(17) Richard Florida, Stephen Marche, Will Richardson, Michael Enright, Eckhart Tolle

What happens to your brain when you attend seminars, all within the space of 48 hours, given by people such as Richard Florida, Stephen Marche, Will Richardson, Michael Enright, Eckhart Tolle, while reading A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future, by Daniel Pink?

Where's the brain research on that one?

I probably won't know that answer for quite some time, if ever.

In all these discussions, however, a thought did occur to me. People keep talking about IT, or Information Technology, not KT, or Knowledge Technology. Information has always been more or less readily available in democratic, open societies, but not everyone has known how to use it or turn it into knowledge. Can there even be a "Knowledge Technology," then? "Knowledge Technology" doesn't even sound right. Can knowledge be created?

Knowledge is what will distinguish one individual from another, or will impress: "That's impressive. You know so much." or "She's very intelligent. She knows a lot."

Armed with a certain amount of knowledge, we're also in a better position to make connections and be better critical thinkers. Without knowledge, we exchange "opinions," often erroneous, based on nothing much at all. This is not critical thinking, but falling into mind traps, stereotypes, prejudices, perceptions and preconceived ideas.

Some people, like Will Richardson, feel that since information is even more readily available than ever, thanks to technology, we no longer have to memorize dry facts. "Why do my kids have to learn the capitals of the 50 US states?"

I would say that maybe, because we're born with a memory, we should be willing to develop it with some kind of knowledge relevant to places where we live. Why not learn the ten Canadian provinces and their capitals if you're Canadian? Why not learn the fifty states and their capitals if you're American? You can't die of "brain crammage."

And I would suggest we don't stop there. Learn the planet, learn the continents, the counries located there, maybe their capitals as well, so that if and when we are in a position of responsibility (or even not), we know where Africa, Irak or Russia are on the map, unlike Reagan, Bush or Palin who made "international fools" of themselves, and of their country, when they demonstrated their lack of knowledge about the world.

More later about Florida, Marche, Richardson, Enright, Tolle.

Stay tuned.