imagine if ...

.. you could solve a world problem using imagination and technology. What would it be?

I was asked this by Microsoft, and my answer is including in the following video. Along with no makeup that I tried to counter-balance with a SIDE PONY TAIL.



I adore Stephan's answer at the end.

The video was played this morning at an event announcing that Australia has won the bid to host the 2012 Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals. The crowd watching it today included Jessica Watson, the Honourable Peter Garrett, dignitaries, sports stars, and innovators.

Being a mother, I focused on educating our young digital natives about their footprints ... the ones playing games on the internet, the ones who haven't hit social networking sites. Yet.

In Bill Gates' words, the basis of the Imagination Cup:

"As I travel to different countries I often get a chance to talk with students, and when I do I’m often very impressed by their passion for helping solve some of the world’s toughest problems. To encourage them and get them even more involved in finding solutions, Microsoft created the Imagine Cup, which is now in its ninth year. As I wrote about last year’s competition, hundreds of thousands of students around the world participate in the Imagine Cup by coming up with creative solutions to big social and environmental problems like education and literacy, disaster relief, environmental sustainability and global healthcare."

::

Bill Gates is the richest, coolest, most philanthropic nerd in the world. In 2008 he stepped down from CEO of Microsoft and now works full-time for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation  - it enhances healthcare and reduces extreme poverty on a global level. You know, small things.

(I wonder if Bill and Melinda's children have to hide their iPods under their beds at night?)

::

Australia is one of the leading countries in the world in social media ... to my knowledge, we have no education or programs in schools about it, no lessons in navigating this huge internet that has no end.

Someone should get on that ... or else, someone's going to end up on a video wearing a side ponytail that they *think* looks cute but in reality just shows up their age spots even more.

Official Imagine Cup Australia Website
Microsoft Australia Flickr
MSFT Imagine Cup on Twitter