Abstract for Beyond 2010

In October, I will be speaking at the Beyond 2010 conference in Edmonton, Alberta. My self-chosen topic is “Sci-fi, Digital Society and the Future of Governance.” Here’s my draft abstract:

It has been said that software is imagination made tangible. In this session, Gov 2.0 thinker Adriel Hampton calls on business and civic leaders to look at their role in shaping the future of government in a world where everyone is connected, but where urban slums are the fastest growing population centers; where we perch of the cusp of pre-cognition and mechanical intelligence, but illegal immigration continues to dominate debate in our leading economic superpowers. From the classic science fiction of Kurt Vonnegut and Isaac Asimov, to the cyberpunk of the 80s and 90s, Hampton weaves a narrative of smart phones and dumb politics, borderless social Web platforms and border fences, zero-cost communications and looming environmental crisis.