Some TED talks I loved

Jennie said today that most of my blog entries sounded depressed. She's right. I'm stressed, I'm not done outlining, I'm fat, etc.--and so I am down. At the same time, I came away from TED with some renewed energy and a desire and internal commitment both to be better and to do at least small things to help make the world better. To help illustrate why, let me mention just a few of the many TED talks and events that I loved. This list isn't comprehensive by any means; I just want to show you some of the up sides of TED. The list is also not in chronological order.

Ben Zander led all of us in singing "Happy Birthday" to one TED attendee. Yeah, I know, it sounds dorky, but by the end of it I and everyone around me was smiling and full of energy. Zander's like that.

I've already mentioned Elizabeth Gilbert, but to me she nailed the pain in the creative process--and now you can watch it. I'd go to any talk she gives.



Ray Anderson stood and in the calm, accented voice of a Southern businessman (which he is) told the story of how he turned his carpet business into an amazingly green company--and he's not done yet.

Naturally 7 made me want to buy their CDs. Amazing and lovely.

Bonnie Bassler explained how she and her students determined that bacteria communicate, how they do it, and how it's possible to use that knowledge to save lives. If she had been my biology teacher ever, I'd have gone to every tutorial and probably nursed a multi-year crush in the process.

Willie Smits earned a standing ovation with his matter-of-fact tale of tackling an insanely complex problem and, over the course of years, solving it.

I've also already mentioned Barry Schwartz, but his call for the application of practical wisdom definitely resonated with me and with everyone around me.

Finally, I can't say it too many times: the concert by the youth orchestra in Caracas reached inside me, lifted me up, and for a few glorious moments filled me with a joy and hope that left me smiling and clapping until my hands hurt.

So, despite my own frequent depression, was TED worth it? Oh, hell, yeah!