Like tech talks, but without the tech
Google has several series of talks that are always going on. I think of them all as tech talks because that was the series I was first introduced to. However, they’re apparently quite separate. Google periodically has authors come in to give talks about their books, and these are called the Authors@Google series. I’ve gotten to see Scott Ritter (former UN weapons inspector in Iraq) speak live, and I’ve gotten live video feeds of news reporter Tom Brokaw, Steve Wozniak (cofounder of Apple Computers), Ken Jennings (the Jeopardy dude), and Dr. Joseph Stiglitz (Nobel prizewinning economist) speaking. It turns out many of these are on Google Video as well! Some of the ones that have caught my interest (but I haven’t watched them yet): graphic novelist Neil Gaiman, Dr. James Watson (co-discoverer of DNA), and Dr. Jane Goodall (the chimpanzee lady).
Watson returns to Chicago every few years to give a talk. He’s a real asshole and a little bit of a misogynist. He was one step short of calling Rosalind Franklin a stupid bitch when he last spoke. Haha. At least he’s got that double-helix thing going for him. Also, he was played by Jeff Goldblum in the made-for-TV movie Life Story. Bonus points for that.