Convergence -- Every Man (and Woman) a Spy.

Presented at Black Hat USA 1998, July 30, 1998, 9:50 a.m. (30 minutes)

Arbitrary digital interfaces - television, PCs, PDAs - are converging, but that's only part of the story. The roles people play in work and life are converging too. Intelligence agents, knowledge managers for global corporations, competitive business intelligence agents, sysadmins, hackers, journalists, and CIOs are becoming indistinguishable. Why does that matter? Because the ability to synthesize and integrate information, manage complexity and ambiguity, morph continually into roles appropriate to a shifting work context, and somehow remember who you are - that's what matters most. Our presentations of ourselves are the powerful levers that move mountains in the digital world. Richard Thieme discusses why and how to do it.


Presenters:

  • Richard Thieme / neuralcowboy - Thiemeworks, Inc.   as Richard Thieme
    Richard Thieme is a business consultant, writer, and professional speaker focused on the human dimension of technology and the work place. His creative use of the Internet to reach global markets has earned accolades around the world. "Thieme knows whereof he speaks," wrote the Honolulu Advertiser. He is "a prominent American techno-philosopher" according to LAN Magazine (Australia), "a keen observer of hacker attitudes and behaviors" according to Le Monde (Paris), "one of the most creative minds of the digital generation" according to the editors of Digital Delirium, and "an online pundit of hacker culture" according to the L A Times. Thieme's articles are published around the world and translated into German, Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian. His weekly column, "Islands in the Clickstream," is published by the Business Times of Singapore, Convergence (Toronto), and South Africa Computer Magazine as well as distributed to subscribers in 52 countries. Recent clients include: Arthur Andersen; Strong Capital Management; System Planning Corporation; UOP; Wisconsin Power and Light; Firstar Bank; Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.; W. H. Brady Company; Allstate Insurance; Intelligent Marketing; and the FBI.