Live Blog: The TEDxSMU First-Timer Experience

October 10th, 2009 by Ajay Waghray

3:07pm: Break time! Tom Riley’s thanking all of us for coming, nice pink glasses! See you in a bit after I charge my laptop.

2:55pm: Kim Corbet’s up!

2:54pm: “We need science teachers that really believe they’re scientists.”

2:52pm: Aaron Reedy’s up now, trying to get his kids more interested in biology. Fund for Teachers is what he’s focusing on, trying to get his out there learning. We can never have enough great programs like this! Apparently he asked for funds from this Fund to row up the Mississippi River from New Orleans. Took samples of water to determine different quality of water. One thing they weren’t expecting was so much water. 15 feet above flood stage! Flow rate of 1 million gallons per second!

2:48pm: Demo time! Field filter? This girl has the cutest Texas drawl, and a great product. Water goes in gross, comes out completely clear. Well done young lady!

2:41pm: He’s doing the 5-digit square! There’s all kinds of stuff coming out of his mouth right now. He’s adding things to “tennis” and “mover”…huh? Wow, he got there. It’s incredible.

Okay, next talk is confidential. Out for a bit, see you later.

2:30pm: “I’d like to square a five digit number but most calculators cannot get that far.” Nice.

2:27pm: Alright, this guy is squaring numbers in his head faster than five people can do it for each number on their calculators. WOW.

2:24pm: Arthur Benjamin just invited onto the stage five people with calculators, including Amory Lovins and Rogers Hartmann. I hope this is good for his sake.

2:15pm: Greg Harper just turned off everyone’s cell phones. I think everyone just had a group panic attack.

You might have noticed that I’m updating previous posts with pictures and things. Wonderful pictures taken throughout the seminar, check them out when you can. The photographer’s name is Kim Ritzenthaler, great work here. Keep checking older posts!

Now we’ve got a previous TED presentation on Siftables, the second presentation that I’ve ever seen through TED, check it out: http://siftables.com/

2:07pm: Next up, Greg Arthur. Lots of great gadgets here that he’s discussing. A camera with a projector? That exists now?!

2:04pm: “TED is the only event with content that’s worth sticking my hand in a toilet for.” Check out Dave’s blog: http://questionthedogma.com/

2:00pm: Up next: Dave Weber with “What is a TED?” I’m sure that name is wrong, I’ll fix it later. He’s using the color-coded homeland security threat level rating thing to explain this, it’s absolutely hilarious.

1:55pm: “-What would change everything for you Lewis? -Well, Bach was what they called a compromiser. I’d like to be a modern-day compromiser with my music too.”

1:49pm: Lewis Warren’s now up. he is 12 and a classical pianist. 12. My mind is currently being blown, incredible.

1:47pm: Rives is now discussing TEDxKids. What did they ask the kids yesterday? “What do you parents currently not know?” This will be interesting.

1:38pm: William Abraham is up now, discussing a possible grand unified theory of philosophy, science, technology, etc. Very enjoyable, he’s a gentleman from Ireland. Naturally, a very delightful Irish accent.

1:33pm: Radiohead video up now for House of Cards, very interesting. Put together by a friend of TED, Aaron Copland.

1:27pm: Rogers Hartmann is now talking about living with dystonia. She’s in this kind of shape and she still loves running. What an inspiration. “I’ve decided that I’m frienemies with dystonia.” Well done!

1:20pm: “Factor 10 Engineering: A plot of for the non-violent overthrow of bad engineering.” I love this guy!

1:17pm: “Motors use 3/5ths of the world’s power.” “Short, fat pipes lose less energy compared to long, skinny pipes. Simple Victorian-era engineering folks.” Man, there’s so much great data here, I can barely keep up. Y’all are just gonna hafta check this out later when they post it on the TEDxSMU website.

1:13pm: “If the U.S. used energy as efficiently as the top ten states in the country do, ~62% of the energy created by coal would be unnecessary.”

Apparently Amory Lovins is a banana farmer as well. Who knew.

1:10pm: “Our biggest ally is the U.S. military.” Really??

1:07pm: Amory Lovins is discussing how to reduce carbon emissions without doing much that’s too radical actually. Existing technologies used in innovative ways to save the planet. I like it. More information on Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute: Amory Lovins,

1:02pm: “Would you rather die of 1. Climate change 2. Oil wars 3. Nuclear holocaust? The answer left out is None of the above.” Amory Lovins, dope!

12:57pm: Great TED do-it-yourself talks by the audience. Our pal Dave Copps just got up to explain his scar involving a story including SNL and Rock Balboa. Sure, alright.

Here’s what’s up for Session 2 – Change Your Thinking. We’ve got talks here from Rogers Hartmann (I saw her on Oprah! Yes, I just admitted to having watched Oprah), William Abraham, Ira Greenberg, Art Benjamin and Aaron Reedy. Musical performance is by Kim Corbet.

I’m now sitting next to our whale mating guy, Bill Aston. I’m not sure it can get any better.

12:26pm: Check out some great pictures by Kim Ritzenthaler! http://www.flickr.com/photos/blake4tx/tags/ritzenthaler/

12:12pm: I just met William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (UT grad, hook ‘em!), had a great conversation and had them sign my book. Amazing young men. Arthur Benjamin just blew my mind too, great guy. It’s gonna be a good afternoon!

11:30am: Awesome, great session, lunch! We’re doing TED DIY during lunch? It’s at 12:40pm, “where did you get that scar?” I might participate. See you soon!

11:28am: Okay, this is apparently referring to the team nature of the process of whale breeding. The males must be used as a platform for two creatures weighing thousands of pounds can mate in a very buoyant medium. Best TEDTalk EVER.

11:27am: “All of us have heard the term ‘gangbang’.” I’m awake now.

11:26am: Another Audience TED talk about whale migration and birthing. A very charming man, definitely from Texas.

11:23am: You can catch David Gallo’s other TED talks here: http://www.ted.com/speakers/david_gallo.html

11:21am: A discussion ensues on different ways that humans have spread and affected the ocean through chemical pollution, light pollution, and other ways we affect our environment. Red lights for gas lanterns, white lights for cities, blue lights for ships at sea, incredible the footprint that we have made on our planet.

11:17am: “All people on earth would fit in a cube 1 mile x 1 mile x 1 mile.”

11:13am: Amazing, Dave Gallo is actually here! Talking about deep sea exploration. Apparently the closer you get to the bottom you can hear the ping of your own sonar coming back to you. There are also “flower garden banks” at the bottom and “rivers, lakes at the bottom of the sea”? WHAT?!

11:03am: “Computation is the creative medium of our time.”

11:01am: Ira Greenberg is up now with a talk entitled: “Computation Powered by Artificial Stupidity”. Brilliant. An interesting discussion on art and innovation. Helmets Required!

10:53am: A great moment for me! I am watching now the video that started my interest in TED. The video on researchers at MIT working on “sixth sense” technology. Absolutely amazing, check it out: http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html

10:52am: “And that is how you trespass in New York City.” Well done Rives!

10:49am: Rives is up now, he’s a poet, up on TED. Check out his bio that I posted earlier, great videos of him.

10:48am: “There is now scientific proof that size DOES really matter.”

10:46am: Audience TED talk: An Ode to Pluto. I love this place.

10:43am: When she lands from space, it looks like a freakin’ explosion in the middle of nowhere. “You’re a little disoriented when you come out of the capsule.” Yeah, I bet! Now she’s discussing how she’s inspiring people, being the first person from Iran in space. I can only imagine what it’s like being visiting someone like that.

“What can change everything? YOU.”

10:37am: Anousheh’s family was one of many that sponsored the SpaceX prize. Wow, check it out: http://www.spacex.com/. Now a video of her going up with the Russian space program. What an amazing experience!

10:34am: Amazing talk on the new Dallas Theater Center, check it out when it comes out after the conference. Now Anousheh Ansari is on stage, talking about going into space!!!

10:21am: The Dallas Theater Center is unique in that it can’t change scenery at whim, unlike theaters in New York, Chicago etc. How do you accommodate that in a new building? The Superfly Stage. Incredible. Check it out: http://www.dallasperformingarts.org/experiencethecenter/index.aspx

10:19am: An interesting discussion on proposing that architects see projects through creation and execution and fitting your project’s agenda through the constraints instead of warring with them. There’s a discussion now on the new Dallas Theater Center!: http://www.dallastheatercenter.org/

10:14am: Info on Jonathan Prince-Ramos: http://blog.ted.com/2006/07/joshua_princera_1.php

10:12am: Joshua Prince-Ramos is onstage now? He wasn’t in the line-up. Hmmmm, this should be interesting. Talking about architecture, it looks like to make it more useful.

10:09am: “I do like Texas, this song might not, uhh, show it.”

10:07am: Looking for info? This session’s got TEDTalks and live talks from David Gallo, Greg Harper, Anousheh Ansari, and Bobby Haas. The musical performance is by Jill Sobule.

10:05am: Kelly brings Jill Sobule on stage. Morning voice IS very sexy. Beautiful music.

10:01am: Bobby thinks there’s plenty of hope, recognizing that the next generation knows that the issue of climate change is on its doorstep. I know others think so too. Rives is back up after Bobby ends. Dean of SMU’s School of Engineering, telling me that Kennedy announced we were going to the Moon at this podium?! Wow! It arrived five minutes before the show. That’s incredible. A representation of the power of the individual.

9:56am: Apparently Kennedy gave a speech in Caruth Auditorium? The podium he spoke at is up front. Fascinating.

9:55am: Mr. Haas’s unique aerial perspective gives him unique insight to the threat of climate change. A very interesting discussion on climate change action based on the interests of man and not simply nations.

“What will change everything? Everything has already changed.”

9:51am: “-When I look at your images, I don’t know what I’m looking at. -What you’re looking at is your home.”

9:50am: Bobby Haas is now up, talking about perspective (that’s the theme for the first session, changing it.) He works in investments and photographs for National Geographic from above. In the air, down on the ground. What a variation in perspective.

9:45am: Rives and Kelly just gave a great intro. Kelly is from Dallas?? SMU graduate. We’ve got some great local flavor here. Short film up now by the Sneaky Giants. Crazy-lookin’ stuff.

9:35am: Inside the auditorium, you should see this place! Chris Anderson’s talking about TED via video, there’s a drumkit for Polyphonic Spree up front right now. ZOMG I’m so excited.

“TEDxSMU is not organized in any way by TED.” This is all put on by SMU. Great job guys!

Good morning! Glad y’all get to join us on the Cohabitat blog for the TEDxSMU event. This is my first TED event, I was very fortunate to be invited. It’s going to be a very enlightening, excited Saturday, I can’t put to you in words how excited I am to be here live blogging the whole event for you.

My name is Ajay Waghray, I’ll be covering the event this morning along with Bob Payne and Frankie De Soto. I’m going to do my best to keep up abreast of the goings-on here with Dallas’s movers and shakers and even some out-of-towners.

For those of you that might be a little lost, I dug up some info that you might find useful in trying to figure out important things like what the heck TED is, why is there a little ‘x’ after TED for this event, how SMU put this on, etc. and conveniently crammed it all into one link in five minutes.

I know, I know, please hold your applause and expressions of wonder ‘til the end of the show. Otherwise we’ll hafta stop every five minutes. Another great link to check out is the main TED site. Lots of great videos of some brilliant speakers there as well, try to take a shower and eat before you get sucked in. Trust me, I haven’t done that, paid for it.

Alright, just wanted to say hello before we get started. I’m off to get caffeinated and fed, then to a “Get To Know You Warm-Up”. “Tai-chi for the brain”? Hmmmmm….k.   See you in a few!

-ADubb

Tags: TED, TEDxSMU