TED

In a discussion one day regarding TED.com it was remarked to me that "When I have children they won't go to school, they will be educated by TED!"  I may have misquoted slightly but you get the idea.

If you don't know, TED is a conference that showcases great ideas and innovations that are occurring all over the world, and has been my savior for more than one University assignment!

It is a really great place for seeing what is happening around the world and possibilities for the future.

So here is a video from Poet and storyteller John G. Rives to entertain you...

 

The Burning Man Project

This site was shared with me the other day, they have some very interesting concepts regarding creativity and community.  Read the ten principles and let me know what you think...


http://www.burningmanproject.org/about

These 2 statements are probably my favourites...

Radical Self-expression
Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

Communal Effort
Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

Music and Passion

This Guy is pretty out there, interesting talk though

An Online existance

As a full time student, I spend a great deal of time in front of a computer.  I am delighted that now it is a 21" iMac instead of the old 13" macbook, but never the less, i spend more than my fair share of hours in the digital world.  During my wanderings I come across a lot of interesting things that people are doing all over the world.  Some of these are inspiring, others are downright ridiculous, the rest fall somewhere in the middle.

So until further notice I'd like to share some of the interesting ideas, endeavors and randomness that I come across during my online travels.

The First thing I'd like to share is a website that gives me endless hours of enjoyment.  Granted, the humor isn't to everyone's liking (not offensive, just random)

Ze Frank was first noticed when he sent this invitation out for a party he was holding. The invitation went viral.    http://www.zefrank.com/invite/swfs/index2.html

There is so much stuff on his site zefrank.com that has provided me with inspiration and more than a few laughs.  So I'd just like to pay homage to the man who was Ze...

Where to from here?

Well we are more than half way through this foray into the world of a digital presence and it has been very interesting.  The World Wide Web is an interesting beast and one that is ever-changing, and I feel I have a better grasp on how we communicate using these digital mediums now and some idea, albeit a small one, of where we might be going in the future.

The Web has great potential to be used for the betterment of society, but also has serious consequences if we get it wrong.  Due to the removed nature of the digital landscape, people feel removed from the social interaction they are involved in, but the problem is, anything said online is potentially there forever.  If we are talking to someone in a face to face interaction, we are able to draw on visual ques and body language to make sure our words are perceived in the correct manner,  online we don't have this luxury.

An interesting point came up during one of the lectures I was listening to this week, and that was, over time the context of what we say, or the context of a photo that is shared, is lost and all we are left with is the thing itself.  I don't know about you, but for me that is a powerful thought.  As we move more into the digital world, these out of context words and images have the potential to shape how we are perceived.

I have also noticed a trend that we only get involved in issues or discussions that are contentious.   maybe it is the way society works these days (especially if you believe or agree with anything the "current affairs" programs say on Australian TV) But I like to think that we can interact with friends or even strangers in a positive way.

I thought I might check the discussion boards of the "current affairs" shows to see what "everyday" Australians views are... Apparently we are are indeed a pack of racist, narrow minded, neanderthals...