Theme: Trending Now

Trending Now screams at us from our computers and smart phones, telling us what to read, what to buy, what celebrity is doing what with whom right now. We’re never far from our apps and our feeds. The digital immigrants watch in awe as the younger generations, the digital natives, seem to accept their devices as a part of them, another limb.

In a relatively brief span of time, we have seemingly embraced a digital life: From the way we communicate to the way we shop. From the way we read and listen to music, to the way we learn and the way we create art. From the way we date, to the way we make war. But how is our humanity being defined by our technology and how are we defining it?

TEDxSonomaCounty will bring together leading thinkers and doers to explore multiple perspectives on the theme, Trending Now. We’ll imagine a world where we will be more connected than ever before. How will our lives be richer beyond our imaginations as our devices, our homes and our societies become connected in new ways? Where will we embrace new technology, making the quality of our lives and the world a better place? Where will we push back preferring older ways of doing things, and why?

Jackson Theater at Sonoma Country Day School
4400 Day School Place
Santa Rosa, California, 95403
United States

Adam Gazzaley

Director of the Gazzaley Lab

Adam Gazzaley, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor in Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry at the UC San Francisco, the founding director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center, and director of the Gazzaley Lab. His lab’s most recent studies explore neuroplasticity and how we can optimize our cognitive abilities via engagement with custom-designed video games, and how this can be bolstered by closed loop systems using neurofeedback and transcranial electrical stimulation. He has filed multiple patents based in his research, authored over 110 scientific articles, and delivered over 425 invited presentations around the world.

Bob Richards

President and CEO of Moon Express Inc.

Dr. Robert (Bob) Richards is a space entrepreneur and futurist. He is a Co-Founder of the International Space University, Singularity University, SEDS, the Space Generation Foundation and Moon Express Inc., a lunar resources company competing in the $30M Google Lunar X PRIZE, where he currently serves as President and CEO.

Cole McLean

Musician

Cole McLean AKA Equal Eye is an up and coming rapper/poet from San Francisco, California. Cole has become inspired to broaden his horizons and discover new ways to rap over any kind of music. His goal is to connect modern poetry (rap) with the music, issues and soul of Hip Hop and fuse them into the different cultures of the world in hopes of changing people's perspective on rap.

Dezi Gallegos

Playwright and student

Dezi Gallegos was fourteen when he co-wrote and assistant directed the award-winning Prop 8 Love Stories, which received performances throughout the Bay Area before traveling to New York for a two-week run Off-Broadway. Most recently, his play, Yesterday Again, received rave reviews and ran for twelve performances. Twenty-year-old Gallegos, now the recipient of the inaugural Annette Lust Award for Promising Theatrical Talent studies film at the University of Southern California. Event video, projection and audio services produced by http://repertoireproductions.com/

Elizabeth Gore

Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Dell, Chairs of the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council

Elizabeth (Liz) Gore is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Dell, where she drives initiatives that support Dell’s goals around helping small and medium businesses scale and prosper, fueling the expansion of global entrepreneurship, thereby creating jobs that will drive the world economy. Mrs. Gore also chairs the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council and builds global partnerships that positively affect the UN’s most pressing humanitarian issues. Ms. Gore was named by People as one of the top 100 Extraordinary Women and is one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business. Event video, projection and audio services produced by http://repertoireproductions.com/

Freddy Clarke

Musician

Born in Fresno, California, Freddy studied classical guitar at San Francisco State University. Igor Stravinski and John Cage are two influences who have helped shape his vision. Freddy's solo performances and original compositions have likened him to "Segovia on acid", and "the Kenny G of flamenco guitar", and "Smashing Pumpkins meets Gypsy Kings".

Henry Evans

Advocate

At age 40, Henry Evans was left mute and quadriplegic after a stroke-like attack caused by a hidden birth defect. Years of therapy helped him learn to move his head and use a finger -- which allows him to use a head-tracking device to communicate with a computer using experimental interfaces. Now, Evans is a frequent and enthusiastic collaborator with robotics teams who are developing tools to help the severely disabled navigate their lives. Event video, projection and audio services produced by http://repertoireproductions.com/

Lee Shupp

Director of Insights and Strategy at Speck Design

Lee Shupp sparks innovation with clients by understanding how technology, consumers and culture are evolving. He joined Speck Design in 2014 after stints at The Futures Company and innovation consultancy Cheskin.

Michael Brito

Head of social strategy at WCG, a W2O Company

Michael Brito is a social strategist, author, and adjunct professor with over 15 years experience helping organizations solve marketing challenges. He is head of social strategy at WCG, a W2O Company, where he is responsible for helping clients think through their content, social and paid media strategy.

Mickey McManus

Research fellow at Autodesk in the Office of the CTO, principal and chairman of the board at MAYA Design

Mickey McManus is a research fellow at Autodesk in the Office of the CTO and a principal and chairman of the board at MAYA Design, a technology design and innovation lab. He's a pioneer in the fields of pervasive computing, collaborative innovation, human-centered design and education.

Nell Watson

Engineer, entrepreneur, and futurist thinker; Lecturer at Singularity University

Nell Watson is an engineer, entrepreneur, and futurist thinker who grew up in Northern Ireland. She has a longstanding interest in the psychology of technology, and how that combination creates emerging social trends. Event video, projection and audio services produced by http://repertoireproductions.com/

Nolan Gasser

Musicologist

Nolan Gasser is a critically acclaimed composer, pianist, and musicologist – most notably, the architect of Pandora Radio’s Music Genome Project and the company’s chief musicologist from its founding in 1999. He holds a Ph.D. in Musicology from Stanford University. His original compositions have been performed in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, La Salle Pleyel (Paris), and the Rose Bowl (Pasadena), among many others.