FORA.tv - Daily Video FORAcast

Lawrence Lessig: 'Money Buys Results in Congress'

podcasts@fora.tv — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:40:21 -0800

Lawrence Lessig, professor of law at Stanford University, points out a fact that we all know: Congress has been corrupted by money. Government distrust has led to abysmal Congressional approval ratings, and he asserts, "there was more support for the British Crown in our government at the time of the Revolution than there is support for our Congress today."

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2012/01/17/How_Money_Corrupts_Congress_and_a_Plan_to_Stop_It

A dazzlingly incisive presenter, Lawrence Lessig specializes in identifying deep systemic problems in public process (such as copyright malfunction and Congressional dysfunction) and then showing how they can be cured. Currently he is bearing down on the corruption of Congress by the practice of private funding for public elections through campaign contributions. He writes: "The dependency of modern campaign finance is the single most important cause of the bankruptcy of Congress. Fixing this bankruptcy is the single most important reform effort that Americans face just now." As he did with helping fix copyright problems via Creative Commons, he has a plan for reforming elections to reestablish Congressional trust and effectiveness. (Public trust in Congress is currently at 12%.)

Lessig is director of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics at Harvard University and author of Republic, Lost (2011) and Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace (2000 and 2006). - The Long Now Foundation

Big Ideas and Smart Technology: Solving Society’s Problems

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:31:43 -0800

Peter Biddle, Intel’s General Manager of Services Platform, and Brian David Johnson, Intel’s Futurist, talk about how technology can help solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges including global warming.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/30/The_Next_50_Years__Will_Tech_Solve_Humanitys_Problems

Experts from Intel Corporation discuss major problems facing humanity, including global warming, an aging world population and the relentless pace of technology. Will better technology solve these problems or are humans hitting a fundamental physical barrier to progress?

At FORA.tv we are devoted to fostering the next generation of Big Ideas. This video is brought to you in partnership with Intel, the company dedicated to unleashing innovation, creativity and Big Ideas with next-generation technology.

Coral Reef Surgeon Fish: Evolving to Compete Through Mimicry

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:27:55 -0800

Luiz Rocha, Assistant Curator and Follett Chair of Ichthyology at the California Academy of Sciences, highlights the evolutionary advantage of the surgeon fish. The surgeon's genes allow them to mimic angelfish, entitling them to greater resources in the coral reef.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2012/01/24/Diversity_and_Evolution_of_Coral_Reef_Fishes

Dr. Luiz Rocha, Assistant Curator, Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences. Join us to welcome new curator on the ichthyology team, Dr. Luiz Rocha. Dr. Rocha's research interests center on the evolution, biogeography, and ecology of coral reef fishes. His overarching goal is to understand what drives the extremely high biodiversity found in tropical reefs. He has embarked on numerous expeditions around the world, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, Polynesia, Micronesia, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa. His field work in Sao Tome was covered by National Geographic in 2008, and he appeared in a Science Channel documentary in 2009 discussing the effects of radiation at Bikini Atoll. - The California Academy of Sciences

Why Aren't More Consumers Buying Online?

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:16:46 -0800

Ken and Ben Lerer, father and son partners of Lerer Media Ventures, argue that future commerce will be transacted almost exclusively online. Today, eCommerce accounts for less than five percent of all commerce, and Ben Lerer believes “people are super stupid” for not capitalizing on a quickly growing market.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2012/01/24/MC_Breakfast_with_Ken_and_Ben_Lerer

The Paley Center for Media presents a Media Council Breakfast with Ken and Ben Lerer. This program was recorded on January 24, 2012.

Kenneth Lerer is a Manager of Lerer Ventures. He was the chairman and cofounder of The Huffington Post and is chairman of Betaworks, Bedrocket and Buzzfeed. He is a member of Pilot Group LLC, a private investment firm. Lerer is chairman emeritus of the Public Theater in New York City and serves on the boards of directors of several nonprofit organizations, including Association to Benefit Children (ABC), the Bank Street College of Education and HealthRight International. In 2008-09, Lerer served as the Hearst New Media Professional-in-Residence at Columbia Journalism School.

Ben Lerer is a Manager of Lerer Ventures and the cofounder and CEO of Thrillist.com, a leading men’s multi-platform lifestyle publication with over 3 million daily subscriptions in 19 localized markets in the U.S. and the U.K. Since its launch in 2005, Lerer has overseen the growth of Thrillist's marketing, sales and business development efforts, as well as its recent expansion into e-commerce with the acquisition of members only online retailer JackThreads.com and the launch of localized commerce platform Thrillist Rewards. Thrillist has been placed on Inc Magazine's list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. for two years running. Lerer serves on the Board of Directors for the East River Development Alliance, a New York non-profit organization and is an Associate Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS).

The Future of Technology in 90 Seconds

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:54:30 -0800

Phil McKinney, recently retired vice president and chief technology officer of the $40 billion Personal Systems Group at HP, and Brad Peters, CEO of Burst Inc., a leader in cloud-based business intelligence and analytics, talk about the value of great ideas and the emergent behavior of social media.

Watch the full 52-minute program here: http://fora.tv/2011/11/30/Future_Shock_Technology_in_the_Next_10_Years

Some of the best minds in Silicon Valley discuss the future of technology, from cool flat-surface displays to self-organizing social media and proliferation of billions of mobile devices.

At FORA.tv we are devoted to fostering the next generation of Big Ideas. This video is brought to you in partnership with Intel, the company dedicated to unleashing innovation, creativity and Big Ideas with next-generation technology.

Carl Levin on Romney's Taxes: There's Nothing 'Ordinary' About a Swiss Bank Account

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:53:20 -0800

Speaking to reporters at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) called on GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney to release his tax returns from before 2010, and chided the former governor of Massachusetts for dismissing a now-closed Swiss bank account as "ordinary."

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/series/monitor_breakfast

On Thursday, January 26, Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined the Monitor Breakfast for a conversation with reporters.

Carl Milton Levin is the senior United States Senator from Michigan, serving since 1979. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He has been Michigan's senior senator since 1995.

Online Marketing: Google's Zero Moment of Truth

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:47:29 -0800

Jeremy Arnon, Strategic Partner Development of Mobile Commerce for Google, examines a new trend in how consumers make purchase decisions. He argues that there's a new paradigm: ZMOT, or zero moment of truth.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/l2_mobile_2012

In Q4 2010, smartphone shipments overtook those of PCs for the first time.Throughout 2011, we saw traffic from non-PC devices in the U.S. grow to seven percent of all digital traffic, fueled by the adoption of tablets. And last month, PayPal data revealed a four-fold (371 percent) increase in the number of customers shopping through mobile devices on Black Friday.

Accordingly, the conversation among marketers has shifted from anticipating the impact of mobile technology to reacting to the ways by which the mobile population is challenging traditional norms governing consumer behavior.

In January, L2 will release its first Prestige 100: Mobile IQ Index, profiling the mobile efforts of 100 leading brands across five distinct industries: Beauty and Cosmetics, Fashion, Hospitality, Luxury Retail, and Watches and Jewelry.

In this Clinic, we will explore the most critical trends in the mobile space. Topics will include implementation of mobile payment systems, augmented consumerism, mobile advertising, the impact of HTML5, and associated case studies.

Christina Romer: Two Hundred Thousand Jobs is Not Enough

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:23:24 -0800

Christina Romer, Former Obama administration Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers calls the recent report on job growth “not good enough” to signal a strong recovery.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2012/01/20/Christina_Romer__Michael_Boskin_Economic_Forecast

Christina Romer and Michael Boskin: 2012 Economic Forecast

As our struggling economy and nation limp into a critical election year, don’t miss this chance to hear a lively discussion with two former top presidential economic advisors on where the U.S. and global economies are headed in 2012 and what should be done to put them on track. - The Commonwealth Club of California

Christina Romer is former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers for the Obama Administration. Romer now serves as the Class of 1957-Garff B. Wilson Professor of Economics at the University of California Berkeley. Before teaching at Berkeley, she taught economics and public affairs at Princeton University from 1985-1988. Until her nomination, she was co-director of the Program in Monetary Economics at the National Bureau of Economic Research and served as Vice President of the American Economic Association, where she was also a member of the executive committee. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Art in Science: How Innovative Images Led to a 'Miraculous' Revolution in Neurology

podcasts@fora.tv — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:50:45 -0800

Carl Schoonover, author of Portraits of the Mind: Visualizing the Brain from Antiquity to the 21st Century , describes the “miraculous” revolution that occurred in neural imaging during the late 19th century. Because of the work of two men, he explains, our image of the brain went from “the gross outer contour” to “a representation of objects residing inside of brain matter.”

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/03/14/Carl_E_Schoonover_Portraits_of_the_Mind

To open the exhibition, Neural Architectures, we celebrate the beauty of brain imagery with presentations from curator Benjamin Bollmann and Carl E. Schoonover, author of The New York Times bestseller, Portraits of the Mind.

Portraits collects images of the brain from medieval sketches to scans captured in today’s labs for an amazing tour of the mind, with descriptions of each technique from leading neuroscientists. Book signing during the reception in collaboration with Book Passage.

Portraits of the Mind: Visualizing the Brain from Antiquity to the 21st Century (Abrams, November 2010) follows the fascinating exploration of the brain through images. These beautiful black-and-white and vibrantly colored images, many resembling abstract art, are employed daily by scientists around the world, but most have never before been seen by the general public. From medieval sketches and 19th-century drawings by the founder of modern neuroscience to images produced using state-of-the-art techniques, readers are invited to witness the fantastic networks in the brain.

Each chapter in Portraits of the Mind addresses a different set of techniques for studying the brain, and each is introduced with an essay by a leading scientist in that field. Extended captions provide detailed explanations of each image as well as the major insights gained by scientists over the course of the past twenty years. The result is a peek at the mind's innermost workings, helping readers to understand, and offering clues about what may lie ahead.

News Corp's Jon Miller: Is Google 'On the Wrong Side' of SOPA?

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:20:12 -0800

Jon Miller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Digital Media Group at News Corp, frames the argument for and against SOPA, and explains why News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch tweeted his opinion that Google's stance against SOPA is "on the wrong side" of the issue.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2012/01/18/Exploring_Entertainment_Content_in_the_Cloud

Exploring Entertainment Content in the Cloud Will viewers embrace digital lockers and store their favorite content in the cloud? Join PricewaterhouseCoopers and The Paley Center for Media to explore current trends related to consumer perceptions and potential business models related to digital lockers. Given the release of multiple new cloud-based lockers, industry executives are watching consumers closely to see if these lockers can be attractive and encourage purchase behavior. PwC will share results of its latest consumer survey on consumer interest, perceived benefits, and willingness to adopt digital lockers. - Paley Center for Media

Mr. Jonathan F. Miller, Jon serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Digital Media Group at News Corp. and has been its Chief Digital Officer since April 2009. Mr. Miller has been the Chief Digital Officer since March 2009. He serves as an Advisor of LaunchBox Digital and Mochila, Inc. Mr. Miller served as an Advisor of General Atlantic LLC. He advised General Atlantic LLC on media and consumer related sectors. Mr. Miller has extensive management experience in interactive services, media, entertainment, and associated enabling technologies. He is a digital media veteran known for his strategic and operational expertise.

LA Mayor Villaraigosa: 'Bad News' Coming In Obama Budget

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:00:05 -0800

Speaking to reporters at a breakfast sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor, Antonio Villaraigosa, Conference of Mayors President and Mayor of Los Angeles, warned that fiscal and political realities could mean President Obama's coming budget will have "draconian" cuts to programs held dear by progressives.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/series/monitor_breakfast

On Wednesday, January 18, Antonio Villaraigosa, Conference of Mayors President and Mayor of Los Angeles, joined the Monitor Breakfast for a conversation with reporters.

Antonio R. Villaraigosa is the 41st mayor of Los Angeles and has held the office since 2005. During his first term, Villaraigosa built the police force to its largest size in history, oversaw the steepest reduction in crime since the 1950s, and developed LA's first comprehensive anti-gang strategy. Having dedicated much of his first term to reforming LA's public schools, he now oversees the Partnership for LA Schools, which runs ten of the lowest-performing schools.

Passions Run High at UN Palestine Debate

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:43:57 -0800

Passions ran high as Dore Gold, Aaron David Miller, Mustafa Barghouti, and Daniel Levy argued about whether Palestine should be accepted as a U.N. Member state. Moderator John Donvan stepped in to cool the fervor that threatened to derail the order of the debate.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2012/01/10/The_UN_Should_Admit_Palestine_as_a_Full_Member_State

The U.N. Should Admit Palestine as a Full Member State: An Intelligence Squared U.S. Debate. This program was recorded on January 10, 2012.

FOR THE MOTION:
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti
Daniel Levy

AGAINST THE MOTION:
Dore Gold
Aaron David Miller

MODERATOR:
John Donvan

On September 23, 2011, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appeared before the U.N. General Assembly to request full membership for the State of Palestine. America’s veto power renders their bid largely symbolic, but there could be leverage gained– like indirect recognition of statehood– in the process. After 20 years of failed talks with Israel, can this plea to the international community be the only path left to a two-state solution, or have the Palestinians set the peace process back by bypassing negotiations?

Interstellar Travel: Will We Ever Get Out of the Solar System?

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:26:27 -0800

Astronomer Royal Martin Rees discusses the various options for colonizing worlds beyond our own solar system, and expresses skepticism that humanity will ever achieve faster-than-light travel. "There are hypothetical time machines, but the only one that's been worked out involves creating a black hole weighing as much as 10,000 suns," says Rees. "That seems a pretty tall technological order."

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/08/02/Martin_Rees_Lifes_Future_in_the_Cosmos

Former President of the Royal Society, England's Astronomer Royal, Lord Martin Rees brings a lifetime of cosmological inquiry to a crucial question: What if human success on Earth determines life's success in the universe?

He thinks that civilization's chances of getting out of this century intact are about 50-50. He is hopeful that extraterrestrial life already exists, but there's no sign of it yet. But even if we are now alone, he notes that we may not even be the halfway stage of evolution.

There is huge scope for post-human evolution, so that "it will not be humans who watch the sun's demise, 6 billion years from now. Any creatures that then exist will be as different from us as we are from bacteria or amoebae."

Appropriately, Rees's Long Now talk was at the Chabot Space and Science Center in the hills above Oakland, in the planetarium. - The Long Now Foundation

Martin John Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow, OM, FRS is a British cosmologist and astrophysicist. He has been Astronomer Royal since 1995 and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge since 2004. He was President of the Royal Society between 2005 and 2010.

The Era of Entanglement: Humanity Is 'Back to the Jungle'

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:34:19 -0800

Danny Hillis, co-chairman of the technology and design firm Applied Minds, characterizes the present day as a "post-Enlightenment" point in time in which people no longer understand the technology that surrounds them. Branding it the "Entanglement Era," Hillis compares humanity's current relationship to the technological environment to its relationship to the natural environment, such as a jungle.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/24/World_Changing_Ideas

SETTING THE CONTEXT: WHAT'S POSSIBLE, WHAT MATTERS, WHAT'S AHEAD

World Changing Ideas

A conversation between:
Danny Hillis, Co-Chairman, Applied Minds
Mariette DiChristina, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Compass Summit, a forum for true interaction and exchange, examines some of today's most pressing problems through the lens of global citizenship, recognizing that human ingenuity is an unlimited resource. Guided by NPR's Ira Flatow, an intimate group of some of the world's best thinkers and doers convened along the rugged Palos Verdes coastline on Oct 23-26, 2011 at Terranea Resort to engage in meaningful conversation, ask questions, and challenge ideas -- we invite you to join in the conversation.

Danny Hillis is an inventor, scientist, author and engineer. While completing his doctorate at MIT, he pioneered the concept of parallel computers that is now the basis for most supercomputers, as well as the RAID disk array technology used to store large databases. He holds over 150 U.S. patents, covering parallel computers, disk arrays, forgery prevention methods, and various electronic and mechanical devices. Danny is also the designer of a 10,000-year mechanical clock.

Will the Pursuit of Happiness Make You Happy?

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:20:56 -0800

Does the pursuit of happiness actually lead to happiness? Stanford business professor Jennifer Aaker reveals surprising data from two studies that may suggest otherwise.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/l2_innovation_forum_2011

A social psychologist and marketer, Jennifer is the General Atlantic Professor of Marketing at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Her research spans time, money, and happiness. She focuses on questions such as: What actually makes people happy, as opposed to what they think makes them happy? How can small acts create infectious action, and how can such effects be fueled by social media? Jennifer's work is widely published in the leading scholarly journals in psychology and marketing, and her work has been featured in a variety of media including The Economist, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Most recently she has co-authored The Dragonfly Effect: Quick Effective Powerful Ways to Harness Social Media for Impact.

Peter Diamandis on Tapping 'Cognitive Surplus' to Solve Global Problems

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:00:19 -0800

Calling on Clay Shirky's “cognitive surplus” theory, Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, argues that the best way to solve the world's problems and encourage social innovation is to engage the passionate mind.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/30/Driving_Effective_Social_Innovation

Driving Effective Social Innovation. This program was recorded on November 30, 2011.

Dan'l Lewin
Corporate Vice President, Strategic and Emerging Business Development
Microsoft

Peter Diamandis
Chairman and CEO
X PRIZE Foundation

Richard Hall
Director, Global Strategic Alliances
Intel Corporation

Moderator:
Jean-Louis Robadey
SVP Social Innovation
Waggener Edstrom

The Social Innovation Summit brings together top executives and thought leaders from around the globe to discuss opportunities for leveraging technology and innovation to affect social change. Attendees will discuss philanthropic trends, analyze innovative approaches for problem solving and build lasting partnerships that enable them and their organizations to discover new means of engaging with social challenges.

Michael Moore: America Is a Liberal Nation

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:58:01 -0800

Filmmaker Michael Moore cites Americans' positions on several issues to support his claim that America is a predominantly liberal nation.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/02/Michael_Moore_Here_Comes_Trouble

Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life is an unflinchingly honest, take-no-prisoners ride through the life of Oscar-winning filmmaker and bestselling author Michael Moore. Moore shares far-ranging, irreverent, and stranger-than-fiction vignettes from his early life. One moment he's an 11-year-old boy lost in the Senate and found by Bobby Kennedy; and in the next, he's inside the Bitburg cemetery with Ronald Reagan. At 17, he goes to get a snack and ends up on the news, creating a firestorm that helps eliminate racial discrimination at private establishments across America. Funny, eye-opening, and moving, it's the book he has been writing and living his entire life. - Sixth and I Historic Synagogue

Michael Moore is an Academy Award-winning American filmmaker, author and liberal political commentator. He is the director and producer of Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sicko, three of the top five highest-grossing documentaries of all time. In September 2008, he released his first free movie on the Internet, Slacker Uprising, documenting his personal crusade to encourage more Americans to vote in presidential elections. He has also written and starred in the TV shows "TV Nation" and "The Awful Truth." Moore is a self-described liberal who has criticized globalization, large corporations, assault weapon ownership, the Iraq War, U.S. President George W. Bush and the American health care system in his written and cinematic works. In 2005, Time magazine named him one of the world's 100 most influential people.

Why Is Science Great? It Illuminates God, Says Deepak Chopra

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:08:39 -0800

Author and spiritual leader Deepak Chopra discusses the role of science in his system of beliefs. While scientific advances in areas like medicine are important, he explains, “God is much more awesome … thanks to science.”

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/06/Deepak_Chopra_and_Leonard_Mlodinow_War_of_the_Worldviews

Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow: War of the Worldviews. Presented in collaboration with Sixth and I Historic Synagogue.

In War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality, the two bestselling authors debate the most fundamental questions of human existence.

How did the universe begin? Where did life come from? Is there design in nature?

Without defending organized religion, Chopra asserts that there is design in the universe and a deep intelligence behind the rise of life. Mlodinow, CalTech physicist and the writing collaborator of Stephen Hawking, argues for the viewpoint of science, specifically of modern quantum physics.

War of the Worldviews opens the public's eyes to the fascinating frontier where knowledge and mystery converge and every assumption about life, God, and the universe are open to debate. Program moderated by Timothy Shriver, Chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics.

Deepak Chopra is the author of more than fifty books translated into more than thirty-five languages. Dr. Chopra is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, adjunct professor at the Kellogg School of Management, and a senior scientist with the Gallup Organization. He is founder and president of the Alliance for a New Humanity.

Science, Religion, and the Natural World

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:50:31 -0800

Physicist Leonard Mlodinow distinguishes between what he sees as the roles of science and religion in understanding the world. While some find spirituality useful for explaining some of the things science can't, he explains, problems arise when spiritual answers are given to material questions.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/06/Deepak_Chopra_and_Leonard_Mlodinow_War_of_the_Worldviews

Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow: War of the Worldviews. Presented in collaboration with Sixth and I Historic Synagogue.

In War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality, the two bestselling authors debate the most fundamental questions of human existence.

How did the universe begin? Where did life come from? Is there design in nature?

Without defending organized religion, Chopra asserts that there is design in the universe and a deep intelligence behind the rise of life. Mlodinow, CalTech physicist and the writing collaborator of Stephen Hawking, argues for the viewpoint of science, specifically of modern quantum physics.

War of the Worldviews opens the public's eyes to the fascinating frontier where knowledge and mystery converge and every assumption about life, God, and the universe are open to debate. Program moderated by Timothy Shriver, Chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics.

Physicist and author Leonard Mlodinow explores the extraordinary extent to which randomness, chance and probability influence and shape our work and everyday lives. Mlodinow was a writer for the television series MacGyver and Star Trek: The Next Generation and co-author with Stephen Hawking of the recent best-seller The Grand Design.

Using Video Games as Therapy

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:11:56 -0800

Chris Bertram, network investigator for NeuroDevNet, explains his organization's innovative work, which aims to leverage the interest and skill associated with gaming by turning video games into therapy.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/13/Next_Level_How_Games_Improve_Health_and_Healthcare

Next Level Health: How Games Improve Health and Healthcare

Sure, computer games are fun, but that does not mean they can’t also have important health benefits. In fact, hospitals, doctors, and researchers today are collaborating with creative game developers worldwide. And games can now be used to train our brains, assist doctors and nurses, motivate rehabilitation, and help keep us fit.

The evening’s program will showcase some of the most innovative applied games currently being used for health and healthcare purposes.

Designing health games that are appealing, engaging, and impactful is both an art and a science. Hear from representatives of the Applied Game Design research program in the Netherlands and meet the researchers and developers behind the YouGrabber glove and Gabarello, a therapeutic game developed for a physiotherapy robot. Learn how a neurofeedback game helps children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and how another helps to improve memory. Get a peek at what a surgery training game  soon to be released on Nintendo looks like, and learn how health gaming is now a burgeoning field in Canada, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. After the presentations, try out some of the games yourself, explore the exhibition, and exchange ideas with the speakers and each other.

This event is organized by swissnex San Francisco, the Netherlands Consulate General in San Francisco, and the Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco.

The Mystery of Paleontology's 'Hobbit'

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:35:47 -0800

Ian Tattersall, paleoanthropologist and curator at the American Museum of Natural History, describes the discovery of fossil LB1 (nicknamed the “hobbit”), and the mystery surrounding the nearly complete skeleton.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/12/06/A_Debate_Who_Was_the_Hobbit

Leakey Lecture - A Debate: Who was the Hobbit?

Dr. Robert Martin
Field Museum of Natural History

Dr. Ian Tattersall
American Museum of Natural History

Found on an obscure island, the tiny, small-brained, big-footed, "Homo florensiencsis," or "the hobbit," is unlike any other discovery. Where did this being come from, and who are its ancestors? In this light-hearted debate, two eminent biological anthropologists, attempt to lift a corner of the veil obscuring one of paleoanthropology's most intriguing mysteries. This program is jointly sponsored by the Leakey Foundation and the California Academy of Sciences.

Ian Tattersall is currently Curator in the Department of Anthropology of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Born in England and raised in East Africa, he has carried out fieldwork in countries as diverse as Madagascar, Vietnam, Surinam, Yemen, and Mauritius.

Jesse LaGreca: Occupy Wall Street Movement Is Driven By Anger

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:49:46 -0800

Prominent Occupy Wall Street activist Jesse LaGreca argues that in a stale economy, working-class Americans are being forced to make big sacrifices while major Wall Street players have still not been held accountable for the economic downturn they helped trigger. This injustice, says LaGreca, is the driving force behind the OWS movement.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/12/07/Blueprint_for_Accountability_Truth_and_Consequences

Culture Project and JANERA.com present Blueprint for Accountability: Truth and Consequences.

Ron Suskind, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author, Paul O’Neill, the famously candid Treasury Secretary under George W. Bush and a 2008 adviser to Barack Obama, and Jesse LaGreca (blogger and writer for Daily Kos and Occupy Wall Street activist) meet for a high-voltage conversation about the rise, fall and bailout of Wall Street, the perils of speaking truth to power, and the tough choices ahead for America.

The Wayback Machine: Preserving the History of Web Pages

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:44:07 -0800

Founder Brewster Kahle discusses the inner workings of the Internet Archive's most famous service, the Wayback Machine. He explains that in addition to providing users a dose of nostalgia, it can also be used to prevent people from rewriting history.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/30/Brewster_Kahle_Universal_Access_to_All_Knowledge

As founder and librarian of the storied Internet Archive (deemed impossible by all when he started it in 1996), Brewster Kahle has practical experience behind his universalist vision of access to every bit of knowledge ever created, for all time, ever improving.

He will speak to questions such as these:

Can we make a distributed web of books that supports vending and lending? How can our machines learn by reading these materials? Can we reconfigure the information to make interactive question answering machines? Can we learn from past human translations of documents to seed an automatic version? And, can we learn how to do optical character recognition by having billions of correct examples? What compensation systems will best serve creators and networked users? How do we preserve petabytes of changing data?

Brewster Kahle, a computer engineer, internet entrepreneur, and digital librarian, founded the Internet Archive in 1996. He is focused on providing universal access to all knowledge, and developing technologies for information discovery and digital libraries. He was co-founder of Alexa Internet, which helped catalog the Web, which was later sold to Amazon.com.

The Rise of eBooks: Are Physical Books Becoming Obsolete?

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:49:20 -0800

With the universal rise of eBooks, independent book sellers and authors are worried that changes in consumption patterns will render the physical book obsolete. Author Jonathan Ames voices this concern, noting his discomfort with how difficult it is to even find a hard copy of the newspaper today.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/12/05/What_Is_the_Future_of_the_Independent_Bookstore

With the rise of the e-book, the collapse of Borders, and the changing nature of bookselling, what is the future of that neighborhood fixture, the great independent bookstore? Literary agent Eric Simonoff, co-head of the book department at WME Entertainment, will host a freewheeling conversation with two successful and beloved booksellers in New York City, each of whom will bring along an author closely associated with their store.

Featuring Jonathan Ames, author of The Extra Man and Wake Up, Sir and creator of the hit HBO series Bored to Death; Simon Van Booy, author of The Secret Lives of People in Love and Love Begins in Winter, winner of the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award; Sarah McNally, owner of McNally Jackson Books; and Zack Zook, general manager of BookCourt.

Jonathan Ames is the author of I Pass Like Night; The Extra Man; What's Not to Love?; My Less Than Secret Life; Wake Up, Sir!; I Love You More Than You Know; and The Alcoholic. He is the creator of the HBO Original Series Bored to Death. The film adaptation of Ames's novel The Extra Man was released in 2010.

Gabriel Byrne Praises Irish PM for Speaking Against the Vatican

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:54:50 -0800

Gabriel Byrne, director of “James X,” a play about sexual abuse in the Irish Catholic church, commends Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny for speaking out against the Vatican, an act that resulted in the replacement of the papel nuncio of Ireland.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/12/11/James_X_Talkback_with_Mannix_Flynn_and_Gabriel_Byrne

An Irish government tribunal of inquiry into institutions responsible for cruel and inhumane treatment of children is in session. In the foyer, James X, one of those children, now a man anxiously prepares to offer the testimony which he hopes will unshackle him from the past. As he waits, James is confronted with the fact that the tribunal he is about to go before is part of the very same system that made prisoners of children like him and sighting this truth prompts him to tell the story that will really, finally set him free.

In the last decade, the Catholic Church and State institutions in Ireland and throughout the world have been the center of an emerging secret history. That history involves the sexual abuse and torment of tens of thousands of vulnerable children. This is the human story of one of those children who is trying to emerge from a place of darkness into the light -- a light in which the human spirit is allowed to triumph into its full magnificence.

Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the spin-off show Bracken. He has now starred in over 35 feature films, such as The Usual Suspects, Miller's Crossing and Stigmata, in addition to writing two. Byrne's producing credits include the Academy Award-nominated In the Name of the Father. More recently, he has received much critical acclaim for his role as Dr. Paul Weston in the HBO drama In Treatment.

Oliver Stone: The Untold History of JFK's Assassination

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:47:33 -0800

Oliver Stone, filmmaker and author of Oliver Stone's Untold History of America, talks with Salon founder David Talbot about alternate theories of the Kennedy assassination. Stone argues the assassination “has all the classic machinations of a black ops.”

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/12/15/Exploring_Untold_History_Oliver_Stone_and_David_Talbot

Join filmmaker Oliver Stone –- director of films and documentaries including Platoon, Wall Street and South of the Border –- in conversation with Salon founder and CEO David Talbot. They will be discussing Stone’s upcoming Showtime series, The Untold History of the United States and his latest book On History: Tariq Ali and Oliver Stone in Conversation. They will be exploring how these hidden chapters of American history provide context for the rapid emergence of the Occupy Movement and the prospects for this populist upheaval leading to an American Spring.

Additionally, Stone – who directed JFK –- and Talbot -– who wrote the best-seller Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years -– will discuss their investigations into the infamous assassinations of the Kennedy brothers and their impact on American history. Expect a fearless dialogue between one of Hollywood’s most controversial figures and the author and entrepreneur hailed by Newsweek as “one of 50 people who matter most in the new media world.”

Tim Ferriss Scoffs at Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 Hours Theory

podcasts@fora.tv — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:59:45 -0800

Bestselling author Tim Ferriss scoffs at Malcolm Gladwell's theory that most people need 10,000 hours to master a skill. “For most people, they do things the wrong way.”

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/09/14/Tim_Ferriss_Accelerated_Learning_in_Accelerated_Times

As the times accelerate and we face ever more kaleidoscopic careers, a crucial meta-skill is the ability to learn new skills extremely rapidly, extremely well. That practice has no better exemplar and proponent than Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid-Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman. Not surprisingly, he has made himself adept at compelling presentations, this one prepared especially for the Long Now audience. - The Long Now Foundation

Timothy Ferriss (b. 1977) is an American author, public speaker, and productivity guru. Tim received his BA from Princeton University in 2000, where he studied in the Neuroscience and East Asian Studies departments. In 2007, he published The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich which was a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller. His latest book is The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman.

Archive.org: Every Book in the World at Your Fingertips

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:48:47 -0800

Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, discusses their mission to digitize all the world’s books. He explains that in addition to making the books available online, they’ve also built bookmobiles that can provide print copies of these books on-demand in impoverished communities.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/30/Brewster_Kahle_Universal_Access_to_All_Knowledge

As founder and librarian of the storied Internet Archive (deemed impossible by all when he started it in 1996), Brewster Kahle has practical experience behind his universalist vision of access to every bit of knowledge ever created, for all time, ever improving.

He will speak to questions such as these:

Can we make a distributed web of books that supports vending and lending? How can our machines learn by reading these materials? Can we reconfigure the information to make interactive question answering machines? Can we learn from past human translations of documents to seed an automatic version? And, can we learn how to do optical character recognition by having billions of correct examples? What compensation systems will best serve creators and networked users? How do we preserve petabytes of changing data?

Brewster Kahle, a computer engineer, internet entrepreneur, and digital librarian, founded the Internet Archive in 1996. He is focused on providing universal access to all knowledge, and developing technologies for information discovery and digital libraries. He was co-founder of Alexa Internet, which helped catalog the Web, which was later sold to Amazon.com.

Brian Eno: Music Apps Are the Beginning of a New Art Form

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:19:35 -0800

Renowned music producer Brian Eno advises people not to dismiss music apps and new media, which he calls the first beginings of a new art form. To make his point, Eno compares living today to living in 1911 and trying to imagine the future of film.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/13/Brian_Eno_Anish_Kapoor_Peter_Sellars_in_Conversation

LIVE from the NYPL presents ROLEX ARTS WEEKEND

In a rare event featuring three of today’s most significant artists, Paul Holdengräber convenes composer Brian Eno, visual artist Anish Kapoor and theatre/opera director Peter Sellars-mentors to Ben Frost in Music, Nicholas Hlobo in Visual Arts, and Maya Zbib in Theatre, respectively—for a wide-ranging discussion.

Brian Eno is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.

Senator Joe Lieberman Rebuts Newt Gingrich: 'Palestinians Are a People'

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:21:40 -0800

Responding to comments made by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich that there is no such thing as a Palestinian people, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) told reporters at a breakfast sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor that the important point is that "Palestinians are a people today" and are a necessary part of the peace process.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/series/monitor_breakfast

On Tuesday, December 12, 2011, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman joined the Monitor Breakfast for a conversation with reporters.

Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.

Leon Cooper: Creating Emotions from Atoms

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:06:32 -0800

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Cooper discusses his recent work in the understanding of consciousness from a material point of view. Although there is concern that this might take away from the mystery of life, he quips, "If you tell me what the chemistry is of the digestion of a great wine… it's not going to stop me from enjoying the wine."

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/14/Leon_Cooper_Superconductivity__Other_Insoluble_Problems

Superconductivity and Other Insoluble Problems: Are There Limits to Scientific Understanding?

A talk by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon N. Cooper

When an ordinary metal is cooled to very low temperatures -- near absolute zero -- its electrical resistance vanishes. Once a current starts to flow in a loop of such "superconducting" wire, it flows forever. Discovered in 1911, this remarkable phenomenon defied explanation for nearly fifty years, until the work of John Bardeen, Leon Cooper and J. Robert Schrieffer. Today, superconductivity is still a central topic in scientific research and in the search for new technologies, while the "BCS" theory has had implications for our understanding of systems ranging from the atomic nucleus to the behavior of massive stars. To celebrate the centennial of the original discovery, we are delighted to welcome Professor Cooper, who will reflect on the history of superconductivity and on the nature of scientific explanation.

Leon Cooper is the Thomas J. Watson, Sr., Professor of Science at Brown University, where he also directs the Center for Neural Science. A graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, he shared the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the theory of superconductivity.

Biden to Turkey: US to Maintain 'Continuing Presence' In Iraq Beyond 2011

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:08:06 -0800

Namik Tan, Turkey's Ambassador to the United States, told reporters at a breakfast hosted by The Christian Science Monitor that while Turkey has "concerns" about Iraq's trajectory, he trusts Vice President Biden's promises that the US will help assure a stable Iraq with a presence in Baghdad beyond the end of this year.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/series/monitor_breakfast

On Thursday, December 8, 2011, Turkish Ambassador to the United States Namik Tan joined the Monitor Breakfast for a conversation with reporters.

Ambassador Namik Tan was appointed Ambassador of Turkey to the United States in February 2010. Prior to this appointment, Ambassador Tan was Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for bilateral political affairs and public diplomacy. He was previously Ambassador of Turkey to Israel from 2007 to 2009.

The Adam and Eve Story: Comparing Pop Culture to Scripture

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:47:41 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/17/Sexuality_and_the_Bible_What_the_Texts_Really_Say

Theology professor Thomas Romer analyzes Genesis 2-3, and discusses popular elements of the Adam and Eve story that don't actually appear in the original text.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/17/Sexuality_and_the_Bible_What_the_Texts_Really_Say

Sexuality and the Bible: What the Texts Really Say

Three biblical scholars discuss the role of sexuality in the Bible and answer questions about men and women and their places in ancient society according to the texts.

What does the Bible tell us of the roles of men and women in ancient society and about the importance of gender? From a literary standpoint, do the texts necessarily condemn or condone certain behaviors and lifestyles? In conjunction with the Annual Conference of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature, swissnex San Francisco invites top scholars to discuss the role of sexuality in the Bible and answer some of these questions.

Thomas Römer was born in Mannheim, Germany and completed his studies in theology and religious science at the University of Heidelberg, Tübingen and in Paris. He is Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Faculty of Theology and History of Religions of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Since 2007, he is also Professor of Biblical Studies at the College de France, Paris, where he acts as chair of the “milieux bibliques.”

Breaking the 'Bamboo Ceiling': Foreign Brands Meet China's Shanzhai Copy Cats

podcasts@fora.tv — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:58:18 -0800

"Even Chinese consumers will not buy domestic brands when they have the opportunity to buy the foreign luxury brands," explains author Greg Lindsay. What happens when homegrown Chinese brands can't compete with demand for Western products? Meet the copy cat "Shanzhai." "DIKE" shoes, anyone? Fake Apple stores? How about "Obama Fried Chicken"?

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/l2_innovation_forum_2011

L2 Innovation Forum 2011 (Module 1)

Puncturing the Myth that Chinese Brands Don't innovate
Greg Lindsay, Author

Greg Lindsay is a contributing writer for Fast Company and the author of Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next. He is a visiting scholar at New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management and also a fellow of the Hybrid Reality Institute, exploring the co-evolution of humans and technology. Greg speaks frequently about innovation and globalization, most recently at MoMA PS1, the University of California, New York University, Shanghai Expo 2010, and the Chicago Council of Global Affairs.

Darrell Issa: Racial Profiling of Muslims Can't Become the New "Driving While Black"

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:19:11 -0800

Asked about debate by GOP presidential hopefuls suggesting more stringent screening and security checks on Muslim Americans, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Chairman of the House Oversight Committee who has roots in the Middle East, told reporters at a breakfast sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor that "assuming you can pick out a Muslim is pretty far-fetched."

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/series/monitor_breakfast

On Friday, December 2, 2011, U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa joined the Monitor Breakfast for a conversation with reporters.

Darrell Edward Issa is the U.S. Representative for California's 49th congressional district, and previously the 48th, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was formerly a CEO of Directed Electronics, the Vista, California-based manufacturer of automobile security and convenience products. His district consists of portions of southern Riverside County and northern San Diego County. The district was numbered as the 48th District during his first term and was renumbered the 49th after the 2000 Census. Since January 2011, he has served as Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Drawing Inspiration from Facing Mortality

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:44:43 -0800

Fear inhibits innovation, preaches Michael Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media, causing us to make foolish decisions and avoid taking risks. Recalling success stories such as Jen Linn, Rick Elias, and Steve Jobs, Lazerow sings the praises of facing mortality: "When there is nothing to lose, we do the unimaginable. Why don't we do that when we don't see our death?"

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/l2_innovation_forum_2011

L2 Innovation Forum 2011 (Module 2)

Michael Lazerow is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded four successful internet-based media companies. He has a passion for creating, managing, and growing companies from the ground up. Michael's first foray into entrepreneurship came with the founding of University Wire, an Associated Press-like network of more than 700 student-run newspapers that is now owned by CBS Corp. Building on his growing experience in the online space, Michael next founded GOLF.com, which was purchased by Time Warner's Time Inc. division in January 2006.

Michael is currently the chairman and CEO of Buddy Media, Inc., a New York-based company whose Facebook management system is used by global brands and agencies. Michael graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. with a B.S. and M.S. in Journalism in 1996. He is a regular contributor to Advertising Age, MediaPost, Fortune, and iMedia Connection, among other publications, and frequently is called upon to speak at industry events including the Monaco Media Forum, the Consumer Electronics Show, OMMA Global, Web 2.0 Expo and iMedia Brand Summit.

Take Out the Earbuds: Have We Lost Our Ability to Listen?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:58:23 -0800

Between the proliferation of earbuds, the culture of personal broadcasting, and the increasing pace of life across much of the globe, are we losing our ability to listen? Julian Treasure, author of Sound Business, laments what he sees as an undeniable trend toward fragmented listening and the muffling of the "quiet, small voice."

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/l2_innovation_forum_2011

L2 Innovation Forum 2011
Module 1

5 ways to listen better
Julian Treasure, The Sound Agency

Julian Treasure is author of the book Sound Business, the first map of the exciting new territory of applied sound for business, and he has been widely featured in the world's media, including The Economist and The Times. He is an international speaker on sound and listening, and is one of very few people with three talks on TED.com.

Julian is chairman of The Sound Agency, a UK-based consultancy that helps companies achieve better results by optimizing the sound they make in every aspect of business for example, bringing sound in branding and marketing communication into congruence with visuals, or designing and installing effective soundscapes for branded spaces such as shops, offices, and corporate receptions.

Julian's vision is to make the world sound beautiful, by helping individuals to listen consciously and companies to discover that good sound is good business. Julian was educated at St Paul's School, London and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

GOP Fundraiser Norm Coleman: 'Tone' of Immigration Debate Hurts Republicans

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:09:12 -0800

The tone of the GOP's debate on immigration is harming the party with Latino voters, said Republican Super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund Chairman Norm Coleman at a breakfast sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/series/monitor_breakfast

On Tuesday, November 29, 2011, Congressional Leadership Fund Chairman Norm Coleman and President Brian Walsh joined the Monitor Breakfast for a conversation with reporters.

Norman Bertram Coleman, Jr. is an American attorney and politician. He was a United States senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009. Coleman was elected in 2002 and served in the 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses. Before becoming a senator, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002. Previously a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Coleman became a Republican in 1996.

Coleman's 2008 US Senate re-election bid, in which he was challenged by Democrat Al Franken and former senator Dean Barkley, was long unresolved. His term ended on January 3, 2009, and after a six-month legal battle in which he lost each of his contests, the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously declared Franken the election winner by 312 votes (out of over 3 million cast) on June 30, 2009, prompting Coleman to concede.

As of 2011, Coleman works as an adviser and board director with the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Dinesh D'Souza Argues In Support of Religion

podcasts@fora.tv — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:17:29 -0800

New York Times bestselling author Dinesh D'Souza argues that religious people aren't hypocrites simply because they aspire for higher morals and ideals. "Holding up to a standard and falling short of it, now that is not hypocrisy," he says.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/15/Debate_The_World_Would_Be_Better_Off_Without_Religion

In the words of Blaise Pascal, mathematician and Catholic, "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction." Does religion breed intolerance, violence, and the promotion of medieval ideas? Or should we concede that overall, it has been a source for good, giving followers purpose, while encouraging morality and ethical behavior?

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Think2Twice
Twitter: @IQ2US and #IQ2US for the debate

FOR THE MOTION

Matthew Chapman
Author, Filmmaker and Co-Founder of Science Debate

A.C. Grayling
Renowned Atheist and Professor of Philosophy

AGAINST THE MOTION

Dinesh D'Souza
President of The King’s College and author of What’s So Great About Christianity

Rabbi David Wolpe
Named the #1 Pulpit Rabbi in America by Newsweek

A New York Times bestselling author, Dinesh D'Souza, the President of The King's College in NYC, has had a distinguished 25 year career as a writer, scholar and intellectual. A former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, D'Souza also served as an Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute as well as a Rishwain Scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford. Called one of the "top young public-policy makers in the country" by Investor's Business Daily, he quickly became a major influence on public policy through his writings. In 2008 D'Souza released the book, What's So Great About Christianity, the comprehensive answer to a spate of atheist books denouncing theism in general and Christianity in particular. Consequently he has gone on to debate atheists such as Christopher Hitchens, Peter Singer, Daniel Dennett, and Michael Shermer.

A.C. Grayling Argues Against Religion

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 11:15:01 -0800

A.C. Grayling, author of The Good Book: A Humanist Bible, argues that morality is possible without religion, and implies that those who "cherry-pick" religious beliefs are hypocrites.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/15/Debate_The_World_Would_Be_Better_Off_Without_Religion

In the words of Blaise Pascal, mathematician and Catholic, "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction." Does religion breed intolerance, violence, and the promotion of medieval ideas? Or should we concede that overall, it has been a source for good, giving followers purpose, while encouraging morality and ethical behavior?

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Think2Twice
Twitter: @IQ2US and #IQ2US for the debate

FOR THE MOTION

Matthew Chapman
Author, Filmmaker and Co-Founder of Science Debate

A.C. Grayling
Renowned Atheist and Professor of Philosophy

AGAINST THE MOTION

Dinesh D'Souza
President of The King’s College and author of What’s So Great About Christianity

Rabbi David Wolpe
Named the #1 Pulpit Rabbi in America by Newsweek

A.C. Grayling, a British philosopher and professor, has written over 20 books on philosophy, religion and reason including Against all Gods and The Good Book: A Secular Bible. Previously a professor of philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London, Grayling is now Master of the New College of the Humanities, an independent university college in London. For nearly 10 years, he was the Honorary Secretary of the principal British philosophical association, the Aristotelian Society, and a Trustee of the London Library. A former fellow of the World Economic Forum, Grayling was a Booker Prize judge in 2003.

Geoffrey West on the City as a Scalable Network

podcasts@fora.tv — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:51:26 -0800

New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Fe differ historically, geographically, and culturally, but are there qualities that are universal to cities across the globe? Theoretical physicist Geoffrey West shows how certain mathematical equations can represent cities as similar organic "networks" across a range of scales.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/25/Growth_Innovation_and_the_Accelerating_Pace_of_Life

THE CHALLENGE OF GLOBAL URBANIZATION

Growth, Innovation, and the Accelerating Pace of Life from Cells to Cities and Corporations: Are They Sustainable?

Geoffrey West: Distinguished Professor and former President, Santa Fe Institute. Senior Fellow, former leader of high energy physics, Los Alamos National Laboratory. BA, Cambridge University (1961); PhD (physics,1966), faculty (1970), Stanford University.

Theoretical physicist with primary interests in fundamental problems: elementary particles, cosmological implications, origins of universal scaling laws, unifying quantitative framework of biology, including metabolic rate, growth, aging, death, sleep, cancer, and ecosystems.

Presently developing unified theory of cities, companies and sustainability, including growth, innovation and the accelerating pace of life. Many awards including Harvard Business Review breakthrough idea (2007) and Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" (2006).

David Eagleman: The Secret Lives of the Brain

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:40:24 -0800

David Eagleman, neuroscientist and author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, discusses the relatively minor role that the conscious mind plays in comparison to the rest of the brain. "The conscious part is like a stowaway on a transatlantic steamship that's taking credit for the whole journey without acknowledging the engineering underfoot," he says.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/11/02/David_Eagleman_Will_We_Ever_Understand_the_Brain

As neuroscientists are learning more and more about our body's hidden frontier, we have gained fleeting insights into our own intuition, habits and seemingly unexplainable preferences. Can we solve those mysteries by creating a complete computer model of our brain? Or, is the brain an unsolvable puzzle? Two leading neuroscientists discuss these question and more as we look into the neurology of the brain. - swissnex San Francisco and the California Academy of Sciences

David Eagleman is a neuroscientist and a fiction writer. During the day, he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action and the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law at Baylor College of Medicine. He is best known for his work on time perception, synesthesia, and neurolaw.

He is a fiction writer. His debut work of fiction, Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, became an international bestseller and is published in 22 languages.

The Myth of the City in Global Slums

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:13:25 -0800

People originally moved to cities "to live longer, to live healthier," explains Carolyn Stephens, professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. But the result, she says, is often a risk trade-off between putting food on the table and a shortened life span.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/25/Cities_as_Solutions

THE CHALLENGE OF GLOBAL URBANIZATION

Cities as Solutions

A conversation between:
Janice Perlman, Founder and President, The Mega Cities Project
Saskia Sassen, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology and Co-Chair of the Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University
Gordon Feller, Director, Internet Business Solutions Group, CISCO Systems
Moderator: Fred Guterl, Executive Editor, Scientific American

Compass Summit, a forum for true interaction and exchange, examines some of today's most pressing problems through the lens of global citizenship, recognizing that human ingenuity is an unlimited resource. Guided by NPR's Ira Flatow, an intimate group of some of the of the world's best thinkers and doers convened along the rugged Palos Verdes coastline on Oct 23-26, 2011 at Terranea Resort to engage in meaningful conversation, ask questions, and challenge ideas -- we invite you to join in the conversation.

Twitter Diplomacy? How Social Media Helps Pakistan's Ambassador Do His Job

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:14:31 -0800

Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani explains how social media sites like Twitter help his job encouraging a productive relationship between the citizens of Pakistan and the United States.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/series/monitor_breakfast

On Wednesday, November 16, 2011, Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani joined the Monitor Breakfast for a conversation with reporters.

Husain Haqqani is Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States in Washington, DC. A trusted advisor of late Pakistani Prime Minister, Ms. Benazir Bhutto, Ambassador Haqqani is known as a Professor at Boston University and Co-Chair of the Hudson Institute's Project on the Future of the Muslim World as well as editor of the journal ‘Current Trends in Islamist Thought' published from Washington DC.

Haqqani came to the U.S. in 2002 as a Visiting Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC and an adjunct Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. He is a leading journalist, diplomat, and former advisor to Pakistani Prime ministers. His syndicated column is published in several newspapers in South Asia and the Middle East, including Oman Tribune, Jang, The Indian Express, Gulf News and The Nation (Pakistan).

Steve Cousins on Robots for Humanity

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:55:36 -0800

Steve Cousins, president and CEO of Willow Garage, expands on how robotics can benefit the disabled. Cousins explains how robots can assist with everyday tasks such as shaving and itching, as well as autonomous tasks. "This sets a course for the direction of robotics," he says.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/25/The_Promise_of_Robotics

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF JOBS AND THE WORKFORCE

The Promise of Robotics

Steve Cousins, President and Chief Executive Officer, Willow Garage

Compass Summit, a forum for true interaction and exchange, examines some of today's most pressing problems through the lens of global citizenship, recognizing that human ingenuity is an unlimited resource. Guided by NPR's Ira Flatow, an intimate group of some of the world's best thinkers and doers convened along the rugged Palos Verdes coastline on Oct 23-26, 2011 at Terranea Resort to engage in meaningful conversation, ask questions, and challenge ideas -- we invite you to join in the conversation.

Waste Hierarchy: How an iPad Gets Recycled

podcasts@fora.tv — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:28:52 -0800

Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of Terracycle, describes the recycling process for electronic devices. "Each type of waste stream has what we call a waste hierarchy," says Szaky. He explains that while many electronics are refurbished, broken products must be shredded and separated in order to recycle parts.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/26/Taking_Out_GEs_Trash

RETHINKING SUSTAINABILITY

Taking out GE's Trash

Film and conversation between:
Tom Szaky, Chief Executive Officer, TerraCycle, Inc

Jeff Fulgham, Chief Sales, Service, Strategy and Sustainability Officer, Banyan Water

Compass Summit, a forum for true interaction and exchange, examines some of today's most pressing problems through the lens of global citizenship, recognizing that human ingenuity is an unlimited resource. Guided by NPR's Ira Flatow, an intimate group of some of the world's best thinkers and doers convened along the rugged Palos Verdes coastline on Oct 23-26, 2011 at Terranea Resort to engage in meaningful conversation, ask questions, and challenge ideas -- we invite you to join in the conversation.

Microbiome: The Ecosystems Living on Your Body

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:54:58 -0800

As Dr. Seuss once said, "A creature's a creature, no matter how small" - and, according to UC Davis biologist Jonathan Eisin, this applies to the ecosystems of microbes that live on the human body.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/25/The_Dark_Matter_of_Biology

IDEAS THAT ACCELERATE: SCIENCE MULTIPLIERS

The Dark Matter of Biology

Jonathan Eisen, Professor, University of California Davis

Compass Summit, a forum for true interaction and exchange, examines some of today's most pressing problems through the lens of global citizenship, recognizing that human ingenuity is an unlimited resource. Guided by NPR's Ira Flatow, an intimate group of some of the world's best thinkers and doers convened along the rugged Palos Verdes coastline on Oct 23-26, 2011 at Terranea Resort to engage in meaningful conversation, ask questions, and challenge ideas -- we invite you to join in the conversation.

Jonathan Eisen is a Professor at the University of California, Davis. His research focuses on the evolution of new functions and the genomic diversity of microbes and microbial communities. Eisen is also a vocal advocate for “open science”, the Academic Editor-in-Chief of PLoS Biology, an active and award-winning blogger (e.g., http://phylogenomics.blogspot.com), and a scientific prankster.

Stewart Brand: Progress with Nuclear Fusion?

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:59:35 -0800

Stewart Brand, president and co-founder of the Long Now Foundation, describes how the National Ignition Facility has almost created a nuclear fusion reaction with net energy output that will drastically alter the energy game.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/26/Energy_Finding_the_Right_Mix

RETHINKING SUSTAINABILITY

Energy: Finding the Right Mix

Serial Conversation:
Bill Joy
Senior Partner
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Issam Dairanieh
US Director Alternative Energy Ventures BP

Monty Cleeves
Founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer
Pinnacle Engines

Jigar Shah Chief Executive Officer
Carbon War Room

Richard E. Riman
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Stewart Brand
President, The Long Now Foundation
Co-Founder, Global Business Network

Daniel Shugar
Chief Executive Officer, Solaria Corporation

Jay F. Whitacre
Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Chief Technology Officer, Aquion Energy

Compass Summit, a forum for true interaction and exchange, examines some of today’s most pressing problems through the lens of global citizenship, recognizing that human ingenuity is an unlimited resource. Guided by NPR’s Ira Flatow, an intimate group of some of the of the world's best thinkers and doers convened along the rugged Palos Verdes coastline on Oct 23-26, 2011 at Terranea Resort to engage in meaningful conversation, ask questions, and challenge ideas -- we invite you to join in the conversation.

Glenn Greenwald: Elite Media Biased Against Occupy Wall Street

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:30:57 -0800

Journalist and author Glenn Greenwald argues that media coverage of Occupy Wall Street has ranged mostly from critical to non-existent, thanks to mainstream media journalists who are now part of the elite class the movement is protesting. Speaking of former New York Times editor Bill Keller and CNN journalist Erin Burnett, Greenwald asks, "Why is the son of the CEO of Chevron and the fiancé of the second highest ranking executive at Citigroup scornful of Wall Street protesters? It's because this is who our media class is, they are integrated fully into the political class."

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/salon_presents_glenn_greenwald

Join Glenn Greenwald -- former constitutional rights attorney, best-selling author (How Would a Patriot Act? and A Tragic Legacy), and one of today’s most incisive and probing political journalists -- in conversation with Salon founder David Talbot.

Glenn will be discussing his newest book, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR SOME: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful, a ferociously argued indictment of the state of the American legal system. Greenwald charges both parties, the courts, and the media with creating an oligarchy for political and financial elites. These groups, Greenwald shows, are now afforded not merely strategic advantages within the legal system, but actual immunity in the face of the most egregious criminality.

Investing: Is Apple More Valuable than Gold?

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:04:14 -0800

Doug Kass, CNBC contributor and founder of Seabreeze Partners Management, argues that the value of gold is entirely "sentimental," and that he'd prefer to invest in a company that has a known value, like Apple.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/big_picture_conference_2011

Drawing upon the ideas and popular talent featured in his well-regarded blog, The Big Picture (www.ritholtz.com), Barry Ritholtz presents The Big Picture Conference, a one-day, on-demand event that offers sharp insight into the financial markets, the economy and the dangerous intersection between government and Wall Street.

Douglas Kass is the founder and President of Seabreeze Partners Management, Inc., which is also the General Partner of Seabreeze Partners Long/Short, L.P.

Kass has been frequently interviewed in and has written numerous articles for Barrons including several cover stories and editorials. He has also been quoted in the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post and in many other newspapers around the world.

Kass, a CNBC contributor, is a frequent guest on the network’s The Kudlow Report, Street Signs, and Fast Money. He serves as a guest host on CNBC’s Squawk Box and has been seen on ABC’s Good Morning America and on NBC’s The Today Show.

Financial Blogging: Attack an Issue and Create a Brand

podcasts@fora.tv — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:04:14 -0800

Henry Blodget, editor and CEO of The Business Insider, and Howard Lindzon, co-founder and CEO of StockTwits, share advice about how to stand out in the sea of social media. "Speaking from the heart, attacking an issue," advises Blodget, who describes a recent post by a former broker against Bank of America that garnered over 100,000 views in the twittersphere.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/big_picture_conference_2011

The Big Picture Conference presents: Cult of Personality: How the New Breed of Entrepreneurs Build Their Brand. Moderated by Josh Brown with panelists Howard Lindzon, James Altucher and Henry Blodget. This program was recorded on October 11, 2011.

Josh Brown
The Reformed Broker

Howard Lindzon
Stock Twits

James Altucher
JamesAltucher.com

Henry Blodget
Business Insider

Drawing upon the ideas and popular talent featured in his well-regarded blog, The Big Picture (www.ritholtz.com), Barry Ritholtz presents The Big Picture Conference, a one-day, on-demand event that offers sharp insight into the financial markets, the economy and the dangerous intersection between government and Wall Street.

Michael Moore to Democrats: Forget the Crazy White Guy

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:04:14 -0700

Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore slams the Democratic Party for focusing too much attention on the demands of older, white male voters and too little attention on 18-to-29-year-olds, a critical demographic for Obama in the 2008 election. "Young people didn't come out in 2010," says Moore, "because they don't take bulls**t. You promise them something, you'd better do it."

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/02/Michael_Moore_Here_Comes_Trouble

Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life is an unflinchingly honest, take-no-prisoners ride through the life of Oscar-winning filmmaker and bestselling author Michael Moore. Moore shares far-ranging, irreverent, and stranger-than-fiction vignettes from his early life. One moment he's an 11-year-old boy lost in the Senate and found by Bobby Kennedy; and in the next, he's inside the Bitburg cemetery with Ronald Reagan. At 17, he goes to get a snack and ends up on the news, creating a firestorm that helps eliminate racial discrimination at private establishments across America. Funny, eye-opening, and moving, it's the book he has been writing and living his entire life. - Sixth and I Historic Synagogue

Michael Moore is an Academy Award-winning American filmmaker, author and liberal political commentator. He is the director and producer of Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sicko, three of the top five highest-grossing documentaries of all time. In September 2008, he released his first free movie on the Internet, Slacker Uprising, documenting his personal crusade to encourage more Americans to vote in presidential elections. He has also written and starred in the TV shows "TV Nation" and "The Awful Truth." Moore is a self-described liberal who has criticized globalization, large corporations, assault weapon ownership, the Iraq War, U.S. President George W. Bush and the American health care system in his written and cinematic works. In 2005, Time magazine named him one of the world's 100 most influential people.

What Are Your Chances of Winning the New Yorker Caption Contest?

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:53:01 -0700

Robert Mankoff, cartoon editor for The New Yorker, discusses The Cartoon Caption Contest and it's lasting impression on popular culture. Mankoff compares the number of entrants vs. the number of winners and highlights the charm of the incredibly competitive contest.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/new_yorker_festival_2011

The New Yorker Festival presents: The Cartoon Caption Game. This program was recorded on October 2, 2011.

Turn on the funny at a live version of The New Yorker's Cartoon Caption Contest, hosted by Robert Mankoff. Emily Flake, Zachary Kanin, and Paul Noth will judge the results. Cocktails will be served.

Robert Mankoff is the cartoon editor of The New Yorker and the author of The Naked Cartoonist: A New Way to Enhance Your Creativity.

Could Voters Split Against Both Obama and the GOP Congress In 2012?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:35:46 -0700

Voters unhappy with President Obama and congressional Republicans are unlikely to vote out both, pollsters Neil Newhouse and Margie Omero said at a breakfast sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/series/monitor_breakfast

On Tuesday, November 2, 2011, Romney campaign pollster Neil Newhouse and Democratic pollster Margie Omerto joined the Monitor Breakfast for a conversation with reporters.

Neil Newhouse is a partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies, a national political and public affairs research firm which has been described by the New York Times as the leading Republican polling company in the country, and was named Pollster of the Year by the trade publication Campaigns and Elections for its work in the 2002 election cycle. He is currently serving as head pollster for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.

Margie Omero is President and founder of Momentum Analysis, LLC, a Democratic public opinion research firm based in Washington, DC. The firm founded in 2001, counts among its clients the DNC, the DCCC, EMILY's List, Members of Congress, non-profits and labor unions, and campaigns around the country from City Council to US Senate. She is an award-winning pollster, recently named one of "50 Politicos To Watch" by Politico, and a "Mover and Shaker" by Politics Magazine.

How to Run a Winning Political Campaign: Fight Back Fast

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:17:52 -0700

Sam Graham-Felsen, Barack Obama's chief blogger during his 2008 transformational presidential campaign, discusses how the Obama campaign team fought prominent political smears throughout the election season.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/idea_festival_2011

Sam Graham-Felsen is a global new media strategist who was Barack Obama’s chief blogger for his 2008 transformational presidential campaign. His work centers on how the Internet and social media are fundamentally altering business, human relations and global politics. He has been featured in the Washington Post, Newsweek, WIRED Italy, O Globo (Brazil), and Strategies (France). A recent article of his for The Nation was entitled “How Cyber-Pragmatism Brought Down Mubarak.”

Presented by ATT The Real Yellow Pages.

Much more than a conference, the IdeaFestival is a catalyst for high-speed innovation, product development, and creative endeavors. This series of events attracts leading thinkers and curious minds from across the nation and around the globe.

What If Your Data Could Excuse You from Airport Security?

podcasts@fora.tv — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:09:23 -0700

Tired of waiting in line at the airport? Arup's Gareth Ashley discusses plans to use smart phones to speed up airport security. He explains that by tying personal information to your phone's RFID chip, security can perform an immediate background check, circumventing the need for traditional security measures.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/10/20/Think_Art_-_Act_Science_Global_Mobility

swissnex San Francisco and the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) continue their joint program of events around Think Art – Act Science with an interdisciplinary look at contemporary global mobility through one of its main veins -- airports.

The theme is explored through psychology, sociology, architecture, and design by artist Monika Codourey, whose work is featured in the Think Art - Act Science exhibition, SFAI’s Hou Hanru, and IDEO’s Gretchen Wustrack, who presents the Palo Alto-based design firm’s "TSA Checkpoint Evolution" project.

Gareth Ashley has worked at the intersection of design and technology for two decades. He specializes in the integration of technology into the built environment with particular focus on supporting passenger processes in air, rail and multimodal terminals. Gareth has provided consultation and design services on major airport projects around the globe, including JFK, LAS, SFO, YYZ, and DXB and provided technology and security services for rail terminals in London, New York and the Bay Area. He joined Arup in 2001.

Malcolm Gladwell: Creative Solutions to Prevent Crime

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:50:34 -0700

Author Malcolm Gladwell discusses the importance of creativity in addressing crime prevention. America focuses mainly on the severity of a punishment, he notes, while neglecting that deterrence is also affected by the certainty of getting caught and how quickly punishment takes place.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/new_yorker_festival_2011

The New Yorker Festival presents: Malcolm Gladwell: The Virtues of Obnoxiousness. This program was recorded on October 2, 2011.

Malcolm Gladwell has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1996. He is the author of the Times best-sellers The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Outliers: The Story of Success, and What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures.

War Journalism: Meeting a Warlord on the Pakistani Border

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:47:39 -0700

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dexter Filkins recalls his meeting with a tribal warlord on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/new_yorker_festival_2011

The New Yorker Festival presents: Reporting from the Edge: Covering Conflict. This program was recorded on October 1, 2011.

With Lynsey Addario, Jon Lee Anderson, Dexter Filkins, and Wendell Steavenson. Moderated by Dorothy Wickenden.

Dexter Filkins joined The New Yorker in January and has reported from Yemen and Afghanistan. Previously, he was at the Times, where he won a Pulitzer Prize as part of a team covering Afghanistan and Pakistan. He has received two George Polk Awards and three Overseas Press Club Awards. His book, The Forever War, won a National Book Critics Circle Award.

Why Our Chimp-Like Brains Lose Money on the Stock Market

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:29:56 -0700

Barry Ritholtz, author of Bailout Nation, describes one human tendency that can hinder successful stock trading: our preference for stories over data. When an analyst or CEO tells a convincing anecdote, he explains, stockholders are more likely to trust the narrative over objective research.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/big_picture_conference_2011

Drawing upon the ideas and popular talent featured in his well-regarded blog, The Big Picture (www.ritholtz.com), Barry Ritholtz presents The Big Picture Conference, a one-day, on-demand event that offers sharp insight into the financial markets, the economy and the dangerous intersection between government and Wall Street.

In 2010, Barry L. Ritholtz was named one of the "15 Most Important Economic Journalists" in the United States. Ritholtz writes a column on Investing for the Washington Post; he also contributes occasional column to Barron's and Bloomberg (See The Myth of Uncertainty). Previously, he authored the popular "An Apprenticed Investor" columns at TheStreet.com, a series geared towards educating novice and intermediate investors. Mr. Ritholtz has published more formal market analyses at the Wall Street Journal, Barron's, The Economist, and RealMoney.com. Mr. Ritholtz is a frequent commentator on economic data and financial markets. He is a regular guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, MSNBC, and C/SPAN. He has appeared on numerous shows, including Nightline, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Fast Money, Kudlow and Co, and Power Lunch, and has guest-hosted Squawk Box on numerous occasions. He appears regularly on radio for Bloomberg, NPR, CBS, and other broadcasters.

Ambassador Oren: Arab Spring an Opportunity for Israel

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:56:48 -0700

Regarding the Arab Spring, Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren said Israel, long proud of its democratic tradition, will be "prouder still" to be counted among a number of Middle Eastern democracies.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/series/monitor_breakfast

On Tuesday, October 25, 2011, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren joined the Monitor Breakfast for a conversation with reporters.

Michael B. Oren is an American-born Israeli historian and author and the Israeli ambassador to the United States. He has written books, articles, and essays on Middle Eastern history, and is the author of the best-selling Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, which won the Los Angeles Times History Book of the Year Award. He was a Distinguished Fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem and a contributing editor to The New Republic and the Shalem Center's quarterly journal, Azure.

A graduate of Princeton and Columbia, Dr. Oren has received fellowships from the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, and from the British and Canadian governments. Formerly, he was the Lady Davis Fellow of Hebrew University, a Moshe Dayan Fellow at Tel-Aviv University, and the Distinguished Fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard, Yale, and Georgetown.

John Hodgman on Your Chances of Surviving the Apocalypse

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:39:03 -0700

John Hodgman, comedian and author of That Is All, discusses the imminent end of the world and the likelihood you'll live through it.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/09/17/John_Hodgman_Are_Magic_Tricks_Really_Magic

JOHN HODGMAN shall present information on THE SECRETS OF FAMOUS MAGIC TRICKS from his forthcoming book of FINAL WORLD KNOWLEDGE entitled THAT IS ALL.

Presented by Maker Faire NYC. This program was recorded on September 17, 2011.

John Hodgman is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require, he is known for his personification of a PC in contrast to Justin Long's personification of a Mac in Apple's "Get a Mac" advertising campaign, and for his correspondent work on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

His writings have been published in One Story (to which he contributed the debut story), The Paris Review, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Wired and The New York Times Magazine, for which he is editor of the humor section. He contributes to Public Radio International’s This American Life, and CBC Radio One’s Wiretap. His first book and accompanying audio narration, The Areas of My Expertise, a satirical tongue-in-cheek almanac which actually contains almost no factual information, was published in 2005. His second book, More Information Than You Require, went on sale October 21, 2008.

His latest book, That Is All, will be released in November 2011.

The One Percent: Breaking Down US Wealth Distribution

podcasts@fora.tv — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:49:34 -0700

Catherine Mulbrandon, creator of the blog Visualizing Economics, illustrates the distribution of income in the U.S, comparing the earnings of the top one percent to those of the bottom 99.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/big_picture_conference_2011

The Big Picture Conference presents Catherine Mulbrandon: Visualizing Economics. This program was recorded on October 11, 2011.

Drawing upon the ideas and popular talent featured in his well-regarded blog, The Big Picture (www.ritholtz.com), Barry Ritholtz presents The Big Picture Conference, a one-day, on-demand event that offers sharp insight into the financial markets, the economy and the dangerous intersection between government and Wall Street.

Catherine Mulbrandon launched VisualizingEconomics.com in 2006, a website dedicated to publishing infographics about economic data. She received an AB in economics from The University of Chicago and a Masters in Design from Carnegie Mellon and has worked 10 years in the finance industry. A native of Washington, DC she currently lives and works in Jersey City, NJ where she is creating "An Illustrated Guide to Income in the United States."

Human Cyborgs: The Thin Line Between Man and Machine

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:44:30 -0700

As technology advances, is the line between man and machine becoming blurred? Nicola Rohrseitz, founder and CEO of ViSSee, discusses two recently developed devices that augment human body systems.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/09/30/Robot_Revolution_From_the_Lab_to_the_World

Robot Revolution: From the Lab to the World Swiss university spin-offs flex their robotic muscle in honor of the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). Hear from the hottest companies and researchers and interact with a robot that balances on a ball, a service bot that acts as a guide, and a pair of tiny fliers.

The future in which robots are a normal part of everyday life, present in your car, your home, your office, is here. Technologies that were once only the subject of university research are now making their way to market. And a number of Swiss companies that began in academia are leading the pack.

In conjunction with the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), swissnex San Francisco brings you an evening of some of the hottest robotic spin-offs and inventions bubbling up from university labs. - swissnex San Francisco

Nicola Rohrseitz is the founder and CEO of the Swiss start-up ViSSee. He studied Microengineering at the EPFL, conducting his M.Sc. thesis in Underwater Robotics at the University of Tokyo in 2005. By applying control theory techniques to free flying fruit flies during his Ph.D. in Physics and Neuroscience at the ETH Zurich, he discovered disruptive computational principles that in 2009 became the foundations of ViSSee. In 2010, ViSSee was listed among Switzerland's 10 best business ideas and, among other awards, Rohrseitz recently won the DeVigier prize, which recognizes the top five young entrepreneurs of the nation.

A Diet of Masterpieces Makes You Fat: The Virtues of Bad Art

podcasts@fora.tv — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:31:03 -0700

New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl sits down with actor Steve Martin to discuss the merits of bad art. "You learn from good art that you can't do it," Schjeldahl says, "and from bad art you see where it breaks."

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/new_yorker_festival_2011

The New Yorker Festival presents: All About Art: Peter Schjeldahl talks with Steve Martin. This program was recorded on September 30, 2011.

Peter Schjeldahl is The New Yorker's art critic and the author of several books of criticism, including The Hydrogen Jukebox: Selected Writings and Let's See: Writings on Art from The New Yorker. He has received the Frank Jewett Mather Award from the College Art Association, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Clark Prize for Excellence in Arts Writing.

Steve Martin has been contributing to The New Yorker since 1996. His books include Pure Drivel, which collects many of his humor pieces from the magazine; the memoir Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life; and the novels The Pleasure of My Company, Shopgirl, and, most recently, An Object of Beauty.

Is Capital Punishment Color Blind?

podcasts@fora.tv — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:16:06 -0700

Danalynn Recer, founder and executive director of the Gulf Region Advocacy Center, discusses accusations that race affects sentencing in death penalty cases. She suggests that while the prosecutors may not intentionally take race into account, death penalty cases are both symbolic and subjective, and issues of race inevitably factor in.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/new_yorker_festival_2011

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: Is the death penalty dying? Presented by the New Yorker Festival, on October 1, 2011. With Marc Klaas, Joshua Marquis, Danalynn Recer, and Barry Scheck. Moderated by Jeffrey Toobin.

Danalynn Recer is the founder and executive director of the Gulf Region Advocacy Center, a Houston-based organization that represents defendants in death-penalty cases. Previously, she worked as an attorney with the Texas Resource Center and with the Louisiana Crisis Assistance Center. She has represented more than a hundred capital clients over the past two decades.

Richard Dawkins: Who Was the First Human?

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:48:15 -0700

Biologist and author Richard Dawkins presents a thought experiment to explain human origins. Following each generation backwards across millions of years of evolution, Dawkins shows why no species -- including homo sapiens -- can truly have a "first" ancestor.

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/new_yorker_festival_2011

What Is Reality? Richard Dawkins talks with Henry Finder. Presented in collaboration with the New Yorker Festival, on October 1, 2011.

Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist and the author of the Times best-selling books The Selfish Gene, The God Delusion, and The Greatest Show on Earth. His new book, The Magic of Reality, an illustrated science guide for adults and young people, comes out in October. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Royal Society of Literature.

Henry Finder is the editorial director of The New Yorker.