A friend told me about TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) about a year ago, and I ignored him. He brought it to my attention again last week, and I finally broke down and checked it out.
I’m not yet officially hooked, because I haven’t had time to log the hours it will take to benefit from what’s there, but the thought crossed my mind that I need to give up films and TV for a year, substituting TED instead. Ideas Worth Spreading, indeed.
I’ve only watched a couple of things, but it’s easy to tell this is a great source of the best kind of inspiration–inspiration with substance, quality, and passion. Benjamin Zander’s piece on falling in love with classical music (Chopin) is delightful, and I was reminded how much I envy teachers who can use pianos as they teach. (The best class I ever sat in on was taught by a classical pianist who was brilliant and funny and amazing all at the same time. If you ever get a chance to sit in a class with Jeremy Begbie, don’t miss it.) And when, as he was teaching everyone in the crowd to love classical music, he encouraged us to bring to mind a person we loved who was no longer here. That seemed like an affirmation of some kind, since it was the 21st anniversary of my dad’s death. As so often happens, I didn’t get to finish the piece–another meeting–but I saw enough to know that TED is going to be a part of my online life for a long, long time.
Creativity, mathematics, music, biology, design of all kinds…check it out. Lots of the talks have been rated “jaw-dropping.” And I don’t know about you, but I can use all the truly jaw-dropping inspiration I can get
Can’t wait to dig in…
JEFF BERRYMAN 