TEDBlog May, 2009 Archive
29 May 2009
Q&A with Kaki King: The evolution of a guitarist
In 2008, Kaki King charmed and impressed the TED community with her melodic and exuberant style of guitar-playing. Yesterday, TED’s Media Production Specialist Angela Cheng spoke with Kaki over the phone in hopes of learning more about her influences, the ever-changing music writing process, and what she gleaned from TED.
How was your day?
Good. I ran around a lot and lost track of time. It would have been more fun if it wasn’t for the rain. I’m doing this new project where I’m looking for twelve artists to provide blank guitars for them to design or re-create. And the theme of each piece would be the title of one of my songs. I haven’t been on tour for the last two months, which is rare, and I’m a bit of a workaholic so I’m keeping busy. Otherwise I go stir-crazy.
Do you enjoy touring?
I’m very used to it. There are a lot of places that I know extremely well. Like if I were to visit Sydney, Australia, I’d feel very comfortable there. I’m very comfortable in many many cities.
You’re originally from Atlanta, but New York is now your home. Do you ever miss the South?
Yes. My mom and dad and uncle and sister all live in Atlanta. I have relatives in Texas. I do try to visit as much as possible. It’s wonderful that all my family is there and I get to go there and chill out. It’s very peaceful. I have a very strong tie – not necessarily to the South – but to nature.
How much of the South is in your music?
I definitely will say that being in the vicinity gave me a lot more access to bluegrass music. Bluegrass is not a clear influence. But you have to play bluegrass music at a very high level of skill. Anything involved with taking things to a higher level of skill really interests me.
A lot of people have characterized your music as “percussive.” In fact, you started off wanting to play drums. Does it make sense to say that percussion has a lot of influence on your style?
Yes it does, and not only “percussion,” but the independence between the hands that you learn as a drummer helped me become a much more creative guitar player.
You started off as a solo musician, but now you collaborate with a full band. What was it like making the transition, in both writing and playing?
The writing remains the same. I write almost every single part of my songs, even the actual drum parts sometimes, whether they be simple or layered with many different instruments. The great thing about havinga band for the first time was that I didn’t have to work as hard onstage at making all of these different sounds myself. I could just sit back and let the band play the parts I had written.
Do you have a typical music writing process?
Right now I’m at the very beginning of the new writing process for a new album. The process changes for every record, every song. For my first two records, there was an intimacy between me and the songs because I hung out with them so much. You have less time the busier you get. At this point, after putting out an album, I have to re-learn the songs that I’ve written.
In the past, most of what I’ve written, I’ve written during times of pain or loneliness, and the music is therapy. Things change when you get older. I’ve followed the lives of great musicians and have learned that you don’t have to always write in pain. You have all of your past experiences, feelings, and thoughts that you can turn on when you need them and turn off when you don’t. Right now I feel a bit older and wiser and I don’t need to go out and create a painful or sad situation or feel estranged from the universe.
Also, all experiences are relevant to making art or music. Right now I’m learning the piano. I’m not going to become a piano player, but I do know that in some way it will open up my world and give me inspiration for my music.
READ MORE: Kaki talks about her experience at TED, being remembered by Al Gore and what it’s like to be short. (more…)
29 May 2009
"Playing with Pink Noise": Kaki King on TED.com
Kaki King, the first female on Rolling Stone’s “guitar god” list, rocks out to a full live set at TED2008, including her breakout single, “Playing with Pink Noise.” Jaw-dropping virtuosity meets a guitar technique that truly stands out.(Recorded at TED2008, February 2008, in Monterey, California. Duration: 14:49)
Watch Kaki King’s performance from TED2008 on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 400+ TEDTalks.
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28 May 2009
Why we're storing billions of seeds: Jonathan Drori on TED.com
In this brief talk from TED U 2009, Jonathan Drori encourages us to save biodiversity — one seed at a time. Reminding us that plants support human life, he shares the vision of The Millennium Seed Bank, which has stored over 3 billion seeds to date from dwindling yet essential plant species. (Recorded at TED2009, February 2009, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 6:35)
Watch Jonathan Drori’s talk from TED2009 on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 400+ TEDTalks.
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27 May 2009
Why we're posting a Michelle Obama speech as today's TEDTalk
Today’s TEDTalk is unusual. It wasn’t recorded at a conference, but at a public event. And it features America’s first lady, Michelle Obama, who’s never been to a TED conference. What happened here?
Well, first of all, TED is strictly nonpartisan. In fact, we tend to stay away from politics altogether. But our mission is “ideas worth spreading” — and this talk features an idea that absolutely belongs in that category. Michelle Obama visited a girls’ school in London during her recent trip to the UK, and issued a passionate, personal plea for the students to take education seriously. It’s hardly a new idea. But we felt that the way it was expressed was eloquent and inspiring — and well worth a slot here at TED.com, especially considering that young adults are the fastest growing section of our audience.
So we informed the White House of our plans, contacted the BBC to obtain the footage, and created the edit posted here.
In the coming months we plan to feature a number of talks that we consider “best of the web.” So long as they’re short and powerful and contain an idea worth spreading, we’re eager to feature them.
We’d love your feedback on this first one. Love it? hate it? Appropriate for TED? Please view, ponder, and comment!
26 May 2009
The world's English mania: Jay Walker on TED.com
Jay Walker explains why two billion people around the world are trying to learn English. He shares photos and spine-tingling audio of Chinese students rehearsing English — “the world’s second language” — by the thousands. (Recorded at TED2009, February 2009, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 4:35.)
Watch Jay Walker’s talk from TED2009 on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 400+ TEDTalks.
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26 May 2009
25 new TED Fellows announced for TEDGlobal in Oxford
The TED Fellows program brings outstanding, world-changing leaders to participate in the TED community.
We introduce today the 25 new TED Fellows who will participate in TED’s annual international conference, TEDGlobal. These Fellows have been invited to join the TED community by attending TEDGlobal 2009, to be held in Oxford, UK, July 21-24.
The 25 TEDGlobal Fellows join the 40 TED Fellows selected for the TED2009 conference, held in February in Long Beach, California, where the TED Fellows program was announced. The principal goal of the TED Fellows program is to empower TED Fellows to effectively communicate their work to the TED community and to the world.
The 2009 TEDGlobal Fellows comprise an eclectic group of individuals from Bahrain to Argentina to Malawi, and from Jamaica to the Philippines. These innovators represent diverse disciplines — technology, entertainment, design, science, film, art, music, entrepreneurship and the nonprofit world. TEDGlobal Fellows include doctors, writers, political scientists, artists and dancers. One is a magician, one an inventor, one a humanitarian Jesuit priest. All are committed to the spread of great ideas.
“From a leading female Kenyan software developer to a young political scientist from Belarus, from a Jamaican robotics expert to a next-generation Burmese human rights activist, we couldn’t be more thrilled with our inaugural TEDGlobal Fellows,” said Tom Rielly, TED Community Director. “We look forward to their collaborations with each other and with members of the TED community, following the example of the post-conference activities of our 40 brilliant TED Fellows from TED2009 in Long Beach.”
READ MORE: See the full list of 25 TEDGlobal Fellows >>
Get the press release >> (more…)
25 May 2009
Watch the TEDxTokyo slideshow
TEDxTokyo, held last week in Japan, brought 200 attendees together to celebrate homegrown and international ideas worth spreading. TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event, is a way to host a TED-style event in your community: at your school or company, at a local library, in your living room … Learn more about TEDx.
The TEDx program is still in beta, and TEDxTokyo was one of the first events held under this new model. You can learn more about TEDxTokyo on their website, or get the vibe through this fun slideshow of TEDxTokyo, built using the Animoto slideshow tool:
25 May 2009
Gorgeous graphic notes from TED2009
YouTube’s Margaret Stewart shares her sketchbook notes from the TED2009 sessions — a lively, personal way to see TED through one creative person’s eyes. Click the image above to view the full set of sketchbook pages.
We’re always interested in creative ways to take notes on TED and TEDTalks (check out Autodesk’s BigViz sketchbook, and everythink’s stream-of-consciousness sketches, from TED2008). If you’ve got some TED notes to share, email contact@ted.com or make a comment below.
24 May 2009
The week in comments
Whether influenced by Mary Roach and the infamous “pig video” or Yves Behar and Forrest North’s easy banter, there was a definite cheeky lilt to the comments this week. Here’s a quick look at the fun:
On Dan Ariely’s talk: Are we in control of our own decisions?:
So where’s that slightly uglier version of myself ; D ? — Evelyn via facebook
On Mary Roach’s talk: 10 things you didn’t know about orgasm:
.. and that’s why we have swine flu. Good God Man, put on some gloves! — Brenda via facebook
Disclaimer: That pig video does not represent the view of all Danes. ;-) — Klaus
Mary Roach makes pig insemination fun — rutila via Twitter
On Carolyn Porco’s talk: Could a Saturn moon harbor life?:
So? IS THERE OIL THERE?! ;) — Tom via facebook
On Yves Behar’s talk on supercharged motorcycle design:
They should make these with baseball cards in the spokes. — Mayo via facebook
But how about ending things on a sweeter note?
On the exclusive content provided to facebook fans after reaching 100,000 members:
Thank you for daily inspiration and my Master’s thesis topic. Thank you for helping me blow minds, challenge preconceptions and change the world. I’m not ready yet, but someday I’d like to present my research at TED, I would consider it a lifetime accomplishment. — Spencer via facebook
22 May 2009
Supercharged motorcycle design: Yves Behar and Forrest North on TED.com
Yves Behar and Forrest North unveil Mission One, a sleek, powerful electric motorcycle. They share slides from distant (yet similar) childhoods that show how collaboration kick-started their friendship — and shared dreams. (Recorded at TED2009, February 2009, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 2:23.)
Watch Yves Behar’s talk from TED2009 on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 400+ TEDTalks.
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