I just returned from an extraordinary meeting of 900 academics, civil society leaders, business people and other innovative thinkers, held by the World Economic Forum in Dubai. Called the Global Agenda Summit, 80 Councils composed of a dozen members each, discussed how to redesign our systems for global cooperation for...

Bali, Indonesia, October 29, 2009.

Today is the 40th Anniversary of the birth of the Internet. 1969 was a very big year for technology. Governments led the space race, resulting in the first weather satellite, the first communications satellite, the first planet landing (Venus), the first spacewalk (the moon).

President Obama already knows that the nation's schools are failing a large number of young Americans. One-third of all students drop out before finishing high school. It's a terrible record, and it's even worse in inner city public schools, where only half of blacks and Hispanics graduate from school. This...

Last week I wrote a substantial essay for the Edge arguing that the universities are entering a period of crisis.

I argued that is a widening gap between the model of learning offered by many big universities and the natural way that young people who have grown up digital...

The warm glow of Obama positivism is even being felt up in Canada. The current Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has unleashed venomous attack ads challenging the patriotism of his opponent, Michael Ignatieff, a Canadian who was a professor for many years at Harvard University. But a new...

President Obama has announced the long awaited choice for his Chief Technology Officer -- Aneesh Chopra. Says Tim O'Reilly "Aneesh Chopra is a rock star. He's a brilliant, thoughtful change-maker. He knows technology, he knows government, and he knows how to put the two together to solve real problems. We...

Newspapers are dying. Are universities next?

For many, the answer could be yes, says Kevin Carey, policy director of Education Sector, a Washington think tank. Writing in the current issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Carey argues that both industries are in the business of creating and communicating information.

Organizing for America, the post-election political machine built to harness the energies of millions of Obama activists, is gearing up for its first battle. In an email message this week that linked to an online video, Organizing for America boss Mitch Stewart said that "Just over a week ago, President...

It's not just elections, but governing in America will never be the same. Consider an email I received recently, addressed to Don, from John -- that's John D. Podesta, Co-chair The Obama-Biden Transition Project. "Everyday, we meet with organizations that present ideas for the Transition and the incoming Obama-Biden Administration....

For months I've been on record saying, that all things being equal, Obama will handily win the election because of a new group of voters -- young Americans under 30 who have grown up digital and are flexing their political muscles for the first time.

These are the...