Search results matching tag '2gether08'

Final peeks for today from 2gether08

2292853 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:41:00 GMT

There’s a lovely sound here at 2gether08 at the Rochelle School in Shoreditch, it kind of hums along as if a flock of chirping birds just brushed by you, or a swarm of bees hovered by your ear for a bit and whispered gentle secrets that somehow changed your train of thought into a new direction.

This is the sound of ideas, lot's and lot's of buzzing and humming ideas.

This is a multi-layered gathering, with more than the usual passive absorption of information that inherently happens with a business gathering. I’m calling it the ‘un-conference’ conference and the organizers say it is more like a Festival of Ideas.

Here's PROOF:

oOOo Thinking about what one day in the life of 2058 would be like

-Upstairs on the rooftop is a workshop that is building London of the year 2058. Creative ideas are flying about with in the London United workshop, and plenty of the thoughts are getting slapped up as post-it notes on a board, added to a free-flowing chart of the brainstorm, in which participants come, go, and come back again to check on progress. Popping in for a quick peek I found:

-That future London would be inhabited by ‘digital natives’ as all people would at that point be fully immersed and comfortable with technology being entwined with their daily lives.

-That professions and careers would be driven more-so by the types of problems existing in the immediate community, and how an individual could solve the issues, by contributing their natural skills. As one participant described it would be that “jobs reflect needs and re driven by solutions.”

-The concept of work-life continued, with painting a picture that job’s would be very focused on re-using materials, skills and re-visiting sustainable concepts from ancient societies. The term use was that people would have re-jobs, and these tasks would be mainly focused on re-building and re-shaping or designing the community around them, rather than tearing things down, and destroying (like raiding the earth’s resources) existing structures and environments.

The beginning of this workshop to define what One Day In The Life of 2058 would be like, offered two paths to choose from --- a Blade Runner-esque, 1984 type of future city, or a utopian vision.

I’m glad that the participants who began the workshop before me picked utopia.

oOOo A Journey into the English Mind

Philosopher Jullian Baggini offered laser-like insight to the English mind, with insights that the British are:

-Conservative communitarians,

-pattern seekers

-hefted holiday makers…

-And have a binge, purge mentality that is very very deep

My favourite is his analogy that the British are “piled high with all the trimmings! £9.95!” as spotted in a pub’s window.

He also offered this tip for getting into the youthful British mindset, if you can understand heavy slang – by visiting:

Knowhere.co.uk

oOOo Most amusing quick peek of today at 2gether08?

Facebook’s Blake Chandlee, cheekily said to The Guardian’s Jemima Kiss “you’re a digitas” during an interview.

What’s a digitas?

It is curtain up time here at 2gether08, with Mint Digital about to debut their Web 2.0 Musical.

Hoping there is a sing-a-long,

-Lisa

What fish are you?

2292853 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:01:00 GMT

oOOo Here's a quick peek at one idea about climate change:

2gether08 workshop leader Erica Griggs, Director of Carbon Outreach shared her concept of "How climate change is like a fish."

Her theory works beautifully and simply to compare people to being like fish in a school of fish.

When one fish veers left or right while swimming through the pond, it is likely that whole school will follow along.

"Small change really goes a long way and not only will it change you, but it will inspire change around you," she said.

In her workshop with about 20 other fishes, who were posed the question "What fish are you?" there were:

-A non-flying fish,

-A biking fish,

-A fish that doesn't eat meat,

-A fish that doesn't use plastic bags,

-And several guilty fishes, who said they were thinking and trying to reduce their impact on the planet.

One fish asked if celebrity endorsement of climate change actions can make a difference -- and the room's response said it would really depend on what celebrity was leading the climate change initiative:

Victoria Beckham -- NO!

Barack Obama -- YES!

In this session, there was big hope that big fish Barack Obama is a climate change leader.

Barack Obama is a Big Fish in a Big Pond

After the session I also met Dave Hampton, who is, in fact, a climate change coach for a number of British A-listers.

Who are the celebrity fishes is he currently coaching to improve their carbon footprint?

Heston Blumenthal

Sir Jonathon Porrit, a sustainable development advisor to Prince Charles.

Dave says celebrity clients he works with are most concerned about:

1) Flying

2) Driving

3) Reducing home energy use

He says that the biggest 'celebrity' fish that he wants to work with to help change their carbon footprint is Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Gordon Brown is a Big Fish in a Big Pond

I'm the bike fish among this school of fish today.

-Lisa

What fish are you in the climate change school of fish?

Great AM Quote @ 2gether08

2292853 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:06:00 GMT

oOOo

"TALK BEYOND YOUR BORDERS!"

-BT Data, and Confused in Calcutta's blogger JP Rangaswami

More peeks from 2gether08 coming soon.

I think I'll YELL beyond my borders,

-Lisa