Well, the TED conference for 2007 just ended March 10th. TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design, and their stated goal is to ‘bring together folks with ideas of incalculable value’. Past conferences have often consisted of a bit of Technology, some Design and end up being mostly Entertainment. Social activism at the venue has increased over the years, prompting some to complain that priority is afforded to “photographs of genocide victims, environmentally sustainable AIDS clinics and water-purification systems”…maybe not for everyone.
This speakers at this year’s TED conference seemed more interesting than most, and included such luminaries as Murray Gell-Mann, Lawrence Lessig and E.O. Wilson, as well as some ne’er-do-wells like Bill Clinton, Richard Branson and J.J. Abrams. …nothing gadget-related surfaced.
Arguably the most provocative speech at TED2007 was from one Bill Stone who suggested that when the moon base missions start up in a decade or so, they leave without the fuel to come back, so as to motivate the astronauts to produce the stuff from moon rocks…an interesting proposal, perhaps one gleaned from the management philosophy of Hernando Cortez. Good luck in getting anyone to sign up for the mission.
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One good thing about this conference: it sounds enjoyable no matter your level of technical expertise.
I like Bill Stone’s ideas, but I’m pessimistic as to whether they will come true.