ross millar » TED

TEDify on happiness

ross millar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:56:26 +0000

The Secret of Happiness from Maria Popova on Vimeo.

Check out TED mashup TEDify.org for more.

Elizabeth Gilbert on Creative Genuis

ross millar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:43:29 +0000

Elizabeth Gilbert gives an awesome talk at TED 2009 about creative genuis:

James Nachtwey’s TED Wish

ross millar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:49:46 +0000

Be warned, this is not an easy video to watch.

xdrtb.org

TED2008 live webcast

ross millar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:31:03 +0000

As you may know, I’m a fan of TED, having posted a few of their videos. Tonight, TED2008 opens with a live webcast, follow this link, and it starts at 5:15pm Pacific time. From TED’s newsletter:

…we are opening up one complete session of TED free to the world, streamed live over the web. It’s the dramatic session tomorrow evening when three remarkable individuals each unveil their TED Prize wish. (”One wish to change the world. No restrictions. Think big. Be creative.”)

I invite you to join a global audience as Dave Eggers, Neil Turok and Karen Armstrong share their inspiring visions, followed by the uplifting music of Vusi Mahlasela.

simple

ross millar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:24:17 +0000

Awhile back I wrote this post on simplicity. John Maeda gives a great talk about his appropriately simple analysis of the subject:

photosynth

ross millar — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 04:24:22 +0000

If you had looked at me yesterday and said “tomorrow, you’ll be blogging about Microsoft in a nice manner”, I would have said “you’re on better glue than I’m on!”. But here I am, doing just that. Why? Because of this video, from TED (yeah, I watch a few of them).

This is about technology they are working on called photosynth – follow the link after watching the video, and check it out – it’s not unlike Google’s Street View, only this uses much larger photo collections, and much, much cooler. The install is a bit slow and it runs a bit clunky, but it’s worth the wait.

more from TED 2

ross millar — Tue, 08 May 2007 17:32:51 +0000

TED is an absolutely brilliant website, possibly THE most important website right now. Take the time to check it out, and be sure to watch this, a talk on how existing education systems undermine creativity:

sustainability is the new green

ross millar — Mon, 07 May 2007 02:45:28 +0000

I just watched two videos from Ted. The first about MIT’s FabLab and the second about sustainability, by the founder of World Changing. Having a look around on the World Changing site I realised that sustainability is the new green. This may sound like a negative thing to say, but that’s not my meaning.

This is a good thing, a really good thing. In order for a real change to happen in the world, some think we need grassroots change, or a revolution. I disagree. We need business and political leaders to believe in change. The “green” that I speak of is the “tree-hugging” variety, the kind that the average person doesn’t take seriously, let alone the leaders. World Changing speaks of a balanced, yet encompassing approch to sustainability. Incorporating technology, politics, business, and conservation – thus, it is sustainable, not green. What we need is evolutionary change, not revolutionary. Leaders are begining to believe in sustainability.

The current Bill C-288 aside – I’ve been following the Kyoto Protocol since the Kyoto Summit. The Canadian Government has shown nothing but complete incompetence. The protocol essentially states: by 2008-2012, Annex I countries have to reduce their GHG emissions by an average of 5% below their 1990 levels, wait a minute, that’s next year! Even if we take untill 2012, 4 1/2 years from now, we have no hope of acheving it. The summit was held in 1997, and the best the politicians can do in ten years is come up with a Bill? Come on.

Getting back to the point. The only reasonable change in environmental concerns is a balanced one, one that creates jobs. Not one that destroys jobs. That balance should include a phasing of current technologies and markets. People have to eat & put a roof over their heads. Simple.