a compilation of references and recommendations
NASA’s Innovative & Advanced Concepts program (NIAC)
“David on behalf of NIAC I want to thank you for the time you took — at this meeting and so many others — to discuss the Phase I concepts, offering the fellows your discerning comments, questions and suggestions. They (and we) all learn from your keen insights and gently phrased challenges, that improve both the concepts and presentations. I know we have your NEC services through September, but we are most definitely going to miss your presence on the council; for a decade you’ve made us a better program, and I sincerely thank you for it.”
Michael LaPointe, executive
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
"I am writing to express our sincerest gratitude for coming to NASA and the A-suite for our seminar series. Your books have inspired all of us to dream big and imagine the possibilities of the future, and now to hear from you in person makes that dream even bigger."
Bhavya Lal, Ph.D., Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy, and Strategy
University of Otago Business School
“Along with the Dean of the Business School, I thank you for speaking with the students and staff from the Otago DBA programme today. Your contribution exceeded high expectations and created a level of debate far in excess of what was expected. Both students and staff members left the room inspired.”
Dr. Duncan Connors
Australian Defence Establishment
“Thank you once again for an excellent session. As always it was both entertaining and informative. As with previous courses, your session is a favourite of the students.”
Col. Jeremy Logan
Mensa San Diego
“Your talk was engaging and entertaining, yet thought-provoking and was a highlight of the weekend.”
Simonevan Egeren
Viacom Corp.
"I want to thank you again for your presentations and discussions with the our engineering team at Viacom. It's was very inspirational for everyone. I've gotten so many compliments! Even though we work for a content company we don't get much opportunity to meet authors of your stature and achievement. And yet it's the love of great works of art and science that keep most of our engineers at Viacom and not at a pure tech company. So thanks again for all that you do and for giving us a lot to think about!"
John Pavley
Talks at Google
“Thank you David for your wonderful, expansive Google Talk for our Google Team. It was definitely appreciated — I've gotten quite a bit of positive feedback from folks who attended.”
James Freedman, organizer, "AI, Augmentation and the Future"
RAND Corp.
“Thanks for a great talk today! You definitely stirred the pot and inspired lots of important discussion at the meeting throughout the day.”
Rob Lempert, NSF Smart and Connected Communities Meeting
American University, DC
"Thank you very much for speaking to my class on Friday. I know it is hard to gauge the students reactions over zoom with masks on, but a number of students told me they appreciated the advice you gave. One told me that you were not at all what they expected from a science fiction writer, specifically that you were funny."
Prof. Gregg Harry
"Young Innovators Awards: Keynote" MIT
"It was utterly fascinating — thank you so much for coming to class! I think the students got a ton out of it; much appreciated!"
Nicholson Price, Prof. U. Michigan Law School
San Francisco Regional Mensa
"Thank you for speaking to our organization. Members really enjoyed your presentation. AI and digital / genetic enhancement is fascinating and scary at the same time. The recording has now been uploaded."
watch it here
Australia Defence and Strategic Studies Course (DSSC)
“Thank you for your engaging and informative discussion. I have received very good feedback from the course body. I will recommend that we include you in the lineup for future iterations of the Defence and Strategic Studies Course.”
Group Captain Mark McCallum
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
"Thank you for participating in NIST ITL’s Science Day. Your talk was on target and very well received. The best part was hearing co-workers say that you got them thinking about the implications of their work. Thank you again."
Brian Stanton, Group Leader: Information Access Division
Naval Postgraduate School
"David, I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to share your thoughts with so many from around our community. The buzz has been outstanding, with many requests for the trons to your slide deck. I was particularly struck by how so many of the themes you identified so long ago — back when we were first in touch — so accurately glimpsed what was coming. Kudos!"
John Arquilla, faculty
MITRE Corporation
“Thank you, David, for the great & inspiring talk and for the answers to the questions. A lot of things to think about…”
Nahum Gershon
Continue reading more speaking references and recommendations.
information about DAVID BRIN's public speaking & consulting
honoraria
David Brin's standard speaking fee has risen for commercial meetings requiring extensive travel: the greater the distance, the more likely it is that he must travel Business Class. The fee is less for events near San Diego or for non-profit groups clearly benefiting the public or kids.
best-selling books and notable articles
nonfiction pages of interest
a brief intro to science fiction author DAVID BRIN
To learn more, visit his books page, or see his "about me" page or detailed biography.
novels
David Brin's science fiction novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. They range from bold and prophetic explorations of our near-future to Brin's Uplift series, envisioning galactic issues of sapience and destiny (and star-faring dolphins!). Learn More
shorter fiction
Short stories and novellas have different rhythms and artistic flavor, and Brin's short stories and novellas, several of which earned Hugo and other awards, exploit that difference to explore a wider range of real and vividly speculative ideas. Many have been selected for anthologies and reprints, and most have been published in anthology form. Learn More
Contrary Brin blog
Since 2004, David Brin has maintained a blog about science, technology, science fiction, books, and the future — themes his science fiction and nonfiction writings continue to explore. Learn More
social media influencer
Who could've predicted that social media — indeed, all of our online society — would play such an important role in the 21st Century — restoring the voices of advisors and influencers! Lively and intelligent comments spill over onto Brin's social media pages. Learn More
scientist
David Brin's Ph.D in Physics from the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. Every science show that depicts a comet now portrays the model developed in Brin's PhD research. Learn More
transparency expert
Brin's non-fiction book, The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy?, continues to receive acclaim for its accuracy in predicting 21st Century concerns about online security, secrecy, accountability and privacy. Learn More
speaker & consultant
Brin speaks plausibly and entertainingly about trends in technology and society to audiences willing to confront the challenges that our rambunctious civilization will face in the decades ahead. He also talks about the field of science fiction, especially in relation to his own novels and stories. To date he has presented at more than 200 meetings, conferences, corporate retreats and other gatherings.Learn More
future/tech advisor
Brin advises corporations and governmental and private defense- and security-related agencies about information-age issues, scientific trends, future social and political trends, and education. Urban Developer Magazine named him one of four World's Best Futurists, and he was appraised as "#1 influencer" in Onalytica's Top 100 report of Artificial Intelligence influencers, brands & publications. Past consultations include Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and many others. Learn More
