David Kirkpatrick, senior editor for Internet and technology at FORTUNE, writes about the converging tech industries as well as the impact of the Internet on business and society. His Fast Forward column appears weekly on fortune.com and through free e-mail subscription. He is regularly ranked one of the world’s top technology journalists.

Kirkpatrick was director of Brainstorm, which for six years brought leaders from business, technology, and government to The Aspen Institute to discuss the future. He is currently planning Brainstorm Tech, a top-level conference for tech, Internet, media, and telco thinkers and leaders, at Half Moon Bay July 21-23, 2008. Kirkpatrick is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.