I am so fortunate that I was able to debrief my TED experience with Durwin Sharp this morning. Durwin is an 'idea catalyst' and an expert recording and leveraging ideas as a member of the Virtual Thinking Expedition. He would have like to have attended TEDxHouston, but life got in the way. We strategized on making sure he doesn't miss the next one. 

During the presentations, I scribbled many ideas and reminders into my program. More than evaluating the experience, I want to show you what it meant to me. 

The purpose of TED is to support 'ideas worth spreading,' so the presenters come armed with ideas, and if you get your money's worth, you end up with a pocketful of new ideas to use. My TED experience last Saturday was certainly worth more than the $50 price of admission. 

But I experience punishing competition for my time. I cannot participate in all the wonderful experiences which are affordable and acessible to me. As a creative professional, an activity is measured on an return on investment for MY ideas and getting them executed. In that sense, TED was also worthwhile. I picked up many tips on carrying out my own ideas and also developed many new ideas of my own by ricocheting off the presentations. 

Ideas I want to help spread:

1) Even if you think you already know all about a topic, sitting through a good presentation that has no new information may still allow you to see a new angle and a new method for using what you know. Our emcce Chris Johnson (host of KUHF's Afternoon Concert) shared how listening to Mark Bittman's TED talk helped him finally reform his eating habits. 

2) Kurt Podeszwa is someone everyone should know, and if you need a motivational speaker who can reawaken the child in all of us, he's your man. 

3) Those of us who've discovered walking in Houston now have an outlet. Carrie Schneider is building a web site called Hear Our Houston where you can make an audio tape of your favorite walk and upload it for either people to listen. Or download a walk to enjoy. The benefits of walking in Houston are starting to get some recognition. 

4) Jazz lives in Houston. You don't have to go to New York to hear Houston musicians playing jazz any more. Since my child attend the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, so I knew this, but I appreciate being reminded to spread the word. 

5) I went to school at Columbia University, and I've been trained in 'mindfulness,' but I never heard about the 'door experiment' that took place there. It just blew my mind. Micki Fine didn't invent the four principles, but she has made them part of my plan: 1) Show up in mind and spirit. 2) Pay attention to what is here now. 3) Tell the truth WITHOUT JUDGEMENT (so hard to include those last two words). and 4) Be open to outcomes, not attached to them. Something about her spirit just made me want to follow her. 

6) Michael Skelly of Clean Line Energy was the first presenter who flooded me with new information which I've been seeking. His presentation wasn't glamorous, but it was credible and informative. I want to learn everything I can about what he's doing and how to help him. 

7) Ed Gonzalez said Houston is ready to 'take on the creative economy' or something like that. I want to track him down and find out exactly what he means so I don't have to feel like we're fighting an uphill battle without support from local government anymore. (For the record, Ed, handing out proclamations is not significant.) In Fast Company magazine, Annise Parker said her job is to get out of the way. Unfortunately, Houston still has a lot of rules that get in the way, starting with the City of Houston infrastructure design manual. 

8) Nina Godiwalla shared how hard it is to be truly inclusive of people who are different. I'm going to read her book (Suits) and try to be more mindful of ways I unconsciously discourage diversity in my team members. 

9) Will Reed (Technology for All) gave a rather scattered presentation about extremely important work he's doing to making technology accessible to more people. He's another person who's work I want to support. 

10) Angela Blanchard: "We can't build on what is broken." "Be a part of a new story. 70% of us weren't born here. We don't have a past together. We have a future together."

11) Tory Gattis needs to break his material down into three presentations. I want to learn more about 'bossless organizations' and the 'mastery model of education.' Now I know he's so much more than that 'guy fighting against rail in Houston.' He should just drop that presentation because it makes him needless enemies. 

12) If the only thing I discovered at TEDxHouston 2011 was HaviKoro, it would have been worth it. This urban dance group made me so proud to be from Houston, to see what our energy and creativity can unleash on the world. Learn more about their achievements at American Voices. We need to make sure these guys spend more time performing in Houston. 

13) Wade Adams, Director of the Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, is a dynamo: spinning out information, explaining its importance and helping you to see how we stand on the verge of momentous discoveries. He was the only presenter who left me hungry for more. I could have benefited from an hour with him. Excuse, me I have to go off to join the NanoFANS now.