SAN FRANCISCO -- In a major keynote address, Sun Microsystems Chief Researcher John Gage will discuss the key role that simple technology is playing in an increasingly complex new world order. Gage will make the case that technology must be easy to use and truly applicable in real-world settings -- ranging from the office to the battlefield -- if it is to make a meaningful difference in business or military success. Gage's speech is scheduled for 5:30 this evening at OracleWorld in San Francisco's Moscone Center. "Although diplomacy and a strong military presence are essential, I believe technology will be a key component in providing effective homeland security in our current state of heightened tension," Gage says. "Simplicity is not just a basic requirement of security, but also one of prosperity. By removing complexity through technology, enterprises stand to save billions of dollars and greatly enhance connections with consumers." Gage's keynote will examine how Sun and Oracle have worked together to solve serious problems facing our society by constantly reinventing the way the companies' basic technology developments are applied. Specifically, Gage will look at Sun and Oracle's developments in the areas of security and open source/community-based initiatives. About John Gage John Gage is the Chief Researcher and Director of the Science Office, for Sun Microsystems, Inc. He is responsible for Sun's relationships with world scientific and technical organizations, for international public policy and governmental relations in the areas of scientific and technical policy, and for alliances with the world's leading research institutions. In 1995, Gage created NetDay, a volunteer project to bring the resources of world high-technology companies to all schools and libraries to connect them to the Internet. Since then over 500,000 volunteers have wired over 50,000 schools and libraries in the United States. NetDays are planned in over thirty countries for 2002. Gage is on the board of NetDay and Schools Online, a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting the world one school at a time. In late 1999, President Clinton appointed Gage to his Web Based Education Commission, which issued its report December 2000. The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government named Gage as one of five distinguished journalists and scholars to be its 2000 Fall Fellows. He taught a course on "Technology, Media, and Governance" during the fall semester, 2000. Gage is also a frequent host on Sun's "Digital Journey" -- an ongoing series of Web-based multimedia programs that seek to gain a more complete understanding of new and emerging technologies in their business, social, environmental, and cultural contexts. Gage attended the University of California, Berkeley, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He did doctoral work in mathematics and economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and left Berkeley in 1982 to join Bill Joy at Sun Microsystems. He is a member of the Mathematical Association of America, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the Board of Trustees of the Internet Society (ISOC). Gage has served on scientific advisory panels for the US National Research Council, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Multimedia Super Corridor project of Malaysia. He has also been a member of the Board of Regents of the US National Library of Medicine, the Board of Trustees of Fermi National Laboratory, and the External Advisor Council for the World Bank. Gage lives in Berkeley with his wife Linda, and their two children, Peter and Kate.