“Our next conference will gather one thousand participants to explore the most overlooked aspect of innovation: people. Known in techno-parlance as users, people ultimately define the success of all technological and entrepreneurial projects. Their approaches are unique, influenced by cultural and generational diversity. Let’s explore the myths and uncover the reality behind the “connected people”.

The conference will host sessions on:
Understanding the different uses of technologies by each generation.
The redefinition of privacy.
The dynamics of online communities.
The myths and realities of online politics.
The future of media.
Mobile platforms, business model design, travel 2.0, creativity, democracy, innovation, etc.

Over the next three days, I will be attending workshops and blogging about “Reinventing books, magazines and newspaper in the digital age”, “From virtual to real world value : Collective Intelligence as an alternate source of media power”, and “Social networks and TV : love-match or marriage of convenience?”. If you are interested in learning more about the conference follow me on the Masters of Media blog for the University of Amsterdam this week!

Posts related to Amsterdam will still be published this week.

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Here are some films that look extra interesting:

Yodok Stories

More than 200,000 men, women and children in North Korea imprisoned in concentration camps. Occasionally successful opponents of the dictatorial regime to unleash the to flee. Some of them now lives in Seoul, South Korea. Together they make a musical based on their experience in the Yodok concentration camp. Abuse, starvation and murder in the concentration on the order of the day. Only Few manage to survive, but the number residents of the camps continues to rate as a constant new ‘class enemies’ camps. Occasionally hitting those opponents of the regime to unleash the camp and North Korea to escape, for example Seoul. They decisions together a special and controversial musical to about their experiences in the Yodok concentration camp.

Suddenly, Last Winter

The international festivals winning, ironic “Suddenly, Last Winter” tells the story of Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi, the two makers of the film. Their lives are put on its head when the Italian government adopted a bill pending to gay couples and unmarried couples rights. The proposal provides a great national debate. A wave of homophobia is sweeping Italy.

The Sari Soldiers

When Devi, mother of a fifteen year old daughter, witnesses the murder of her cousin by the Royal Nepal Army, she decided to publicly speak out about this crime. That is not thanked her. The army retaliated by kidnapping her daughter. “The Sari Soldiers” follows Devi in her search for her daughter and her fight for justice. Besides Devi in the film are five other brave women who portrayed from different beliefs try to shape future of Nepal.

The ElectroSmog festival is a critique of the worldwide explosion of mobility, and an exploration of the new forms of connectedness with others offered to us by network and communication technologies.Our question is if these new forms of connectedness can help us to develop a viable new lifestyle less determined by speed and constant mobility, which is both ecologically and socially more sustainable.

Tonight’s art program includes:

TeleTrust

Participatory performance by Karen lancel & Hermen Maat
Daily: 9.00 – 11.00 & 20.00 – 22.00 hrs CET (GMT+1)
Venues: De Balie, Amsterdam / Banff Center for the Arts / Dunedin, New Zealand

Urban Wilderness Action Center – John Cohrs (with Eyebeam New York)

Venues: Eyebeam, New York / Skulpturenpark Berlin / De Balie, Amsterdam / Remote: London
Online linkup between New York, London, Berlin, and elsewhere will take place at 21.00 CET (GMT+1).
Follow live updates from each city on Twitter at #uwac from 15.00 – 24.00 CET (GMT+1).

NomadicMILK project

Art project and installation by Esther Polak
Venue: De Balie, Amsterdam (exhibition)

Here are a few I’m interested to see.

Air Doll

The Border

Your Home

This film called Tokyo! looks amazing! Playing Friday night at the Kriterion at 19.30.

A scrolling, flashing light that said “Not Your Ordinary”. The main dome had several different areas set up like a digital utopian park.

A Twitter tree. You can go up to a pillow, have a seat and connect your laptop/iphone and tweet about PICNIC. The tweets were displayed on a screen above the tree.

Guys playing video games instead of attending a conference session.

Psuedo living rooms were scattered about the conference.

A very entertaining performance art piece that occurred throughout the conference in different locations.