I am enough...

Bene Brown's TED talk asks how do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections. Poignant, funny and affirming - it's well worth watching!
Clip from TED (found via Denise's Twitter - thanks Denise).

Photograffeur JR...

In recognition of his pervasive art, photograffeur JR has been awarded the 2011 TED Prize. JR's work spreads uninvited on buildings of Parisian slums, on walls in the Middle East, on broken bridges in Africa, or favelas in Brazil. Afterwards, the images are transported to London, New York, Berlin or Amsterdam where new people interpret them in the light of their own experience. And ongoing art and craft workshops in the originating community continue the work of celebrating everyone who lives there.

JR's Women Are Heroes exhibition, whilst at times heartbreaking, illustrates the incredible underlying dignity and poise of the women he captured. If you're not familiar with JR's work hop over here, you can also watch Parisian's views on his installation along the banks of the Seine. 

Clip from vimeo, quotes from TED.

Pig #05049...

What exactly are things made of? To get a better idea Dutch artist Christien Meindertsma spent three years documenting where every.single.part of pig #05049 went. The end result is a fascinating book illustrating the astonishing range of products this little fellow ended up in. You'll be surprised - hop over here to read more, or here to hear Christien talk about what she found. Note: it's not as gross as it sounds! You can also see more of Christien's art here.

Image from Inspired.

The happy planet index...

Here's an interesting idea - measuring a country's success not by its productivity levels, but by the happiness and well-being of it's people. It reminds me of the Robert Kennedy speech where he noted how GNP measures everything "except that which makes life worthwhile". 


Clip from TED.

The beauty of data visualisation...

Interesting TED Talk from David McCandless, who turns complex data sets into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections.
Clip from TED.

Intricate beauty...

Back in February I mentioned Marian Bantjes and her stunning typography, and now Marian's TED talk showcasing her work is available - have a peek her work is truly incredible. For more on Marian, and to see more of her work hop on over here.
Clip from TED.

Just released is Sir Ken Robinson's 2010 TED talk. Witty and profound Sir Ken 'makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning -- creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish'. Well worth 18 minutes of your time, and if you haven't seen it, his 2006 TED talk was also brilliant. And if you hop over here you can find out more about Sir Ken.
Clip and quote from TED.

The talk...

Julia Sweeney's 2010 TED talk is hilarious. Julia starts off discussing frog reproduction with her eight-year-old daughter, and ends up having to tell a little white lie when things veer off course...
Clip from TED.

Dan Barber's TED talk...

A humorous and well researched TED talk from Dan Barber on how to "keep fish on the menu".

A food revolution...

Hop on over here and take 30 seconds to sign Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution petition to build "support for better food at school and better health prospects for America’s children". A very worthy cause! You can also read about Jamie's TED Prize here, see the plan, and find out what's needed to make it happen.

Image from Jamie Oliver.

Two TED talks...

Temple Grandin's TED talk, where she talks about autism and her ability to "think in pictures", has just gone live. And in case you haven't seen it, here's Jamie Oliver making his case for an "all-out assault" on ignorance of food. Enjoy!

What the world needs now...

Portland is basking in the most gorgeous spring day today - bliss! As promised here's a quick-ish run down of (my) highlights from TED 2010. A few are available to view already, and many more will be released in the coming weeks:

- Esther Duflo on poverty and how we can do better.

- New York chef Dan Barber on sustainable fishing. Hilarious, informative and wise.

- Jamie Oliver's wish is granted.

- Jake Shimabukuro and his ukelele. Speechless.

- Bing maps, the coolest new mapping technology - beats google maps hands down!

- Sam Harris on morality.

- Wolfram Alpha incredible online knowledge engine - try it out. Stephen Wolfram's talk on how he developed the idea was fascinating.

- Mark Roth and his work on reversible metabolic hibernation. In other words suspended animation for humans!

- Temple Grandin on embracing the nerdy geeks who have so much to offer the world.

- Wired Magazine demo of the Summer 2010 issue. All online, on a tablet, scrollable, zoomable, and you-name-it-able.

- The hugely talented Marian Bantjes talking about her stunning calligraphy.

- Natalie Merchant's eloquent voice turning poems into songs. Beautiful.

- Sir Ken Robinson, one of the most informed and entertaining speakers ever, referencing Yeats and asking us to "tread softly on the dreams" of our children.

And before I go, I just have to mention Intelligentsia Coffee - yum! The best coffee (they do flat whites!) I've had since landing stateside.

*** thanks for all your comments and emails most of these 'talks' haven't been released yet, but will be in the coming weeks. I'll post a note letting you know when each one is released. Apologies for any confusion ***

Images from Marian Bantjes.

Inspirational, amazing, heartening....

....I could go on and on. TED 2010 was incredible! So many ideas both humble and mind-blowing, and all these people working to make a difference in society and the world. A very profound experience. I will post more on who spoke and about what tomorrow.

Image - my toes toasting in the Palm Springs sunshine.

A weekend & a Monday...

How was your weekend? Ours was busy but fun. We had friends over, caught up on this'n that, ate scrummy pancakes, and spent time at CHAP. And today was a total blur of organising, sorting, and getting ready. R and I leave just after 6am (ugh!) tomorrow for TED. I'm hoping once I'm on the plane I can relax and look forward to what should be an amazing few days. I may be back posting before Saturday, but I can't say for sure. Have a lovely week and I'll see you soon!

Image by me and is of a section of the 'castle' wall at CHAP.

Just quickly...

...I'm running behind today, catching up after an amazing weekend here, and without going into detail I have a nerve wracking appointment this afternoon so am having trouble concentrating on everything that I need to get through. I promise I will post back this evening - and include some pics from the weekend. Have a happy Monday!

ps: Here's a great TED talk on sound and how it affects us - very interesting.

Weekend doings...

How was your weekend? I hope you had fun. We had a lovely relaxed time. R and I went to the wonderful Park Kitchen for dinner on Friday night - it was delish! We pottered about the rest of the time, lots of walks, reading, and general lolling about. I purchased a slightly extravagant bunch peonies - so pretty. We watched two very different movies - Sin Nombre which was brutal and haunting with the most incredible cinematography, and Easy Virtue which was light and full of fun. In other news - I have been accepted to attend TED Active 2010! I am beyond excited and quite overwhelmed to be honest. Eeeep! This week is looking rather busy with lots of appointments, R leaving for 18 days in NZ, and of course Thanksgiving! I hope you have a lovely Monday.

Perceptions...

I posted about perceptions a while back and have just watched this great TED talk by Rory Sutherland. Thought-provoking, and at time hilarious - the Shreddies part is priceless! Well worth 16 or so minutes of your time. Hope you're having a lovely Monday - it's grey and calm here in Portland.

The mind of a nine-year old...

Glacial yoghurt! Turtle's take on the frozen yoghurt we made for pudding - smile.

Mu did this drawing - all the names are parodies of actual plane names. Who knew? The mind of a nine-year old never ceases to amaze.

Am loving Gwyneth's GOOP email - on parenting. How true. R is at TED and it is having a profound impact on him. To hear about it - it gives me hope about a better future. It's so heartening to know that there are truly amazing people out there working to make the world a better place. Oh how I'd love to go....