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

Technorati tags: Hans Rosling, Jeff Han, Murray Gell-Mann, Philippe Starck

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Noel Titus – March 8 2007

When I get out of grad school this is is the first conference I plan on attending...

The quote is inspirational, but it would great if you compiled a top ten list, if not for every day, at least for the conference.
Wes – March 8 2007

I am so stoked that you guys are blogging live info on TED2007. Does anyone have any more photos from the event? That would be cool if we could get some images to go along with these descriptions. I can't wait for the videos to be posted! Meanwhile I will sit around waiting for blog posts and right on my own blog about less interesting things. (www.FreshPeel.com)
Jonathan Marks – March 8 2007

TED is brilliant, but I cannot understand why you are not streaming to the world (even if you charged for this, perhaps on a pay-what-you-can basis). Those invited to CA obviously have the networking advantage.

Your reasons for not wanting to get too big are clear. Your decision to put out speeches spread over the year is also understandable. But your current lack of streaming is a global missed opportunity.
Ulrich – March 8 2007

Wishing I was there, hope to be there next year! Sounds like a great first day experience. Please be as detailed as you can so those of us looking in can feel abit of the energy. Thanks for being our eyes and ears.