Path 101  

The Slanket Story as told by Gary: One subzero night in 1998 during my first semester of college I could not escape Maine's winter bite. While watching Late Night with Conan O'Brien I decided I needed to tear a hole in my sleeping bag so I could keep my upper body warm as I channel surfed during the commercial breaks. During Christmas vacation I commissioned the first Slanket to be made by my mother...and it was born. Everyone behind the The Slanket is on the same level when it comes to life. Besides creating a product to make people comfortable and warm, our life goals are not to accumulate mansions, SUV's, expensive watches and closets just for shoes. What we want in life is to travel the world and experience all its cultures while representing humanity positively. Whether surfing in Costa Rica, snowboarding in Austria, or studying language in South America and China, we love to spread our sleeves and let them flap in the wind, giving back in the process. BUT... there is nothing like coming home, wrapping up in THE SLANKET on your own couch and feeling the warmth of your friends and family.

An independent musician with the heart of a geek, Jonathan Coulton is a Yale graduate who left his day-job as a computer programmer to stay home and write songs. Between 2005 and 2006 he wrote, recorded, and published a new song every week as a free podcast project called “Thing a Week.” This year-long experiment produced 52 consistently well-written and solidly produced songs, and he soon became an internet sensation. Jonathan’s songs cover unusual topics not often heard in music and tend to make even the most jaded listeners excited about music again. Coulton's is the voice of every elementary school kid who could never quite keep his shirt tucked in or shoes tied; every lovelorn mason and mad scientist; every vengeful nerd; every one of us who has ever sat despairingly on the floor, surrounded by parts of an Ikea endtable, weeping over an allen wrench. Coulton releases all his music under a Creative Commons license that allows for legal file sharing and copying, as well as non-commercial derivative works. His worldwide community of fans has rallied around him to generate airplay on hundreds of podcasts, create a library of music videos, and arrange gigs around the United States. When not traveling the globe or using his powers for good, Jonathan Coulton resides in New York City with his wife and two children.

Charlie O'Donnell, Co-Founder & CEO of Path 101 will interview Leah Wechsler, an experience designer and information architect. Leah grew up in upstate NY. From a background of fine arts, literature and science, she was inspired by a lecture on programming to trade conventional tools for a laptop. Intrigued by technology and inspired by contemporary design she continued her studies and received her Master's from New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program. She has lectured at NYU, done experience design for Digitas and Deutsch, and even worked at McKinsey.