The keynote address at Solidworks World can be a tough sell to lots of attendees. Most people attend the general sessions to see the new functionality of the upcoming release, or to be entertained. So when they bring someone up on stage to talk for an hour, you have to be able to keep peoples attention.
This years keynotes should be interesting. Here is an overview from the Solidworks site:
Dr. Don Norman: Emotional Design
Dr. Norman has written and coauthored 14 books, including his classic: The Design of Everyday Things, and his latest book, Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. “In the everyday world, we want to get on with the important things in life, not spend our time in deep thought attempting to open a can of food or dial a telephone number.” Cofounder of the Nielsen Norman Group, an executive consulting firm that helps companies produce human-centered products and services, Dr. Norman is a professor at Northwestern University; a professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego; and the co-director of Northwestern University’s Segal Design Institute. He is a fellow of many organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America.
In 2006, Dr. Norman joined the ranks of Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and Thomas Edison by receiving the Benjamin Franklin Medal from the prestigious Franklin Institute, and a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from SIGCHI. Dr. Norman is an ideal model for this year’s theme of “Inspired to Design.”
Dr. Bob Ballard
Founder and President, Institute For Exploration of the Sea Research Foundation in Mystic;
Director, Center for Marine Exploration at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Director of the Center for Marine Exploration at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Dr. Ballard is a marine explorer, engineer and geologist, who is most noted for the discovery of the legendary HMS Titanic, countless expeditions to uncover the ocean’s secrets, and designing the popular submersible camera “ANGUS.” Dr. Ballard perfected the technology used to locate the World War II German battleship, Bismarck, and the World War I passenger liner, Lusitania. He has also co-engineered “Jason” – a remotely operated vehicle that fits through small openings to see into a ship’s interior. We welcome you to explore the technology and secrets of the world’s oceans with Dr. Ballard.
Now much has been said about the selection of Dr. Don Norman. After receiving a somewhat good punch in the arm from the event organizer (who knew Kerri had such strength?) I decided to do some research on him. If you have some time, check out this YouTube video about him. I think you will be pleasantly surprised about what he will have to say.
yes, this should be a great event
Posted by: Albert Whatmough | November 22, 2007 at 01:30 AM