21 March 2007
Google and TED sword-swallowing demographer team up to think outside the X and Y axes
Google has acquired Hans Rosling's Trendalyzer software, which the Swedish demographer and his team at Gapminder have developed since 2005 to generate more useful visualizations of facts and figures. Rosling has met the Google founders at TED2006, where he gave a thought-provoking speech on the nature of statistics and the general misinterpretation of them (see short summary and video of that speech). At TED2007 ten days ago he gave another insightful speech, ending it with the now-famous sword-swallowing moment (yes, Rosling is a serious demographer but also -- another deadly serious activity -- one of the few sword-swallowers active in Sweden). Photo Robert Leslie/TED:
Marissa Mayer of Google comments the acquisition on their blog:
"Gathering data and creating useful statistics is an arduous job that
often goes unrecognized. We hope to provide the resources necessary to
bring such work to its deserved wider audience by improving and expanding Trendalyzer and making it freely available
to any and all users capable of thinking outside the X and Y axes." The
Trendalyzer team will join Google in Mountain View to work on
developing the tools; the non-profit Gapminder Foundation
-- whose goal is to "to promote a fact-based worldview by bringing
statistical story-telling to new levels" -- will instead continue
operating out of Stockholm.
(Via IHT Metamedia)
Technorati Tags: Hans Rosling, Google, Gapminder, TED2006, TED2007
15 March 2007
Celebrating "Spectacle"
Architect David Rockwell joined forces with Chee Perlman and Kevin Kelly (TEDizens, all) in San Francisco last night, to celebrate Spectacle, the gorgeous book he created with Bruce Mau, exploring the phenomenon of public performance. Photos by Robert Leslie.
10 March 2007
TED2007: Day four wrap-up
Quotes of the day:
Explorer Bill Stone: "The traditional approach to space exploration has been to carry all the fuel you need, and to carry everybody back in case of emergency. But to prime the pump that will take us beyond, boldness is required: the first expeditionary team must travel to the Moon without the fuel to come back, and produce it there. It can be done in 7 years, and I intend to lead that expedition. There was a time when people did bold things to open new frontiers. We have collectively forgotten that. Now we are at a time when boldness is required again."
Multientrepreneur Richard Branson: "I guess I was a maverick." (Talking about his school years)
"New philanthropy expert Katherine Fulton: "There is a new moral hunger that is growing."
TED2007's over. TED2008 will take place February 28 - March 1 in Monterey.
10 March 2007
TED2007 Day Three: things that knocked my hat in the creek
Wow! Day Three at TED2007 ROCKED! A magical day which got crank-started by a truly electric presentation on the perils of Local Warming.
This was a day which just can't wait for the TEDTalks to come out. Daniel Goleman made a wonderful connection between emotional intelligence and the empathy which will be required -- by all of us -- to make more informed, broader-scope consumption and action decisions in the future. Later in the day Eames Demetrios, grandson of Charles Eames (and a true design thinker in his own right) made the same point in a different way -- humanity has got the information now; we just need to start making better choices.
Today (actually, yesterday, since once again I find myself blogging at 4 in the morning -- funny that...) was one of those classic TED days where almost everything was mind-blowing,where just about everything knocked my hat in the creek. Highlights for me were JJ Abrams and his Mystery Box; Jeff Skoll and his enlightened humanity; Deborah Scranton and her movie The War Tapes, which every global citizen must see and experience; Will Wright and his latest "game" which I couldn't help but think was the fortuitous answer to the TEDPrize wish of 2007 TEDPrize winner E.O. Wilson; Jaime Lerner as a vibrant example of the power of pure enthusiasm; Eames Demetrios for giving us the gift of previously unseen movies which exposed the vernacular power of iterative prototyping, as well as a parable of a banana leaf which pretty much sums up TED 2006+2007 in a nutshell (you MUST watch this TEDTalk when it comes out!); and of course Tracy Chapman and Isabel Allende for their artistry and authenticity.
It was a good day.
Above, all, I want to express my personal gratitude for Thomas Dolby and the musicians of the Jazz Mafia for the musical punch they give to all of TED:
09 March 2007
TED2007: Day three wrap-up
Quotes of the day:
Economist Emily Oster: "Not having sex is like an investment, so you value it more the longer you expect to live in the future." (About AIDS in Africa)
"Lost" creator JJ Abrams: "Mystery is more important that knowledge."
Participant Production's Jeff Skoll: "I asked John Gardne how to best use the money I made co-founding eBay, and he told me: Bet on good people doing good things."
MoMA design curator Paola Antonelli: "I'm Italian, and in Italy design is normal."
ARUP head of foresight Chris Luebkeman: "We brought CO2 emissions for power and heath to zero: it's good, but not good enough." (About designing a new sustainable city in China)
Former Curitiba mayor Jaime Lerner: "Cities are not the problem: they are the solution."
Designer Eames Demetrios: "The role of the designers is about anticipating the needs of the guest and make them feel good."
Nokia's Jan Chipchase: "This is pure street-up innovation." (About the use of cell phones for money transfer in Uganda)
09 March 2007
TED2007: Sketchblogging the conference
Lorna Herf is an illustrator and designer from Los Angeles attending TED and she's been blogging on lornamatic in a pretty original and compelling way - she's sketchblogging the conference. Check out her blog. Here are her "notes" from four speakers: Carolyn Porco (session 1), John Doerr (session 3), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (session 3) and Michael Pollan (session 5):
09 March 2007
TED2007 Day Two: things that knocked my hat in the creek
Oh boy, Day Two of TED2007 was so full of interesting stuff that it bled in to Day Three, which is why I find myself here at 4am in the morning writing this blog post. Again, I'll make no attempt to talk about everything (see Bruno's posts for that point of view), just a few things which stuck out for me.
Day Two for me was, above all, a day of vivid imagery.
John Maeda gave an elegant talk via a stream of beautiful images covering everything from a life responsibility curve to good tofu to cheese puff drawing tools to sushi. He showed us everything we ever needed to know about simplicity with just two photos of cookies, one small and one large, and two photos of piles of laundry, one small and one large. You want the large cookie but the small laundry pile, and that's simplicity in a nutshell.
Microsoft brought us some amazing demos, including one of Photosynth, which synthesizes a scalable image based on a search of flickr for all images of a specific subject, such as the cathedral of Notre Dame (photo credit Jurvetson):
Theo Jansen showed us videos of his wind-driven walking creatures, and also had an actual working machine/artificial animal walking across the stage -- effortlessly stepping to create, in effect, a virtual wheel. Here's a photo, but also be sure to see the video here:
2007 TEDPrize winner James Nachtwey's haunting images reminded us all how much needs to be done in the world. And how lucky all of us in the TED community (which means YOU!) are to be in life circumstances which allow us to dream. In the midst of so much talent, drive, imagination, as well as the wealth which results from the confluence of those three factors, it's easy to forget that this mode of existence is a far, far cry from the reality of so many citizens of our planet. We heard many macro- and micro-economic statistics today. But no statistics trying to describe life a less than a dollar a day can compete with Nachtwey's imagery of people's bodies wasting away from starvation. See a few of them in this video:
A day of vivid imagery, indeed.
09 March 2007
TED2007: Day two wrap-up
Quotes of the day:
Former US president Bill Clinton, TEDprize 2007 winner: "Help me in creating a better future for Rwanda by assisting my foundation, in partnership with the Rwandan government, to build a sustainable, high quality rural health system for the whole country, that can then be a model for other countries. We have a chance here to prove that a country that almost slaughtered itself out of existence (while none of us, most of all me, did anything to help) can practice reconciliation, reorganize itself, focus on tomorrow and provide comprehensive healthcare to its citizens."
News photographer James Nachtwey, TEDprize 2007 winner: "I am a witness and I want my testimony to be honest and uncensored. I also want it to be powerful and eloquent and do justice to the people I'm photographing."
Biologist E.O. Wilson, TEDprize 2007 winner: "I've come on a special mission on behalf of my constituency, the millions of trillions of insects and other small creatures, to make a plea for them. Please keep in mind that if we would wipe out insects from the planet - which we are trying hard to do - the rest of life would disappear within a few months."
Author Michael Pollan: "Looking at the world from other species' point of view is a cure for human self-importance."
Former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold: "I have this picture up on my computer screen, and a woman comes up and asks whether that's a Jackson Pollock painting, but no, it's a picture of penguin shit on rocks."
VC John Doerr: "I'm scared. I don't think we're gonna make it." (About climate change)
Former Nigerian Finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: "There is an Africa that you don't hear often about, the Africa that's changing, the Africa of people that are taking their destiny into their hands."
TED Media Director June Cohen: "The newest digital technologies are returning us to the most ancient form of media — one in which a natural order is restored; our individual stories take center stage, with the rest of the world as a backdrop."
Creative Commons founder Larry Lessig: "We have to recognize they kids different from us. We watch TV, they make TV. It is technology that has made them different."
08 March 2007
TED2007 Day One: things that knocked my hat in the creek
I had my mind blown in a thousand different directions by TED2007 today. My big impression was having felt the future, in myriad ways. From hallway conversations to the content of speaker presentations to the feeling of just being a part of it all, it was a fabulous first day.
My assignment, as handed down by the head office of TED, is to tell you about the thing which blew my mind the most. However, I'm going to take the easy route and talk about everything buzzing in my mind right now. All the speakers were wonderful, but here are my personal highlights. So bear with me; here we go:
- Philippe Starck: Proof positive that tangents are but the arcs of greater circles, Philippe gave us a very big picture look at life, beauty, meaning, the universe, and brushes for one's toilet and mouth. No photos, no precious design shots, just him and the space around him dancing around the stage in a virtuostic lesson in what it means to be a charismatic speaker. Strictly nonlinear in presentation -- and likely uncomfortable to some -- his time on stage tickled me pink, and was formidable! Watch for the TEDTalks on this one. You need to see it to understand it all.
- Hans Rosling: How does one go about topping your previous world-changing effort? Hans Rosling did it. With equal parts killer interface design + serious storytelling + oodles of data + approximately a third of a meter of reliable Swedish steel, Hans Rosling pulled it all off.
- Murray Gell-Mann: Was the field of particle physics ever presented in a more human, accessible way? Elegance personified. I loved every minute of this. It was like being in the room with a triumvirate of geniuses: Newton, Einstein, Gell-Mann. Wow.
- Jeff Han: Okay, I want one. Please. I want one.
- Steve Miller: As part of TEDUniversity, told stories about Tiger Woods to reveal some elegant points about how to set standards of excellence and then rise to meet them.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: A moving essay on jazz, leadership, responsibility, and the need to look deep within to find excellence. Inspiring.
- Raul Midon: A degree of artistic achievement which made we weep, so powerful was his music. The high point of Day One. And recipient of my TED Quote of the Day Award: "Feel the fear, but do it anyway".
Onward! Tomorrow bodes to be another amazing day.
photo credit: Jurvetson
07 March 2007
TED2007: Day one wrap-up
Quotes of the day:
Cassini imaging team head Carolyn Porco: "So there are possibly liquid water, organic materials and excessive heat on Saturn and its moons. Which means that Saturn could be a place were life is possible. If we can demonstrate that Genesis has happened not once (Earth) but twice (Saturn) then we can infer that it has happened hundreds of thousands of times across the solar system. If we can demonstrate that Genesis has happened not once [on Earth] but twice [including Saturn] in the solar system, then by inference that means it has occurred a staggering number of times across the universe in its 13.7 billion year history".
Nobel prize of physics Murray Gell-Mann: "In fundamental physics, beauty is a very successful criterion for choosing the right theory".
Psychologist Steven Pinker: "The truth is that our ancestors were far more violent that we are, and today we are probably living in the most peaceful times in history".
Computer scientist Jeff Han: "We basically have to un-teach people what they have learned so far about computing, and convince them that they can use several fingers, that several people can work on the screen at once".
Architect Philippe Starck: "I believe in general that my job is absolutely useless; but now, after Carolyn and these guys, I feel like shit".
Statistician Hans Rosling: "Bring me my sword!" (Rosling is a serious demographer but he is also -- another deadly serious activity -- one of the few sword-swallowers active in Sweden, and he ends his speech swallowing a Swedish bayonette).
07 March 2007
Bloggers at TED2007
The original version of this post contained links to a few bloggers that were at TED2007 and were likely to blog part or all of the conference. I've updated the list, post-conference, on March 16, adding more bloggers and links to some press coverage.
Blogs:
Bruno Giussani - LunchOverIP and HuffingtonPost
Chris Suellentrop - Wired blog
Esther Dyson - HuffingtonPost
Ethan Zuckerman - My Heart's in Accra
Kate Trgovac - MynameisKate
Jack Myers - MediaVillage
Jordan Ayan - Marketing with Technology
Loic Le Meur - LoicLeMeurBlog
Lorna Herf - Lornamatic
Michael Cerda - Cerdafied
Renee Blodgett - DownTheAvenue
Sam Perry - Conferenza
Scott Mattoon - What Happens Downstream?
Steve Gundrum - Noteworthy
Steve Jurvetson - SJ's Flickr page
Tom Guarriello - True Talk Blog
and the Vox TED gallery
Press:
BusinessWeek: The talk of TED
BusinessWeek: Forget Davos, I'm booked up for TED
San Francisco Chronicle: TED Conference open for new ideas
San Francisco Chronicle: Breaking down TED, from a sword to a soiree
The Economist: Davos for optimists
The New York Times: Award Honorees Describe How They Hope to Improve the World
The New York Times: Where artists and investors plot to save the world
If you're hungry for more, see the TED2007 tag on Technorati or try a search on Google News.
07 March 2007
Packing for TED
Tomorrow I head down to Monterey for the TED conference. I look forward to TED all year. It is a fantastic chance to catch up with old friends, meet some really interesting new ones and exercise my brain and my imagination. But, as with TEDs of the past, I find myself stuck -- I am at a loss for what to pack. Not because the weather is unpredictable (although Monterey in March is a bit unpredictable). Rather, I find myself thinking, "What does one wear to meet Paul Simon?" "What does one wear to meet President Clinton?" "What does one wear to meet John Maeda?" Perhaps I'm the only one asking myself these questions, but I'm guessing not. It would be hard to think that how one dresses is irrelevant at a conference with "design" in its name.
The only guidance the TED organization gives you is this -- "Dress code, as ever, is casual." OK, so I can rule out my tuxedo. But that leaves a whole lot of other possible outfits. If I were to meet with Larry Lessig, I would likely dress differently than if I were to meet with Will Wright. If I were to meet with EO Wilson, I would likely dress differently than if I were to meet with Maira Kalman. If I were to meet with Richard Branson, I would likely dress differently than if I were to meet with Tracy Chapman. So you can see my conundrum.
What is appropriate dress for the TED conference? One thing is for certain. The answer to this question appears to be different for pretty much every TEDster. Which, I suppose, should give me some comfort. And, yet, it does not. It just means that the possibilities are endless. Where's Carson Kressley when I need him? I suppose I have no choice but to pack up and head south to Monterey. TED is upon us. But please don't judge me, Kareem Abdul-Jabar -- I know not what to wear to meet basketball royalty.
06 March 2007
TED2007: pre-conference impressions
Minus one (day). TED2007 starts tomorrow Wednesday. The whole team is in Monterey getting things ready. Here a few impressions of today, starting with the preparation of the main stage:
Just outside, tech and decoration materials are being delivered:
Speakers' pictures are ready to be hung on the walls:
The simulcast room is being assembled:
In a separate room, the "gift bags" for the 1200 attendees are filled and stockpiled:
So we're almost ready to go:
There has been some news coverage of TED lately. One month ago CBS put online a 10-minutes video report on TED, who attends and what's discussed. This week's BusinessWeek has a story headlined "Forget Davos. I'm booked up for TED", while yesterday's New York Times describes "Where artists and investors plot to save the world". While both articles say great things about TED and compare it favorably to the Davos World Economic Forum however, it's worth pointing out that they almost contradict each other. BusinessWeek quotes a former attendee suggesting that TED has become mainly about connections with celebrities; the NY Times writes that TED is now mainly a do-good gathering discussing "photographs of genocide victims, environmentally sustainable AIDS clinics and water-purification systems".
Between glam celebrities and genocide victims, the truth is that the actual content -- the speakers and the ideas -- at TED this year promises to be more interesting than ever.
I will try to liveblog it starting tomorrow, with highlights on the TEDblog and full content on LunchOverIP. We are also planning to have daily summary podcasts. Other bloggers will be writing/podcasting from TED: check out in particular Ethan Zuckerman and Tom Guarriello. If you're blogging from the conference, leave a comment with your URL here: I will be composing a list of TED bloggers and publish it.
05 March 2007
What's your Starck factor?
One of the greatest things about TED is the opportunity to get acquainted with people who are already part of your life, even if you don't know them personally. Be it hearing them in a speech, meeting them in the audience, or catching them in a TEDTalks video, TED gives us all a chance to meet the designers, entertainers, technologists, academics, film makers, poets, architects, writers, scientists, journalists, and politicians who help shape the world we live in.
So imagine my excitement when I learned that Philippe Starck would be on the TED2007 speaker lineup. A maverick's maverick, Starck continues to exert a massive influence on our aesthetic and social landscape. As the TED2007 program states:
He is the most famous and prolific designer alive. The streamlined and organic look of his architecture, interior design and product design has influenced designers and consumers alike, and as a result he has changed the way we live.
Which made me ask, "What's my Starck factor? How much Starck is there in my day to day life?" The answer is: quite a lot, and more than I thought. Here's a quick survey -- your results may vary:
First, the Starck Gnomes. As it happens, I have a lot of meetings at work in a room staffed by these patient and sturdy little guys. I think they help bring good karma to the room, which makes some of the harder meetings a little easier:
I also occasionally hold an outdoor meeting where we end up sitting on this Starck sofa. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to tell you that my bottom doesn't find it to be a plush sit. That's okay, though, because the comfort limitations curtail the length of those sessions, and academic studies have shown that 10-20 minute meetings are more productive than their lengthier cousins:
Above all, I like sitting in this Eros chair. It feels great to sit in and be seen in. And it helps you empathize with the olive in a martini. Fun!:
In a drawer at home I keep this incredible watch by Starck for Fossil. I love the way it looks on the wrist, like a timepiece beamed back from the future. It's my "special occasions" watch. The green readout is cool, too:
Here's one I don't have. But if I was living in a flat in Paris, I'd be riding this Aprilia Moto 6.5 whenever a pedal bike wouldn't do. Where other motorcycles get tripped up by their own macho fixations, saying "I'm going to take you for a ride," this one has a kindlier aspect. It says "Let's go for a ride -- together." And I love the orange splash. Perfect:
Another one on my "to buy" list. This clock from Oregon Scientific is extremely clever in that it beams the time up on to the ceiling, so that you can read it while lying in bed. Come to think of it, that easy glance up could be useful in many situations, such as making sure that that work meeting goes no longer than 20 minutes:
That's just a brief personal inventory based on the life works of just one TED speaker. It's worth your while to browse through Starck's immense portfolio. Imagine the breadth and depth of impact across all of the TEDsters through time. What's your TED Factor?
03 March 2007
What Are Icons, Mavericks and Geniuses?
The theme for the TED 2008 conference was recently announced -- it is "The Big Questions." A worthy theme for TED, indeed, but not one I am yet prepared to ponder. Rather, as TED 2007 is literally around the corner, I find myself much more engaged in contemplating next week's theme -- "Icons. Geniuses. Mavericks." An equally worth theme, but what does it mean?
One might attempt to intuit the answer from next week's program. Presumably these amazing speakers are the icons, geniuses and mavericks of which we speak. But who is what? Is Paul Simon a genius or an icon? Is Nathan Myhrvold a maverick or a genius? Is Richard Branson an icon or a maverick? And what in the world is Tom Reilly? Clearly it was going to take more than mere deduction to appreciate the meaning of next week's theme.
Finding insufficient inspiration from TED's own website, I chose to take the very advice I give my kids when they ask me a question for which I have no answer -- "I don't know, look it up on Wikipedia." So off to Wikipedia I went, while contemplating whether TEDster Jimmy Wales would be described as an icon, maverick or genius? Thankfully, Jimmy spoke at TEDglobal2005 for which no categorization was required; instead, Jimmy needed only to share "Ideas Big Enough to Change the World." Given his druthers, Jimmy may have opted for categorization over the lofty requirement of world-changing ideas. Nonetheless, a theme's a theme and Jimmy was not an "icon, genius or maverick," but rather a speaker of "ideas big enough to change the world." I remained hopeful that Jimmy's big idea -- Wikipedia -- would be able to help me solve my conundrum.
Unfortunately, delving into the pages of Wikipedia did not give me instant clarity as to the essence of these terms. But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and therefore I will share with you what Wikipedia did have to say about Icons, Geniuses and Mavericks.
Not a bad lineup if TED could pull it off -- Jesus, Einstein and James Garner. I've often thought what a great conference TED could create if there was time travel. Alas, next week's icons, geniuses and mavericks are going to have to come from the living to participate. Luckily, judging by the schedule, there were plenty to chose among. Since I can get no more clarity from Wikipedia on this year's TED theme, I guess I'll have to report back after the conference with my thoughts on what makes an icon, genius or maverick. Until then, I think I'll go watch some reruns of Maverick on the American Life Network.
02 March 2007
BusinessWeek on being "booked up for TED"
Minus five (days) on the countdown to TED2007. The whole team is at work applying the final touches and extinguishing the inevitable last-minute fires and preparing to head to Monterey (which also means that from this point on, no one on the team can guarantee to respond to individual email or phone requests... Apologies).
In the meantime, here is some reading material: a story in this week's BusinessWeek: "Forget Davos. I'm booked up for TED":
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