I just got done listening to Steven Johnson (Emergence, Everything Bad is Good For You, The Ghost Map, outside.in) talk to fan-culture guru and utopian thinker Henry Jenkins and OMG is was teh awesomest optimistic, technology-will-save-the-world barn burner ever!  I can't wait until the podcast of this talk is online so I can memorize it.  THIS is why I come to this conference every year.  And the free drinks.