Clay Shirky's talk at Web 2.0 Expo on Cognitive Surplus

I wrote about Clay Shirky last month but since then I found this video of a recent talk of his on Cognitive Surplus that so many people have been talking about.


To my mind, this is more than a switch from the passive watching of TV. Millions of baby-boomers like myself are coming up for retirement. I am often asked when I am going to retire. I am NOT. In the past you retired when you were physically no longer fit for work and died soon after. Today at 60 or 65 you may still have twenty years of active life left in you.

Why would I want to cultivate my garden; knock a little ball round a field; walk the dog; play bingo or watch TV when I can still contribute to the world; enjoy doing that and leave a little bit of a legacy. Sure its not for everyone; some people want to retire in the old-fashioned way. I and I hope millions like me will no longer do that! And the web ensures that we have a choice.