Seoul Plaza Hotel
I attended a talk at the Seoul Plaza Hotel about 50 meters from Westin Chosun Hotel that I went two days earlier, this talk is also under the banner of the Korea Foundation.
I took the 7.00 a.m. bus to Hoegi Station and arrived the hotel at 7.40 a.m.
Breakfast was good with three course meal and the main dish being eggs sunny side up (for KRW2,100 about RM5.60 price of return transportation, not bad for a five-star hotel meal).
Breakfast was good with three course meal and the main dish being eggs sunny side up (for KRW2,100 about RM5.60 price of return transportation, not bad for a five-star hotel meal).
I met with Mr. Abdullah Ahmad Zawawi the Embassy of Malaysia's Deputy Chief of Mission - I guess he has to write a report back to HQ about this event. He said that it was good of me to attend such talks as most of the events in Seoul has to be paid with your own pocket which costs around US$1,500 (about RM4,500). That's about a month of my living stipends here in Korea!
Lucky me - or I am just being an opportunist.
Well for the quest of knowledge, I am prepared to be called that term.
~ Alec Ross
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| Ross has no formal training in technology. And unlike most of Washington's tech policy leaders, he wasn't groomed at the Federal Communications Commission or through the FCC Bar Association |
The talk lasted about 40 minutes and the usual 20 minutes Q&A.
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Twitter @AlecJRossSecretary of State Hillary Clinton's Senior Advisor for Innovation. |
When the emcee of the session introduced him as the famous and well known star of new media, I really thought he was this actor who played Private Daniel Jackson in the movie Saving Private Ryan.
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| Barry Pepper |
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| Box Office hit "Saving Private Ryan" 1998 Private Daniel Jackson in the movie |
He does have that resemblance, if you check out his pictures further down in this entry.
Enough about Mr. Pepper, now for the real star.
Most influential people in their 40s ~ Alec Ross
Alec Ross serves as Senior Advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, where he is tasked with maximizing the potential of technology and innovation in service of America’s diplomatic goals and stewarding Secretary of State Clinton’s 21st Century Statecraft agenda.
In this role, Alec helps ensure America’s leadership and advances the State Department’s interests on a range of issues from Internet Freedom to disaster response to responding to regional conflicts.
Previously, Alec served as the Convener for Obama for America’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Policy Committee and served on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team.
In 2000, he and three colleagues co-founded the nonprofit organization One Economy (1Malaysia?) and grew it from modest origins in a basement into the world’s largest digital divide organization, with programs on four continents.
He was named the 2010 Middle East/North Africa Technology Person of the Year, cited by the Huffington Post as one of “10 Game Changers in Politics,” named a “game changer” as one of Politico’s “50 Politicos to watch” in 2010, and named one of 40 under 40 leaders in international development.
Alec has served as a guest lecturer at numerous institutions including the United Nations, Harvard Law School, Stanford Business School, the London School of Economics, and a number of parliamentary bodies. His writing has appeared in publications including the SAIS Review of International Affairs, the NATO Review and the Hague Journal of Diplomacy.
Alec started his career as a sixth grade teacher through Teach for America in inner-city Baltimore where he lives with his wife and their three young children.
In this role, Alec helps ensure America’s leadership and advances the State Department’s interests on a range of issues from Internet Freedom to disaster response to responding to regional conflicts.
Previously, Alec served as the Convener for Obama for America’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Policy Committee and served on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team.
In 2000, he and three colleagues co-founded the nonprofit organization One Economy (1Malaysia?) and grew it from modest origins in a basement into the world’s largest digital divide organization, with programs on four continents.
He was named the 2010 Middle East/North Africa Technology Person of the Year, cited by the Huffington Post as one of “10 Game Changers in Politics,” named a “game changer” as one of Politico’s “50 Politicos to watch” in 2010, and named one of 40 under 40 leaders in international development.
Alec has served as a guest lecturer at numerous institutions including the United Nations, Harvard Law School, Stanford Business School, the London School of Economics, and a number of parliamentary bodies. His writing has appeared in publications including the SAIS Review of International Affairs, the NATO Review and the Hague Journal of Diplomacy.
Alec started his career as a sixth grade teacher through Teach for America in inner-city Baltimore where he lives with his wife and their three young children.
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He became Clinton's senior advisor at 37 years-old which is impressive with Washington's pool of talent.
His talk today began with the cost of starting up an internet business 10 years ago and comparing it with today's cost. According to Ross, in 2002, to start an internet company you need at least a capital of US$150,000 (RM450,000) a month to keep it running. About US$2 million a year for the upkeep of your business. Nowadays, in just 10 years you don't need that kind of money as you can start with only US$1,500 a month. This he says any 22 year-old can start giving out business ideas in their basement and make some money or... not.
His talk today began with the cost of starting up an internet business 10 years ago and comparing it with today's cost. According to Ross, in 2002, to start an internet company you need at least a capital of US$150,000 (RM450,000) a month to keep it running. About US$2 million a year for the upkeep of your business. Nowadays, in just 10 years you don't need that kind of money as you can start with only US$1,500 a month. This he says any 22 year-old can start giving out business ideas in their basement and make some money or... not.
Then he further elaborated on the ideas his staffers had during the January 2010 Haiti earthquake which due to the time zone difference, the news began to relay into the US when people were on their way back home.
He said Secretary Clinton wanted to raise the awareness of the American people to contribute in any way they can to the Haitian people. And so, three of Ross' staff, all of them ladies came up with the idea that as most Americans have mobile phones and spends millions of dollars on text messages, why not use that mechanism for Americans to text and $10.00 will be charged on their telephone bills.
In two weeks they managed to collect US$30 million!
He said Secretary Clinton wanted to raise the awareness of the American people to contribute in any way they can to the Haitian people. And so, three of Ross' staff, all of them ladies came up with the idea that as most Americans have mobile phones and spends millions of dollars on text messages, why not use that mechanism for Americans to text and $10.00 will be charged on their telephone bills.
In two weeks they managed to collect US$30 million!
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Mobile giving to help Haiti exceeds $30 million |
Ross' highlighted that, this did not involve a congressional body or a senior governmental official to be doing such a noble cause but it takes only three women to achieve this.
He gave examples of the Arab Spring to elaborate on the role of Facebook and Twitter in starting a revolution and stressed that it is not Facebook Revolution or Twitter Revolution.
Revolution happens when people starts to complain about the high cost of living, the ruling families hand in the nation's wealth (sounds too familiar?), government's heavy-handed role in the media and propaganda. So it is still being called as a people's revolution.
One of the points that was important to highlight was the role of the main stream media with propaganda influence as well. It works when people have only one TV channel, one newspaper - but in today's world that simply do not work.
I have many more points to share, but if I were to write it all, this would be too boring and it'll be a ministerial report rather than easy reading.
I'll just see if readers like to know more through the visitor tracking.
Until then, have a great weekend guys!
Annexes
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/05/AR2009040501732.html
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| Why He Matters |
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