At a landmark TED salon last spring, economist Steven Levitt and author Malcolm Gladwell crossed swords over the real reason New York City crime dropped in the 90s. In The Tipping Point, Gladwell credited the innovative policing tactics adopted under NYC Mayor Giuliani (which focused on softer “lifestyle crimes,” like subway graffiti and zoning violations) […]
Whether or not you saw Thomas’s barnstorming performance of "his song" at TED last month, this is pretty funny.
I had the great fortune of seeing Stew’s new show Passing Strange this evening at Stanford. The show, co-written by Stew and his collaborator Heidi Rodewald (who describes herself as "the thinner, lighter half" of STEW), is two hours of pure energy, thoughtfulness, poetry, and, of course, Stew. Passing Strange is the story of a […]
Note: Reflecting this year’s theme (The Future We Will Create), the stage and lobby at TED2006 were accented with a collection of distinctive objects, each representing a vision of the future. Thinc Design principal Tom Hennes led the curation effort, and talks here about how he chose. By Tom Hennes | A small group of […]
“Life will be everywhere,” explorer Penelope Boston told us at TED2006. “It will be everywhere we look.” Boston boldly proclaimed that we’ll find life throughout the universe, as soon as we start looking underground and in caves. And she may well be right… In a thrilling report published in the journal Science today, we learn […]
In the weeks, months, years that follow each TED, we track the connections and collaborations that began in Monterey. But only rarely do we see them pay off so quickly! Next week, TED favorites Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney will perform together in Los Angeles. (Can you imagine anything more delightful?) After meeting at TED, […]
Like nearly everyone at TED2006, Jill Sobule was stirred by Al Gore’s spectacular speech on the clear and present danger of climate change. The time for action is now, Jill thought. And so she wrote a song. But since everyone else was so down about the impending collapse of ecological systems, which could lead to […]
“When did we start calling gossip ‘memes’?” TEDPrize director Amy Novogratz asked today, as we discussed our favorite rumor — I mean “meme” — from TED2006: It seems, many people (including some media outlets) mistakenly believed that David Bowie had joined us in Monterey. He’d be welcome, of course, but he wasn’t there. (Nor was […]
One of the most joyful moments at TED2006 had to be TED music director (and electronic music icon) Thomas Dolby playing his classic, “She Blinded me With Science.” As always, his performance blurred the lines between composition and invention, surprising at every turn. Everyone was left wanting more … Wish: granted. Thomas begins this week […]
Although we’ll save our analysis for a later date, it would seem remiss not to mention the two major milestones passed this week: On March 1st, the millionth English article was posted to Wikipedia. The week before, iTunes sold its billionth song. A strong reminder that the mediascape is shifting faster than you can download […]
If 18 minutes in Monterey merely whet your appetite for singer/songwriter Stew and his provocative story-songs, you’re in for a feast: Those in the Bay Area can catch one of the first performances of Stew’s new musical, Passing Strange, when it’s performed at Stanford next weekend. A handful of free tickets have been set aside […]
Malcolm Gladwell launches a blog.
When Chris announced a competition through PledgeBank last October, Chris Markl pledged to cycle across America to raise money for the developing world. TEDster Dan Pallotta teamed up with him and now the ride is a reality. The Yes Ride will begin in Seattle on June 1 and end July 27, 2006 in Boston. Registration […]
“We are seeding the area with ‘green-collar’ jobs, people who have both an economic interest and a personal stake in their environment”— Majora Carter on her organization’s efforts to ‘green’ the South Bronx “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original” – Ken Robinson “Creativity is now as […]
“If you don’t want to practice, you can hide it.” —11-year-old violinist Serena Huang, on why she chose the violin over the piano. “Houston, we have a problem. We’re entering the second generation of no progress.” — Spacecraft designer Burt Rutan, on the stalled space program. “We are now returning to an ancient form of […]
Whatever you think about Unleavened Doom, it sure does project to the balconies. Jim Crupi was therefore a good pick to address the full TED audience as we all assembled under one roof for the first time in the Monterey State Theater. All told, I found the theater to be a great addition to […]