What an amazing man and great storyteller. Spent 22 years walking an sailing around the world. He started when he saw 1/2 million gallons of oil empty into San Francisco Bay he swore off using a vehicle or anything that required oil. He spent 17 of those years he didn't say a word. He stopped speaking so that he could stop arguing. He felt it could help him learn to listen. Although he reevaluated his vow of silence on his birthday every year. That lasted 17 years during which he earned a BA, MA and PHD. It took him 7 yrs and a day to walk across the country. The best thing, he says, is learning to listen. What started him talking again was when he realized that we, people and how we treat each other is truly part of our environment. He became a UN Ambassador (though i'm not sure what kind). He felt that he had a responsibility to help change others and he felt it was the only way he could have significant impact. We have to leave behind our security and go to the place we must go. We have to do something now, we have to change now.
website
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Al Gore Activist "How dare we be optimistic
I'll start with the end where Al quoted an African proverb when ask what he will do next:
If you want to go quickly, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
He announced the launch of the Alliance for Climate Protection scheduled to launch worldwide in April 2008.
I took reams of notes, there was so much value in what he said, but bottom line you really have to watch the video when it comes out. His key messages were about activism and the link between climate change and poverty, It's not just about changing out lightbulbs or adding solar panels, but it's about being active as citizens in our democracy as citizens of the world. In a way I think he was talking about accountability. We are accountable to our planet, it's people and the environment. He calls it a unified earth challenge. More than a local challenge, more than a regional challenge, it's a global challenge and we are able and in fact we MUST get engaged and do something big now. Our generation CAN be the one to force change, our generation CAN be the one to change the cycle, CAN be the one to make a difference, but only if we hold ourselves accountable. We need to initiate a worldwide mobilization effort. We did it after WWII we can do it now. We can change the world.
We have to force the media to engage, to ask the tough questions, to make sure we know where the candidates stand on the issue. Less than fraction of a percent of the questions relate to global warming. We have the will, we have the technology, we just need a commitment to hold ourselves accountable. he cited the example of Australia where the citizens forced the Kyoto accord to be an issue and shortly after Australia became the second to last to sign the accord. The only remaing hold out is the USA.
If you want to go quickly, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
He announced the launch of the Alliance for Climate Protection scheduled to launch worldwide in April 2008.
I took reams of notes, there was so much value in what he said, but bottom line you really have to watch the video when it comes out. His key messages were about activism and the link between climate change and poverty, It's not just about changing out lightbulbs or adding solar panels, but it's about being active as citizens in our democracy as citizens of the world. In a way I think he was talking about accountability. We are accountable to our planet, it's people and the environment. He calls it a unified earth challenge. More than a local challenge, more than a regional challenge, it's a global challenge and we are able and in fact we MUST get engaged and do something big now. Our generation CAN be the one to force change, our generation CAN be the one to change the cycle, CAN be the one to make a difference, but only if we hold ourselves accountable. We need to initiate a worldwide mobilization effort. We did it after WWII we can do it now. We can change the world.
We have to force the media to engage, to ask the tough questions, to make sure we know where the candidates stand on the issue. Less than fraction of a percent of the questions relate to global warming. We have the will, we have the technology, we just need a commitment to hold ourselves accountable. he cited the example of Australia where the citizens forced the Kyoto accord to be an issue and shortly after Australia became the second to last to sign the accord. The only remaing hold out is the USA.
Paul Collier economist
It's all about ideas for creating opportunities for the worlds poorest people.
He's focusing on one of his 4 big ideas wrapped around what he calls the "commodity boom".
He says that the revenue from commodities in countries where the "bottom billion" live far exceeds the funding for aid to those same countries, so how can we make this "change the world".
Currently the "bottom billion are experiencing the fastest economic growth rate ever. The key is to sustain it and according to Collier is how do you sustain it. He cites Canada, Australia and Finland as doing it right. It requires very strong checks and balances and these countries simply don't have them. He feels a key component is transparency, creating interest concern and effective action to ensure that there is indeed long term benefit. If society is uninformed, they can't act. he challenges us to help figure out:
How to extract resources our of the ground and benefit the country. He infers that what happens now is that big traders and government ministers carve deals that benefit them but not the long term economic health of the populace. If we could establish standards we can support the reformers who are struggling, and ensure transparency so that the general populace knows what is going on and can prevent the backroom deals that benefit big corporations and insiders.
website
Book: The Bottom Billion
He's focusing on one of his 4 big ideas wrapped around what he calls the "commodity boom".
He says that the revenue from commodities in countries where the "bottom billion" live far exceeds the funding for aid to those same countries, so how can we make this "change the world".
Currently the "bottom billion are experiencing the fastest economic growth rate ever. The key is to sustain it and according to Collier is how do you sustain it. He cites Canada, Australia and Finland as doing it right. It requires very strong checks and balances and these countries simply don't have them. He feels a key component is transparency, creating interest concern and effective action to ensure that there is indeed long term benefit. If society is uninformed, they can't act. he challenges us to help figure out:
How to extract resources our of the ground and benefit the country. He infers that what happens now is that big traders and government ministers carve deals that benefit them but not the long term economic health of the populace. If we could establish standards we can support the reformers who are struggling, and ensure transparency so that the general populace knows what is going on and can prevent the backroom deals that benefit big corporations and insiders.
website
Book: The Bottom Billion
johnny lee what can you do with a Wii?
OMG, an electronic whiteboard, 3d head tracking, all with a Wii. unbelievable stuff, and johnny offers free downloads on his website. you gotta see it to believe it.
website
website
Friday, February 29, 2008
Benjamin Zander Conductor
Amazing speaker. Passionate, funny, brilliant. By mid way through I'm dying to go hear some classical music, and that's a hell of an accomplishment. Funny, he just said that he will not continue his talk until every single one of us loves classical music. So he starts playing piano...chopin is his first choice. OMG this man is fabulous. I though about cutting out an I'm so glad I didn't. He, in 15 short minutes has 1600 people listening for the E and loving every moment. This is the TED video you have to share with your kids and parents. Your parents will cry, your kids may embrace it in a way you hadn't thought possible. he says we all love classical but many of us just don't know it yet. He said something dramatic that will stick with me and applies to many aspects of life. He says that as a conductor, he can't make a sound. His mission is to draw the best out of his orchestra. To get the listeners and players to have "shining eyes". He says success for him is about how many shining eyes I have around me. More than any of the talks, I see shining eyes all around me.
After he was done and the longest and loudest ovation so far, he had everyone singing Ode to Joy. As he was trying to motivate the crowd to engage....He made a comment the meaning of which I hope I never forget...paraphrased...A true leader finds ways to get things out of people that they didn't even know they had in them!
website
After he was done and the longest and loudest ovation so far, he had everyone singing Ode to Joy. As he was trying to motivate the crowd to engage....He made a comment the meaning of which I hope I never forget...paraphrased...A true leader finds ways to get things out of people that they didn't even know they had in them!
website
Chris Abani writer
Published since he was 16, in jail in Nigeria soon thereafter (i think i got that right!). After two more imprisonments he turned to poetry. His stories are amazing, he talks about the horrors he saw and heard about as a child. Some are simply horrific. He's an amazing story teller and some of his stories, not the most horrific but the ones about cultural issues, like a few of those he told remind me of my time teaching in the jungles of Sumatra. Some things just didn't make sense. I remember being in the midst of a cholera epidemic that killed hundreds every day. Ironic that the front page of the Bengkulu Sumatra paper was about 14 (or so) Americans who died of legionnaires disease, a new thing at the time. A tiny paragraph on the last page was dedicated to the latest death toll in their own province. I deduced that the financial impact of the death of those Americans far exceeded that of the Indonesians, but i couldn't understand, nor could they explain why the 18 Americans dying was more newsworthy than the deaths of their neighbors.
website
website
David Griffin Natl Geographic Director of Photography
as one would expect, incredible images....photographs emulate our minds...it's not just about capturing an image, it's about connecting with the viewer as if they were there, not just visually but emotionally. they've added a section to their website a "your photo" for reader submissions. "you need to know how to create a visual narrative".
helen fisher anthropologist (of love)
college students were asked:
have you ever been rejected by someone who you really loved?
have you ever dumped anyone who really loved you?
95% said yes to both
"romantic love is one of the most powerful sensation" on earth she says and so she studies it's "biochemical foundations and its vital importance to human society". she's studying data now on
people who had suffered a romantic loss. she has learned that romantic love is a basic drive (not the same as sexual drive). it's an addiction and it's great when good and horrible when it's not going well. you crave, you distort reality, you take enormous risks you wouldn't normally take.
indeed she says "romantic love is one of the most addictive" things on the planet. her newest experiment is testing people who are still in a long relationship and say that they are still deeply in love to try and determine the origins of love and why we can walk into a room full of people who may be similar and be romantically attracted to one.
closing: "love is in us and deeply embedded in our brains."
website 1
website 2
have you ever been rejected by someone who you really loved?
have you ever dumped anyone who really loved you?
95% said yes to both
"romantic love is one of the most powerful sensation" on earth she says and so she studies it's "biochemical foundations and its vital importance to human society". she's studying data now on
people who had suffered a romantic loss. she has learned that romantic love is a basic drive (not the same as sexual drive). it's an addiction and it's great when good and horrible when it's not going well. you crave, you distort reality, you take enormous risks you wouldn't normally take.
indeed she says "romantic love is one of the most addictive" things on the planet. her newest experiment is testing people who are still in a long relationship and say that they are still deeply in love to try and determine the origins of love and why we can walk into a room full of people who may be similar and be romantically attracted to one.
closing: "love is in us and deeply embedded in our brains."
website 1
website 2
decided to take a break from blogging and absorb
I decided to take some time to just absorb...here's who you missed, but keep an eye out as ted.com will be posting them soon. For more info now, just check the websites listed:
Walter Isaacson Aspen Institute CEO (our amazing conference hosts) website
Sue Goldie Public Health Scientist website
Peter Schwartz Futurist website
Nassim Nicholas Scholar of Randomness website
Walter Isaacson Aspen Institute CEO (our amazing conference hosts) website
Sue Goldie Public Health Scientist website
Peter Schwartz Futurist website
Nassim Nicholas Scholar of Randomness website
Richard Preston science writer
Incredible author, he's written some scary stuff on everything from ebola to cobras to bioterror to.....redwoods! so what up with that? it seems that he tired of the horrific nature of his other work, though that's not clear.
he spent much of the time talking about redwoods, which are near and dear to me having spent 7 years of my life living amongst them. that being said, i never would have actually thought about climbing one, yet he's climbed the tallest. he has found berries, mosses, lichen and all kinds of interesting other life.
richardpreston.net
he spent much of the time talking about redwoods, which are near and dear to me having spent 7 years of my life living amongst them. that being said, i never would have actually thought about climbing one, yet he's climbed the tallest. he has found berries, mosses, lichen and all kinds of interesting other life.
richardpreston.net
Paul Stamets mycologist/mushroom scholar
a man who spends all his time with mushrooms. he has 22 patents and rails against mushroom prejudice. he thinks that there are thousands of uses and applications for mushrooms, from antibiotic and other medicinal uses to terraform planets "by sowing a mix of fungai spores and other seeds." ways to address global issues:
1. using mycellium to absorb oil (think oil spills!). the mushroms absorbed the oil, killed the smell and attracted other life forms
2. a rare fungus that grows in US forests is being used for flu viruses, defense purposes..........problem these guys only grow in old growth forests
3. used against insects and could revolutionize the way we deal with this..
people are giggling, openly asking if he's a nut or not...did he eat too many of the wrong kind?
4. econol, a mushroom derivative which could be used for energy
"I believe engaging mycellium can save the world"
really really, out of the box stuff in one way, but in another way so cool in its simplicity and the potential!
www.fungi.com
1. using mycellium to absorb oil (think oil spills!). the mushroms absorbed the oil, killed the smell and attracted other life forms
2. a rare fungus that grows in US forests is being used for flu viruses, defense purposes..........problem these guys only grow in old growth forests
3. used against insects and could revolutionize the way we deal with this..
people are giggling, openly asking if he's a nut or not...did he eat too many of the wrong kind?
4. econol, a mushroom derivative which could be used for energy
"I believe engaging mycellium can save the world"
really really, out of the box stuff in one way, but in another way so cool in its simplicity and the potential!
www.fungi.com
Robert Ballard Ocean explorer
talking about how little we really know about our oceans. 50% of USA lies under water and he says we know more about mars than our own oceans. 15% (whoops, did he say 25%?) of our planet is a 42,000 mile long underwater mountain range we didn't even explore until after we hit a golf ball on the moon. one of the things he talks about is how much of the worlds natural resources lie under the sea. they discovered bacteria that emulated photosynthesis where no light is available, creatures never before seen, all kinds of life, hydrothermal vent systems, etc.
he's totally frustrated at our lack of knowledge, he knows that going to the unknown on our planet we may find many answers. he's beginning to disseminate information and motivate children to explore and dig for knowledge earlier than any one else. he ended with comments about how we have great opportunities with existing technology to learn so much more, to use so many things to our benefit.
mysticaquarium.org
jasonproject.com
he's totally frustrated at our lack of knowledge, he knows that going to the unknown on our planet we may find many answers. he's beginning to disseminate information and motivate children to explore and dig for knowledge earlier than any one else. he ended with comments about how we have great opportunities with existing technology to learn so much more, to use so many things to our benefit.
mysticaquarium.org
jasonproject.com
Brian Cox british rocktsar physicist
100 billion suns in our galaxy and 100 billion universes, 13.7 billion years old. an attempt to recreate the conditions 1 billionth of second after the birth of the universe. what is particle physics and cosmology? in an attempt to understand who we are and where we come from, he's driven to understand what happened in the very first billionth of a second after the birth of the universe. although insanely complex he is a great presenter and is able to demystify it just enough to make one think they understand. we'll see if i really do.
Tod Machover composer inventor
What an amazing thing this man has done to enable people who had no hope of playing an instrument to do so and express their creativity in a way not possible before. Personal instruments..what a concept. Incredibly moving performance by Dan, a cerebral palsy patient. Just the look on his face during the performance was enough to jerk a few tears.
web.media.mit.edu/-tod
brainop.media.mit.edu
web.media.mit.edu/-tod
brainop.media.mit.edu
Amy Tan How do we create?
Amazing, engaging, powerful, funny, creative. Taking about all the different sources of creativity. Seizures, psychosis, past lives, angst, sacrifice, thinking about death, childhood experiences, family and cultural influences. Makes me think about how our designers are constantly under deadlines to deliver "great creative". In fact the more we hear from these incredible minds, the more I think about how my efforts may be misdirected in the bigger picture. She talks about how the universe gives us clues and we often don't see them. There are never complete answers, rather, if there is one, remind oneself that there is uncertainty. If there is an answer it is to imagine.....Imagination is the closest thing to compassion. become the story
amytan.net
amytan.net
Robert Lang Origami????? How do we Create?
He took an ancient art form and, by applying mathematical principles took it to another level. Using computers to help design, it ain't the origami we remember. Showed and amazing commercial for Mitsubishi that was ALL origami except the car. Livermore labs uses origami to help understand how to bring large lenses, up to 100 meters, into space. Stents, airbags, etc., use the mathematical formulas originally developed for an art form.
Langorigami.com
Langorigami.com
Yves Behar Designer
Another incredibly talented person, an amazing group of accomplishments, most recently the XO laptop for the One Laptop Per Child program, the jawbone headset, the leaf lamp and the reinvention of numerous brands like Birkenstock. very cool unpretentious presentation talking about design and how it can tie to a relationship with social responsibility, value and as he says "the values we put into our design work" that is the big differentiator. He says design is the glue that brings everything together. He fuses values and design. Tackling the One Laptop Per Child
was an amazing effort that is changing the world. He wraps with the NYC Condom program a mindblowing totally different approach to a huge challenge. We can change our values, we can change the companies we work with, we can change the world....sure makes me think about my client base!
www.fuseproject.com
was an amazing effort that is changing the world. He wraps with the NYC Condom program a mindblowing totally different approach to a huge challenge. We can change our values, we can change the companies we work with, we can change the world....sure makes me think about my client base!
www.fuseproject.com
John Knoll visual effects
Big deal, a few Oscars, Star Wars, Pirates, oh and he invented (with his bro) some little program called photoshop. He's sharing the visual effects "secrets" showing how much goes into effects. Makes it seem like nothing is impossible, helps us to see how things that seemed impossible just a few years ago are not today. As I listened, sure I was entertained, but now I think, at least for me the relevance is that the impossible is not necessarily so.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Changed my mind....Karen Armstrong
She's so good and her talk so near and dear to my heart.....
Religion has been hijacked she says. We have a talent as a species for messing up wonderful things. You cannot confine your concern to those of your religion. You must open up your mind and think more about Universal Outreach which she feels many religions no longer do. Religion is a kind of fault line and when a country has armed conflicts, religions tend to fall into line and are also impacted and take advantage of opportunities like armed conflicts, to grow when they have the opportunity to do so. After 9/11 her work on Islam has thrust her into prominence. She says the world is yearning for a change. Thousands of Pakistanis came to her recent talks. She says religion should serve to bring people together not tear them asunder. We should not treat other nations in a way we wouldn't want to be treated ourselves. Sh talks about how the mosques in this hemisphere reached out to Sinagogs and communities to begin to communicate and generate understanding. Personally I've always been of the belief that it's hard to hate those with whom you are familiar and she seems to support that. It is the "otherness" of our enemies that allows us to hate them. Her wish is that we help with by developing a charter of inspiration and based on the fundamental principle of the golden rule. To connect all of those who wish to reclaim their faith, to remember the ethos of love and charity. She wants to see the major religious leaders, at least a thousand all sign a charter that we can get to everyone on the planet. Archbishop Desmond Tutu has already offered his support as has the UN alliance of civlizations. we need to avoid the escalation of extremism. The UN gives it validation that it's not driven by single religion. Make relgion once more a source of peace rather than conflict.
Amazing, inspiring woman...read the books and get involved! This is why I haven't been able to subscribe to any religion and now I have a reason to dig in and see if there's a way to help. She has the potential to be a bridge to a new world.
Books:
The Great Transformation
The Beginning of our Religious Traditions
The Bible: A Biography
A History of God
Religion has been hijacked she says. We have a talent as a species for messing up wonderful things. You cannot confine your concern to those of your religion. You must open up your mind and think more about Universal Outreach which she feels many religions no longer do. Religion is a kind of fault line and when a country has armed conflicts, religions tend to fall into line and are also impacted and take advantage of opportunities like armed conflicts, to grow when they have the opportunity to do so. After 9/11 her work on Islam has thrust her into prominence. She says the world is yearning for a change. Thousands of Pakistanis came to her recent talks. She says religion should serve to bring people together not tear them asunder. We should not treat other nations in a way we wouldn't want to be treated ourselves. Sh talks about how the mosques in this hemisphere reached out to Sinagogs and communities to begin to communicate and generate understanding. Personally I've always been of the belief that it's hard to hate those with whom you are familiar and she seems to support that. It is the "otherness" of our enemies that allows us to hate them. Her wish is that we help with by developing a charter of inspiration and based on the fundamental principle of the golden rule. To connect all of those who wish to reclaim their faith, to remember the ethos of love and charity. She wants to see the major religious leaders, at least a thousand all sign a charter that we can get to everyone on the planet. Archbishop Desmond Tutu has already offered his support as has the UN alliance of civlizations. we need to avoid the escalation of extremism. The UN gives it validation that it's not driven by single religion. Make relgion once more a source of peace rather than conflict.
Amazing, inspiring woman...read the books and get involved! This is why I haven't been able to subscribe to any religion and now I have a reason to dig in and see if there's a way to help. She has the potential to be a bridge to a new world.
Books:
The Great Transformation
The Beginning of our Religious Traditions
The Bible: A Biography
A History of God
lazy jack
I'm going to watch this session, since you can do the same at:
http://www.ted.com/liveevent/watch/
http://www.ted.com/liveevent/watch/
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