Topic: Esther Dyson

The Commons Project, supported by the World Economic Forum and trustees like Esther Dyson, has launched CommonPass to standardize digital health records. The platform allows travelers to share COVID-19 test results or vaccination status with airlines and border authorities. The system was first tested within the East African Community to facilitate cross-border trucking between Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda.

The hosts briefly touch on global warming skepticism, mentioning eminent physicists who doubt man-made climate change. They then discuss a New Jersey school district's decision to eliminate the "D" grade, requiring students to either pass with a "C" or fail. This leads to a discussion on the increasing use of Tasers by police in schools to manage unruly students, which the hosts condemn as a failure of child-rearing.

The practice of high-profile bloggers like Jason Calacanis posting their travel schedules is criticized as a display of self-importance. A comparison is drawn to how professional escorts use blogs to list tour dates and locations for client coordination. The utility of such public scheduling is questioned for anyone not operating in a specific service industry.

Esther Dyson's online presence, including her Flickr feed of swimming pools and investments in light jet companies, is discussed. An anecdote from the mid-1990s describes a meeting at the PC Forum in Arizona during the dot-com boom. The conversation also touches on her father, the famous physicist Freeman Dyson, and her sister who works as a nurse.