Keen On

If anyone should be anointed “aunt” or “court jEsther” of the tech industry, it’s long time journalist, investor and philanthropist Esther Dyson. When I caught up with Dyson at DLD, she reflected on her 40+ year career in technology and her evolution from tech industry observer to wellness advocate. Her aunt/court jester" role, she explains, is to provide honest feedback to the tech powers-that-be while maintaining independence. In this role, Dyson expresses concern about society's vulnerability to "information diabetes" - addictive content that, like processed food, provides short-term pleasure but long-term harm. She details her work with Wellville, a 10-year project focused on community health and resilience, and explains her upcoming book "Term Limits," which argues for the importance of knowing when to pass the torch rather than trying to live or serve forever. Dyson - who, between 2008 and 2009 lived in Star City outside Moscow, Russia and trained as a backup cosmonaut - also shares her unique insigh