Category: bigthink

Mar
10
2017
March 10th, 2017 by Michael Sauers

Posted in bigthink, video Tagged with:

Jul
15
2016
July 15th, 2016 by Michael Sauers

If white America experienced a fraction of what black America deals with regarding law enforcement, incarceration, the court system, employment and countless other facts of life, they would immediately and collectively lose their minds.

There are at least two different Americas. They have existed in an environment of almost unbroken mutual exclusivity. That’s over now.

Read the full article @ LA Weekly.

Posted in bigthink, Politics & Law

Jun
03
2016
June 3rd, 2016 by Michael Sauers

Published on Jun 30, 2015

On the surface, it may seem that the revolution in information technology is a threat to traditional libraries, but it’s actually the greatest opportunity in the history of the mission of libraries of providing public access to knowledge. Physical availability of collections need no longer be looked at as a constraint. Imagine the wave of creativity unleashed and how many more can contribute their ideas and solutions if anyone can read anything anytime and anywhere. The info tech industry, founded with that mission, has been diverted while libraries have not. Libraries must also ensure access and connectivity, especially for those most in need. And we must help citizens learn how to use digital tools, code, and search effectively, and not be satisfied with superficial data. The mission of ensuring an informed and skilled civil society can now explode in possibilities, with our old beloved libraries at the core. Learn how the library industry is changing, adapting, and capitalizing on the vast possibilities of technology to deliver public access to all.

Posted in bigthink, Libraries

May
26
2016
May 26th, 2016 by Michael Sauers

September 9, 2008 to be exact. Listen here.

Many of us use it every day and have trouble remembering life without it.  The usefulness and ubiquity of the Internet has made looking for information as easy as pushing a button.  The personal computer created an Internet where anyone with a keyboard could be master and commander of the World Wide Web. Now,Internet-centered products — such as iPhones, Xboxes, and TiVos — can’t be easily modified by anyone except their vendors and are killing the innovation of the once-open Internet according Jonathan Zittrain, co-founder of the Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

In a new book titled The Future of the Internet — And How to Stop It, Zittrain argues that the Internet’s current trajectory is one of lost opportunity. Zittrain reasons that the seemingly endless Internet is on a path to tighter security— such as car GPS systems reconfigured at the demand of law enforcement to eavesdrop on occupants.

Today Michael Sauers, the “Travelin’ Librarian” from the Nebraska Library Commission talks with guest host Stephen Steigman about how the salvation of the Internet lies in the hands of the users. Drawing on generative technologies like Wikipedia that have so far survived their own successes, we’ll discuss how to develop new technologies and social structures that allow users to work creatively and collaboratively, and participate in solutions. We’ll look at the role technology is playing in library services (both good and bad) and we’ll examine search engines and how to use the latest Web 2.0 – from improving basic search skills and evaluating search results to making the best use of search engines. We’ll also discuss digital rights management, creative commons, and other copyright issues.

Posted in bigthink, Internet, Tech Tagged with: ,

Feb
08
2016
February 8th, 2016 by Michael Sauers

Libraries and library management do get brought up…

Posted in bigthink, Libraries Tagged with:

Jan
28
2016
January 28th, 2016 by Michael Sauers

Check this out this photo from November 2011. The fifth Big Talk From Small Libraries will be held in less than a month. Sadly I’m no longer involved but I’m happy that it has continued on without me.

Posted in bigthink Tagged with: , ,

Jul
03
2015
July 3rd, 2015 by Michael Sauers

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Ireland’s foremost “gender discombobulist”, Panti, shares her experience of the little, everyday things that can have a huge impact on the wellbeing of gay people. Panti expresses her thoughts on navigating a world in which the simple act of holding hands can be a political statement in itself.

Panti is Ireland’s foremost “gender discombobulist” and “accidental activist”. She was also presented with an Irish ‘People of the Year’ award in 2014. Panti’s creator Rory O’Neill sparked a national furore when he appeared on national television and named certain individuals and organisations as homophobic. When Panti took to the stage of the National Theatre to defend herself, her ten minute oration became an international sensation.

Published on Jan 8, 2015

Posted in bigthink, video

Apr
23
2015
April 23rd, 2015 by Michael Sauers

I believe I received these as a attendee of the 1994 Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference.

John Perry Barlow

Posted in bigthink Tagged with:

Apr
19
2015
April 19th, 2015 by Michael Sauers

Kermit the Frog is an entertainment icon known worldwide for his appearances on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street, as well as a number of feature films. He attributes much of his success to his thirty-five year partnership with Mississippi native and entertainment visionary, Jim Henson. Kermit has received many honors and accolades for his work, including multiple Academy Award nominations, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a commemorative stamp from the U.S. Postal Service.

Posted in bigthink, video Tagged with: , ,

Jun
19
2014
June 19th, 2014 by Michael Sauers

One could argue that slang words like “hangry,” “defriend” and “adorkable” fill crucial meaning gaps in the English language, even if they don’t appear in the dictionary. After all, who actually decides which words make it into those vaulted pages? Language historian Anne Curzan gives a charming look at the humans behind dictionaries, and the choices they make on a constant basis.

Published on Jun 17, 2014

Posted in bigthink, video Tagged with: , , ,

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