Inventing the Impossible

Panel Context and Theme:

• The Milken Global Conference hosted a repeat panel titled "Inventing the Impossible," which was the most-watched online session from the previous year.
• Host Ken Rakowski defined "impossible" as merely "not able to occur" until someone achieves it, citing a 300-year gap between Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine sketches and the first balloon flight.

Technological Shifts (1994 vs. Present):

• In 1994, concepts now commonplace were deemed impossible: carrying entire music collections on one device (iPad), making free global phone calls (Skype), on-demand video streaming, wireless internet, and editing feature films from a living room using free cloud tools.
• Google Lunar XPRIZE: 19 commercial teams are currently competing to land a probe on the moon, representing a non-governmental approach to space exploration previously thought impossible.
• Consumer Tech: Drone rental services now allow hourly access for photography and traffic monitoring; 3D tissue and organ printing (from ears to future organs like kidneys) is active.
• Health Innovation: A 15-year-old named Jack created a pancreatic cancer test for $0.03 (down from $800), potentially raising survival rates from 30% to nearly 100%.

Elan Lee (Storytelling and Interactive Media):

• "The 5th Wave" Book Project: Merged a book with a video game by releasing physical items (torn photos, phone numbers) inside the text that correspond to real-world social media accounts, voicemails, and websites, creating a shared reality where readers interact with fictional characters.
• Fictional Social Proof: A fictional character's invented birthday triggered real birthday messages from users on Facebook, demonstrating a new level of narrative immersion.
• "Illuminati" T-Shirt Campaign: A clothing line embedded hidden codes in shirts requiring specific actions (heat, water) to reveal messages; solving the code unlocked video mysteries that taught U.S. history via a metaphorical story about a band oppressed by a record label.
• Impact: The campaign led to the largest voter turnout in U.S. history for the specific demographic targeted, proving storytelling can drive real-world civic action.

Ralph Simon (Mobile Revolution in Africa):

• M-Pesa Mobile Money: The trillion-dollar mobile money revolution began in Kenya (Africa) rather than the U.S. because mobile phones served as the primary banking infrastructure for unbanked populations (e.g., Maasai herders).
• Adoption Rates: Africa leads globally in mobile payments (68% in Kenya, 50% in Tanzania) compared to the U.S. and rest of the world (under 11%).
• Mobile Health (mHealth) Applications:
  • Global E-Health Foundation: Led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, utilizing mobile tech for healthcare delivery in Africa.
  • Diagnostics: Mobile cameras can analyze eyeballs for diabetes and blood samples for AIDS/CD4 ratios (costing ~$0.05 vs. $30 historically), delivering results in 22 minutes via text.
  • Ingestible Sensors: A pill-sized vegetable-based sensor activates in the stomach to transmit vital signs via an arm patch to a mobile phone and doctor.
• Forward-Looking Prediction: Nearly one-third of the global population will use phones for financial transactions by 2018.

Sasha Strauss (Communication and Human Behavior):

• Attention Economy: The average American household at 6:30 PM operates six or seven devices with six to seven simultaneous conversations, rendering consumers defensive against traditional advertising intrusions.
• Global Reach: Even individuals with no shared language (e.g., a Panamanian lobster fisherman) utilize Twitter/Facebook to manage business, illustrating the universality of social media adoption.
• Strategic Shift: The phrase "the click is mightier than the bomb" highlights that digital communication can drive more systemic change than military force.
• Leadership Reset: The democratization of broadcasting means all entities (governments, corporations, rebels) now have equal voice; success requires mapping customer journeys and respecting audience mentalities rather than assuming they are passive recipients.

Akon (Cool Factor and Accessibility):

• Innovation Driver: Technology adoption is driven by "speed to cool"; products must offer a "cool factor" (design, status) alongside functionality to succeed.
• Accessibility: The primary barrier to innovation is lack of access; mobile technology accelerates history by making complex tasks (communication, finance) accessible to everyone.
• Failure vs. Success: Innovation requires facing the fear of failure; the modern era allows for rapid iteration (e.g., mobile phones lasting 13 months before upgrade) unlike Edison's 2,000 failed lightbulb iterations.
• Global Branding: Akon's success in India (1.3 billion people) stemmed from recording in Hindi and collaborating with local stars, proving contextual relevance is key to "inventing the impossible" in new markets.

Panel Discussion on Future Trends:

• Generational Perception: The "time continuum" for achieving impossible feats has telescoped; millennials expect faster results, while older generations may stifle innovation by saying "no" too quickly.
• Crowdsourcing Strategy: Experts agreed crowdsourcing should be used to validate and refine ideas rather than generate them from scratch, as it risks devaluing internal expertise.
• Shared Economy Mechanics: Platforms like Airbnb and Uber function because public-facing social profiles (Facebook/LinkedIn) provide reputation data, enabling trust between strangers.
• Gamification: Games are being used to solve real-world problems, including crowdsourced cancer mapping (e.g., EteRNA) and national education curricula (e.g., Angry Birds in Finland).
• Cryptocurrency: The panel identified Bitcoin and mobile digital currencies as the future of money, predicting a shift away from physical cash globally, not just in emerging markets.