Tuesday, August 21, 2012

TED Talks

It seems that I'm often the last to find out about truly wonderful things.  I discover something only to find it's been around for years -- years that I missed out on.  And TED talks are an example of those wonderful things.

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) started out in 1984, and has picked up momentum in recent years.  Its principal manifestation is the 1000 brief talks freely accessible on its website (www.ted.com), the best of talks given at semi-annual and special conferences around the world.

I viewed my first TED talk a few months ago and was delighted by it.  Frank Warren, the creator of a blog called the PostSecret Project, spent 11 minutes sharing the highlights of his idea to have people share their secrets via postcards.  You can view the talk at this link:  http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/frank_warren_half_a_million_secrets.html.

Since then I have viewed more and more of the talks, and some of the recent topics I've enjoyed have dealt with creativity, robotics, microbiology, nonviolence, simple toys, creative musical instruments, democracy -- you can see the incredible range of subjects.  Ginger and I have taken to occasionally viewing talks via iPad and TV, in lieu of watching our favorite programs or the latest Netflix movie.

They are truly life-enriching, and I'm well on my way toward working through the 1000 titles.

Now I discover that a TED conference is coming soon to Sacramento.  It will be held August 31 at the Crocker Art Museum from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  The cost of a ticket is $100.  Here's what they say about this apparently annual event:  "This year, we have speakers as diverse a National Geographic photographer, a robotics designer, the trainer behind Seal Team 6, speakers from Denmark and Uganda as well as some of our region's greatest minds; speakers on Game Theory and running, on innovation, memory, achievement, sustainability and more!"  You can get more information at this link:  http://tedxsacramento.com/.

I'm still not sure I can devote a day to this fascinating adventure, but in case you're considering it, here is a link to a Sacramento Press article that provides even more background information: