A rainy day, in SF town
I went to my first TED(x) event this past week. I've never been to TED or a TED affiliated event before, so it was a real treat to see it live and in person after hours of watching luminaries on my laptop. Hosted by the cool crew at Parisoma, the venue was far more intimate than I thought: about 45 people in attendance - including a few speakers - in a nifty loft space on Howard; not a bad way to spend a rainy day, IMO.
So how did TEDxSoMA compare to the TED we all know and love through the videos? Other than the world's most uncomfortable chairs, I spent 4 solid hours totally captivated. I was lucky enough to get a front row seat (literally) next to my new friends Simon and Ted, which let me see the talks up close and personal. Overall the speakers all seemed well-versed in TED-style speaking: clear, very little reading, and lots of pictures if they chose to have a slide show. From Phil Libin at Evernote, to Heather Fleming at Catapult Design, to the intense Damon Horowitz from Aardvark (who reminded me vaguely of Gene Wilder in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), it was a great lineup, and when you add in a great duet with the stunning Solenn Seguillon and beer from the folks at 21A, it was a recipe for success.
Common thread?
The only gripe I have is this: the talks, while fascinating, didn't cohesively tie into the theme of the event, "Interactivity in Different Realms". Sure, it was great to hear Libin's theory on why man's brain has changed little in 20,000 years (hence why we need Evernote), and Howard Roffman's well-versed (and read) story of Star Wars over the years, but I found the common thread tenuous at best. But with an eclectic mix of people in the room we had little trouble brainstorming and chatting during the intermissions, and overall it was a great time.
A rainy day, in SF town
I went to my first TED(x) event this past week. I've never been to TED or a TED affiliated event before, so it was a real treat to see it live and in person after hours of watching luminaries on my laptop. Hosted by the cool crew at Parisoma, the venue was far more intimate than I thought: about 45 people in attendance - including a few speakers - in a nifty loft space on Howard; not a bad way to spend a rainy day, IMO.
So how did TEDxSoMA compare to the TED we all know and love through the videos? Other than the world's most uncomfortable chairs, I spent 4 solid hours totally captivated. I was lucky enough to get a front row seat (literally) next to my new friends Simon and Ted, which let me see the talks up close and personal. Overall the speakers all seemed well-versed in TED-style speaking: clear, very little reading, and lots of pictures if they chose to have a slide show. From Phil Libin at Evernote, to Heather Fleming at Catapult Design, to the intense Damon Horowitz from Aardvark (who reminded me vaguely of Gene Wilder in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), it was a great lineup, and when you add in a great duet with the stunning Solenn Seguillon and beer from the folks at 21A, it was a recipe for success.
Common thread?
The only gripe I have is this: the talks, while fascinating, didn't cohesively tie into the theme of the event, "Interactivity in Different Realms". Sure, it was great to hear Libin's theory on why man's brain has changed little in 20,000 years (hence why we need Evernote), and Howard Roffman's well-versed (and read) story of Star Wars over the years, but I found the common thread tenuous at best. But with an eclectic mix of people in the room we had little trouble brainstorming and chatting during the intermissions, and overall it was a great time.