GBN's network of "remarkable people" is a diverse collection of original, systemic thinkers whose boundless curiosity, passion for ideas, and generosity of spirit leads them to explore a wide range of issues and contribute unique insights to the GBN community.
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Welcome to new Network member Mimi Ito, a cultural anthropologist who studies new media use, particularly among young people in Japan and the U.S. Currently, Mimi splits her time between Keio University and the University of Southern California and is conducting a multi-year research project on digital kids and informed learning. She recently edited a book for MIT Press with Daisuke Okabe and Misa Matsuda entitled Personal, Portable, Pedestrian: Mobile Phones in Japanese Life. Mimi received doctorates in both anthropology and education from Stanford.
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People
GBN's network encompasses both our staff and practice of experienced scenario and strategy consultants
and a diverse group of "remarkable people"
—provocative thinkers across disciplines—who help us anticipate and interpret emerging
issues and trends. News about the network is featured below.
GBN Network News
 Adam Kahane has cofounded Reos Partners, an international partnership of organizations dedicated to supporting and building capacity for innovation in complex social systems. Reos recently inaugurated a new workshop in the UK on Solving Tough Problems in Practice, taught by Adam and Zaid Hassan, which explores a cutting-edge methodology called the "Change Lab". This is a practical application of the U-Process that brings together multi-sector groups to innovate on complex social challenges collaboratively. Adam is also a founding partner of Generon Consulting (with Joe Jaworski) and the Global Leadership Initiative, co-creator of the U-process, and author of Solving Tough Problems.
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 The latest book by Denise Caruso, Intervention, Confronting the Risks of Genetic Engineering and Life on a Biotech Planet (Hybrid Vigor, 2006), was chosen as one of the best business books of the year by strategy + business magazine. Denise is also one of four rotating columnists on Innovation for the Sunday New York Times.
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 When Hillary Clinton hit the campaign trail pledging to help America become the Innovation Nation, she was undoubtedly inspired by the new book from "serial entrepreneur" John Kao. In Innovation Nation: How America is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do to Get It Back, John makes an urgent and cogent case for substantial U.S. investments, both public and private, in innovation and education. This commitment is critical if the U.S. expects to keep pace with emerging innovators across Europe and Asia, and retain its leadership role in the global economy. Innovation Nation has received widespread media coverage: US News and World Report, The Economist, CNN, Bloomberg, Business Week, Forbes.com, NPR showsand even the Colbert Show. John's new blog on innovation was just launched on The Huffington Post.
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 Economist AnnaLee Saxenian, author of Regional Advantage and The New Argonauts, was a featured speakers at "Atlas of Ideas, Mapping the New Geography of Science," a conference organized by Demos, the London-based think tank, in January. The conference examined the results of an 18-month study on science and innovation in China, India, and South Korea with a focus on collaboration opportunities with Europe.
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 Chip Conley, founder of Joe de Vivre Hospitality, is the co-author (with Eric Friedenwald-Fishman) of Marketing That Matters, published by Berrett-Koehler as part of the Social Ventures Network series. The book sets forth "ten practices to profit your business nad change the world" and includes case studies of companies in a variety of industries that do well by doing good.
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 The 2006 Don Michael Prize, given in memory of the late Don Michael (shown in photo), a founding GBN Network member, was awarded to pioneering pollster, educator, social scientist, and author Daniel Yankelovich in San Francisco on December 1. The prize acknowledges outstanding contributions to social learning and action. At the afternoon symposium, Daniel discussed his groundbreaking work in dialogue to create the platform and momentum for public social change.
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The latest book from physicist Freeman Dyson is The Scientist as Rebel (New York Review Books Collection), a compilation of 33 previously published book reviews, essays and speeches that exemplify the clarity, depth, and breadth of his provocative thinking.
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 George Lakoff, a linguistics professor at U.C. Berkeley and a senior fellow at the Rockridge Institute, has published a new book, Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision (Farrar Strauss). The book sets out a progressive policy message along with a plan for building a broad offensive around it.
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 Social software pioneer Clay Shirky recenlty spoke at the Long Now Foundation's Seminars on Long-term Thinking in San Francisco. Host Stewart Brand writes, "The title of Shirky's talk was 'Making Digital Durable: What Time Does to Categories.' While he had good news, and deep news, on the category front, he was less encouraging about digital preservation in general. 'We don't know yet how bad the problem is,' he said. He pointed out that there are an alarming number of levels between preserving bits (which is easy) and preserving essence (which is at best expensive and at worst impossible). To make the Bits express the Essence over time, you have to preserve (or accurately translate forward) the Medium; and the Format; and the Interpreter; and various Dependencies; and the Operating System; and the Architecture; and the Power system (is 110 A.C. power forever?) Any of that missing or corrupted or misblended, and all is lost...'Preservation is an outcome,' said Shirky. You don't know if it is working until afterward. All you can do is reduce the risk of loss. Making digital durable, he said, is a 'wicked' problem, meaning it can't actually be solved. It will be an endless process of negotiation. View images and text from an earlier version of this talk.
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