TEDBlog

« Why newspapers matter: John Markoff on TED.com | Main | Vote for the 2008 People's Design Award »

09 October 2008

Jay Walker's library, as seen onstage at TED2008

JayWalkeratTED2008.jpg
In February, Jay Walker lent TED a wall of priceless and geeky artifacts to serve as the stage set for TED2008. In the TEDTalks from this conference, behind the speakers (and inspiring them), you can see Walker's Sputnik and his Enigma machine, his Star Wars stormtrooper helmet and his Gutenberg bible, and rows of manuscripts and objects from throughout history. Now, Walker has opened the doors of his amazing library to the press. Steven Levy for Wired sums up Walker's passion for collecting:

What excites him ... is using his treasures to make mind-expanding connections. He loves juxtapositions, like placing a 16th-century map that combines experience and guesswork -- "the first one showing North and South America," he says -- next to a modern map carried by astronauts to the moon. "If this is what can happen in 500 years, nothing is impossible."

Bookmark and Share

Loading Comments...

This comment will be attributed to name. Not name?

Characters used: 0 (1000 max.)

TEDBlogobig_forblog.gif

Read our exclusive Q&As with TED speakers -- like these:


Wolfe_QA_144x150.jpg Mesquita_lens_144x150_3.jpg
Haidt_lens_144x150.jpg Godin_ASK_144x150.jpg

See 500+ TEDTalks in a spreadsheet:


spreadsheetscreen.jpg

Spot a glitch on TED? Report a bug



TED on Facebook

Become a Fan of TED
on Facebook


@TEDTalks on Twitter

Follow TED on Twitter:
@TEDNews | @TEDTalks


RSS

Subscribe to TED RSS feeds:
TED Blog | More RSS Options


News from TED


Learn about TEDIndia conference >>
Find all our posts about TEDGlobal 2009 >>
Follow the TED Fellows blog >>
Throw your own TED-style event with TEDx >>


TED takeaway


TED ringtones:
TEDTalks Classic tune in [mp3] [m4r]
TEDTalks Phase II tune in [mp3] [m4r]


Get the latest news on the TED Prize on TEDPrize.org >>

by topic

Archives



TED Bloggers

Chris Anderson | Curator
June Cohen | Director of TED Media
Amy Novogratz | TED Prize Director
Tom Rielly | Community
Bruno Giussani | TED European Director
Jason Wishnow | Director, Film + Video
Emily McManus | Editor, TED.com
Matthew Trost | Assistant Editor, TED.com
Shanna Carpenter | Writer and Community Organizer, TED.com
Diego Rodriguez | Guestblogger
Jane Wulf | TED Scribe

Blogs we watch

+ TEDPrize.org
+ TED Fellows blog
+ Thomas Dolby | TED Musical Director, blogging at ThomasDolby.com
+ Emeka Okafor | TEDAfrica Director, blogging at Timbuktu Chronicles and Africa Unchained
+ The indispensable Global Voices

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

Powered by Movable Type