Hi TED

As I was surfing the other day I came across an interesting site that I had come across some years ago. It is http://www.ted.com/ and it is well worth a visit. To use their own words, “TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.
The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).” Also as they say TED is ideas worth sharing.

You might have heard of Bill Gates releasing mosquitoes on a group he was giving a talk to. This is the place where it happened. You can see the video of this and many other talks on the TED web site. If you have never had the chance to hear Bill Gates speak, this is an easy and inexpensive way to see him in action. His talk covered Malaria awareness and creating better teachers and education which fell under is topic of “How I’m trying to change the world now”.

Concerning the education system, Bill has some charts and some interesting observations on the current effectiveness of the schooling system. I also have some ideas in this area. Bill, if you are listening, get with me. I have had an idea running in the back of my mind for some years now that would harness the power of technology to increase education on a national scale that could easily go global but it would take someone with your resources to pull it off. Where you are talking about reforming the system, I am talking about bypassing the system and getting right to the heart of the matter.

Money is part, but knowledgeable technicians and effective teachers are the other. It involves creating an on-line school that is affordable (free) and available to all. Borrowing from some other successful models such as game sites, you tube, and social sites, education could be brought to a whole new world of individuals that are not served well with the current system as well as providing continuing education to the world of people that thirst for knowledge. I can’t do it from where I sit but you could, if you truly believe in this. What the rich were to public libraries in the past, Bill Gates could be for education in the here and now.

Bill Gates was not the reason I came to re-discover the TED site. As I said the other day, aviation is a passion for me and I came across a talk that Paul MacCready gave on aerodynamics and flight entitled ‘Paul MacCready flies on solar wings’. MacCready is the person that gave rise to the human powered aircraft, the Gossamer Albatross, that flew across the English Channel and then went on to create the solar powered unmanned aircraft called the Helios which broke the SR-71’s altitude record. He is an amazing man with a creed of “Do more with less”. This interesting video can be found at http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/176.

There is a myriad of topics and talks to be found here. I intend to delve deeper as I get the chance. Where it only takes 20 minutes I should be able to find the time. What I have seen so far just whets my appetite for more. After all, education can and should be a lifelong process. The thirst for knowledge should be unquenchable. Enjoy yours.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.