[live stream] Watch TEDxBoston 2011 now
It's
Boston. We know a little bit about revolution here. We've also got a
pretty good handle on innovation, meaning we know that whole
"tea-in-the-harbor" thing probably won't work more than once. So how
can you get people talking?
Enter TEDxBoston,
a conference that brings local luminaries to the stage for a chance to
share their revolutionary ideas and inspire others. An independently
organized event following the spirit of "Ideas Worth Spreading"
espoused by the broader TED (technology, entertainment and design) conference, TEDxBoston 2011 runs until 6 p.m. today in the Seaport World Trade Center.
From
the city that brought you the smallpox vaccine, the telephone, the
first email message--not to mention the first public school in
America--you can expect some groundbreaking concepts. Architect and
MIT lecturer Skylar Tibbits shares prototypes to show that some "manmade" objects can actually assemble themselves. Christina Xu, founding director of the Institute on Higher Awesome Studies,
explains how a playful spirit and disregard for convention can both
make you more awesome and the world suck less. Joe Coughlin, director
of the MIT AgeLab, wants you to consider growing old to be an extreme sport, and Solar Decathlon competitors
let you take a look at their plans for a completely sun-powered home.
There's also musical performances and more presentations on everything
from penguins to prisons.
And
you can hear it all without having to sneak out of the office: Check
out the livestream above, or follow the conversation (and jump in
yourself!) via Twitter, with the hashtag #tedxboston.