Date Night with TED

For the last few years I’ve been hearing about these things called “TED” talks popping up in conversations and occasionally being circulated via Facebook and other social networking mediums.  I’d watched a few of the videos and knew they were high quality, but had never  taken the time to check out the site and understand the concept behind TED.

So today I thought I’d share a little background on it for those who are also unfamiliar.  Quite simply, TED is a non-profit devoted to sharing “Ideas Worth Spreading.”  Starting back in 1984, they created a conference that brought together people from the fields of Technology, Entertainment and Design.  Over the years more disciplines were integrated and the event expanded from one conference to four.  Of utmost importance at the conference is the fact that all talks must be recorded under a Creative Commons License, so that they can be freely shared across the internet.

Here’s a blip from their website that summarizes what they do:

“We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we’re building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.”

To get a taste of what a TED Talk looks like, check out this 3 minute talk from Bobby McFerrin:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne6tB2KiZuk]

The Implications of Finding TED

Nick and I both love learning about random things, so discovering TED was a major find in our world.  In fact, we spent our entire Friday night watching Ted Talks that ranged from anywhere between 3 to 20 minutes.  We had a blast rotating back and forth, each choosing subjects that were of interest to us.  In the 90 minute span we would typically spend on a movie, we learned about:

• A family escaping the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia,
• Dan Pink talking about what motivates people,
• Malcolm Gladwell talking about innovations in Food science, and
• Jill Bolte talking about what happened to her brain function when she suffered a stroke.

All were equally captivating and when you add a little popcorn to the mix, you’ve pretty much got a perfect date night!  I recommend that you give it a try on your next designated “night in”.  I think you’ll find it a welcome change-up from the norm!