Summit 2010

Alliance for Youth Movements (AYM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, connecting, and supporting digital activists from around the world. AYM hosts annual conferences, events, and trainings that link influential leaders in technology, media, private and public sectors with the some of the world's most promising digital activists.

allianceofyouthmovements on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

The organization’s website, Movements.org, will serve as a hub for discussion, resources, and news about digital activism around the world.

About the 2010 AYM Summit in London Joining individuals from the private sector, NGO community and of some of the most innovative digital activists around the world, the AYM Summit will convene in London from March 9-11, 2010 at InterContinental Park Lane in London.

The Summit is supported by Access 360 Media, Causecast, Edelman, Gen Next, Google, Howcast, the Legatum Institute, MeetUp, MTV, the Salesforce Foundation, and YouTube, among others. The Summit will explore the use of technology by youth activists to diminish violence.

DML 2010: Four Things Youth Marketers Can Learn About Youth & Digital Media

Today I've published a guest post over on Ypulse and shared some of my thoughts on the 2010 Digital Media & Learning Conference (DML) which was held last week at the University of California at San Diego.

The post, Four Insights for Youth Marketers from DML 2010, highlights some of the key things I think marketers can learn from the academic community when working with youth and digital media. The post also highlights some of the most current youth media research going on around the world.

Thanks to Meredith and the rest of Team Ypulse for the opportunity to share my insights from DML with the rest of the Ypulse youth marketing community.

Call for ideas: Harvard and FutureGov research into Frontiers of Service in a Networked World

Big hat tip to Dominic Campbell for the heads-up on this project:

FutureGov, a consultancy-cum-social innovation incubator helping to shape the future of government, is working with colleagues Stephen Goldsmith and Zach Tumin at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government to research the “now wave” and the “next wave” of public service delivery around the world. And we’d like your help.

In the coming weeks, leaders of these efforts from five nations – Australia, the UK, the United States, New Zealand and Canada - will be gathering at Harvard for a roundtable discussion to share current best practices and understand the prospects for the next wave of service reform. What has proven useful? Where is the best next investment? What are the critical enablers for success?

Where is the “now wave,” and where is the “next wave” ? We would like your nominations for best practice now and over the coming years. We will be gathering these and sharing at the roundtable. 

• Learn how you can get involved >>>

Weekly Wrap: Democrats & Millennials, Disney's "Alice" Goth Party, Vancouver 2010 Social Media Experiment, John Lennon Education Bus, Google Buzz Lawsuit & More!

Democrats Edge Among Millennials Slipping: While the Republican Party picked up support from Millennials during 2009, this age group continues to favor the Democratic Party more than do other generations. And the underlying political values of this new generation continue to be significantly more liberal than those of other generations on many measures. [Pew Research]

Harvard Law Student Files Class Action Suit Against Google Over Buzz: One of her attorneys, Gary E. Mason of Washington, D.C.-based Mason Law Firm LLP, said, "It's not so much that we're expecting to get millions of people hundreds of dollars. What we'd like to see as result is a commitment from Google that they're not going to do this again the next time they launch a product." [ABC News]

Why Gen Y Isn't Buying Your Products: To put it bluntly, if you’re uncomfortable with marketing to Generation Y, or refuse to understand our unique demographic, your store will not see 2020. To understand Generation Y is to overcome many obstacles in the retail industry. [Retail Customer]

Twitter Users Do It In the Car: Twitter is checked more often while driving than other sites, such as Facebook, according to a recent survey by research firm Crowd Science. Sounds like it's time to take Oprah's No Phone Zone pledge! [NBC San Francisco] [Oprah.com]

John Lennon Educational Bus: Throughout TEDActive, TEDsters had a chance to participate in something truly magical: the making of a music video. The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, a nonprofit mobile recording studio, travels all around the country 10 months out of the year, providing free hands-on workshops to students of all ages, working with both audio and video projects. [TED Blog]

Tweet O' the Week: RT @henryjenkins: Whatever people are doing in World of Warcraft, it isn't "bowling alone." http://bit.ly/dhrSeI

High School Kid Uses YouTube to Land Prom Date with Maxim Model: In a move sure to inspire hundreds of copycats, 17-year-old Dakota Ridge High School senior Conner Cordova used a series of YouTube videos to get UFC Octagon Girl and Maxim model Arianny Celeste to go to the prom with him. [Asylum]

A Conversation About New Media & Education: It is about a world where students learn with a book in one hand and a mouse in the other, rather than one where they are taught that book culture is so fragile it needs to be protected from the computer. [Danielsaurus.com]

Disney Invites 'Goths' to the Party: Disney, the company that created "the happiest place on earth" and cornered the market on pink, is embracing a darker aesthetic as it reaches out to an unlikely audience for new merchandise: female "goths." [WSJ, Registration Required]

Welcome to Vancouver, the World's Largest Social Media Experiment: Social media was around for the Summer Games in Beijing, but this is the first time it will be deployed in a free and democratic regime.

There's good reason to expect that the Olympic experience will be transformed by the social media presence: it's already changed the Olympic planning process for both the Games organizers and the media that's now descending on the city. Related: Olympics Must Embrace Digital & Social Media Or Risk Losing Youth Audience [Harvard Business Review] [Barking Robot]

Yahoo's #Olympics Website Beats NBC's in Traffic: According to comScore, Yahoo's Olympics site and Yahoo Sports are the top websites for coverage of the first weekend of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. [The Wrap]

Jesse James Garrett: The State Of User Experience

Jesse James Garrett | UX Week 2009 | Adaptive Path from Adaptive Path on Vimeo.

“As the field of user experience grows and evolves, UX practitioners find themselves having to master new techniques to take on new challenges. Adaptive Path’s Jesse James Garrett takes a look at where user experience has been and where it’s going.”

The Inspiration Found Project

Inspiration Found is a project, started by the founding director of the social media agency MediaSnackers, that asks 100 people from 1-to-100 years old: "What single thing inspires you and why?"

The resulting images, words and insights will be collated into a FREE ebook available to view online or download PLUS will be presented at TEDxCDF in April 2010.

You can learn more about the project and how you can get involved over on the Inspiration Found website.

2010 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup Registration Now Open!

The registration is now officially open for the 2010 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup in San Francisco!

The Ypulse Mashup is being held May 24-25 at the Hotel Nikko in SF where for the fourth year running it will bring together the top brand, corporate and social marketers, media professionals, educators and non-profit organizations to share best practices, research and latest strategies on marketing to youth with technology.

For more information on the event as well as sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities, go to the Mashup site.

Related: Ruminations on the 2009 Ypulse Mashup Boston

Social Entrepreneur Jamie Oliver Wins 2010 TED Prize

For his contributions to better eating at school, his social enterprise restaurant Fifteen and his vision to change the way we consume, TED has announced that Jamie Oliver will be the winner of their 2010 prize.

In addition to his television and cooking shows, Jamie founded the Fifteen Foundation, a social enterprise & chef apprenticeship for 18-24 yr olds. Based in London, it has been replicated through franchising in Amsterdam, Cornwall and Melbourne.

A new TV series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution USA, is to air on ABC in 2010, bringing Jamie’s unique vision to America.

The prize grants him $100,000 and “a wish to change the world.” He’ll unveil the wish on February 10 at TED2010. (via PSFK)

Related: Follow Jamie Oliver on Twitter