shiva

Anyone going?

scrubbedexpat141

I'd ****ing love to but can't...

What's your favourite TED talk?

Mine is comfortably the German chap who talks about poverty etc with moving graphs/charts/diagrams etc. It's mind blowing.

shiva

You mean Swedish. Hand Rosling
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_roslin...ever_seen.html

It's got to be up there but no idea if I even have a favourite

scrubbedexpat141

Close enough.

I could spend hours watching them.

Are you going?

Meow

I know people who rave about this TED stuff, but I don't really get the point. Many of them are the 'social media is the cure for everything' crowd, which rather put me off.

Explanations and purpose welcome.

scrubbedexpat141

I don't like or watch those ones.

I like to see things that make me go 'wow'... like the link Shiva gave.

Being told that everybody needs to say 'how are you today' or needs to be nice to the person on their left on the tube is all lovely but utterly hopeless.

I see it as a way to learn something from some incredible minds.

Meow

Those ones? Those what? It is just a load of people giving talks on various topics? What's the purpose?

scrubbedexpat141

Sorry, I meant the ones you talk about 'social media in the 21st century' type things.

They are basically talks around the world (mainly US I think)...they are on a mass of different topics...for example;

Animals
Architecture
Design
Predictions / Warnings
Food
Mind
How we learn
Storytelling
Ocean
Space
Presentation Innovation (the link Shiva gave)
Invention
Comedy
Technology
War/Peace
Adventure

All sorts.

They have a strapline of 'Ideas Worth Spreading', they've been going longer than I've been alive and I see it as a tool to see something amazing, hear something amazing, learn something, understand something, find out something. Anything really.

Next time you have some spare time, you can go on their website www.ted.com and say 'i've got 5 minutes, amaze me' and you'll see some awesome shit.

Don't get me wrong, the green/environmental stuff is boring and obviously none of the women one there have a clue but the rest is mega.

Meow

Thanks Scamp. That makes more sense

Is there a list of talks in Dubai?

scrubbedexpat141

http://www.tedxdubai.com/speakplace/

Not sure I'd like all of them. Favourite would probably be the Solar one...but worth investigating

shiva

yes

shiva

knowledge in and of itself has no purpose, its application though can be quiet handy from time to time

just go to the main site and watch some videos, most do not include social media references. start with Hans Rosling.

as an aside i am under no illusions that the Dubai one will compare to the US one however it is free and if just one talk is interesting then ill be happy.
the US one is crazy expensive and ridiculously exclusive, think presidents, CEO's etc

Max Fly

I don't get it either Meow- People are so strange, aren't they.

shiva

strange is stalking an internet board constantly, after repeated bans and rejections from the woman you are stalking. Strange is being able to forget you have been outed as a grade A asshole, appalling gambler and all round shister.
You sir are the very definition of ****ing strange.

Bob

The design/tech ones are great usually.

Be intrigued to know what one of these is like live though, as it's all web watching for me :/