Concerned about declining sales of books in the thirties, book publishers approached Ed Bernays, the father of public relations. Bernays cajoled a group of Nobel laureates to endorse a statement that books are the key to the very survival of civilization. These he took to the association of homebuilders, convincing them that every new home should be constructed with built-in bookcases. An empty bookshelf begs to be filled. Now we, the people in this room, are building the digital bookshelves .
Every successful idea starts as a minority opinion.
Breakthroughs occur on the edges, not at the center. By the time consensus arrives, it s no longer true. Cyborg life is coming. We already have implanted hearts, eyes, kidneys. Richard s son recently toured a plant in Silicon Valley where thousands of headless frogs in open vats of nutrients are growing organs for scientific experiments.