TED talk on Photosynth: New Technology 2011

This is my 5th TED talk in running and it was called "Blaise Aguera y Arcas demos Photosynth."  The entire talk was about a new futuristic device called Photosynth, in which all shared images and photos in the world come together to form a "hyperlink"  between all shared content.  

From this video, I gain a new view of what this century will bring.  In the past 10 years alone, the world has given out new ideas and the power to create those ideas. Cell phones, laptops, and other technological advances give humanity a chance to be more creative than ever for the good of the fellow man.  

This speaker was not necessarily the best, but through his use of visuals and technology, he doesn't have to be the best speech giver I've ever heard.  What matters is how people express the emotions in talking.  You could tell that he was excited about this breathtaking advance in how our world will look at images and pictures.  

Today in fishbowl we talked about how amazing ideas often come from creative ideas already used.  For example you have a wheel and a chair.  Put them together and bam, you have yourself a rolling chair. This might possibly be one of the most simple and used inventions ever.  Just think of how often you see rolling chairs... now think of how often you see pictures.  Humanity is in an age where we see pictures constantly.  Images are a part of our lifestyle, which was shown in Symphony by Dan Pink.  By taking this idea of pictures, connections, and the human nature of generosity, a new invention has been made that will possibly change the way we view virtual imaging. 

Blaise Aguera y Arcas presents his TED talk with complete awe of this creation, which very much influences the way a viewer takes in the presentation.  When the speaker fully believes what he is saying, the viewer starts to believe it too.

What I took in from this TED talk was reassurance of the capability of humanity.  What matters in this video is the creation of hope for the future.  If people see this video, I hope they realize that many people's dreams (which many would have thought impossible 5 years ago) are becoming very possible.

TED talk with Clay Shirky

Clay Shirky's TED talk was about "cognitive surplus."  He talked about the online work we do as the human population to give our creativity into projects.  If your are wondering like I was about why cognitive surplus was not a large part of our world 20 years ago, Mr. Shirky answers that as well.  We were a "consumer society" for a long time and got used to consuming.  Eventually, we had enough resources to broadcast our creativity in a sense and show the world a different generation of sharing thinking.  


Design was also a main theme of Mr. Shirky's talk which was interesting because our class has been studying design for about a week now.  COgnitive surplus can mean many things from humorous to serious, which definitely shows the design aspect of this new generation of thinking.  Cognitive surplus has had a change on "scientific and political efforts" around the world.  The entire idea is to put forth your ideas, which is creativity in my definition.  Cognitive surplus is made because of the "design of generosity."

From this video, I take away understanding of why the world has changed so fast in a technological sense in the past 10 years.  To me, technology does not seem very new because I grew up in this new era, but it is very new to our world.  It has given us a chance to speak for ourselves and tell our ideas to the world. 


Clay Shirky has many effective techniques for his speaking.  He uses a very sure-sounding tone of voice that is convincing and gives evidence in the form of a powerpoint to show visuals to his audience.  His presentation style is one of confidence and relating to the public.  Through his use of common internet creativity, he relates to the common man.


This video matters because it explains an entirely new era of creativity.  To me, the explanation of cognitive surplus matters because I have lived in technology all my life and relate to what he says and see the importance of what he's saying.  Creativity is taking off in our world in an entirely new way: through the use of computers and the internet.  This has changed our world and will continue to change the way humanity lives.

My 3rd TED talk in counting

Today I saw Dan Pink for the first time EVER!  I think he is a good speaker but if I had to choose between the two, I would say he is a much better writer than a speaker.  I always pictured him to be older, but I guess with his writing style and what he is saying in his writing, I should have expected him to be  younger.  Lots of his presentation today had to do with a simple puzzle, shown below.

Like most people who look at this puzzle, I didn't understand it immediately.  It took me a few minutes to figure it out and the result makes you want to smack your forehead.   The puzzle says to put the candle on the wall so no wax can drip on the table using only a candle, tacks, and matches.  The solution involves those three, but adds an element most do no think of... the tack box!  A picture of the solution is shown below.

Most people look at the solution and think how unfair the solution is, or at least, that's what I thought.  The problem is about using your creativity and what is around you to solve something seemingly unimportant.  Dan Pink's point throughout his speech was not how well you could solve the puzzle or even if you could solve the puzzle, his point was what drives us to solve this puzzle.  A long time ago, there was an experiment held to see what actually drives the human being.  Mr. Pink gives the analogy of a horse with either carrots or a stick being the driving force.  The results were revolutionary and went against what humans think they know.  Motivators such as the carrot or the stick had a negative impact on our creativity!


Throughout his speech, Dan Pink spoke with confidence and through his use of somewhat bitter humor and hard-headed evidence, he was inspirational.  I need to remember the use of these TED talk techniques in my own speech.  Mr. Pink also used the back screen to project images that went along with his speech which is a technique I will be using.


This video mattered to me because it honestly gave me a new view on what rewards do to people and if this will someday change the future.  If people are willing to work harder and are more proficient without pay there would be a changed world.  People all around the world need to see this and try experiments on their own to see the effectiveness of what Dan Pink has to say.  After I read A Whole New Mind I might try to read Drive,  because it sounds very interesting.

TED talk blog #2 "What adults can learn from kids"

The TED talk I listened to was by the author Adora Svitak.  I learned by clicking on the link that she was actually a real child, although not one many people can identify with.  She is now twelve and goes around the world as a speaker.  


When I first watched this video, I did not know what to think.  The message was clear:  adults should be listening to children.  However, during the 8 minutes of her speaking, I do not think the message was as pronounced as it would have been in a normal 11 year old.  I took away the message and that is all and I do  not even agree with her.  So far, having watched only 2 videos, this is my least favorite and probably will continue to be so in the future.  This girl was so unique that neither children my age nor adults could relate with her, which is very important in a TED talk, in my own opinion. 


She had good techniques with her speaking but, like I said earlier, was so different from other people that they could not relate with her.  This is a key aspect in TED talking and will be necessary in creating a successful speech, so I will have to make a memo of that.  One of her speaking methods that most annoyed me was the way she said children and adults like she was neither a child or an adult.  She did not use "we" in association with children, which I think would be helpful in her speech.  Okay, enough with the negatives.  Some good speaking methods I took away from her talk was her complete confidence in speaking and the way she adds modest humor to her talk.


Her speaking style was not that of a child, but one of an adult.  In her presentation she said she had been writing since she was four years old, while most of society does not even know the alphabet at that age.  It seemed slightly odd, which is prejudiced because I am, obviously, a child.  To an adult, her speaking may not have seemed weird in any way, but I don't know.


Personally, I think that children should learn from adults which is why we do not grow old to young. The main message connects to me because I am a child even though I do not completely agree with the message.  In my opinion, children should not necessarily teach adults, but should be listened to by adults.  We should be respected, not be teachers.  I do think that education and the world are changing to be more accepting to children and what they want, but it is in respect to us.

Watching my first TED talk presentation

      During class on Friday, we watched a TED talk the last 20 minutes of class.  At first, I though the TED talk would be boring and I would be falling asleep halfway through it, but I found that this was the opposite.  The TED talk is supposed to make people watch you, and with great interest.  After the video, I couldn't believe it was already over because the time went that quickly.  It was inspirational to hear someone talk about their belief so strongly and I hope I can make my TED talk something that sounds inspirational like him.

     

     This TED talk stressed the importance of creativity.  Mr. Robinson said that the modern school kills creativity and how we should change our society to promote creativity.  He makes valid points about people who are much more right brained in their thinking and how our schools should not favor one side of the brain over other sides.  He connects with A Whole New Mind in the way both Robinson and Pink talk about the necessity of creativity.  

     I was greatly moved during this TED talk and although I don't agree with everything he says, he was very persuasive.  He made me think of how our society should promote creativity and how we seem to block it out in the modern world.  He was right about our schools being more left-brain but in a way, it was necessary for our world 50 years ago.  Now, the world is changing and I think our school system will begin to change as well.

     Seeing how adamant he was about his belief is, in itself, persuasive to the listener.  It made me appreciate him as a human being to see him talk about the topic in a very sincere and convincing way.  The techniques he uses during the talk change the way the viewer sees it.  If he had talked about his topic in a boring way, I would not have seen it the same way.  Through his usage of humor and vigor, he expresses his point in a whole new way.

     The message he gives during his talk has to do with "the gift of the human imagination."  Every human being is not the same, so why should teaching be the same for every single one of us.  I personally am good at math and science but I am aware that other people learn different ways and are better at different things.  I can't paint or dance but some people have a natural talent for creativity.   He is right in saying that we should not ruin every chance they have to succeed because they thought they were hopeless throughout their lives in schooling.  It is time for a change in the way our society runs, and schools will be the start of that new generation of thinking.