thinglets: Lawrence Lessig and the Ethics of Openness


If you can give up one syndicated sit-com tonight and devote 18 commercial-free minutes to an empassioned Lawrence Lessig speaking on the ethics and left/right politics of "openness" as it relates to creativity.

That it is another fine example of a TED talk goes without saying, but it's nice to see the fervor that Lessig devoted to copyright alone has started to transcend other realms as well.

Be thankful for the localized TEDx talks around the world, because, quite frankly, the original TED conference itself, with it's auditorium of millionaires, doesn't seem too open to me.

thinglets: Hans Rosling Goes Old School - Screw Powerpoint!

Hans Rosling, TED presenter and stats man extraordinaire shows that the best presenters do not need projectors and screens. They simply need a good idea and a creative way to present it. Of course it helps if you're charismatic and smart as hell.

In fact, by the time he moves to the projector and screen, he seems to disconnect with the audience because he's largely facing away from the audience. That's not to say Rosling talking with a screen is bad. But it is at that point the talk becomes more about content than delivery, and I refuse to believe either is better, but simply different.

It DOESN'T MATTER what he talks about - I'm engrossed. A great example of delivery matters as much or more than content, but, in this case, where the content is also relevant and interesting.