Logo by Brian James Kirk
Some 250 years ago, Ben Franklin had a problem. He suspected “electrical fluid” was contained in lightning, an uncommon belief at the time. As legend has it, near Philadelphia’s own Christ Church, Franklin reasoned a kite would be the easiest way to get close to a thunder storm. As the kite flew close to the storm, he witnessed the fibers standing erect. After touching a key to the string and his knuckle, his discovery was complete and the rest is history. Or folklore, depending on who you ask.
The news industry needs its own kite moment. It’s time to throw conventional wisdom to the wind and try something different. That’s why in the very city that Franklin conducted his kite experiment, the industry’s forward thinkers will have a meeting of the minds.
After going on a meeting bonanza, I can tell you the following: The event will by hosted by Temple University’s School of Journalism on Saturday, April 25th, which means we will be taking over the Annenberg building. These facilities are top notch, a we have access to wi-fi, half a dozen smart classrooms, a bigger “smart” lecture hall, a public atrium, 2 computer labs, and even a TV studio. All told, this venue can hold between 250-300 people comfortably. I ask that anyone planning on attending register for free (it takes 10 seconds), so we can gauge numbers. If the number attending creeps close to 300, we will switch to a bigger venue down the street.
Barring any sponsorship that provides food, there is no plan to cater the event as there are roughly 323,233,767 places to eat within 5 minutes of the building. I, personally, look forward to patronizing Temple’s famous crepe truck.
The event is also in need of a few volunteers such as someone to handle tech/wi-fi stuff, someone to wrangle sponsors, etc. If this sounds like something you’d like to help out with, drop a line on the wiki or sign up for the Google Group. And a thanks to everyone who has stepped up already.
Maybe we’ll come up with an idea that is as radical as Franklin’s hypothesis. Excited? Register below.
3 people linked here