christine o'donnell debate -- chris koontz -- coons and christine o'donnell debate. after that, a debate to replace kit bond. tomorrow night, c-span's campaign 2010 coverage continues with a live kentucky senate debate between democrat jack conway and republican rand paul, and buying to replace retiring senator jim bunning. watch that debate live at 7:00 p.m. eastern here later on, another live debate between washington senate candidates, incumbent patty murray and her challenger dino rossi. senator murray is running for fourth term. mr. rossi is a former nominee for washington governor, but

lost twice. the bay -- the debate can be seen live at 10:00 p.m. eastern tomorrow night on c-span. >> "q&a" sunday -- justice stephen breyer. >> it is sometimes hard to avoid your basic values, how you see the country, how you see the relationship between law and the average person in this country, what you think law is about -- those basic, fundamental, legal and political values i think are part of you and they will sometimes influenced an approach where the question is very -- influence an approach where the question is very open. >> justice stephen breyer on sunday night's "q&a." ." this is "the communicators." we're on location at gov 2.0 in

downtown washington, d.c. we're pleased to introduce you to dan reed, corporate vice president for microsoft, vice president for technology strategy among other things. what exactly is your job? >> i do a variety of things. my job is to envision what the future of technology will be. think about it broad societal implications. talk about those things around the world in a competitive way. this is the future. this is what it potentially means for us. let's talk about how we adapt to that future, how to plan for that future, how to exploit that. the other part of my job is to try to invent the future. i spend a lot of time building advanced prototypes. the things that could make those technology trends possible. >> when you think about inventing the future, what specifically have you thought about? >> we have thought about the future of human-computer

interaction. we have largely been in the mold of a model that is based on windows and -- mode of a model that is based on windows and mice and pointers. there is an opportunity for a new model to move computing from a passive mode where your computer literally does nothing unless you poke it to one where it becomes an intelligent assistant. it anticipates your needs. it allows you to interact with it in the same natural way you interact with other people. >> give an example. >> speech, jesters, the way that we communicate, body language, emotional context -- gestures, the way we communicate, body language, emotional context. you want your computer to be much like a wonderful human assistance -- to make you look better than you really are, to end this -- to anticipate the things you do.

>> some of that technology is already around, isn't it? voice recognition on the phone, the wii system, when it comes to playing tennis or whatever sport you want. >> the challenge is to bring the technology together. one of those things that we're really excited about is the microsoft connect system -- an extension of xbox that will appear later this year. it is a controller, less interaction system. you can speak to it. you can use gestures. cameras recognize your behavior and respond automatically to you. you walk up and start to play. this is an early example of the broader notion of i do not need a set of electronic tools. i want to walk up and talk to someone. i want to start some activity. it is about bring things together. one of the enablers and one reason why i am here today is to

think about how we use wireless spectrum to allow all of those sensors to communicate an interest -- communicate and interact. >> how do we? >> when we look at computing technology over the last 50 years, -- 15 years, the steady trend has been one of democratization. at the end of the first world war, there was one computer per planet. then the modern computer error was gborn. then we went to where people in the priesthood prayed to the big fishing behind a glass, to a world of many computers in -- big machine behind the glass, to a world of minicomputers with intelligence embedded in every -- many computers with

intelligence embedded in everyday objects. >> on your blog, you refer to the book "future shock." why is that such an important book? >> it goes back to the question about my job, envisioning the future. one of the clear trends we see is the insatiable demand for wireless communication. any time you turn on your phone and have not been able to get a signal or you drop the call or do not get the data connection. it is no one's fault, but there is an incredible growth in expectation for that band with. the historical models reduced allocate bandwidth. -- refused to allocate and what -- allocate bandwidth.

the social process of how we allocate spectrum is defined by a range that has evolved over timescale of years. our expectations are to roll out new services and respond to consumer expectations in a period of weeks or months. eris a disconnect -- there is a disconnect there. that is the future shock disconnect. >> one of the methods to control the spectrum has been the division of the spectrum. is that outdated? >> is important to respect history. as a technologist, we often say, forget that stuff before. we have a better way. that is not the real world. you have to respect the realities of the economics and social conventions that we have. there is a middle ground that respects that history and the investments that groups have made to find a middle ground

that says, let's take advantage of those inexpensive but powerful processes and shift to some of the capability into software. they are not fast enough to make those things possible. what it means is, rather than allocating spectrum in a multi- year process, let the devices query the database and say, i am here, what specter is available right now? what rules -- what spectrum is available right now? what rules apply? is it a license or unlicensed? what do i need to pay? allow that sort of nimble adaptation. it is a technology feature that says we have a new way, technically, a managing spectrum, because we can do things very rapidly -- of managing spectrum, because we can do things very rapidly, but it is a nimble policy phase as

well. we can provide additional revenue, an additional way for people who make the capital investment to act shall it -- to also capitalize on it this way. >> one of the debates in washington, dan reed, is whether or not public or state -- public safety should have a chunk of spectrum. do you think they should? should part of the spectrum be set aside for public safety? >> that is a complicated question, as you know. one of the things that is true is, what ever spectrum we adopt, we have to -- whatever spectrum we adopt, we have to respect the privacy of these functions. if you call fire engine, you wanted to be available immediately. that is the primary objective. the important debate is, what are the right technical ways to achieve that? how'd we did not -- how do we

balance this the first set of needs? i think there is a middle ground that can accommodate both. that -- >> is that using white spaces in the spectrum more effectively? >> i am not sure which bases themselves are directly applicable to public safety -- white spaces themselves are directly applicable to public safety. there are a consequence of the switch to digital television transmission. they are secondary in the sense that broadcast is the primary use. the opportunity is to say, if the broadcaster is not using this channel in this location, it is available for this secondary purpose. i have to respect the privacy of the primary use -- promising -- primacy of the primary use. if you turn on a spectrum analyzer which allows you to look at what spectrum is

actually at use, most of the time most spectrum, most places is barely lightly -- fairly lightly used. it is like saying this use of the road -- this lane of the road can only be used for a row -- for a truck or a motorcycle. that would work, but we would have to build a lot more lanes. >> is there a shortage of spectrum? reductor is a shortage of spectrum in certain bands -- >> there is a shortage of spectrum in certain bands. there are other bands of spectrum that are very lightly used. that is the challenge, to find that middle ground. >> is spectrum availability critical to microsoft's future success? >> we believe it really matters for a wide variety of reasons.

some are societal. we believe that broad access to information is a critical enabler of long-term economic growth in this country. we have been a strong advocate in the national broadband plan of fiber to hospitals, institutions, a library. we say things like white spaces as a potential mechanism to provide access to rural areas where economics might otherwise not be viable or for economically-challenged areas in the urban populations. that is one aspect. more generally, yes, we think spectrum matters because the world of cloud services is really about broad access to information. >> if you would very quickly talk about cloud computing and microsoft role and what you see as the future. >> it goes back to where i began. how do i build computing systems

that can adapt and anticipate and respond? there are two aspects to that. there are local ordinances -- devices in proximity. the cameras, the gesture- recognition systems. there is a broad context in the world of information that attaches to that. that is where the cloud of really comes into play. the wireless communication, the smart sensors of the local aspect. the broad said of competition and a cloud experience is the enable meant -- set of information and the cloud experience is the enablement. think about the future of transportation systems. there is local sense to understand traffic flow patterns, delays, road conditions.

the other is the planning process to say, how might the route traffic. how might die advised drivers about where they can refuel -- might i advise drivers about where they can refuel for an electric vehicle? it is an analytic problem. awareness has to be delivered to the individual, but you need the cloud to enable the local experience. >> what about privacy concerns? another policy debate happening here in washington. >> there is a huge set of issues around privacy that we have to address. historically, we have the viewed privacy as a binary thing. it is either private information or public information. there's a whole continuum of issues around that. the other thing that has historically been through -- true, we attribute privacy to

individuals. there is an opportunity to rethink that in terms of claims- based identity. i am old enough now that when i go to a restaurant and buy a drink they usually do not ask for my id. there was a time when they did appear the waiter who asks the question typically would look at your driver's license -- there was a time when they did. the waiter who asks that question -- the question typically would look at your driver's license. they only need to know how old you are. we have the question of identity associated with a set of information. the broad issue around privacy is three attributes -- information that exists about you out on the web. who controls access? how long does the information exist? one, at some point, would like that information to go away.

if i make that information available to someone else, to whom can they give access to that data? those are part of the issues of privacy that we need to sort through. >> dan reed, when you deal with congress or the fcc, are you finding an audience that listens to your concerns? are you troubled by the policy- private enterprise split? >> we have found they have the engagement. we have tried to talk about the broad, long-term perspective about where we think technology is going. those enable economic competitiveness for the future of the country. they are about local competitiveness. they are about things that will add value to the daily experience. there has been a happy audience across government engagement about those issues. >> you are also vice-president of the extreme computing group

at microsoft. what is that? >> that is the other part of my life, where we build wild and crazy things. just as we think about technology trends and policy, we also want to live in the future and build some examples so we can get some experience about what the future might be. that includes everything from thinking about the future of cloud infrastructure, how we build much more energy-efficient data centers that can be deployed in a broader array of markets, that are resilient and reliable and secure because of all those privacy issues. it is about the future of natural interaction and what those devices would be and what technology is going to allow interaction. it is about a broad set of issues around privacy and security. what are the future technologies around cryptography and software- support for privacy that will allow you to -- to control

access to your private information? we build samples of the future and then we live in them. there is a common phrase, " eating your own dog food." it means it is not ready for the dinner table, but it is edible. you want to know what the experience is. >> where are you building these? >> we build them in partnership around the world. primary focus of my team is work that we're doing on the main microsoft campus. it is a combination of hardware and software, radical hardware and software. microsoft is not just the software company. >> is it very proprietary? >> certainly, we hope some of the things we're working on will influence future technology. some of our objective is to work

with our industry partners in collectively shape what the future will look like and whether it be in the context of spectrum and white spaces, saying, what characteristics should those devices have, so that the technology can be deployed quickly once policies are resolved. some is internal, some is in broad partnership. >> dan reed, there are two smart phones here, blackberry and droid. both the third generation. what generation are you currently looking oat? we're talking about four generation. where are you with these? >> the extreme competing group is looking at a whole variety of technology, some of which would be applicable in a cellular world and some of which would not. we look at where spectrum can be used. there is some spectrum where a

long-distance communication is between my two hands. that is the body-area-network notion, not applicable to cellular. there are other long-range technologies that, of course, cover very large distances. >> windy uc -- when do you see 5g being deployed? >> my crystal ball is not that good. we have to look at how we use all of the spectrum bands efficiently. the one thing about this business -- i was a professor for many years before i went to microsoft. i told students that the great thing about computing is the questions do not change, but the answer is always do. that is what makes it exciting. >> you also served on the president's science and technology advisory committee. under which president and what did you do in that role? >> i was involved in the background in an unofficial

capacity under the clinton administration. i served on his i.t. advisory committee under the second bush administration and on the president's council of science and technology advisers as well. we look at the future of computing and how it enabled scientific discovery and computational science, and we look broadly at the research portfolio and what it means for economic competitiveness. >> as far as the u.s. goes, is it still the out nl leader, or we feeling pressure -- out and out leader or are we feeling pressure? >> we are feeling pressure. we used to be one lap ahead. now we can look over our shoulder and see the world gaining. >> why? >> part of it is the inevitable democratization of technology. computing has been a major

driver of economic growth. there are many statistics that support that. the rest of the world has recognized that and is making technology investments. it is investing in education to train a new generation of workers. their government investment behind that. many of the issues are about how we remain competitive. i think the challenge is always to keep climbing up in the value chain to invent the future. >> when it comes to government policy, is this and you look at -- helping the u.s. remain competitive? >> absolutely. what kinds of things can we do in public-private partnership to create the environment that will ensure long-term success for the u.s. economy? >> dan reed is the vice- president of technology and extreme computing at the microsoft corp. mr. reed, you graduated from

purdue in computer science. and a ph.d. in 1983. what were you using in 1983 -- what kind of machines or software? was there software? >> there was software. i am not that old. large mainframes were state of the art. it was the early days of maine -- many -- minicomputers. the world of work stations was just starting to compeer -- appear. >> did you envision smart phones at that point and the wireless technology that we use today? >> no, i do not think anyone envisioned the future that we have now. certainly, people envisioned the future of communication and what it meant. in that timeframe, the internet did not exist. there was a time when i could

draw a picture of the entire internet on a 3-by-5 card. people have always been envisioning the possibilities. >> is the advance in technology still growing exponentially? >> it is. there is a network effect when you get a critical mass of users that drives economic investments in small companies and large to create new capabilities. it also stimulates the exploration of basic research and technology. to your point about what the world was like when i was a student, the technologies that exist are based -- are the base on which research is done. when minicomputers and workstations and mainframes were

state of the art, they were the tools for research. today, the tools of the trade are mobile devices, inexpensive sensors. it is driving a huge exploration. the broad trend has been fundamentally this -- inexpensive. anytime a good becomes almost too cheap to meter, you think you -- you think about how you can use it in broad new ways. >> finally, when is .9 coming out? >> i never speculate about the future. >> dan reed works on the future for microsoft as corporate vice president for technology strategy and corporate vice president of the extreme computing group. thank you for being on "the communicators." >> my pleasure.

>> if you would like to watch this or other interviews, but were website at -- go to our website at c-span.org. >> c-span's campaign 2010 coverage continues tomorrow at noon eastern. senate majority leader harry reid and challenger sharron angle faced off in their only scheduled debate. we then go to california for debates between candidates vying for the job of governor. after that, the only meeting between democrats chirs coon -- crhis -- chris coons and kris aquino, -- christine o'donnell. after that, a missouri debate between the candidates vying to replace kit bond. tomorrow night, c-span2's campaign 2010 coverage continues with a live kentucky debate

between jack conway and republican rand paul, vying to replace retiring jim bunning. later on, another live debate between washington senate candidate, incumbent patty murray and republican challenger dino rossi. it is their second debate. senator murray is running for a fourth term. mr. rossi is a former nominee for washington gov. who lost in 2004 and 2008. see that live at and o'clock p.m. eastern tomorrow night on c-span -- at 10:00 p.m. eastern tomorrow on c-span. >> "q&a" -- a justice stephen breyer. >> it is sometimes hard to avoid your basic values -- how you see the country. how you see the relationship between law and the average person in this country.

what you think laws is about. those basic, fundamental, legal and political values, i think are part of you and they will sometimes influence an approach where the question is very open and we're in bed nets to that kind of thing. >> supreme court justice stephen breyer, sending it on c-span. >> after -- actor george clooney recently returned from a trip to sudan. he spoke about that at this event with the council on foreign relations. there is a peace agreement between the north and south in the works. is this a little over an hour. -- this is a little over an hour. >> we are mic'ed. hi. >> hi. welcome, everyonei, a-- welcome,

everyone. i am tami hultman. i need to make a couple of announcements. please completely turn off your cell phones. don't just put them on vibrate or silent because we did not want interference -- do not want interference with the sound system. this is on the record. >> i am turning off my phone. hang on. i did not hear a word you said. >> i will do a brief scene- setter. it is 89 days until the people of southern sudan are scheduled to vote on whether to become an independent country. the peace accord ended a 22-year war between sudan's north