50 People Who Will Change the World

Bangalore:  With a view to discover the people who are going to make an impact on our future, WIRED.CO.UK asked today's top achievers who, emerging in their field, they'd most like to leisurely have lunch or dinner with. The 50 on the Wired Smart List are:

1. Jane McGonigal, Game designer selected Vincent Horn and Rohan Gunatillake, the Buddhist Geeks

“I'm a geek. I'm also a practicing Buddhist. That's why, of everyone on the planet, I'd most like to lunch with the founder of Buddhist Geeks, Vincent Horn, and the cofounder of the Buddhist Geeks conference, Rohan Gunatillake,” said Jane. What is a Buddhist geek? It's someone with an interest in technology and Buddhist wisdom who wants to figure out how to use technology to reinvent a thousand year old spiritual practice to be more accessible, more relevant and easier to incorporate into our lives.

2. Randi Zuckerberg, Internet entrepreneur selected Tina Fey, Comedian

Randi said “I'm inspired by Tina Fey -- she is a great example of somebody who can be both an entertainer and a serious businesswoman, and has made a career out of pursuing her passions. She also balances being a mum, an entertainer and a media mogul with grace and poise.”

3. Rohan Silva, Senior policy adviser to David Cameron selected Carlo Ratti, Director, SENSEable City Laboratory, MIT

Carlo Ratti is on the fore of thinking about the way in which technology can be used to rewire cities, making them more energy efficient, reducing traffic congestion and stimulating new entrepreneurial activity. With half of the world's population now living in urban areas, Carlo's work could have an impact on the lives of billions of people in the years to come.

4. Joi Ito, Director, MIT Media Lab selected Cesar Hidalgo, Network scientist

Cesar is a young academic bringing economics, networks and data science together to help understand the various complexities of economic growth.

5. Daniel Kahneman, Psychologist and Nobel Laureate selected Sendhil Mullainathan, Professor of economics, Harvard University

Sendhil is a rising star in behavioral economics. His work on the psychological traps of poverty may introduce a new example for joining psychology, economics and policy.