Back to San Diego: TEDActive 2012: Day 1 Recap

TED 2012: Full Spectrum, live in Long Beach
and simulcast to TEDActive in Palm Springs.

Last night, I overhead someone say, "Don't worry about it, what happens at TEDActive stays at TEDActive."

Yeah...that. Allow me to let you in on a little secret: what happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens TEDActive ends up on Twitter. And Facebook. And Instagram. And Pinterest.

As it should be, really. TED's tagline is "Ideas Worth Spreading." The beauty of TEDActive is that you never know if that idea is going to come from one of the mainstage talks in Long Beach, from a TEDYou talk here in Palm Springs, during a picnic basket lunch with new friends, or during a late night fire pit conversation with old TEDsters.

Today was the first day of TED 2012 talks. I'm not gonna lie, it felt a little like Christmas morning when I woke up -- but instead of presents, we were all getting new TED talks. When Chris Anderson took the stage and said, "It's time for TED," cheers and whoops simultaneously went up in Long Beach and Palm Springs (where we're watching the simulcast of the mainstage talks in more relaxed, chill, laid back environs).

My thoughts and pics from the day:

Seat: secured. #TED: started. Speaker: rocked. Mind: blown. Thanks Brian Greene.

When I say TEDActive is more laid back, they're not messing around.
Instead of stuffy theatre seating, we've got captain's chairs and
"...all the beanbags legally allowed in a single room."

Superb #TED 2012 talk: "When it comes to creativity and leadership, we need introverts to do what they do best." - Susan Cain

Miss Amy K. Rosenthal, who spoke at TEDxSanDiego 2011, gave a
TEDYou talk and mentioned TEDxSanDiego 3 times! Thanks Amy! :)

The TED 2012 I was most looking forward to was Pixar's Andrew Stanton (Toy Story,
Finding Nemo, WALL-E). He didn't disappoint, even opening with an F-bomb. My
notes above, where he talks about wonder and how to tell a story.

Oh Damon Lindelof (Lost) you sly little devil. Kick ass job writing and conceiving the TED 2012 (really, TED 2023) Ridley Scott vid featuring Guy Pearce.

Peter Weyland has been a magnet for controversy since he announced his intent to build the first convincingly humanoid robotic system by the end of the decade.Whether challenging the ethical boundaries of medicine with nanotechnology or going toe to toe with the Vatican itself on the issue of gene-therapy sterilization, Sir Peter prides himself on his motto, “If we can, we must.” After a three year media blackout, Weyland has finally emerged to reveal where he’s heading next. Wherever that may be, we will most certainly want to follow.Conceived and designed by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof and directed by Luke Scott.

Superb TED 2012 talk: "When it comes to creativity and leadership, we need introverts to do what they do best." - Susan Cain

and

Truth: "Solitude is a crucial ingredient to creativity." - Susan Cain

A huge blackboard outside the TEDActive hall. It says, "Before I die..." at the
top, and many lines of, "Before I die I want to _______." I was lucky to catch the
morning light in the top of the pic, which created a, wait for it: full spectrum.

The board slowly started filling up as the morning went on.

Since I've kicked cancer's ass three times, my contribution to the wall was:
"Before I die I want to see a cure for cancer."

"If you have a capacity for wonder, you have all that you need." - musician/conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, #TED 2012 #TEDActive

"You can't sit down and try to be funny. Humor is epistemological." US Poet Laureate Billy Collins #TED 2012

They gave us a picnic basket for 6 at lunch, and encouraged us to eat with new folks.
My group included Dave (TEDxOrlando), Sandra (TEDxIntuit), Carole (co-host Kelly's
mom, and a DOLL!), Charlotte (Stanford d.school) and James (private teacher).