Archive: Year: 2012

Last year I wrote a long post describing the curation of PDF11, and with PDF12--our ninth annual event in New York--starting Monday, it's time for an update. A few things about the curation of PDF12 are different this year, though to a large degree we're sticking with the model we've been using. The biggest change, of course, is the addition of Christopher Wong as our lead curator. With me teaching at the Harvard Kennedy School this past spring, it was absolutely vital to bring on more hands and brains to pull the conference together. As we had hoped, Chris has brought an additional layer of expertise to PDF, drawing on his work in the fields of open culture, intellectual property and...

Back in 2007-08, the word "change" was so popular that Hugh Atkin, the brilliant Australian mashup artist, made a hilarious video of David Bowie's "Changes" as sung by the Democratic and Republican presidential primary candidates. And as this intriguing chart from Google Trends shows, there was a substantial jump in the number of news references to "change" in the United States starting at the beginning of 2008, spiking right around November (when Obama was elected), and then remaining at fairly high levels, compared to before 2008, almost to the present. But look what's been happening to news references to "change" since the beginning of spring. Spread out over the last twelve months the shift may appear to be modest, but...

We're pleased to announce that thanks to the generous support of our friends at Tumblr, this year PDF is giving conference scholarships to nine highly deserving individuals who are innovating at the intersection of tech and politics. Our PDF Tumblr Fellows are: Faye Anderson, chief evangelist for the Cost of Freedom Project, a citizen-led initiative that is developing location-based apps to provide voters with information on how to obtain a voter ID; Lou Aronson, founder and CEO, Votifi.com; Alex Budak, the co-founder of StartSomeGood.com, a platform for changemakers to raise funds and grow a community of supporters to transform ideas for good into action and impact; Petra Farinha, lead user experience designer at Purpose.com; Nick Gaines, U.C. Berkeley sophomore and creator of GovHub, a website...

We're pleased to announce that the full schedule for PDF12, is now online. In addition to 46 amazing keynoters, we're offering a diverse set of twenty-two breakout sessions over the course of the two-day gathering this June 11-12. The breakouts are grouped into five main topic areas,and scheduled so you can choose to attend a complete track of four (or pick and choose as you like): -The Politics of 2012: On the first day of the conference, we'll go from the big picture with top strategists and national pundits with "The November Election: Online and in the Media" (sponsored by Harvard's Institute of Politics), to the latest news from this week's electoral battlefield in the mid-West with a bipartisan look...

We're pleased to announce the following people have been named Google Fellows for Personal Democracy Forum 2012. Fifteen highly creative and talented people were selected out of a competitive pool of more than one hundred. Congrats to you all and see you next week at PDF12. They are: Joseph Agoada, international strategic communication specialist and social intrapreneur currently part of the new UNICEF Social and Civic Media team; Abhishek Bhatnagar, an ICT researcher and software developer with the Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention; Amber Goodwin, Director of Network Initiatives for Mobilize.org, a non-profit that improves the way that democracy works by investing in Millennial-driven solutions; Celio Guarate, an activist with Jóvenes Trabajando Aquí, a Venezuelan student and voting rights organization; Dean Haddock, Head of Technology for...

We're not stupid Not fooling us Meeting you A meal with Mitt Day one Bring a guest Best day ever We did it What tonight means Celebrate I hope to meet you Tonight --W.M. Romney Meeting you I don't care which you choose Two two-term presidents Something to tell your grandkids One quick thing Hey In the clutch Last thought Midnight --B.H. Obama...

"I've been an equal opportunity offender of both parties for some time, and it's too late to stop now." That's veteran ad-maker Bill Hillsman, describing his new project, Independent Voters of America. The man who first got national attention for his hilarious and highly effective ads for Minnesota maverick Paul Wellstone, and then went on to work for everyone from Jesse Ventura, Ross Perot, Ralph Nader, John Hickenlooper, Jack Ryan, Ned Lamont, Kinky Friedman, Alan Grayson (and, in case anyone has forgotten, a NYC Public Advocate candidate named Andrew Rasiej), has decided that he's had it waiting for someone to hold Washington's feet to the fire, and that he's going to use the Internet to do it himself. Wait a...

It's been months since WikiLeaks, the whistle-blowing website, has posted anything other than appeals for support for its embattled founder Julian Assange. Weakened by internal dissension with Assange's imperious management (starting in mid-2010) , hampered since December 2010 by an extra-legal blockade by credit card companies that have hurt its funding, and distracted and drained by Assange's extended legal battle against his extradition to Sweden, WikiLeaks is a long cry from the heady months when it rattled Washington with the release of Afghanistan and Iraq war records and State Department cables and helped set off the uprisings in Tunisia and elsewhere in the Middle East. Though it's in the news again today because of the British Supreme Court's decision to...

Do you have a minute? Marriage What got me to apply I am just so happy My best friend Romney economics Romney's qualifications 1,959,743 Americans and counting "The defeat of Barack Hussein Obama" GottaVote.org My place, June 14th I'm hosting An evening with two presidents Sarah Jessica is hosting Anna Wintour, too --B.H. Obama, May 2012 Going up I need your vote today Lucky you Thank you, America Almost over Elections are about choices It's still the economy We're not stupid Not fooling us Meeting you --W.M. Romney, May 2012...

I'm really looking forward to talking with author Howard Rheingold this Thursday on the next PD+ teleconference. His new book, Net Smart, is a concise and thoughtful guide to understanding and making the most of the hyper-networked, always-on, firehose of information and distraction that is the contemporary experience of anyone who uses the Internet. And it's built on top of 25 years of close observation and participation, plus Howard's careful curation of the latest research on how we learn, how we collaborate and how we as individuals and a society can improve ourselves using digital tools. If you've ever wanted a master class with a real "Internet guru," then this call is a must for you. RSVP here to join in....