Federico Pistono

My talk at ZDAY 2012 Vancouver regarding automation, technology, and their impact on jobs and the economy.

The Book: http://robotswillstealyourjob.com
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March 12th, 2012 - Throughout history and around the world, millions of lives have been improved by innovative ideas. Could the next big idea be yours? The challenge from Singularity University, in partnership with Axelera, is to propose an idea or project to make life better, increase happiness, health, education, security, opportunity for the future of at least 3 million people in Italy over the next 3 years, leveraging innovation and exponentially advancing technologies. Singularity University is a think-do-tank in Silicon Valley, which already conducts annual competitions in USA, Canada, Central America, Brazil, Russia and Spain. Since 2012, thanks to the contribution of Axelera, Italy also participates in organizing the Singularity Contest to award a scholarship for a Graduate Studies Program 2012 participant.

We want to merge talent, technology and awareness," explains Eric Ezechieli, Singularity University Graduate Studies Program 2010 Alumni, and Axelera Founder, "because those factors have the potential to create a radically different and better future in Italy, to boost the country’s impact in the Mediterranean Region, and leapfrog from the past we already know. This contest is only a first step.

The Prize

The winner will be admitted as a participant and receive a scholarship USD $ 30,000 (thirty thousand USD) worth for the Graduate Studies Program 2012 at Singularity University, at NASA Ames Research Center in California, during the summer of 2012. This transdisciplinary program combines 10 weeks of outstanding business leaders and academics from around the world to develop solutions to solve the greatest challenges facing humanity. Furthermore, the best candidates and the winner will enter a special mentorship program, in cooperation with the Axelera network.

What Singularity University?

Singularity University was jointly founded by Dr. Peter H. Diamandis and Dr. Ray Kurzweil. The concept of a new university that could leverage the power of exponential technologies to solve humanity’s grand challenges was proposed by Diamandis to Kurzweil and to International Space University colleagues Dr. Robert D. Richards and Michael Simpson in April 2007. Founded in 2008, its mission is to assemble, educate and inspire a new generation of leaders who strive to understand and utilize exponentially advancing technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges.

"For four years Singularity University has been organizing its outstanding programs in California," adds David Orban, European Advisor of Singularity University Axelera Founder. "With the Italian competition its ideas and methods will reach a wider local audience."

The contest opened on March 8th, 2012 and will end on April 8th, 2012. The selection of the 15 best projects will be communicated by 20 April 2012 on the Axelera website. Between April 20th and 30th, 2012 the 15 best projects will be called or contacted for further information, interviews or for further evaluation. Projects will be evaluated by a committee of experts, composed of Singularity University alumni, entrepreneurs and other experts in the evaluation of innovative business projects.
The complete application documents are available at http://axelera.eu/singularitycontest/regolamento/

About Axelera

Axelera is an association, initiated by Singularity University Alumni and Enthusiasts, and whose purpose is to spread a clear understanding of exponentially advancing technologies and aggregate, inspire and encourage the development of a new leadership that leverages the Italian potential to address the grand challenges of our time.
We live in an era of unprecedented technological acceleration which results in exponentially increasing knowledge, understanding, and human potential. This scenario requires a new commitment and radically different ways of thinking. Axelera wants to help improve the capacity of the Italian economy, businesses, governments and citizens to address and create a desirable future. Furthermore, it wants to help create a bridge of cooperation, learning and exchange between Italy / Mediterranean / Europe and the most innovative organizations and networks on the planet.

More Links

http://axelera.eu/singularitycontest/
http://singularityu.org/impact/competitions/

Whenever I stumble upon a self-help book, particularly the kind of motivational, how to be successful type of rhetoric, I find myself to be very skeptical. There is something about the self-help category that bothers me. It seems as if those supposed gurus have the secret to financial success, fame, happiness, spiritual fulfillment... and they are happy to share it with you for the modest sum of $29.99. Just give them your money, follow the steps, and all of your problems will be solved.

Sure.

Sometimes they'll throw in some new age mumbo-jumbo, sometimes a few marketing buzzwords, or a mix of the two. As it turns out, all they offer is some basic common sense knowledge for anybody who hasn't been asleep for their whole life, masqueraded as divinely inspired epiphanies. I get annoyed very quickly by that kind of thing.

Then, you come across something distinctly different.

A few days ago the crowdfunding campaign for my upcoming book was ending, and I was checking out the donations coming in. I noticed that a certain "Michael Ellsberg" just preordered a copy of the book, and he tweeted that to his 5K followers. I remembered reading an article of his' some time ago, and I was intrigued, but didn't follow up right away, as I already had a ton of books waiting for me, most of which essential for moving forward with mine. Well, things were about to chance very quickly.

We went back and forth a few tweets, and in a matter of minutes I received a gift notification on my kindle. A few seconds after that, I was already reading his book The Education of Millionaires: It's Not What You Think and It's Not Too Late. Now, that's what I call direct marketing done right.

First off, Michael doesn't pretend to be a guru of any sort, nor does he wish to. He is somebody who has developed over the years a level of hands-on knowledge, the kind of street smart that you won't learn in school, and he has a history to prove it. He presents a clear, lucid, and very genuine insight into the world of reinventing yourself, and how to find an equilibrium between success and fulfillment. The book is fluid and organic. It's well structured, and it's a pleasure to read. You can tell he spent a great deal of time writing, reading, proofreading, checking, going back and forth to fix it several times before publication. There is a lot of time, effort, and professionalism put into this work, and it transpires from every page. The insights and advices he gives make perfect sense (once explained), but they are not obvious at all. Throughout the 272 pages of the book, his personal life permeates and surrounds the events told. It's compelling. And most of all, it feels real. Not for a moment are you treated like a mindless moron, looking for instant satisfaction and empty slogans to fill your void with more emptiness. Instead, Michael treats you like a smart, intellectually engaged person, who is trying to be even more stimulated, in order to take the next big step in their life.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading his book, and needless to say I would recommend it. But not to anybody. If you are not prepared to challenge your views and maybe even change the way you live, then this book is the last thing you want to read. Personally, it has helped me substantially, and it is also thanks to him if I finally decided to leave my safe and secured, well paid job, to become self employed and pursue my passions (taking risks, but with care and intelligence).

Now, I feel like I've known Michael a little bit, and I would like to know even more and learn from him. But most of all, I want to try and help him any way I can, by sharing ideas and giving him insights in those areas that I know fairly well, but that he may not be familiar with.

His book inspired me to strive for excellence with mine. It was one more reason to put all my efforts in writing as best as I can. There is still a lot of work to be done, and I can't wait to get back and make it happen. In fact, that's exactly what I'm going to do now, so forgive me if I stop writing so abruptly.

It's been an amazing week. The book is gaining a lot of interest, and things are starting to catch up very quickly. I had an interview with Peter Murray from Singularity Hub, and he wrote a very good article about my upcoming book, which was even featured on the front page of their website.

Next, I was contacted by The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET), whose mission is to be a center for voices arguing for a responsible, constructive, ethical approach to the most powerful emerging technologies. They believe that technological progress can be a catalyst for positive human development so long as we ensure that technologies are safe and equitably distributed.

You can read my article here, which will part of a series, outlining the general principles presented in the book.

I've also been contacted by some very influential people and organisations. Things are looking good, the times are extremely exciting.

We are moving fast.

Hurray! I will be spending my summer at the Singularity University's Graduate Studies Program 2012, NASA - Ames Research Center, Silicon Valley. http://singularityu.org

Singularity University is non profit whose aim is to assemble, educate and inspire a cadre of leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies and apply, focus and guide these tools to address humanity's grand challenges.

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Music
WEEKENDS!!! (feat. Sirah) - Skrillex