Aspen Ideas Festival
The Future Of War
New technologies including drones and cyber weapons are changing the way we wage war, says former Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg. Steinberg tells Reuters Social Media Editor Anthony De Rosa that war will be redefined in the future and will take many forms.
Watch more episodes of Tech Tonic.
Thomson Reuters and Columbia University Announce Advanced Data Visualization Project
Yesterday we were pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with Columbia University, the Advanced Data Visualization Project (ADVP). The initiative, based at Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), will facilitate research into data visualization and its implications for academia and industry in a world increasingly awash with data. The project will explore data visualization applications in various fields, including journalism, science, medicine and public health, law, architecture, planning and political science and utilize experts from the university, Thomson Reuters and outside researchers. Thomson Reuters will be actively engaged with the program and lead one of six flagship visualization projects.
As the university unit devoted to the future of cities, the GSAPP at Columbia University is in a unique position to galvanize this university-wide project on the future of data visualization. As the world’s leading source of intelligent information to businesses and professionals, we believe Thomson Reuters is in a unique position to support the highest level of research throughout this project.
For more details about this exciting new partnership, you can watch the full session (below) from the Aspen Ideas Festival featuring a discussion between our CTO James Powell, Edwin Schlossberg and Mark Wigley of Columbia University. The session, titled “Information’s Beautiful Future,” explored the potential of data visualization to harness and communicate information clearly and dynamically.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf tells Reuters that Pakistan’s oversight of Osama Bin Laden’s residence was a case of negligence.
Jim Ledbetter asks Musharraf about his views of US policy after the US Presidential election.
Follow the conversation on Twitter at #AspenIdeas.
Heard Around Aspen … July 3rd
Some of the most interesting, provocative and salient quotes we heard around the Aspen Ideas Festival today:

“Well-off people don’t think the Affordable Care Act has anything to do with them. You are wrong. We’re all going to have electronic records, we will all go to safer hospitals, and we all will have a situation where doctors are better at focusing on chronic illnesses.” — Ezekiel Emanuel, Vice Provost, Global Initiatives & Chair of the Medical Ethics and Health Policy Department, University of Pennsylvania
“Cities are the first social media platform – cities accelerate connectivity.” – Mark Wigley, Dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
“I think the word data is useful because it sounds so unloaded, but actually data is just a word we use to point to a huge thing we have no grasp of that is neither in the world of objects nor the world of images… We are living a life so much stranger than we are willing to acknowledge.” – Mark Wigley
“We’re rapidly moving to the point where a single point narrative is becoming irrelevant and where co-creation, collaboration and interdependent experiences are becoming very relevant.” – Edward Schlosserg, Founder and Principal Designer, ESI Design
“Data visualization is an important mechanism that allows decision makers to gain critical insights and mine and navigate relationships between data sets.” – James Powell, Chief Technology Officer, Thomson Reuters
“The collaborative model is fascinating – allowing a community to take a view of what the data means.” – James Powell
Aspen Ideas Festival Roundup – July 2nd
Another exciting day here at the Aspen Ideas Festival began with another in the Festival’s CEO Series, featuring Dr. Anthony Coles, president and CEO of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Other sessions included a Thomson Reuters Knowledge Exchange event, “Information’s Beautiful Future,” featuring our chief technology officer, James Powell, in conversation with Edwin Schlossberg, founder and principal designer of ESI Design and Mark Wigley, dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, discussing our new advanced data visualization partnership with Columbia.
In the afternoon, Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Monique Villa moderated a panel discussion titled, “The Politics of Sex,” with Christopher Elias, president of the Global Development Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Musimbi Kanyoro, president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, and Timothy E. Wirth, president of the United Nations Foundation and Better World Fund. The session was presented with support from United States Agency for International Development.
Euro Zone Headed For Chaotic Breakup
Economist Simon Johnson calls the collapse of the euro zone inevitable and suggests that the Federal Reserve suspend the distribution of capital to the too-big-to-fail banks as an insurance policy against the fallout.
Follow the conversation on Twitter at #AspenIdeas.
China’s Economic Shift Will Fail
The country’s growth was stunning but its attempt to move its economy to one that consumes from one that manufactures won’t work, says Atlantic correspondent James Fallows.
Follow the conversation on Twitter at #AspenIdeas.
The Rich Get Richer But Spend Less
The rich are getting richer but the money is not trickling down. The wealthiest Americans are spending less of their money, reducing total U.S. consumption by $400 billion a year, according to Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Alan Krueger.
Follow the conversation on Twitter at #AspenIdeas.
The Politics of Sex: A Discussion About the Role of Women, Population Growth & Global Health
Issues surrounding gender, poverty, population growth, philanthropy, foreign aid and global health were addressed at this week’s Aspen Ideas Festival. A panel discussion titled “The Politics of Sex” was moderated by Monique Villa, CEO of Thomson Reuters Foundation, and featured Dr. Chris Elias of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Musimbi Kanyoro of the Global Fund for Women, and Ezekiel Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania. The conversation started on a harrowing note, the fact that 215 million women in the world are without contraception.

