The project launch event in Manhattan—similar events were hosted in London and Singapore—featured a number of speakers  elucidating  the potential impact of big data. Juan Enriquez, managing director of Excel Venture  Management , posited that a person's presence online via blogs, social networks and photos can be thought of as digital tattoos, and that the  availability  of this  information  via search engines grants people a kind of  immortality . Aside from any  permanence  that can be achieved, Esther Dyson,a venture  capitalist  and former  journalist . pointed out that  improvements  in the  collection  and analysis of diet, exercise and sleep data can also help people on a more prosaic level by enabling healthier  lifestyles .