OK, so shortly after I got the invite to attend iCitizen, I received a book in the mail written by Bob Johansen (one of the iCitizen keynote speakers) with a note that said “please read this before the conference.” I really wanted to read it but I confess the title made me think it was the usual “motivational speaker” fare. I let it slip through the cracks and didn’t get a chance to absorb it. Well let me tell you that after hearing Bob speak, I plan to read it A.S.A.P (right after I finish Nevil Shute’s On The Beach of course—I’m reading that on Kindle for iPhone—major downer). Anyway, the guy was crazy smart and so if he says gaming is good for you (which he did), well…it must be.
But seriously, Bob’s dissection of gaming and the learning that can accompany it was fascinating and only a small part of his iCitizen 2010 presentation detailing the tech outlook for the next 10 years. It was a hopeful presentation alluding to a melding of new tech with our own biology and how innovative business leaders will use this new paradigm to achieve success.
If you don’t know who this guy is, he is a distinguished fellow and future forecaster for the think-tank known as the Institute For The Future. His job is to forecast future trends as far as 10-20 years out—no easy task. Bob was kind enough to take a moment to speak with me and I have posted some of the results here in my usual ghetto-style-conference-iPhone-video-mini-interview format.
Oh yeah, he also played college b-ball at Illinois back in the day. Renaissance man for sure.