Just wanted to throw a quick note of thanks for last night. It was phenomenal, not least of which was due to the great presenters:

1. Katrin Verclas from MobileActive.org giving us the low-down on how mobile technology is changing the world and in particular how it’s empowering the 3rd world.
2. Graham Hill from Treehugger.com kicking it straight style, showing how we can stop screwing the future over and perhaps treat this planet with due respect.
3. Sem Devillart showing future of design with its unlikely influences and newfound sense of responsibility.
4. Ben Donaldson from College Humor, talking about psychological warfare through video games and the blurry line between fantasy and reality just keeps getting blurrier. And remember: don’t shoot the puppy

Special shouts out to Jay Medhurst, Gaurav Mishra, and Robert Schwartz for making my life a bit easier. And of course my darling audience. It was a kick ass crowd with many new and old faces. We had a great time in spite of frigid temperatures outside and, unfortunately, in.

There will be a LucidNYC in February–I should have a date soon enough. And as always, feel free to shoot me a suggestion, recommend a presenter, anything to keep the conversation lively, over at dfriedlander@lucidnyc.com.

Again many, many thanks.

David Friedlander

Getting Lucid in the New Year

Happy New Year to the lucid and the befogged alike!  We’d like to report that it’s been an exciting time here at Lucid NYC, filled with big plans for the New Year, with big names and intellectual pyrotechnics, the likes of which will set New York City ablaze!

But we won’t report that, because it’s silly and not true.

Here’s the deal:  Lucid NYC—the event and concept—while undoubtedly providing great times, ideas, and crowds, has been getting a little overwrought.  It has been getting too formal and too far from its initial intention:  to create a fertile environment for New Yorkers to share ideas and make the world a better place.

Lucid NYC will be the living room you always wish you had, pre-filled with fascinating people.

With that in mind, we’re scaling back to the essentials.
Like always, we will have great presenters.  For example, for the next event, we have the eco-style innovator Graham Hill, founder of Treehugger.com and Discovery Channel’s Planet Green; futurist Sem Devillart talking about predicting visual trends; and a couple others who who we’ll announce shortly.
But everything else will be scaled back:  the new venue is a spacious and charmingly imperfect Chelsea loft with many sofas that may have been found curbside.  No more rows of seats.  No more formal bar.  It’s BYOB and F (food) (there’ll be plenty of both to start people off).   We don’t want to sell you anything.  The goal is to create a comfortable environment to generate conversation.
[Note: we will still be charging $10 because, well, we need to cover overhead that is in excess of $600. It's still way cheaper than getting a loft of your own.]

So please come on January 15th.  Settle in and make it your own.  And, as always, shoot me presenter suggestions, or any input as to how Lucid NYC could achieve its end better.  And sign up for the Facebook group to RSVP.   See you soon.
Happiest of New Years,

David Friedlander