Off the Whiteboard into the Real World
Alexander Osterwalder
September 21, 2012
Author and outside.in creator Steven Johnson returned to Providence on March 16th to discuss his latest book "The Invention of Air". Like his recent bestselling work, "The Ghost Map", Johnson uses another little-known historical story to explore themes that have long engaged him: how innovative ideas emerge and spread in a society.
A reflection on religion and science – and how they can co-exist – "The Invention of Air" draws on the fascinating life of the late-18th-century British theologian and political theorist Joseph Priestly, generally credited with discovering oxygen. A protégé of Benjamin Franklin, friend of Thomas Jefferson and radical thinker who played key roles in the invention of ecosystem science as well as the founding of the intellectual development of the United States, Priestly exerted profound influence on the shape and course of America's great experiment in nation-building. Writing for Salon, reviewer Andrew O'Hehir described "The Invention of Air" as "easy and indeed delightful to read. But it aims high. Johnson is a wide-ranging enthusiast with a catholic appetite for intriguing facts and a Marxian appetite for searching for structures that underlie social phenomena."
Following the BIF-8 Summit, get your hands dirty with Saul Kaplan and Alex Osterwalder, in an exclusive Workshop digging into the challenges and opportunities of business model innovation. Only 100 tickets are available for this exclusive event. Register by April 30, 2012 and save $150 off the regular ticket price .
This year will bring us another amazing group of storytellers. Check back often for the latest. Here are our early additions.
Director of Business Innovation, Intel Corporation
Founder, Buzzcar and Zipcar
President, ArtPlace
Research Scientist, The Center for Materials Science and Engineering, MIT
CEO and Founder, Civic Ventures
Chief Strategy Officer, Spigit
Executive Director, Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence
CEO and Founder, KaBOOM!
Founder, Chief Scientist, orgnet.com
Bestselling Author and Illustrator of The Way We Work and The New Way Things Work
Executive Director, Providence After School Alliance
Founder, PeaceLove
Dean of Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College and Conservatory
Founding Editor, Fast Company, Coauthor, Mavericks at Work, New book, Practically Radical
Professor, Author