October 27, 2005
Google Zeitgeist '05 - Go For Throttle Up
Imagine you were a gardener with a giant greenhouse full of plants. One day you decide to take 400 of your favorite flowers and vegetables from the greenhouse and move them to a new, temporary location where you could saturate them with a special fertilizer, lots of other delicious foods and abundant sunshine, well let’s say a mix of sun and clouds. If those of us in attendance here at Zeitgeist ‘05 - The Google Partner Forum were indeed plants, that is exactly what happened to us over the past 36 hours.
Zeitgeist ‘05 began with a tantalizing reception at the Stanford University Art Center on Tuesday evening, October 25th. That was a special evening filled with networking, delicious food, fine wine, gorgeous art and an atmosphere of unbridled excitement.
The following morning things got serious. Those people in the audience who did not fasten their imaginary seatbelts were undoubtedly tossed about the room by the endless stream of thought-provoking ideas from the likes of Barry Diller, Jeffery Cole, Jonathan Miller, Malcolm Gladwell, Chris Anderson, Reed Hastings, Craig Newmark, Arthur Sulzberger, Ray Kurzweil, Zoe Baird, Yusuf Mehdi, Tom Rogers, Dr. James Billington, James Surowiecki, John Hennessey and none other than Sergey Brin and Larry Page the founders of Google. Can you imagine for just one moment trying to absorb in your brain just half of what was said by these individuals who need no introduction?
In an attempt to keep our energy levels high since so much of it was being burned by our brains, the talented chefs and staff at Google kept us well-fed and comfortable from morning until it was time for bed. Waking up this morning I feel like I have a hangover, but one from the consumption of far too many ideas. I’m glad I brought two pens as my first one almost ran out of ink I took so many notes in my trusted moleskin. Zeitgeist ‘05 is beyond belief. It will go down in my own personal history as yet another life-changing event. Thank You Google ever so much for inviting me!
The final day of Zeitgeist ‘05 is here. I am ready, my g-suit is on and my head is now ready to be filled once more. My advice to you who are going to ride with me over the next few years here in the Internet - strap yourselves in as the ride is going to be unlike anything you have yet experienced!
Posted by Tim Carter at October 27, 2005 09:12 AM