Lessons from Norway, NC & DC
What I learned helping host the Nobel Peace Conference, JLF North Carolina and the Chief AI Officer Summit.
Sree’s mom Lekha, who died in 2023, would have been 75 on Oct 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s 155th birthday. He visited the Mahatma’s statue in NYC’s Union Square Park this week. His dad, T.P. Sreenivasan, took the photo on the right in Tokyo in 1971. Last year, he wrote about losing those who matter most.
Sree’s newsletter is produced with Zach Peterson (@zachprague). Digimentors Tech Tip from Robert S. Anthony (@newyorkbob). Our sponsorship kit.
🗞 @Sree’s #NYTReadalong: Sunday mornings, 8:30-10 am ET, we read a print newspaper aloud on social media with a fab guest. We’ve been doing this for 9 years. Videos of our five most recent guests: Rajesh Vetcha, Marcia Stepanek; Melissa Ludtke, Eric Weiner, Cauvery Madhavan. Check out our archives here. The Readalong is sponsored by Muck Rack. Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Email sree@digimentors.group and neil@digimentors.group.
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OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I’ve had the honor to work on three important gatherings: the Nobel Peace Conference in Oslo; JLF USA lit fest in five cities; and the Chief AI Officer Summit in Washington, D.C.
Hard to think of a trio of conferences with seemingly less in common than these, apart from the fact that it was a #LifeHighlight for me to work on each of them.
But they do have some things in common and also offer some lessons for all of us who organize events and care about spreading the word about the causes we believe in.
What they have in common: At a time of great divisions in the world, as we are being tested by forces who seek to separate us, the three gatherings focused on topics that can unite and uplift us. And in each case, they were about bringing out the best in humanity, even as charlatans and despots appeal to the worst parts of people. They also show us that a 21st-century superpower for organizations is their convening power, whether in-person, online or, ideally, a mix of the two.
PEACE: At the Nobel Peace Conference, the theme was WOMAN LIFE FREEDOM. I was blessed to be digital co-host again this year, with Ingvill Bryn Rambøl of the Nobel Peace Center, as we honored last year’s Nobel Peace laureate, the jailed Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi. Her 17-year-old twins Ali and Kiana Rahmani, were among the headliners at the event, showing the same poise and bravery as they did when they accepted the prize on her behalf last year (you can watch the full conference below and also a special digital-only interview I did with them). This year, we partnered with United World Colleges campuses worldwide, along with a robust in-person audience of high schoolers from United World College Red Cross Nordic. Many thanks to Ingvill and CEO Kjersti Fløgstad and their Nobel Peace Center colleagues for letting me partner with them.
The 2024 winner will be announced on Friday, Oct. 11, and you are all invited to virtually attend a celebration of of the laureate(s) the next day. As I’ve written before serving on the board of Nobel Prize Outreach is the privilege of a lifetime, and you can see my lessons from the Nobel Peace Conference 2023 here.
LITERATURE: For about a decade, versions of what Tina Brown calls “the greatest literary show on Earth,” the Jaipur Literature Festival, have also taken place outside India, including in Boulder, Colorado; Houston and New York City, along with events in the UK, Spain, Maldives, Australia and elsewhere. This September, JLF USA added new editions in Seattle and the Research Triangle in North Carolina, with events in Raleigh and Chapel Hill (I wrote about JLF’s origins here). Among the things that stood out to me was how different yet similar each of the five cities was in terms of look and feel, speakers and audience. The generosity of the speakers, the engagement of the attendees, the richness of colors, food and music, the excitement, all made it a memorable way to celebrate books. I got to interview author Tania James on stage at Asia Society in NYC and the legendary Shobhaa De at UNC in North Carolina. Check out JLF’s Sanjoy Roy’s thoughts on why such festivals matter below. Many thanks to Sanjoy, Suraj Dhingra and their Teamork Arts colleagues for letting me partner with them.
AI: The Chief AI Officer Summit and the CDAO Summit took place over two days last week in DC and brought together some of the most exciting leaders in AI, digital, tech and more to talk about where these industries are headed. What struck me was how much great tech talent there is in the federal government as we met top folks from the White House, CIA, Housing and Urban Development and so many more place. I also learned about National AI Talent Surge (easy: ai.gov/apply), which wants more techies to join the government (and with competitive pay and benefits as we learned). Every panel and keynote touched on ethical and responsible AI and how we can use this technology to benefit people above all else. Below you’ll see a video of Tanya Dua, tech editor of LinkedIn, explaining three things you can do to improve your LinkedIn impact right away. Many thanks to summits founder and CEO David Mathison for letting me partner with him.
BTW, there was a surprising Nelson Mandela connection to all three gatherings:
1. I hosted my portion of the Nobel Peace Conference at the beautiful, new Nelson Mandela Room at the Nobel Peace Center, where one of his favorite sayings adorns a wall: “"The best weapon is to sit down and talk.” 2. Day two of JLF North Carolina was held at the UNC FedEx Global Education Center, where the talks were held in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium. 3. The Chief AI Officer Summit was held on the University of Maryland College Park Campus, where President Mandela spoke in November 2001, just a short walk from our conference. More than 10,000 people came to hear his speech, and the governor made him an honorary citizen of Maryland.
Some videos from these events:
1. The digital-only pre-show of the Nobel Peace Conference 2024:
My interview with 17-year-old twins Ali and Kiana Rahmani, children of Narges Mohammadi, at Nobel Peace Conference 2024:
Full four hours of the Nobel Peace Conference 2024:
JLF co-founder Sanjoy Roy explains the magic of the JLF gatherings and why festivals exist in a digital world: https://x.com/sree/status/1836348319401934943
Headliners Jhumpa Lahiri and Suketu Mehta in North Carolina were just two of the most than 140 amazing authors, experts and artists who spoke or performed across the five JLF USA cities this year: https://x.com/sree/status/1839810353896517754
In this CAIO Summit video, LinkedIn’s Tanya Dua shares three things you can do to improve your LinkedIn impact right away: 1. identify two-three topics you’re passionate about, and start sharing about them regularly; 2. write in the form of posts, unless you are going to run a regular newsletter; 3. make sure you use a good a high-resolution headshot of yourself.
It’s a privilege for me and my Digimentors team to work on digital, PR, marketing, outreach aspects of organizations big and small, giving us a chance to live up to our motto, “Let’s create impact.” If you or anyone you know would want to talk to us, please email me: sree@digimentors.group
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SAJA@30: Conference & Gala Awards Oct. 11-12 in NYC
SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, was founded 1994 by four friends in NYC. Now it represents more than 1,000 journalists across the U.S. and Canada and has given away more than $400,000 in scholarships and fellowships. Join us Oct. 11-12 in NYC for a reception (Friday, Oct. 11, 6:30-9 pm at Aicon Contemporary); a conference w/ headliners, panels, workshops (Saturday, Oct. 12, 9 am-5 pm at CUNY Newmark School of Journalism); gala awards dinner (Saturday, Oct. 12, 6:30-9:30 pm at Columbia Journalism School). You don’t have to be a journalist or South Asian to attend!
Register here.
Learn more here.
Become a sponsor here.
Donate here.
Two South Asian Events for Harris Coming up
South Asian Writers Speak Up for Harris: A literary fundraiser for Kamala Harris.
IN NYC. Monday, October 14, 2024 | 6-9 pm | Baar Baar | New York
| 13 East 1st Street, btw 2nd Ave & Bowery. Distinguished writers and authors show up, speak up and speak out for the Harris-Walz campaign. All proceeds go directly to the Harris Campaign. Donate (and see the updated writers list by SCROLLING UP at this link): https://tinyurl.com/southasiansforkamala
South Asians Stand-Up for Kamala: A Night of Laughs for Kamala Harris.
VIRTUAL. Tuesday, Oct 15, 2024 | 9pm ET/6pm PT.
In the most consequential election in history, we know laughter can unite as we see VP Harris’ great laugh and push for a new positive way forward. Now South Asians across the world of comedy unite in laughter behind Harris as we get ready for the final stretch of this campaign. Learn more: https://bit.ly/southasianslaugh2024
DIGIMENTORS TECH TIP | Microsoft Hardware Makes a Comeback, Sort Of
By Robert S. Anthony
Each week, veteran tech journalist Bob Anthony shares a tech tip you don’t want to miss. Follow him @newyorkbob on Twitter and check out his 1.1 million followers on Pinterest!
There was a time, not that long ago (2023 to be exact), when Microsoft keyboards, mice and webcams were big sellers in electronic stores and frequent sights in offices. The company stopped making such Microsoft-branded products in 2023 in favor of Surface-branded units, but now they’re back—somewhat—courtesy of Incase.
Onward Brands, owner of phone case and bag maker Incase, announced it had licensed Microsoft’s brand and intellectual property for keyboards, mice and webcams back in January, but its line of “Incase Designed by Microsoft” products won’t go on sale until later this year.
“The deal includes manufacturing components of well-known Microsoft accessories, ensuring that the products stay true to the favorites that consumers enjoy and trust,” said Onward Brands in a press release. This means the new products will not only have the look of old Microsoft-branded products, but the feel as well.
Microsoft keyboards, like the 2003-vintage Microsoft Wireless Desktop Elite Keyboard model 1011 used to type this column, have proven durable and reliable even as the functionality of some special keys—designed for earlier versions of Windows—have gone to sleep.
Microsoft famously created a line of ergonomic keyboards with raised centers and keys split into two sides in response to concerns about carpal tunnel syndrome and other hand maladies experienced by heavy keyboard users. Ergonomic keyboards will be among the first 11 Incase Designed by Microsoft wired and wireless keyboards that will be available later this year, according to Onward Brands.
The new Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard will feature an air gap between the two sides of the keyboard while the longer Ergonomic Keyboard has a filled-in center and a number pad on the right side. A Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop package includes an ergonomic keyboard, a mouse and separate number pad.
New Incase audio products include wireless and wired USB-A and USB-C headsets and other audio devices designed to be used with the Microsoft Teams videoconferencing platform. The Bluetooth Mouse and Bluetooth Ergonomic Mouse will look very familiar to users of old Microsoft hardware.
Prices of the new Incase Designed by Microsoft products have not been released yet.
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