(Associated Press via NewsEdge) British Prime Minister Tony Blair toured the world headquarters of Cisco Systems, lunching with some of the most vaunted bigwigs of Silicon Valley and getting a lesson in how robots can improve health care in rural areas.
'I'm here today in listening mode "&brkbar; as long as you treat me as ignorant,' Blair said to CEOs, scientists and other technocrats who engaged him in a question-and-answer session that lasted about an hour.
Blair's company during the visit, the Bay Area's first by a sitting British prime minister, included Cisco president and CEO John Chambers, Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and Internet pioneer and Google VP Vinton Cerf.
Calling Silicon Valley 'one of the most dynamic areas in the world,' Blair peppered executives with questions about how the region's educational and corporate cultures fostered entrepreneurism.
Chambers, who met Blair seven years ago and helped organize the two-hour trade mission to Cisco, said they also discussed climate control, the state of public education and how industrialized nations such as the US and England can effectively compete against low-cost countries such as India and China.
Blair smiled when approached by a plodding robot that allows doctors to consult with patients in remote areas through a broadband wireless connection. Cisco's 'Health Robot,' currently is being tested at five hospitals worldwide.
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