New Thinking Will Be Born Free

Bill and Melinda Gates want academic research to be free for all. They feel so strongly about it that The Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation), which reportedly spends $900 million per year on scientific research, will (beginning in two years) only fund research that...

Is Viral Healthy?

While Gutenberg’s paper-and-ink process is far from dead, the Internet dominates written and graphic communication today. So a recent post by Noah Kagan (@noahkagan) was most interesting. The headline: “Why Content Goes Viral: What Analyzing 100 Million...

University of Reimagination (Part 3)

I consider the special task force at MIT that I described in Part 1 and Part 2 of this blog series to be a special event, mainly because it could affect all of education in multiple (and tangible) ways. It shows real leadership vision. For my final post in this...

Is anyone safe from the future?

The Economist is one of the best-written journals published. And while it skews toward a conservative bent, it doesn’t shy away from taking on BIG questions. The cover story from the January 12 issue is a good example. “Innovation pessimism: Has the ideas machine...

Trendsetters And Misfits

Most people I know tell me that there was at least one person in their lives who changed their perspective, opened their eyes or became unforgettable personalities. I find this also applies to people whom you “meet” via news stories, recordings or Internet blogs. Joi...