The Marginalian
The Marginalian

TEDGlobal Highlights: Day 3

Day 3 of TEDGlobal in images and soundbites, plus a glimpse of an electrifying surprise performance at the afterparty. For full blow-by-blow coverage, skim our live Twitter feed from the event.

Photographer Taryn Simon probes the frightening side of the unseen in her fascinating book, An American Index of The Hidden and Unfamiliar.

The phenomenal Emmanuel Jal, a hip-hop artist with a message of peace, who raised the TED audience to its feet for a dance and a standing ovation. Later that day, a handful of TEDsters won €10,000 from the Dutch Postal Lottery and decided to donate it to Jal’s education initiative — the TED touch in action.

The importance of education for me is what I’m willing to die for, because I know what it can do for my people. You’re killing a whole generation by just giving aid. If you want to help, give education. ~ Emmanuel Jal

Emmanuel Jal, paying tribute to Emma McCue — the courageous aid worker who saved hundreds of child soldiers, including Emmanuel himself, and started an ambitious education initiative.
Lydia Kavina with the Radio Science Orchestra.
Virtuosa Lydia Kavina playing the theremin, a magnificent but little-understood instrument.
Iconic designer Ross Lovegrove shows some of his work, which he calls ruthlessly economic.
Nick Veasey’s stunning X-ray photography

Eric Giler showcases WiTricity, a technology that allows the wireless powering of devices. Here, Giler charges a smartphone simply through proximity to a TV.
Professional ballooner Bertrand Piccard urges us to throw environmental fundamentalism overboard. He took a hot air balloon trip around the world, which started with several tons of fuels and ended with nothing but 40 kilos left. Piccard is dreaming up his next trip, completely unreliant fossil fuel.
International relations expert Parag Khanna likens pipelines to silk roads in that they connote independence and trust.
Geoff Mulgan on social innovation and systemic change, asserting that times of crisis necessitate a reboot that sparks innovation.
Felix Thorn is a master of synesthesia. Under Felix’s Machine, he performs on a fascinating instrument made from household objects like candle holders and a shower caddy. His experimental music plays with synchronized light and sound, aiming to remove the human performer.
James Balog shows images from his incredible time-lapse record of climate change, Extreme Ice Survey. Here, the retraction and deflation of polar ice over just a short period of time.

I hope we have the angels of our better nature rise to the occasion and do the right thing. ~James Balog

Nigerian storyteller Chimamanda Adichie on stereotypes and how Western literature creates a flat, narrow view of Africa as one catastrophe-plagued country.

The problem with stereotypes isn’t that they’re untrue, it’s that they are incomplete and make one story the only story. ~Chimamanda Adichie

In a surprising impromptu performance, crowd favorite Emmanuel Jal kicked up the afterparty with an electrifying act that transformed TEDsters into a mosh pit of dancers doing Jal’s signature dance in sync and singing his chorus for a phenomenal collective experience.
…and again…
…and again. The energy in the room could’ve powered a hot air balloon.

Stay tuned for highlights from the final day of TED, coming sometime between the sleep deprivation therapy and the infamous TED crash.


Published July 24, 2009

https://www.themarginalian.org/2009/07/24/ted-global-highlights-3/

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