Did You TED Today?
TED, for the five of you out there who have not heard of it, started as a conference on Technology, Entertainment and Design (it was not named after a guy named Ted). In the 30 years since the first conference, it has become one of the premier events of the year anywhere – think brain Olympics, or Burning Man with clothes on! The TED slogan “Ideas Worth Spreading” characterizes the quality and the breadth of the topics covered.
The annual TED conference held each spring sells out, sometime a year in advance, despite the hefty ticket price – currently $7,500. Only 1,400 tickets are sold and this year, the 30th anniversary, the audience will be further controlled to only 1,200. As you can imagine, a lot of people who want to go don’t get to, even if they have the money!
Because of it’s popularity, the TED format has spread and there are a number of affiliate events (called Tedx) around the globe each year, in places as diverse as Cleveland, London, Rio de Janeiro, and Aleppo (Syria).
The good news is that TED talks, the “18 minute or less” slices of brilliance that the conference is built around, are widely accessible online. The main conference has posted over 1500 videos (which have been viewed over a BILLION times) over the years. Add to that the many Tedx sites that also post videos of the presentations from their events and the number rises. It’s possible that you could watch a TED video every day for 10 years and not see all of them – and of course by then there would be 10 more years of new inspirational talks to view!
Here are some of the places you can access this great contact:
15 TED Talks That will Change Your Life
The 20 Most Watched TED Talks – so far
And of course, TED has a variety of channels on YouTube, Including TEDx Talks, TED-ED, TEDxYouth and more.
Which leads me to my point. Why not get in the habit of watching a Ted talk every day? You could start your day with some inspiration or by thinking about a new idea. Or maybe a boost at lunchtime to keep your momentum going? The talks are almost always very entertaining, so watching one could be a good way to wind down after a busy day. It could be the best 18 minutes of your day!
Posted by DD | 0 comments