What are the challenges for nonprofits, governments, and institutions as we move do a digital converged society?

How will convergence change delivery systems for media?

What effects will converged media have on our everyday lives?

What are the economic and technological factors are important to the success of convergence?

What are some of the Technological obstacles that we have overcome and what others are we still overcoming?

What are the political climates like around combined media and technology...and what is big businesses stance on it?

Explain the factor that hackers play in convergence and should government and business leaders adopt a less aggressive policy against them?

What happens to books and libraries etc... are those that don't adapt or at the very least become early adopters destined to fail?

What does the future hold for consumer devices?

Every tool of human interaction - video, images, text - can be displayed ,stored and transmitted in ones and zeros now...what effect will this have on our every day lives? What ways should it be...our more to the point what ways have we not seen yet?

Do the emerging trends of interaction have any effect on peoples ability to interact without them or do they drive more interaction?(not sure exactly how to ask this question)

Backbone, content, and distribution are said to be the backbone of media industry...what is the potential for these distinct areas to overlap?

Companies like NewTek in SA and ? in Austin are definitely pioneers in converged media devices what should other Texas/US companied be looking at in order to leverage their position in this new economy?

How do we plug DCi???? (Something like how do you see Central Texas role in convergence and what if anything is currently under way?)

What effect if any does broadband wireless play in the overall landscape?

It's obvious that some devices, the cell phone, computer, automobile, are currently surfacing as the winners of digital convergence why is that and what are some of the other devices we should keep an eye on in the future?

How has printed media suffered? Is it dead and does it need to be?

What were some of the underlying factors involved with the PC's quick progression beneath family television?

What are some of the economic trade-offs with converged devices...when on one hand they become more valuable and on the other closer substitues to one another? Or explore the trade-off of value and sustainability in a converged marketplace?

How do you build one product for all people or provide one type of content to all people...is it a possibility...do we even want to?

George Cisneros wrote:

Digital Convergence Panel
•••••••••••••••••••••••••

Why suddenly all the attention to Convergence?

The issue and its expectations have been here for several years. So why now is this so important?

My first encounter with convergence was in outputing as a decsion to pursue progressive or interlaced. Let’s begin there because this was where we content developers confronted a fork in the road.

This is where the film/TV people went one way and the digital media people another – at least for a while. I suggest we explore this seminal moment of time ….maybe 1985-87 when what we created on the desktop and what we shot on tape lived in segregated ‘seperate but equal” communities.

But who decided to walk into our reality?? Tim Jamison at NewTek with a great invention the “Video Toaster” !!! This may be the beginning of convergence…..but why not consider all the machines – APPLE II’s, C-64’s, Amiga 500’s and others whose designer/creators decided to have an RCA Component Video output jack!!!

Food for thought as we bridge the landscape of devices which confront the content developers. For far too long we had to make decisions way at the frontend based on usage devices. Convergent Technologies allow us to make a device decision during or at the end or of the creative process….

Can we build any resonance around these thoughts?

Throw in:
• Alternative Distribution Networks
• Interactive
• Groups
• BLOGs
• Gaming
• Installation Venues
• Raves
• Handhelds
• Wireless
• Surveilance
• Distance Learning

Well, as a very general first shot, since the panel is about institutional
versus grassroots efforts to help digital convergence happen, my perspective
is that institutional efforts should be able to help grassroots efforts.
Specific examples are possible synergistic benefits taht result from
bringing companies and organizations together that are involved in digital
convergence. This has happened when clean energy and wireless companies and
organizations have come together, and it should be able to happen with
digital convergence companies and organizations. When these organizations
get together, common ideas for branding and marketing can occur, common
needs can be realized that can be enhanced by the group working together
(see as examples what have happened with the power of organizations that
have developed around clean energy and wireless), and initiatives such as
the clean energy and wireless initiatives at the Austin Technology Incubator
are helped.

The City of Austin has also taken several actions that are industry-related
because of studies about the music and film industries. Those actions can
also be used as examples of ways that the City is trying to help certain
industries, as it could for digital convergence.

One specific example of something else the City is doing to help the
technology industry is helping to fund workforce programs that increase the
available skills for that industry.

Comments?