Long Now Brussels Meetup - February 02011
We live in an era of distant frontiers. The seas (spanning 71% of Earth’s surface) might one day support permanent human settlements - but few take that distant possibility seriously. Recent exoplanet discoveries are tremendously exciting yet space remains, for all but the very few, almost unthinkable. The 10,000 Year Clock project (http://longnow.org/clock/) represents a major effort to create a sense of frontier in the time dimension. What role did frontier “space” play in driving social innovation historically? While we’re all glued to this planet for the foreseeable future, how might we open up frontier zones without reverting to discredited models of the past?
We’ll be looking at Paul Romer’s 02009 talk “A Theory of History, with an Application” in which he makes a case for the establishment of new charter cities. While his ideas are not without controversy he makes a compelling argument. Come see for yourself! In case you’d like more info about Paul’s talk, you can read Stewart Brand’s summary here. I also recommend this recent examination of Romer’s idea by The Atlantic Monthly.
The talk runs about 90 minutes so we will start the video promptly at 19:15. (Please try to be here on time, at 19:00, to settle in!) Also, as we provide refreshments, an RSVP is much appreciated. If you feel so inclined, grab some snacks or a drink to share with the group. If you know of anyone who would make a good guest speaker for a future meetup (or if you have a suggestion for a topic), please let me know!
FoAM is located at Koolmijnenkaai 30-34. Basically, it’s a 2-3 minute walk from the Comte de Flandre metro stop. Walk toward the canal. (Koolmijnenkaai runs parallel to the canal.) Take a left. FoAM is about halfway down the block on the left side of Koolmijnenkaai, in a courtyard. It’s up on level 4. If you have any trouble finding the place ring me on my mobile and I’ll help: +32/494.766.080. I highly recommend that you take public transit if you can. In addition to it being more sustainable it’s super convenient to FoAM. Hope to see you there! Cheers, - —Trey
Trey Darley (trey@treyka.net) from Long Now Brussels http://www.meetup.com/longnowbrussels/
