« TED2007: Day one wrap-up | Main | TED2007: Day two wrap-up »

08 March 2007

TED2007 Day One: things that knocked my hat in the creek

414380190_0b8e6c9926

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

Posted by |

Comments

Ulrich

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.

Posted by: Ulrich | 08 March 2007 at 11:11 AM

Jonathan Marks

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.

Posted by: Jonathan Marks | 08 March 2007 at 02:05 PM

Chris Wilson

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)

Posted by: Chris Wilson | 08 March 2007 at 09:10 PM

Noel

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.

Posted by: Noel | 08 March 2007 at 09:32 PM

red

Thank you very much for this information.

sohbet mirc
sesli sohbet
sohbet
muhabbet

Posted by: red | 14 September 2008 at 08:13 AM

mircindir

mirc
mirc indir
türkçe mirc

mirc sohbet programı mirc yükle mirc indir

Posted by: mircindir | 18 September 2008 at 10:52 AM

bydoktor

good works. Thank you very much for this information. I like This site! Thanks! Düzce kontör market mutfak imalatı web tasarım düzce yapı malzemeleri

Posted by: bydoktor | 02 October 2008 at 05:02 PM

abidiks

Thank you very much for this useful article.

sohbet güzel sözler güncel haber mirc indir

Posted by: abidiks | 16 October 2008 at 08:04 PM

cicicocuk

Thanks you really perfect one writing.I m always follow you.
------
| Oyun Oyna Oyun Oyna | Oyunlar Oyunlar | Oyun Oyun |

Posted by: cicicocuk | 08 November 2008 at 05:45 PM

cicicocuk

ı have followed your writing for a long time.really you have given very successful information.
In spite of my english trouale,I am trying to read and understand your writing.
And ı am following frequently.I hope that you will be with us together with much more scharings.
I hope that your success will go on.
| Oyunlar | Oyun | Çocuk Oyunları | Giysi Giydirme oyunları |

Posted by: cicicocuk | 26 December 2008 at 08:18 PM

serkan026


thanks for text...


amasra

Posted by: serkan026 | 28 January 2009 at 02:51 PM

Next »

The comments to this entry are closed.

Tools for TED.com

Subscribe to the TED Blog's RSS feed >>
Get the free TED Miro player >>
Get TED and Ideo's Big Questions widget >>
Join TED on Facebook >>
Follow TEDTalks on Twitter >>


News about TED2009

Find all TED Blog posts about TED2009 >>
Follow TED2009 on Twitter >>
Follow TED@PalmSprings on Twitter >>
See TED2009's Flickr stream >>

NEW: Watch TEDTalks from TED2009 >>

Tips? Comments? Contact us.
See a glitch in a TED video? Report a bug >>


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