To: Jeffrey Epsteinfleeyacation©gmail.com]
From: John Brockman
Sent: Tue 9/4/2012 9:08:37 PM
Subject: Re: Wurman's conference
JE,
Thanks, but...
1. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but, between us and confidentially, nothing
I've heard about the conference seems to be a reason I would want to be there.
(Other than your attending). There's no business for me - most of the people are
Richard's old friends (and I mean OLD) - they don't have books in them; and it's
not about cutting edge ideas. This would mean engaging with younger people and
also science, which is not his forte. Not to mention where are the women? And I
get tired when I hear that he wants everybody to have mini meetings with each
other. This sounds like work to me. Finally, after seeing what's happened to TED
since he sold it, his best shot it to go quietly away.
2. In any event, there's an exhibition of Benoit's fractal images opening in NY
in the same time period and I promised his wide I would be there and organize a
group of Edgies to also come and help celebrate his life. (I really do miss him).
Some nice news ...
WASTHINGTON POST
September 4, 2012
Campaign puts Obama in touch with life outside the bubble
...On Air Force One, which features the best office in the world at 30,000 feet,
aides say, he is most often in the conference room, door open, ESPN's
SportsCenter on the television. Many advisers who may not get past the Oval
Office gatekeepers are welcome to drop in on what insiders say is usually a
fairly casual atmosphere.
But there is always reading material — the iPad, magazines, a book — in front of
him on the conference table.
Aides say the most recent book he has read and recommended as pertinent to the
current political and economic climate is "Thinking, Fast and Slow," by the Nobel
economics laureate Daniel Kahneman. According to descriptions of the book,
published last year, Kahneman, who works at the nexus of psychology and
economics, examines influences on thought and judgment. ...
http://wapo.st/UpkkqM
Dud you see your pal Andrew on the News last night climbing down the London
skyscraper? Crazy! They make the Royals work to hard over there.
Just back from a month's vacation - lot's of great projects cooking.
I'm working up a new publishing initiative, going deep into "Big Data". Here's
the first bunch. Many more to come. It would make an interesting conference
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subject: http://edge.org/event/special/-computational-social-science. Frank
Schirrmacher (Germany's Culture Czar and Publisher of FAZ) writes: "your "big
data" debate is essential, but some of these people will pay quite a prize for
what they are saying...its Orwell of course, but Orwell made sexy by Stewart
Brand and counter-culture and wired by Google and its cult-like economy"
Cheers,
JB
John Brockman
Mobile
President
Edge Foundation, Inc. tel:
5 East 59th Street fax:
New York, NY 10022
Visit EDGE "The World's Smartest Website" (The Guardian http://bit.ly/I569CX) at:
http://www.edge.org
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