Sunday, July 18, 2010: 4:00 pm (Lovelace): An hour long, multimedia presentation examining the past, present, and future roles that digital and wireless technology can play on the ground during natural and manmade disasters. This discussion will examine why government (FEMA and the National Guard) and big relief organizations (Red Cross and Salvation Army) have gotten the basic premises of disaster relief wrong, using Katrina and 9/11 as examples. Ingenious, informal technological innovations emerging during disasters that promoted effective self-organized relief efforts will be focused upon. The panel will also look at how the hacker communities can create novel and powerfully effective technologies to aid people, and support grassroots self-organizing during disasters.

Hosted by Smokey, Elena, and Dennison Williams