David Brin American Sci-Fi Author Born: October 6, 1950 in Los Angeles County, California. Present, age 58. Residence: San Diego County, California. --Biographical information from: http://www.davidbrin.com

Brin's 1998 non-fiction book -- The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy? -- deals with a wide range of threats and opportunities facing our wired society during the information age. His chief argument, that openness fosters freedom more effectively than secrecy, sparked controversy and garnered the prestigious Obeler Freedom of Speech Prize from the American Library Association. The book was also honored by the McGannon Communications Research Foundation

David Brin's scientific papers cover a wide range of topics from astronautics, astronomy, and optics to alternative dispute resolution and the role of neoteny in human evolution.

Brin recently completed two major science fiction trilogies with Heaven's Reach and Foundation's Triumph, the latter bringing to a grand finale Isaac Asimov's famed Foundation Universe. Reaching out to a new generation, Brin developed the Out Of Time series of novels about contemporary teens sent on adventures in the 24th Century. His "Webs of Wonder" Contest offers cash prizes to promote web sites that help teachers convey difficult subjects with exciting stories.

As a speaker, David Brin shares insights -- serious and humorous -- about ways that changing technology may affect our future lives. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the California Space Institute and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Brin lives in San Diego County with his wife, three children, and a hundred very demanding trees.