KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Opening Session, Monday, November 07, 2005:

Howard Rheingold is the author and co-author of several books, including Smart Mobs, the Next Social Revolution, The Virtual Community, and Tools for Thought. He was the editor of The Whole Earth Review, editor-in-chief of the best-seller, The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog, and the founding Executive Editor of HotWired, the pioneering online publication launched on the web by Wired magazine. He founded the website Electric Minds, named by Time magazine as one of the ten best websites of 1996, and founded The Brainstorms Community, a private webconferencing community for discussion about a myriad of topics, including technology, the future and life online.

His talk is entitled "Smart Mobs: Mobile Communication, Pervasive Computing and Collective Action". Rheingold notes, "Smart mobs emerge when communication and computing technologies amplify human talents for cooperation. The impacts of smart mob technology already appear to be both beneficial and destructive, used by some of its earliest adopters to support democracy and by others to coordinate terrorist attacks."

Closing Session, Wednesday, November 09, 2005:

Father William Padavick is currently the pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Oberlin, Ohio, a position he has held for the past ten years. He attended St. Mary Seminary in Cleveland, was ordained in 1963, and received his Master's degree in English Literature from John Carroll University in Cleveland. He has held several associate-pastor and pastor positions throughout the Cleveland Diocese, and has taught extensively at both the high school and college levels. Father Padavick has been Chaplain for the Knights of Columbus and Serra Club, and currently also assists the Chaplain's Office of Oberlin College by officiating at services. He has given speeches to various groups in the past, most notably Mensa. He is renowned for his humor and wit, and his ability to weave language, history, and human-interest into meaningful discourse. Father Padavick's talk is entitled "Tick Tock, Watch the Clock: A Short History of the Erg".