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Day 2 at Poptech rang in with bright sunshine and thoughts of digital freedom as old fave Chris Anderson took the stage with Clay Shirky and Matt Mason. Anderson emphasized the need for non-monentary transactions in today's society, while Shirky contemplated the role of generosity in organization. The piracy expert, Matt Mason, filled out the morning session by presenting piracy as a new form of capitalism, marketing and business tool.

We're seeing a lot of design for social innovation projects this here year, and mid-morning kicked off one of the more powerful -- the announcement of Project M, a mobile HIV prevention program, which brought the speakers to tears and audience members to their feet. Additional inspiration came from Heather Fleming of Catapult Design, an initiative of Engineers Without Borders, as she described their work in developing countries. Fleming, one of the Poptech Fellows, emphasized the need to act: "You have to be the change you want to see in the world."

The afternoon brought moving presentations from the peacemakers, Gary Slutkin, pictured above, and Laura Waters Hinson. Sutkin, an epidemiologist, founded Ceasefire, a non-violence initiative that poses the question "Can we fight violence in the same way we fought smallpox?" Using grass-roots initiatives, Ceasefire employs community members to serves as "interrupters" of local violence, thereby creating new social norms of peace in violence-ridden neighborhoods.

Hinson followed up the conversation with a presentation of her film As We Forgive, a moving documentary about the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda and how a community copes with forgiving such atrocities.

After the annual mid-afternoon ice cream social (yum!!), an afternoon of healthcare discussions began. Brooklyn-based Dr. Jay Parkinson presented Hello Health, a non-traditional form of primary care. Part of the Facebook generation, Parkinson offers virtual consultations via IM, email, video chat, etc, for a relatively small fee. Free of insurance companies, he emphasizes the need to use technology to enable efficient, quality and friendly healthcare experiences.

Dr. Stephen Badylak, an expert on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, discussed the other end of healthcare spectrum - presenting a slew of vibrant images that showcased the developments in tissue regeneration. Much like a salamander, this process allows tissue to regrow site-specific cells.

Overall, an invigorating day, capped by Juan Enriquez, an authority on the economic and political impacts of life sciences. Enriquez premiered a thesis on the state of the financial crisis (look for it in the public domain soon!). A moving, frightening picture of the financial crisis was painted, suggesting that if we do not "fix the dollar" in the next 30 days after the election, America will fail. "Every great empire has fallen by going into bankruptcy," he stated, citing that a $1,000 investment in Freddie Mac is presently worth less than the return on the bottle deposit of $1,000 worth of beer bottles. Mincing no words, the audience rallied with questions - proof that, as usual, a day at PopTech never ceases to provoke.

Check out more photos here.