Gordon Brown at TED on Global Connectivity

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown was a surprise speaker at the TED Conference in Oxford this week. The themes of his talk will be familiar to regular readers of this blog and friends of NDN. From the TED site:

We're at a unique moment in history, says UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown: we can use today's interconnectedness to develop our shared global ethic -- and work together to confront the challenges of poverty, security, climate change and the economy.

Check out some of our deep thoughts on these subjects at the links below, but first, enjoy the talk:

A Laptop in Every Backpack
by Alec Ross and Simon Rosenberg, 2007
A single global communications network, composed of Internet, mobile, SMS, cable and satellite technology, is rapidly tying the world’s people together as never before. The core premise of this paper is that the emergence of this network is one of the seminal events of the early 21st century.

Harnessing the Mobile Revolution
by Tom Kalil, 2008
In recent years, the use of mobile phones and other mobile communications in developing countries has skyrocketed, and Kalil takes a look at the power of mobile technologies in addressing some of our most pressing challenges, such as reducing the huge inequities in life expectancy between rich and poor countries, fostering inclusive economic growth, and promoting vibrant democracies.