I would also like to thank the organizers of this Conference for their amazing work. This event was just the best I have been to in a long time. Not withstanding some difficulties with the Internet connection, which I believe isn't the responsibility of the organizers but of CICG, LIFT'08 truly lifted my spirits and stimulated my thinking. I had been stuck home for two months, almost never living my "study cave", interacting only with my books and computers, so LIFT came at the absolut right moment for me, as it allowed me to get out, not only of my appartment, but also my general thinking frame to confront my recent reflexions with that of people from a wide variety of backgrounds, but all passionate about technologies and their evolutions in society.
I have tried my best to blog as "live" as possible about the sessions that particularly interested me. As blogs are a new tool to me and live blogging a completely unknown form of reporting, I have learnt a lot by practicing. I enjoyed this a lot (except the problem with Internet connections) and will continue improving my burgeoning skills in this field.
On a more personal note, LIFT accomplished a small miracle for me. I'm a very shy person and in a big gathering like this, I would normally end up sitting in my own corner, not talking to anyone. But the atmosphere was so relax and comfortable that people were opened to all the participants. No exclusive group formed that would isolate themselves from the others, as I have seen happening in other big conferences, making it difficult for those coming as outsider individuals to integrate. This way I have been able to encounter people with whom I hope to keep in touch in the future in order to collaborate on projects of common interest or to keep as friends, with whom I had a good time at LIFT.
I also would like to thank very much the Gerbert Rüf Stiftung, whose fellowship program allowed me to participate for free at LIFT. Thanks to this foundation, I have had a truly great and thought-stimulating time at LIFT. I hope that the organizers will be able to renew this offer to students who might not be able to afford to pay for the LIFT fee. I also hope that it will be possible to convince universities and higher-education schools to collaborate with LIFT to make it more accessible to students in general.
Again, thank you very much to all for coming up with this great idea of LIFT and for working so hard to make it such a success!