All Blog Posts from Tech Talk

The concept is simple; it's the execution that requires global collaboration and commitment. Not to mention some serious cash. Along those lines, TED prizes are an award of $100,000 given to a select group of recipients looking to change the world with one idea or "wish." They can use the money as they choose, and at a ceremony here Thursday night the three winners expressed their hopes for the future.

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The day started with a soothing performance by Deepak Ram, master of the bansuri, an Indian wooden flute. But the meditative state didn't last long as day two of the often mind-blowing TED got under way. (In case you aren't familiar with TED just click here.)

On Thursday there was a mix of physical and computer artistry, film production techniques and clean-energy invention on tap with a focus on looking beyond current models of innovation. The ideas abound at TED, and it can be a rather dizzying experience. Every time you turn around another luminary is discussing their vision for the future or the latest approach to solving a major world problem. Granted, it's all heady stuff, and much of it may not leave the walls of TED. It's also a unique conference in that media is not really front and center, and interviews are generally only for the presenters and in a specific area of the conference. That's just the way it works at TED. But there are still plenty of fascinating moments to talk about and report on.

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Watch three remarkable people reveal their wishes to change the world live from the TED Conference in Long Beach, California, via webcast at 5 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST) Thursday.

Tune in and get inspired as TED Prize winners — deep-ocean explorer Sylvia Earle, astronomer Jill Tarter and Venezuelan maestro José Antonio Abreu — unveil their ideas worth spreading. Special introductions by Al Gore, Quincy Jones and Sir Richard Branson.

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Bill Gates released some mosquitoes into the audience, a musical group called Naturally 7 demonstrated the diversity of voice, and “Happy Birthday” was performed in a way that the recipient of the timeless tune will never forget. Just another day at TED, one of the premiere (and exclusive) gatherings of visionaries, luminaries and “extraordinaries.” It’s a place that really requires one to open one’s eyes, ears, and mind.

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To call TED "elitist" makes it sound like snobbery. Not so. Instead, imagine a gathering peppered with dozens of futurists, artists, CEOs, and scientists -- plus a few more folks who defy categorization. They get all together for several days (Feb. 3-7) to listen to mind-blowing talks about everything from population trends to sea creatures. It is an intellectual Mardi Gras. The presentations are filmed, and they’re so compelling that they almost instantly go viral online.

This is the annual TED or the Technology, Entertainment, Design conference (those in-the-know just call it "TED"). Think World Economic Forum combined with a touch of the Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital and maybe a hint of a G8 meeting for good measure. And it’s all riveting, mind-blowing stuff. In previous years the event was held in Monterrey, Calif., but this year it moves south to Long Beach.

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