The first is a little disturbing. It is a story leading up to the civil war when the nation was very clearly divided into two political camps. We live in a politically divided time, although i dont want to imply we are headed for civil war. I dont know what we are headed toward, but there is resonance in the way we have red and blue states today. There were northern and Southern States then that were fundamentally divided over this giant issue of slavery. There are other things. The 1840s and 1850s was a time of enormous technological and economic change. The development of the temoak of the telegraph came in 1834. Within a few years of the invention of the telegraph, cities east of the mississippi were connected and there was National Conversation which becomes part of the story i tell. It turns out these communication devices that were designed to bring people closer together drove them farther apart. They were horrified by what people on the others were saying. There is that. There
The first i guess is a little disturbing that it is a story leading up to the civil war when the nation was very clearly divided into two political camps. We live in a politically divided time, although i dont want to imply we are headed for civil war. I dont know what we are headed toward, but there is resonance in the way we have red and blue states today. There were northern and Southern States then that were fundamentally divided over this giant issue of slavery. There are other things. The 1840s and 1850s was a time of enormous technological and economic change. Particularly in the news media, the development of the telegraph came in 1834. Within a few years of the invention of the telegraph, cities east of the mississippi were connected and there was National Conversation which becomes part of the story i tell. It turns out these communication devices that were designed to bring people closer together drove them farther apart. They were horrified by what people on the others were
It feels like this is a conversation with science. Without science we wont be having this conversation but ultimately this is a conversation about ethics because all of technology no technologies come with their own builtin value system it is up to us to infuse our values into at least the most significant application of those technologies. Since the hardcover version came out last april i have a preliminary reference to the first crisper baby who are born. But since then we know there are at least three of these genome ed babies then after that experience the World Health Organization created its International Advisory committee. We are working extremely hard to try to suggest at least what might be a framework for how we think about and apply these very powerful technologies in ways that maximize benefits. I was honored to be invited to go speak at the vatican about this. People from the vatican are also participating. My view is that this is about the future of our species we need a
Thank you very much for coming. [applause] thanks, everyone and good day. Delighted you can comthe way ths afternoon. Im delighted to be here in San Francisco and specifically to taktalk to jessie and john fremt who had so much to do with california as we know it and is so much to do with the creation of San Francisco as we know it. I got into San Francisco about 210230 this morning on a delayed for flight from los angeles, a couple hours of sleep and then woke up again because i was to be picked up by a car to do a te radio thing on the radio. The thing is that begins at the very exact time. The thing about going for San Francisco traffic at is you are not going to make your exact time. I was supposed to be 8 a. M. Specific time i would be there and im still on the road of keeping up the freeway and i dont know, 7 miles an hour, 9 miles, whatever it wa was plan looking out the side of the car and San Francisco bay is out there and the Southern Suburbs of and i am missing my deadline w
Many of you honestly know him. Hes cohost of morning edition on npr. Hes also the author of this great book on jessie and john fremont. How many people are here from fremont . We have a couple, okay great. Thank you very much, steve, for coming. [applause] thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks everyone, and good day. Delighted you could come this afternoon. Im delighted to be here in San Francisco, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and particularly to talk about jessie and john fremont who had so much to do with the creation of california as we know it and so much to do with the creation of San Francisco as we know it. I got into San Francisco about 2 30 a. M. On a delayed flight from los angeles, got a couple of hours of sleep at an Airport Hotel and then woke up again because i was to be picked up by a car and driven up the highway into San Francisco to do a live radio thing on kqed. The thing about life radio is it begins at a very exact time. The thing about going through S