I’ve long been a fan of TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talks, many of which I’ve viewed through YouTube. If you’re unfamiliar with TED, then it’s a global set of Conferences formed to disseminate “Ideas worth spreading” – and TEDx are local events licensed through TED to take place in cities around the world.
I had an opportunity to visit a TEDx event live on Saturday 10th March, 2012 when I visited TEDx Warwick taking place at the Warwick Arts Centre. Andy Parkes and I spent the full day at the conference and we were both blown away by the presenters – each interesting and inspiring in their own way.
There were a 1,000+ attendees at the venue, and the day was split into four sessions with eleven presenters, interspersed with interesting TED videos from past events.
Highlights for me were:-
- Doug Belshaw – who talked about digital literacies and the ways each of us interact with the digital world, including looking memes such as Success Kid and how they spread and are re-mixed.
- Andy Stanford-Clarke – who spoke on innovation at home and in communities, including mouse-traps that Tweet when they catch a pest, and Tweeting ferries.
- Koen Olthuis – who demonstrated ideas for floating City blocks, and City Apps.
- Kerry Kirwan – who showed us the worlds most eco-friendly Formula Three car, powered by waste Chocolate and Wine (which he’s unlikely to find much of in my house) and steered by Carrots.
- Kevin Warwick – who gave a engaging and humorous presentation on Implants and Technology, including the story of how he had a silicon chip implanted into his arm to allow him to communicate electronically with his surroundings.
- John Sterckx – who woke us from the post-lunch slump with a drumscape inspired by traditional folk rhythms. Seeing a 1,000+ people dancing in the aisles is something to behold!
If any of those summaries sound intriguing or downright bizarre, then I’d encourage you to learn more about each of the presenters – each was a fascinating and engaging story in it’s own right.
I understand that each of the talks were recorded and (quality allowing) will be posted on-line. When available, you’ll definitely enjoy viewing them.
I didn’t bother to check the speaker line up before I attended TEDx Warwick, as I wanted to be surprised and inspired by what I saw and heard. The day definitely didn’t fail to do just that and I’m looking forward to attending more TED events in the future!
Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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3 thoughts on Looking at TEDx Warwick 2012
DOUG BELSHAW
12TH MARCH 2012 19:47:29
Hi Richard, thanks for the post and the positive comments about my talk. I had a great time and the audience was fantastic! I wrote about TEDx Warwick on my blog (which includes the slides): http://dougbelshaw.com/blog/2012/03/10/tedxwarwick-the-essential-elements-of-digital-literacies/
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12TH MARCH 2012 21:37:41
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RICHARD TUBB
13TH MARCH 2012 11:10:18
Doug - no problem at all, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation! Hope to see you speak again in the future.