6Sight Future of Imaging Conference to Present Diverse Perspectives on the Future and Impact of Digital Imaging

SAN MATEO, Calif. – October 4, 2006 – Some of the top imaging minds in the U.S. and the world will share their perspective and knowledge with the attendees of the inaugural 6Sight™ Future of Imaging conference (www.6sight.com) in Monterey, Calif. on October 24-25, 2006. 6Sight is produced by Future Image Inc., and co-hosted by the two leading industry organizations in imaging — the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A) and the Photo Marketing Association International (PMA).

The two-day program will examine future directions for devices used to capture, display and manage digital images including camera phones, digital cameras, imaging software and more, and focus on the explosion of user-generated visual communications content which is transforming people’s lives in the personal, work and community spheres. Attendees will discuss these topics with other industry leaders in highly interactive sessions, powerful presentations and networking opportunities like the gala dinner at the Monterey Bay Aquarium which will feature the New Tech Fair and the 6Sight Theater entertainment.

The final speaker roster, which is available online at www.6sight.com/speakers.html, features a series of short presentations highlighting disruptive technologies or ideas. These speakers, which have recently been added to the program, include in the order of their appearance:

David Gedye, Group Manager for Seadragon and Photosynth, Microsoft Live Labs. Before Microsoft acquired Seadragon in February 2006, David was Vice President of Product Development for Seadragon. He is best known as the original founder of the SETI@home project, the biggest distributed computation -- indeed the biggest computation of any kind -- ever performed. Gedye will present the Photosynth technology.

Rick Smolan, CEO, Against All Odds Productions A former Time, Life and National Geographic photographer, Rick Smolan created the best-selling 'DAY IN THE LIFE' and 'AMERICA 24/7' photography series and is CEO of Against All Odds Productions, which specializes in the design and execution of large-scale global photographic projects that combine compelling story-telling with state-of-the-art technology. Eight of his projects have been featured on the covers of Fortune, Time, Newsweek and US News & World Report. Smolan will speak on Creating Change Through a Billion Cameras.

Akili Lee, Director, Digital Youth Program, a research initiative of The University of Chicago's Center for Urban School Improvement. Supported through a generous grant from the MacArthur Foundation, Digital Youth is focused on creating a framework for an after school program to build youth new media literacy skills.  Lee will join multimedia pioneer Kristinal Hooper Woolsey during the session on “Democratizing Visual Eloquence”.

Dr. BJ Fogg, Founder and Director, Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab. Stanford University awarded Dr. BJ Fogg the Maccoby Prize in 1998 for four years of experimental research on how computers can change people’s attitudes and behaviors. He then founded the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab and began teaching courses on captology, the combination of persuasion and technology. In addition to teaching and directing research on campus, Dr. Fogg leads innovation projects for Silicon Valley companies. As a psychologist he brings an unusual perspective to working on technology innovations. He holds seven patents, and he has an additional eight patents pending. Dr. Fogg will speak on the topic of Persuading with Pictures.

Bill Crow, Senior Program Manager, Windows Media Photo, Microsoft Corporation, will speak on Windows Media Photo, a new file format for end-to-end digital imaging of which he leads overall design and development. Bill joined Microsoft in 1999, first managing development for digital television projects and digital photography technology for Windows XP. Bill has authored eight patents and eleven published patent applications for various inventions in software architecture, imaging and other related fields.

Professor Dorothy Glancy, Law Professor, Santa Clara University School of Law practiced law in Washington, D.C. and was counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights during the time of the Watergate investigations. She has chaired the Association of American Law Schools Sections on Property, on Environmental Law and on Defamation and Privacy. She was a 1974-1975 Fellow in Law and the Humanities at Harvard University. In 2002 the Chief Justice of the State of California appointed her to the State of California Court Technology Advisory Committee.. She has worked with Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology and Society on issues related to technology and law. She will speak on technological and societal threats to privacy.

 Dr. Anthony Bannon, Director, George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film presently serves on the Executive Committee of the New York State Council for the Humanities, and the boards of High Falls Film Festival, Santa Fe Center for Photography, and the Rochester School for the Deaf. He has served on art councils in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. He will speak on the technology-driven evolution of the iconic images that define our culture.

 The full program for the 6Sight Future of Imaging event is on view at www.6sight.com/program.html. It includes sessions that will focus primarily on examining the future of devices used to capture, display and manage digital images including camera phones, digital cameras, imaging software and more. Among the topics covered:

- You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet. Future Image President Alexis Gerard and Dr. John Meyer, head of Digital Imaging and Printing research at HP Labs take an interactive "tour" of the future of imaging, discussing and demonstrating a range of advanced research directions and projects.

- The Future of the Lens. Miniaturized, rugged, low-cost, low-power, high-performance technologies such as liquid lenses, specialized software-enhanced optics and more will be demonstrated and discussed.

- Smart Pictures, Smart Devices. Integrating Image capture and display with the entertainment or productivity to deliver superior customer value.

- Eyeballs Everywhere. Should we expect that, save for the privacy of our own home, our every action is recorded to video -- and that video is stored, indexed and processed with facial recognition -- creating a permanent searchable record of where everyone is or was at any time? Is this technologically feasible? What about politically possible, and/or morally desirable?

 Another group of sessions will focus primarily on the explosion of user-generated visual communications content which is transforming people’s lives in the personal, work and community spheres. According to Nielsen//NetRatings, “user-generated content sites, platforms for photo sharing, video sharing and blogging, comprised five out of the top 10 fastest growing Web brands in July 2006”.  Topics covered will include:

- Farewell Information - It's a Media Age. Forecaster, strategist and author Paul Saffo will discuss how the shift to an economy of creators is erasing the distinction between product and service, and potentially redefining our shared culture.

- Content is Still King. CNET Networks Senior Vice President Martin Green will unveil the results of a joint Webshots.com/Future Image research project investigating the profiles of the content creators who are driving the explosive audience growth of online picture and video sharing.

- Monetizing Pictures in the 21st Century. Innovative companies are developing new business models to serve content creators and content consumers, and make money in the process. This session shines the spotlight on their successes, and examines how they work.

- The Global Video Revolution. At last, and all of a sudden, consumer video has become mainstream –and it’s in the form of the “clip”.

6Sight is hosted and produced by Future Image Inc., and co-hosted by the two leading imaging industry associations: PMA (Photo Marketing Association International) and I3A (International Imaging Industry Association). A limited number of New Tech Fair exhibition opportunities are still available by contacting jbyrd@futureimage.com. To learn more about 6Sight, download the podcast of Digital Imaging Digest Editor Jennifer Kruger's interview with Alexis Gerard, president and founder of Future Image; Lisa Walker, president of I3A; and Chad Munce, group executive, digital imaging markets, PMA (http://www.6sight.com/news.html).

 About 6Sight
6Sight (www.6Sight.com) is a two-day executive event focused on the explosive global spread of imaging technology, and its potential for exciting new opportunities to improve people’s lives in the personal, work, and community spheres.  It is hosted and organized by Future Image, Inc. publisher of The Future Image Report since 1993 and host of the Mobile Imaging Summit executive conferences, and co-hosted by the two leading industry organizations in imaging -- the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A) and the Photo Marketing Association International (PMA). The annual event brings together technologists, marketers, futurists, artists, educators, customers and members of the media for a program emphasizing innovative use cases, breakthrough technologies, and creativity.  The inaugural 6Sight conference will be held on October 24 and 25, 2006 in Monterey, Calif. The event is supported by the worlds leading photo and telecommunications associations including photokina, MIPC and the 3G Congress. For information about participating in 6Sight, please email Joe Byrd, Future Image’s VP of Conferences & Alliances at JByrd@FutureImage.com.

About Future Image
San Mateo, CA-based Future Image Inc (www.futureimage.com) is the leading independent center of expertise on the convergence of imaging, technology and business. Future Image hosts the 6Sight and Mobile Imaging Executive Summit conferences, and publishes two continuous information services, The Future Image Report which monitors the impact of new technologies on the imaging industry as a whole, and the Future Image MIR (Mobile Imaging Report) which focuses on camera-phones and the intersection of imaging and wireless communications. Future Image also underwrites and publishes primary research studies on the impact of emerging, imaging- focused technologies or business trends, and provides consulting services to vendors, investors and large-scale users. Future Image is the official information and research partner of the International Imaging Association (I3A).

About the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A)
I3A is the leading global imaging industry association, driving growth of and setting standards for the photographic and information imaging markets.  As the industry focal point, I3A offers a framework and environment where members can quickly find resources to solve critical issues and develop market solutions.  Members of I3A work together to find common ground for advancing the industry and to enable better products and services for their customers. 

 I3A is an accredited Standards Developing Organization, serving as secretariat for the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 42 (ISO/TC42) on Photography, and as administrator for the USA Technical Advisory Group for this committee.  Information about I3A can be found on the World Wide Web at www.i3a.org or by phone at 914-285-4933.

About PMA
For 81 years, PMA^® has served as an international trade association for the changing needs of the expanding photo imaging industry with more than 20,000 members in 100-plus countries, headquartered in Jackson, Mich. In addition to the United States, there are membership offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Latin America, New Zealand, Russia and the United Kingdom. PMA membership is open to any firm doing a substantial portion of its business in photo imaging retailing, scrapbook and custom framing retailing, processing (digital and silver halide) or service work. Cooperating memberships are held by firms that manufacture or distribute products or services for the imaging industry. PMA provides more than 100 services to its members, and holds the world’s largest annual international photo imaging trade show, typically drawing well over 600 exhibitors and 20,000-plus attendees.

 
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Media Contacts: Future Image 520 South El Camino, Suite 206A San Mateo CA 94402 V: +1-650.579.0493 F: +1-650.579.0566 Joe Byrd JByrd@FutureImage.com PMA Tom Crawford TCrawford@pmai.org 800-762-9287

I3A Judith Vanderkay Virtual, Inc. jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com +1-781-876-6208 www.i3a.org