I find that I've been wearing another new hat lately -- resulting in several speaking and consulting invitations per year -- regarding the field of philanthropy. We all do what we can to help make a better world. Some ideas offered here are on the grand scale... others put my money where my mouth is. Here are some of my articles, interviews, essays and ideas about philanthropy.
I am known for offering quirky and interesting... if sometimes weird... perspectives on our world. In the aftermath of the Asian tsunami and the preventable destruction of New Orleans, I've posted a political essay about how disasters are worsened when professionals and citizens interfere with each other.
Another, more philanthropic, essay discusses Proxy Activism, a convenient way modern folks can hire others to save the world for them.
Finally, there's a notion (cribbed from my novel Earth) about how it might be time to let the Mississippi take its natural path to the sea.
(Note: all of these have been discussed on my Contrary Brin blog.)
If you are a student or teacher, you may be interested in some of the stories that I've posted for free online that may serve educational purposes. Some of these stories have been used to illustrate or express ideas that are discussed in modern classes, ranging from physics to history. To find out more, click to a page of information about stories that teach.
Widespread interest has been generated by my concept for EON: the Eye of the Needle Foundation -- an entirely new kind of charitable institution, one that offers hope of dramatically enlarging the pot of modern generosity by offering the super-wealthy (and many of the rest of us, too) some unique incentives. Something for the man or woman who has everything.
Over fifteen trillion dollars may transfer between generations during the next decade or two, in the United States alone. If even ten percent of this transfer went to interesting projects, many wonders might be achieved that neither governments nor private capital would even imagine -- all spurred by the imagination -- or "whims" -- of the super-wealthy. This notion has roused considerable interest in the philanthropy community, at presentations in Washington DC, Seattle, Santa Fe and Monterrey. With only a small initial seed, something like EON might leverage added billions for fascinating and ultimately helpful projects, by persuading some of today's super rich to buy a little history.
With the aim of helping kids develop a love for reading and the future, I have begun offering Cash Prizes for Web Sites that help Teachers and Kids! In conjunction with Analog Magazine, I am proud to help launch the Webs of Wonder (WOW) Contest, offering a $1,000 prize for quality web sites that vividly link good Science Fiction stories or novels to school curricula used by teachers, struggling out there to teach a new generation.
To learn more about this exciting contest, go to the Analog Magazine site.
For another way to help kids, please look into Reading for the Future, an international advocacy campaign geared to help get children and secondary school students reading high-quality science fiction. But the best way to get good science fiction into the hands of kids is to give it to them yourself! And share your excitement with the literature that seriously ponders change in the human condition.
Here's a helpful hint: teen readers seem to love the Out of Time series!
Slowly, some sites in academia are becoming reputable centers for scholarship of and about science fiction. The Eaton Collection, at the University of California, Riverside, has long been such a center of excellence. So has the English Department at the University of Kansas, led by the eminent author and professor, James Gunn. Lately the Merrill Collection at the University of Toronto has joined the ranks of august SF-adept institutions and strong efforts have taken place at Temple University. At the University of Liverpool, Andy Sawyer has made tremendous efforts for the Science Fiction Foundation.
I have made all of these sites places where I regularly donate and deposit copies of my works -- including all foreign editions -- as a small way to help these institutions create useful collections. Now comes word that another of my longtime depositories -- Georgia Tech -- has their SF collection website up and running. I urge my fellow authors -- and anyone interested in helping the field get the respect it deserves -- to help these worthy efforts any way they can.
For some other excellent academic SF links, see the list Georgia Tech put up at their site.
public speaking
future/tech consulting
predicting the future
biography
podcasts & downloads
film/media rights & rants
Uplift novels
other SF novels
graphic novels
young adult novels
my stories
the transparent society
the political lamp is lit!
about fiction
pop culture
about science
my Wordpress blog
my YouTube channel
my Open Salon blog
my Twitter feed
my Blogger blog
my Facebook Fan page
Questionnaire on Ideology
games & music
recommendations
freebies & offers
giving back to the future
fan sites
photos & artwork
email me
return home
[All items sold thru Amazon.com (a secure online store) help offset the cost of maintaining the site.]
I still do science, but civilization seems more interested in my perspectives on the future. (Who am I to argue with civilization?) Let's face change with agility and hope, and meet the challenges ahead.
newest David Brin book!
advice to aspiring writers
request special books & autographs
download a free short story
The Meme Wars
We will watch the watchers!
Citizens are competent
Philanthropy & hope
Transparent Society
Disputation & accountability
JRR Tolkien vs. the Future
Infamous Star Wars articles
...and The Matrix
...and The Postman.
What's Your Ideology Quotient?
The Real Culture War
Neoconservatism, Islam and Ideology
War in the 21st Century
The libertarian dilemma
The liberal dilemma
Technological Nightmares
Literature & the Future
Video Surveillance
Science of Science Fiction
Writing Science Fiction
SF that teaches
Epocene!
Public Speaking
Future/Tech Consulting
Contrary Brin
The "Brin-L" discussion group
I answer some emails
This Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Net Ring link is maintained by David Brin. |
|
Previous 5 Sites |
Proud Son:
