Eavesdropping on conversations and words of insight
Event:
Pioneers in Innovation: Three Legends of Internet Access
Part of the Johnson Innovation Speaker Series with USC Upstate’s George Dean Johnson Jr. College of Business and Economics
Panelists:
Esther Dyson
Venture capitalist, businesswoman, philanthropist and technology visionary; founding chairman of ICANN, which registers web addresses; funder of HICCup, organization behind Way to Wellville accelerator; board seats include 23andMe, Meetup, Pressreader, Voxiva, Yandex, the Long Now Foundation, the Sunlight Foundation and the Personal Genome Project; member of World Economic Forum and Global Agenda Council on Fostering Entrepreneurship; studied economics at Harvard University.
Dennis Hayes
Spartanburg native and inventor of the first PC modem, which facilitated the technology shift leading up to the modern computing landscape. The Smithsonian has had an exhibit dedicated to Hayes and his invention, and he was inducted into the CRN Computer Hall of Fame for his contributions to the industry. Hayes’s current venture, Hayes Security, provides cybersecurity consulting services, as well as functional testing services for software companies. Founding board member for the Georgia Research Alliance, founder of the Georgia High Tech Alliance, founder of the U.S. Internet Industry Association.
David Pensak
Developer of the first commercially successful Internet firewalls at Raptor Systems, 30-year advanced computer security and computer architecture researcher at DuPont; taught at the Wharton School of Business, George Washington University School of Law, Drexel University School of Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University College of Medicine, University of Delaware Business School; studied chemistry at Princeton university and received both a masters and Ph.D. from Harvard University, both in chemistry.
“If we just implemented all the technology we’ve got … that would change the world much more than any awesome innovations.” –Esther Dyson
“Google helps you find what you’re looking for. What you really need is something more like a map. … You need framework and architecture rather than simply points.” –Esther Dyson
“A lot of the innovations that I’ve seen in business started with figuring out how to ask the right question. … If you’ve learned how to ask the right question to begin with and focus your energy on that question … there’s a chance you can find the right answer to be productive.” –Dennis Hayes
“If you can explain science to a child, then you really understood it. If you can’t explain it to a child, then keep working on it.” –Dennis Hayes
“I’ve reached a point where I have no idea what’s on my computer … We desperately need someone to help us organize what we’ve got and to help us find what we haven’t.” – David Pensak
“If they’re not having fun with what they’re doing, then you as the parent, as the manager, are doing something wrong.” –David Pensak, referring to what longtime family friend Albert Einstein said about raising children with curiosity.
“The first firewall was conceived in the backseat of a cab in New York City.” –David Pensak
