[More Pop!Tech Fellows 2009 pictures]
There are a lot of reasons to come to Pop!Tech, the conference, but honestly the highlight of my Fall is the Pop!Tech Fellows program that precedes it. It’s one of those seamlessly executed events where every detail is taken care of, which is a tribute to those orchestrating it, that pulls together some of the most amazing minds in the social innovator space into one place for a 5 days of immersion. The faculty is world-class and the innovation Fellows are exceptional in so many ways, not least among them their areas of focus.
This year I’ve met a young man figuring out ways to turn waste products into charcoal soil additives that increase crop yield by up to 200%. I thought I knew a little about the mobile space in Africa – and I did know a little, very little, especially compared to what Nigel Waller knows… Oh, and I sat amazed as a lady from Saudi Arabia shares how she won both the MIT and Harvard prizes for innovative business ideas (as a non-profit!) in one year – which is unheard of.
The first thing you need to understand about this pre-conference Fellows event is that it takes place in an incredible location. It’s Fall in the woods of Maine, where we’re housed in cabins surrounded by trees of varying shades of yellow, orange and red. The bay sits below us, with wooded hills behind the idyllic and well-appointed retreat center. It’s the perfect setting to leave behind your daily life and embrace a few days of learning, discussion, renewal and growth.
I was fortunate enough to be part of last year’s inaugural Fellows class, where fast-friends were made that still stay in contact. This year, I’m here as one of the two returning Fellows from 2008, with my partner Abby Falik, to serve as a bridge between the classes and help maintain a consistent ethos and to lend a helping hand wherever necessary.
One of the things I’ve been asked to do this year is help photograph the Fellows program. I can’t hold a candle to Kris Krug’s brilliant work from last year. Fortunately, Andrew Zolli (Pop!Tech’s curator) is letting me borrow his much better camera, which I hope will make up for any lack of talent. 
[More Pop!Tech Fellows 2009 pictures]
Beyond the photos, beyond the scenery, beyond the relaxing wood cabins – this event is about feeding my brain. It’s about the chance to meet and share a unique experience with my peers and learn from some of the world-class faculty. It’s about challenging ourselves and not just talking about the successes and “good stuff”, but about ways we can all be better and speak openly of our failures.
I don’t think it’s as early as most people think. There are a lot of people out there who claim they need funds in order to build a product. I disagree. Your first job is to build it. It might be in your nights and weekends, but that’s to be expected.
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Next up was Sean Gorman, who is doing some really interesting things with his organization(s) 
So things are looking bleak in Kenya, but the same types of things happen elsewhere in Africa whenever there is civil unrest, natural disasters or some other type of crisis. The international news sends back just these images, that might only be affecting small pockets of the country, and an industry is ruined for 2-3 years.
It’s not that often that one of Africa’s new web companies makes a big international splash. 
Google has been on a spree this last few weeks. First it was their foray into becoming the hub for social networks through 
It turns out that what Google is doing in the mobile space might not be a direct competitor to the iPhone, like was originally rumored. Google’s take on the space is going to be based around the idea of a Mobile OS - creating an open source alternative to Windows Mobile. If it includes a browser, then it will compete with Opera and Safari as well.
After building eppraisal.com, this is a natural one for me to think of. The keys to this kind of application are the property data (land size, cost history, building size, owner info, etc.) and mapping. 
File transfer speeds within a country are much faster than international, especially in most African countries that don’t have a large pipe connecting them internationally. Many file sharing services, like 
The concept here is built around the idea of people being able to get alerts (SMS or email), or be able to check prices of goods via their mobile phone or using a website. You would need to be able to build a database of products with their corresponding prices. 
I came across an interesting article in Canada’s Globe & Mail entitled, “
Some of the greatest insights on this site have come from the individuals leaving comments. Someone by the name of “Goat Herd” left one of those comments today, on one of my favorite blog posts “
From the 
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