Category: event

Teaching social media to 85 years old in September 2013

For a long time I have been trying to bridge the gap between my generation and seniors. I organized grandma dinners (the idea was replicated in Canada thanks to CBC coverage), interviewed retirees on their usage of new technologies (part 1, part 2), and now the next step will be a training on computers and social media I will host this September with the help of the Hospice Général, a Geneva based social institution.

The sessions will happen on Sept 19-20 and Sept 26-27 at La nouvelle Roseraie, a vacation house where the average age is 85 years old.

I look forward to see how the older citizens react to new technologies, the outlook they will have on things I take for granted like iPads, google, or wikipedia. I expect a lot of learning for both sides, a fulfilling and humbling experience. I would like to incorporate  external speakers into the program, so if you would be interested in sharing your experience with seniors don’t hesitate to contact me!

Cristiana Bolli Freitas, Nicolas Dengler, Guillaume Arluison, Melanie Ducret, David Davinroy, Sarah Lipman, Nadine Reichenthal, Guillaume Beauverd, Yann Ranchère, Cyril de Bavier, Vallabh Rao, Cherie May, Magaly Mathys liked this post

Better personal management of energy – the next stage in the Internet revolution?

[I am hosting the 8th TechnoArk conference, see you in Sierre on January 25!]

The 8th TechnoArk Conference, to be held in Sierre on 25 January 2013, will take as its theme:

Better personal management of energy – the next stage in the Internet revolution? Towards an Internet of energy

During the last 30 years, the Internet has brought profound changes in our behaviour and our relationship with information. These changes have occurred even more rapidly since 2007, when the release of the iPhone and the subsequent emergence of information mobility enabled people to create, exchange and obtain information anytime, anywhere.

In parallel with this, a revolution on a similar scale is taking place in the world of energy, with the advent of “smart grids”, intelligent networks that use information technology to optimise the production, distribution and consumption of electricity.

  • What impact will these networks have on our society?
  • How will customers behave when, armed with their smartphones, they can track their consumption and costs in real time?
  • Which actors in the world of energy will emerge from this revolution strengthened, and which ones will be weakened?
  • Is an Internet of energy that would make our behaviour transparent the solution to the looming energy crisis?

These are the questions which the 8th TechnoArk conference will raise, giving an overview of specific situations present and future. The event will host some of the most famous specialists in the field, including Justin Segall (founder of Simple Energy), Michael Hsieh (University of California at Berkeley) and the Swiss entrepreneur Michael Dupertuis, founder of the startup Geroco.

Benjamin Weill liked this post

See you at Wired UK event 2012!

I will be attending the 2012 Wired UK event, listening to the likes of Lily Cole, Greg Asner (environmental scientist and leading expert on tropical forests), Troy Carter (the man behind Lady Gaga’s social media strategy), David Karp (founder & CEO, Tumblr), Ferran Adriá (the legendary chef from El Buli), and many more.

In its second edition, the Wired UK event is a place where you can get one year of ideas packed in two days. If you don’t have time to read the magazine every month, this is where you want to be to catch up, before heading to Lift13 this February for more trends and foresight.

This year I will not only participate, but also help with the organization. I am involved as what David Rowan called an “audience ambassador”, accompanying the speakers in preparing for their time on stage, providing feedback and guidance using my long experience of bringing content to conference stages. This is really my favorite part of the whole event organization journey, the moment you sit down with amazing people, get private talks, and help speakers prioritize, focus and organize.

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The simple life

I organized the Anthemis Strategic Retreat a few days ago [disclaimer: I am a venture partner of Anthemis], gathering some of the brightest finance entrepreneurs on the planet in Méribel. I wanted to take these guys out of their comfort zone, and force them to disconnect from their phones and emails.

I settled for a unique venue: a historical barn built in the 19th century in the middle of a nearby village. Participants were sitting on haystacks, listening to some of the most advanced ideas in the world in a super simple context. The contrast worked brilliantly. Check the pictures below (taken with an iPhone 4 in low light, sorry for the average quality)

Keynote at Forum des 100: “Les réseaux sociaux, point de bascule vers une nouvelle révolution digitale”

Here is the video of my keynote presentation at last week’s Forum des 100. I explain (in French) why social media are one of several factors about to bring many fundamental changes to our societies.

En 2009, l’inventeur du Web Tim Berners-Lee me confiait qu’il y a eu ” beaucoup de changements depuis la naissance du Web en 1989. Et pourtant le plus gros est à venir…”

Partant de ce constat, j’explique que les réseaux sociaux sont un point de bascule. En simplifiant plusieurs aspects importants pour l’apparition d’innovation (facilité de promotion, de création de masse critique d’utilisateurs, systèmes de réputation favorisant la confiance), les réseaux sociaux sont un point de bascule vers une deuxième phase de la révolution digitale initiée par le Web.

Les caractéristiques du monde de 2012 (combinaison de nouvelles technologies, globalisation, réseaux, transdisciplinarité et démocratisation) ressemblent étrangement à la période de la belle époque, moment de l’histoire ou l’Europe et plus particulièrement la France étaient le centre du monde du progrès et de l’innovation.

En m’appuyant sur cette riche histoire – celle-là même qui fait que les anglais utilisent un mot français, “entrepreneur” – je partage avec le public quelques conseils qui permettront de profiter de cette seconde révolution plus que de la première.

Mes conseils:
- Essayer et prendre des risques (comme à Paris, appelée ville lumière car elle a été la première citée à installer l’éclairage électrique sur ses grands boulevards)
- S’ouvrir aux talents étrangers au lieu de fermer les frontières
- Créer des ponts entre art, science et industrie
- S’ancrer dans le passé pour éviter que l’innovation fasse peur
- Créer de grands événements fédérateurs
- Anticiper au lieu de subir, veiller
- Innover (à l’extérieur s’il le faut)
- Tout va très vite (Netscape, MySpace, Yahoo)
- Apprendre à désaprendre
- Ne pas soutenir les entreprises dont le modèle est dépassé
- Changer de regard sur les startups

Je rappelle que certaines des plus grandes sociétés de notre temps ont été crées à la belle époque, et que si nous recréons des conditions favorables nous pourrions de nouveau voir éclore des leaders mondiaux en Europe.

Conférence TechnoArk 2012, Internet+Mobiles = Fiabilité des informations?

TechnoArk is organizing the 7th edition of their conference, traditionally a few days before Lift12. If you are interested in Mobile, this is the place to be at the end of January. I will host the day (in French) curated by the Institut Icare.

La septième édition de la Conférence TechnoArk aura lieu le 27 janvier prochain au Techno-Pôle de Sierre. Le thème de ce rendez-vous incontournable sera « Internet et Mobiles : Fiabilité des informations ? ».

D’un geste du doigt, le consommateur accède à une myriade d’informations depuis son téléphone portable. Mais comment peut-il s’assurer de la fiabilité des informations? Comment peut-il faire confiance aux nombreuses sources de données? La fiabilité, l’exactitude et l’authenticité des données constituent le nouvel enjeu de l’internet mobile.

Des conférenciers issus par exemple du MIT de Boston ou du GS1 de Bruxelles vous permettront d’approfondir ce thème d’actualité. Vous trouverez le programme complet de la manifestation sur la page www.technoark.ch/technoark2012.

TechnoArk 2012 conference

The speakers of the TechnoArk conference have been announced. Event happens on January 27, 2012 and I will be presenting the speakers as usual. Find out more here.

  •  Prof. Federico Casalegno, MIT, Boston, Mobile Experience Lab Director.  Technology
    His new book at MIT Press « Research on Forms and Flows of Communication with Mobile Media».
  • Jan Horsager, Alexandra Institute, Aarhus, Denmark, Head of communication
    The new Internet of things comic book  and  a model for Innovation : the Alexandra Institute
  • Guy Weiss, AndVista Consulting, Genève,  Supply chain traceability expert
    Nature de la traçabilité, éthique et prérequis.
  • GS1 worldwide, Global Office, Brussels
    The new report “Beyond the label : providing Digital Information Consumers Can Trust”.
  • Prof. Laurent Sciboz, Instituts de recherche du TechnoArk
    De l’internet des objets vers les services, illustration de Print-To-Mobile
  • Philippe Cloux, Importexa, Lutry, Directeur
    Smartphones et  services mobiles, gestion de la traçabilité dans le domaine du Textile
  • Prof. Schumacher et David Werlen, Institut d’informatique HES-SO // Valais, Institut de recherche Icare
    Fairtrace, les technologies mobiles au service de la fiabilité des données, exemple d’un projet de recherche.
  • Bastien Sachet et Julien Troussie, The Forrest Trust, swiss office, Crassier
    Chaines de traçabilité et mise en œuvre de la fiabilité des données à l’aide de services mobiles.
  • Renaud Francou, Fondation Internet nouvelle génération, FING, co-animateur de l “Expédition” Nouvelles approches de la Confiance numérique
    Lancement du projet européen MesInfos, axé sur le partage de données personnelles et les applications pour les usagers et les entreprises.
  • Henri Barthel, GS1 Global Office, Bruxelles, Technical Director EPCglobal
    L’internet des objets état des lieux en Europe, présentation de la nouvelle plateforme IOTStandards.org.

Get your Lift12 ticket!

As the Lift12 early bird sale comes to a close in the coming days, here come a few more information on Lift12 that I will curate with Nicolas Nova. This year, we decided to develop the formula that made Lift11 our most successful event ever, and propose a program divided into three distinct moments:

Day 1: The big picture

We will discuss big questions, and explore how technology is affecting our lives. What is the role of technologies in recent political movements? How is technology really reshaping the way we live? Is technology generating crises, or is it a way to respond to emergency situations?

Day 2: The actionable ideas

Day two is more concrete, exploring current technologies and their impact on our immediate environment. We will discuss mobile but with a fresh perspective, the recent changes forcing reinventions in the luxury industry, the next steps in finance, and explore the new face of gaming, a field that is moving out of screens and closer to our daily lives. Our partner AlpICT’s traditional Venture Night will close the day, with startups introducing their products and services to the audience.

Day 3: Foresight and inspiration

The final day of the conference is about discovering technologies that will be part of our lives in the next 3-5 years (“Near futures” session), hear the stories of pioneers who do extraordinary things (“Stories”) and, finally, meet the extreme amateurs, those people who are taking the concept to a whole new level, building rockets or making nuclear physics experiments in their garage.

We are in the process of confirming most speakers, but a few names have already been announced. We will have people developing the mobile phones of the future, a researcher who creates therapeutic robots, a hacker who builds a nuclear reactor in his basement, the inventor of the “web 2.0 suicide machine” that deletes your social media accounts, a designer of pervasive games, and many more. Check the first confirmed speakers below:



I hope to see you at Lift12, get your ticket before the price goes up!

Upcoming events (Oct-Nov 2011)

Upcoming events I will attend/speak at:

Wired Conference (Oct 13-14)
Looking forward to attend the first edition (firsts are always special) of the Wired UK conference, curated by the great Monique Van Dusseldorp.

Swiss ICT Awards (Oct 18)
I will attend Switzerland’s largest ICT prize in Luzern, hoping to maybe bring a trophy back home :)

HEG Genève (Nov. 3)
I will teach a 3 hours course on managing innovation at the HEG Genève. This is part of the (many) teaching assignments the Lift team took for 2011/2012.

Forum économique de Glion (Nov. 11)
I will attending the forum for the first time, participating on a panel about entrepreneurship.

Solvaxis Userday 2011 (Nov. 24)
I will keynote at the Userday, presenting the latest technological developments and trends. Join me at the Stade de Suisse in Bern on November 24.

If you would like me to speak at your event, please contact me.
 

Développer sa créativité tous les jours

I gave a short talk (in French) at the Rendez-vous des entrepreneurs in June about creativity, and the tension I see between technologies that keep our minds busy, and the need for quiet moments that lead to creativity.

You can also check a short text recap here.