OK. I’ve finally found it – a website I can honestly and without doubt say is my absolute favorite website, ever. The site is TED (TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design). Begun in 1984, TED is an annual conference, held in Long Beach, California, that initially brought together people from the worlds of technology, entertainment and design.
Currently, the scope of TED has become much broader and more diverse and now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers, doers and visionaries from all walks of life.
So what do they do at a TED conference? Each attendee is challenged to give the talk of their lives on their topic of choice in 18 minutes or less. The TED site does us the favor – no, the honor – of capturing these brilliant 18-minute gems and presenting them to anyone with a curious and open mind.
Visit the site. Poke around. Watch and listen to a few of the talks. You will be fascinated, inspired, awed, informed and challenged. You won’t regret a moment. And hopefully you’ll get hooked on this site like I am. Whenever I want to elevate 18 minutes of my day to 18 minutes extremely well spent, I visit TED.
My current favorite talk is by creativity evangelist Sir Ken Robinson that challenges the way we’re educating our children. With views that mirror my own, Ken Robinson makes a strong case for a radical rethink of education and the educational process. His wisdom should influence our outlook on self education as well.
I plan to spend many happy hours on TED. Please join me. Here is Sir Ken Robinson’s talk. Enjoy.
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Yes TED shows what humanity is capable of. That there are intelligent and insightful people who are working for a better world gives me hope.