TEDDIY

TED DIY is Palm Springs own awesomeness. Rives & Kelly have set up a series of presenters. In rapid-fire (and by this I mean machine-gun-automatic-rapid-fire) the presenters jump up on stage, show us what they've got and get out of the way for the next one up. They show us their new idea, their current project, their contributions to challenge the dominant paradigms.

First up: Aaron Didgnan runs a digital think tank in SoHo NYC but was a rock star five years ago. Guitar Hero is his new musical rock star outlet. The general populace seems to say "it's okay... because it leads kids to "real" music". He believes Guitar Hero guitars are REAL instruments. Not only is it a device that creates sound, but you can even compose on it. And now for the demonstrations... First his own: Beat It of Michael Jackson fame. Now, video of a nine-year-old kid from Denver. What if he decided to pass on other instruments? Imagine a future where we've revamped our concept of music and notation.

Next: Al Myers, from Saisei Consulting . "I believe a man does what he can, until his destiny is revealed." (from The Last Samurai) His slide show: we live in a digital world, but our old model of education is still 'dictative.' (I can't really use the editor's term sic here. I think we make new words to get an idea across quickly. It'll do.) Now, what if our classrooms were this? Virtual worlds, where they get to experience an interactive environment. He digs into his ideas for changing the model of education using the new tools of technology.

Jim Fallon. His talk has several titles including: Physician heal thyself. People who live in glass houses... Murder she wrote. He's a neuroscientist who studies genes for behavior, addiction, gender differences, creativity in the brain. He wants to know a way to mobilize adult stem cells in your own brain to arrive at 100% recovery for stroke victims. The NEW study for him is
pyschopathic killers, genes, brain damage, environment, free will, timing (developmental age). With studies of 70 approx examples-- TIME is very important. ALL of these murders have oribal cortex and anterior temporal contex damage. The high risk gene is MAOA: too much in-utero serotonin. Serotonin is supposed to be calming, but in-utero over stimulous makes one, in essence, immune to it. The genes of alarm here are sex-linked genes are handed from mother to son. Now, what's "required" for killers? Experience overwhelming violence in 3d. In areas of the world that are violent, women mate with "safe" people, those who are violently protective, thus perpetuating violence as a means of survival. Then one day... his mother tells him the history of murder that is in his family: his cousin is Lizzi Borden. Also, the book Killed Strangely about the first case of matricide in the USA 1660, is about a relative of his. Seven more paternal Cornell family line were murderers. Thankfully, all his fathers brothers & his father were conscious objectors so they avoided the war/violence exposure which seems integral to the violent tendencies. After all this mind-blowing news, he concluded with this sentiment by Ashleigh Brilliant: "I don't care what the world knows about me but I hope my mother never finds out."

Mattias Ask. Competative and greed based on the bragging rights of effectiveness.
opencauses.org: representative money based on donations. You get "paid" for donations, leveraging greed through philanthropy. I must read more, his talk was a little lost on me, but it sounded good?

Linda Avey. Genomics from 23 & Me using saliva. Unveiling of a Genetic TRibe. Seth says a Tribe requires upsetting people. They've done this with a: Cease and Desist letter from CA public health. Doctors orders are a MUST. Must be CLIA licesnsed. No spitting in NY & MD. Now, we have 23 sets of genes and she's showing us how they look. Unveil your genes, your canvas awaits!

M. A. Greenstein www.bodiesinspace.com.  The evolution of mobility- a product to show!
she explains:
movement- changes in position
mobility creates access
access creates thinking
When we moved from the water, we have created ways to move. The hallmark of this is speed. 300 mil in poverty, 20 mil need wheelchairs, etc. How do we help the disabled so they can progress in society and wealth? Design and engineering: we need mobility soluions at IMI and Cal Tech. They are working on mobility, access and infrastructures. Take 2 bikes and make them to a wheelchair!

Next up: Dean from SMU- ____? greatest innovation of all time. In 1946, a 27-ton computer took many people to operate with less computing power than a standard remote. Now we have laptops. Today's computers is 100 thousand million times more powerful. The power of innovation with the power of imagination can create Ski Dubai etc. What are the other possibilties? Look at a slum. Construction has advanced very little in 500 years. We're getting more expensive and less service with time. From one-ff to one billion. "Global Open Source Home" or "GOSH!"  Let's leverage our computer brilliance into physical brilliance.

Jenny Morel. Life on the Edge. Alarm Clock Blog: Venture capitalists tend to be fairly conservative peope... they wouldn't invest in a jet pack." Yes we would. Roll footage (replete with dramatic music). The Martin JetPack. It's big. But it WORKS.

Jill Sobule: a song about jetpacks.

Yaacov Mutnikas was a sailor & deep sea diver. Now a technologist, still loves the water. rowing specifically. 2nd atlantic ocean trade windws expedition. to break record of 33 hours to row from barbados to canary islands. rowing oceans is ultimate raw wo/man v. nature. it's hard to even get enough calories. 2 hrs on 2 hrs off as pattern of rowing. testing, team work, sleep deprivation, extensive training. on jan 4th they left on the artemis fortune hunter? they lost their rutter on the 10th day and had to withdrawn from challenge. were saved by a russian ship and taken to Gibralter. they were making such good time they'd've broken the record by several days. they are working on trying again.

Seth Aylmer and Jose Serano-Reyes, in orange prison jumpsuits that say Trust Art. Trust Art is a stock market for cultura renewal. unveiling today. example sculputor Michael Rothschild from western maine: take the 17 figures in the ocean floor carved ages ago, make them into sculpture. now, invest your social capital into social art. loan your good name to propel the art market. "Art is a game played between all people of all times." -Marcel Duchamp. the correlation is between the amount of money assigned to the work spreads. dream to beat the DOW. hey it could happen. go to trustart online

Sebastian Wernicke.  He's here to relieve you of a fear of having to come up with an original story. buffalo is animal, city and verb ("to buffalo"). you can say buffalo continuously and have a correct english sentence. this has been known for 40 years. several language rules: 1) english is so rich it can be abused in so many ways. 2? 3? also, a number of stories on a chart against number of buffalo in a sentence. exponential curve, he shows the equation. if someone needs a story, just say that so many times- "let the buffalo roam." standing ovation. i spent some time talking with sebastion (he cracks me up! he's got the energy of say, not a nearly 30-year-old but almost 6 five-year-olds instead.)

Announcement: Geraldine Carter invites open conversation about climate change- meeting after grow session at 4pm. If you know someone at Al Gore's breakfast, she's not well-connected, please help her connect.

Lisa Buksbaum. 10 years ago at 4am she got a call that her younger brother died suddenly. then her father beat lymphoma a few months later. then her mother & she pushed to create a loving environment and getting people at the hospital to make a quote of the day to encourage people. then her son got sick. now she makes quilts with inspirational sayings for kids to feel loved and make them laugh.

Elaine Parker. success skills? all of them total up to self sufficientcy. how are our children learning them? we forgot where kids can learn these things... in the kitchen! make spells in the kitchen so they prefer the magic room to the vending machine. in a sort of harry potter story where the kitchen ingredients are renamed and the travel of our hero goes on is available in his translated journal (cookbook). cooking illiteracy is on the rise and so is unhealth. this can change!

Tony O'Driscoll (who i had dinner with last night). saw him this morning and he said he had an elizabeth gilbert moment that woke him up early today. a muse ran a poem through him. it was about making the future better and the gratefulness he has for the inspiring people around him who are working on that, especially for his kids. it was an awesome way to cap off this section of TEDDIY.

PS Jim Fallon's talk is online now too: