SPOS #889 – Kevin Kelly On Tech, Optimism And Living Well

July 23, 2023 Laura Bosch 148 Views

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Welcome to episode #889 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #889. Let’s delve into the kaleidoscopic journey of Kevin Kelly, a titan of technology and innovation, who launched Wired magazine in 1993 (and happens to be one of my favorite writers and Thinkers about “what’s next?”). After seven years as Executive Editor, he still holds the fort as Senior Maverick. Twice during his reign, Wired clinched the National Magazine Awards for General Excellence – the magazine industry’s equivalent to Oscars. Flashback to 1984-1990, Kevin wore the hats of both publisher and editor of Whole Earth Review, a journal serving unconventional conceptual news. With Kevin at the helm, it earned the distinction of being the first consumer magazine to cover virtual reality, ecological restoration, and Internet culture, among other trend-setting topics. His 1988 creation, Signal, evaluated emerging digital technologies, effectively setting the stage for Wired magazine. Later, in 2003, he crafted the Cool Tools website to feature daily tool reviews, culminating in a bestseller book, and eventually, the weekly recommendation list, Recomendo, boasting over 60,000 subscribers (of which I am one… and never miss an issue). Kevin’s early digital footprint can be traced back to 1985 when he helped lay the foundation for The WELL, one of the pioneers in forming online communities. His tech experiments didn’t stop there – he launched Cyberthon in 1990, the first-ever 24-hour virtual reality event, and co-founded the annual Hackers’ Conference. Kevin’s pen dances across a variety of subjects, from machines turning biological (Out of Control, 1994) to digital economy rules (New Rules for the New Economy, 1998) and the inevitable technological trends of the future (The Inevitable, 2016). His works echo in pieces like 1000 True Fans, and his latest book, Excellent Advice For Living. With a knack for photography, Kevin’s snapshots have found home in Life and other national magazines. His nomadic photography journeys culminated in a 3-volume magnum opus, Vanishing Asia, preserving the fading cultures of Asia through 9,000 pictures. As a founding board member of The Long Now Foundation, Kevin promotes long-term thinking, epitomized by their 10,000-year clock and library project. Kevin Kelly’s journey illustrates a passion for innovation and an unyielding curiosity about the future. I couldn’t be more excited to talk with him. Enjoy the conversation…