Colby-Sawyer College to Host Bill Davidow, Silicon Valley Legend and Best-selling Author of Overconnected: The Promise and Threat of the Internet
NEW LONDON, N.H., Sept. 15, 2011 – Colby-Sawyer College will host Silicon Valley legend and best-selling author Bill Davidow for a discussion of his acclaimed book, Overconnected: The Promise and Threat of the Internet. Davidow, a former high-technology industry executive and a venture investor, successful entrepreneur and scholar, as well as a historian with significant ties to the Lake Sunapee Region, will answer questions and sign copies of his book.
Davidow will speak in Clements Hall at the Curtis L. Ivey Science Center on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, at 4 p.m. The event is free and all are invited to attend.
Efficiency at What Cost?
In Overconnected: The Promise and Threat of the Internet, Davidow describes the unique set of challenges for government, social institutions, business and economies created by the near miraculous success of the Internet.
“The benefits of our highly connected state have been myriad and dramatic, propelling economic growth and making the world more efficient,” Davidow explains. “The practical applications of this new medium – the ability to manage our lives and businesses at anytime from anywhere, network and socialize with our friends, and create commercial enterprises that span the world – have made the Internet a force unequaled in scope or impact in our daily lives. And yet, Davidow warns, such high levels of connectivity can also create a “degree of momentum that is devastating.”
Pulitzer Prize-winning author David M. Kennedy says that in Overconnected, Davidow “argues compellingly that connectivity without coordination is a formula for chronic instability, and that hyperconnection without coordination is a formula for mega-catastrophe.”
Overconnected has been praised by Harvard Business Review and The New York Times; James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic, writes that “[Davidow] shows how the unanticipated effects of the Internet are distorting economics, politics, and individual lives.” Colby-Sawyer President Thomas C. Galligan Jr. calls Overconnected “one of the most important books I have read in the last five years.”
“Overconnected is a compelling read on how a new technology affects an environment – particularly how the Internet has accelerated communication of information and rumors and what that has meant for the global economy,” says President Galligan. “In the course of analyzing this critical issue, Bill Davidow covers a wide range of subjects. I was engaged from page one to the last paragraph.”
Copies of Overconnected will be available for sale at the event, courtesy of New London's Morgan Hill Bookstore, or can be purchased in stores and online in advance of the event.
From the Upper Valley to Silicon Valley
Davidow, who earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Dartmouth College, is no stranger to the New London area and looks forward to enjoying the fall foliage during his visit with his wife, Colby-Sawyer alumna and former trustee Sonja Carlson Davidow '56.
Bill Davidow, who also earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology and a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University, worked in a variety of managerial positions at Hewlett Packard and General Electric before serving as senior vice president of marketing and sales, vice president of the microcomputer division and vice president of the microcomputer systems division at Intel.
Davidow is also the author of Marketing High Technology and a co-author of Total Customer Service with Bro Uttal and The Virtual Corporation with Michael Malone. He serves on the boards of Cal Tech, the California Nature Conservancy and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. Currently, he is an active advisor to Mohr Davidow Ventures, a venture capital firm.
To learn about other upcoming events at Colby-Sawyer College visit www.colby-sawyer.edu/events.
Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts and sciences college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with professional experience.
Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000
