I tried to bridge the techie crowd and the Walters Art Museum venue in this adrenaline-fueled Ignite Baltimore talk... five minutes, twenty slides, and no mercy.

Is the Internet making us stupid, or will it enable a new renaissance in learning, culture, and the arts? In this talk at Ignite Baltimore, I say the answer is "yes" to both scenarios. Complex thought, sustained attention, rational dialogue, historical awareness, cultural literacy, an appreciation of art and beauty... these are values long associated with liberal education, book publishing, print magazines, cultural coverage in newspapers, great museums, public libraries, and other traditional "information technologies." Now, as waves of disruption sweep over these long-standing institutions, many observers have wondered if treasured values are slipping away... perhaps forever. Are we raising a historically illiterate "dumbest generation" stranded in "the shallows" of the web, distracted by fleeting moments with mobile devices, online video, and social networking? Maybe so, but what if our emerging networked culture is also history's greatest opportunity for curious individuals to engage with "the best that has been thought and known in the world"? What if our new age of information is enabling the rise of new means of discovering and spreading enduring truths?

I shared some of my discoveries from freshman year of college at this 2013 appearance in The Stoop Storytelling series.