Today, June 21, is Go Skateboarding Day, which is a perfectly good reason to celebrate this global culture of under-the-radar creativity and community. Below are four TED Talks in celebration of the innovation and flow of skating.
Rodney Mullen: Pop an ollie and innovate!
Beginning at age 10, Rodney Mullen been sharing his unique style and brand-new tricks with the SoCal skating scene. In this talk from TEDxUSC, Mullen shows how interesting public environments led to him to invent unconventional tricks, and how the open, passionate, creative community of skaters encouraged him to innovate for the love of skating.
Sanjay Dastoor: A skateboard, with a boost
Want a battery-operated vehicle that can carry you six miles without traffic or parking — and then post up under your desk ? You just might need an electric skateboard, says Sanjay Dastoor, the CEO of Boosted Boards. A Kickstarter–funded startup, Boosted Boards hopes to create greener, easier urban commuting.
Jared Ficklin: New ways to see music (with color! and fire!)
Designer Jared Ficklin shows some wild visualizations that let us see music, using color and fire to analyze how sound makes us feel. Then he brings us to an Austin, Texas, skatepark, to analyze the sound of skaters — and to show us how audio clues can pick out the sound of a new trick being born.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness
While not specifically about skating, this talk will resonate with anyone who skates — it’s about that feeling of being at one with wheels, sun and street, pleasantly alert and ready for anything. Philosopher Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks, “What makes a life worth living?” He looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of “flow.”