Speaker interview: Rufus Pollock | Activate 2010 | The Guardian

"[Q] How, in your experience, have web technologies been employed to make the world a better place? [A] The internet and new digital technologies have had and will continue to have a huge impact on the way that knowledge is disseminated in society. Sharing knowledge more effectively has the potential to improve the world in all kinds of ways -- from closing the loop between citizens and public bodies, allowing for greater accountability and improved service provision, to improving large-scale collaboration in science, e.g. on the development of life-saving drugs and treatments. Better knowledge sharing enables us to understand some of the world's biggest problems -- from our changing climate to our troubled economies -- and to respond to them more effectively...."