Phil likes Tom

POST: Barnett from PopTech!(sic)

(Yo, Phil. It's 'Pop!Tech'. I know, funny place to put an exclamation mark ;-)

I just finished watching Thomas Barnett’s talk from PopTech! I like reading Barnett, but watching him is another thing altogether. He’s a very good presenter and very entertaining. If you want a gentle introduction, watch the video. I don’t think the audio would do this talk justice.

There are some other talks on that page that look pretty interesting. Friedman is always good—I had breakfast with him one day at the Governor’s mansion when I was Utah’s CIO. I heard Juan Enriquez at the Governor’s mansion during the Olympics and read his then new book, As the Future Catches You. His latest is a look at a possible future of the US.

Sometime I’d like to have a relaxed conversation with Barnett. I think he’d be very interesting to just hang with for a bit. That’s maybe one of the best, overlooked perks of being governor: the convening power that allows you to spend time with interesting folks and learn from them.