Einsteins Cubicle: Where Genius Happens & Why

Information is everywhere, and in an effort to stay abreast of it all, were constantly connecting. But the most important connections--the original insights and eureka moments that change the world--tend to happen in the space between the countless tasks that fill up our daily lives. It can happen when youre walking along a city street, taking a shower or just driving down the highway. William Powers calls them Gaps, and he shows why theyre essential to the kind of thinking often called genius. Theres genius in all of us and in a busy, hyper-connected world the trick is locating those magical spaces where it can bloom. Powers shares inspiring stories of geniuses past and present who found gaps in the most unlikely places and how we can do the same.

• What the latest scientific research reveals about the sources of inspiration;

• How great minds such as Einstein carved out gaps within their own hectic, busy lives;

• The ways digital tools are changing the landscape of creativity, and where cutting-edge thinkers and organizations are finding brand new gaps.

Hamlets BlackBerry: The Next Tech Revolution

Over the last two decades, the digital revolution has transformed our lives. Were connected as never before, and a whole new world of resources is at our fingertips. How do you harness these riches to build better organizations, communities, schools and families? This might seem like uncharted territory, but it isnt. Drawing on over 2,000 years of human innovation and progress, Powers shows that every tech age brings the same mix of opportunities and challenges were facing right now. And forward-thinking people always recognize that the key to success isnt the technology but how you use it. Our gadgets should be working for us, not vice versa, and the next wave of innovation will be about making sure they do. In fact, its already begun.

In this lively presentation, Powers reveals:

• Why great leaders and creatives are never passive about technology,

• Why Shakespeare embraced the BlackBerry of his time and how Ben Franklin would have used Twitter,

• How the next tech revolution will radically reshape the digital experience, so it fosters depth and imagination,

• Which innovative organizations are leading the way, and what we can learn from them.

Free the Mind: Unleashing the Creative Power of New Technologies

Best-selling author William Powers combines the neuroscientific and behavioral breakthroughs of the last several decades with his own trailblazing research to show why the current approach to social networking and other new technologies is deeply flawed. Conventional wisdom says the more connected you are 24/7 to digital screens--and the more tasks youre performing simultaneously--the better. Yet a growing body of evidence shows that, as we strive to stay tethered to our gadgets, were working less efficiently and thinking less creatively. And paying a high price in lost productivity: A typical midsized American company with 1,000 employees is now losing $10 million a year to overload--distracted workers trying to juggle too many digital tasks at once.

In this provocative, story-driven presentation, Powers:

• Shows were repeating the mistakes of the technology past, by viewing the devices as the source of creativity;

• Explains what constant multi-tasking does to the brain;

• Using real-life examples, demonstrates how a more balanced, targeted approach to technology restores focus and sparks truly innovative thinking.