Topic: Culture

Technology has increased the flow of information and made our decision-making more transparent. In this panel discussion on empathy and ethics, Bill Drayton, Mary Gordon, Keith Hammonds, Kirk Hanson, and Jill Vialet consider how empathetic ethics has to begin with individuals and can only then move into the organizations we lead and the societies we serve.

Both Presidential candidates are working to court the Latino vote, but so far neither party has had any real success. Diego Graglia is documenting the lives of Latinos during this presidential election year as he travels from New York City to Mexico City. In this report, he talked to Teresita Jacinto, a spokeswoman for Mexicanos Sin Fronteras-Mexicans Without Borders. They discuss the Prince William County, Virginia crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Ori and Rom Brafman, authors of "Sway," in which they discuss when and why people make irrational decisions.

Lee and Sachi are CommonCraft, the husband-and-wife company that produces short online videos which explain concepts like RSS, and applications like Twitter. On this edition of Interviews with Innovators, host Jon Udell asks LeFever about the elements of CommonCraft's distinctive style, the art of editing, and the origin of "explanation problems".

At what stage in life do innovators make their most significant contributions to social enterprise? In this audio lecture, economist and creativity researcher David Galenson debunks the myth that high achievement is the domain of youth and genius for an audience of social entrepreneurs over the age of 60. Applying lessons learned from lives of artists and leaders, he considers differences in style and time horizons of creative people, emphasizing that social innovation is more about slow burn than flash in the pan.

The question of what to eat to be healthy has spawned a rash of often contradictory advice by "experts." In this audio lecture, sponsored by the Stanford Ethics and Society Program, NYU professor and author Marion Nestle offers simple advice that cuts through the confusion. She highlights the difference between "nutrients" and "food," and suggests how to bring "nutrition" back into the food realm. Her discussion forays into how agriculture and business interact to produce the foodstuffs on our shelves.

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Rick Smolan, author of "America at Home," who tried to capture how Americans live through pictures of their homes.

The first generation of Open Source has been a wild ride unimaginable at the time it began. But Mitch Kapor, President of the Open Source Applications Foundation and chair of the Mozilla Foundation, thinks the end is not in sight and that we can influence the future of Open Source by our actions and contributions. Open Source has some great virtues that deserve to be spread through all of society, not just the computing industry.

What do you get when you combine a love of Bollywood music videos with widespread illiteracy? Brij Kothari sees an opportunity to make the world a better place. By subtitling popular entertainment, he helps millions learn to read in a fun way. He's also creating multiplatform stories that will be seen on TV, read on mobile phones, and printed in books. Talking to Design for Change host Sheela Sethuraman in this audio interview, Kothari describes how he improves lives by incorporating education into everyday entertainment.

The SXSW Interactive Festival features five days of exciting panel content and amazing parties. Attracting digital creatives as well as visionary technology entrepreneurs, the event celebrates the best minds and the brightest personalities of emerging technology. Hugh Forrest, Director of Events for the festival joins Tom to discuss the event.