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Against TED talks

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40hz:
I still can't help thinking anything that helps tear down info silos and helps make technology and deeper thinking more accessible to a general audience can't be a bad thing. The intended audience is savvy enough to separate the wheat from the chaff without the need for self-appointed guardians to tell them it's all bullshit and they shouldn't be watching any of it. Not that these guardians are doing anything that interesting or significant on their own to offer TED's audience an alternative. (I've called out a few of the more hipster types and asked why they weren't doing something to replace it. Most of replies were worthy of a 15-year old in both the choice of language and debate tactics employed.)

Corporations aren't interested in disseminating what they've discovered or are working on. Government isn't interested beyond slapping a TOP SECRET sticker on as much science as possible. Universities aren't interested. They're too busy building patent portfolios and putting their scholarly papers behind paywalls -  when they aren't out trolling, or slapping their faculty with DMCA notices for having the audacity to post their own work on their own personal websites.

TED is far from perfect. It's presentations can be elitist, questionable, or trivial at times. And it's certainly not everybody’s cup of tea. But it is better than most of what's out there - despite the popularity of all the faux-science and "paranormal phenomenon" shows on the so-called 'science' channels if you're not a diehard UFO or conspiracy buff.

And it's definitely better than nothing. Because there isn't much else like it should you look around.
 8)

wraith808:
so TED does something other than facilitate public forums on random topics?

then there's a certain irony in the latest (?) presentation

Daniel Reisel studies the brains of criminal psychopaths (and mice). And he asks a big question: Instead of warehousing these criminals, shouldn’t we be using what we know about the brain to help them rehabilitate? Put another way: If the brain can grow new neural pathways after an injury … could we help the brain re-grow morality?
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-Target (March 18, 2014, 05:20 PM)
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If they don't, then why does it cost $6K-8.5K to attend?  Where does that money go?  That's a *lot* of money to think that they only "facilitate public forums on random topics".

40hz:
Where does that money go?
-wraith808 (March 18, 2014, 05:47 PM)
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It's published on their website. Or was last I looked.

That's a *lot* of money to think that they only "facilitate public forums on random topics".
-wraith808 (March 18, 2014, 05:47 PM)
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Ever attend a 2-day trade or industry insider conference? Those aren't cheap either. These things go on convention budgets. Depending on the location, the facilities, and the number of days, it can add up fast. I just spent last Saturday night at a small inn about 300 miles from where I live. Cost for the night = $235. The week before I was in NYC at one of the Hiltons since I couldn't find anything else for the days I needed to be there. Price per night $424, I've also worked in a hotel. Back in the 80s when they hosted conferences where I worked, the conferences were getting an average of $800-1200 a day to attend. A now defunct guitar Workshop I used to attend offered a 5-day program that ran in a resort someplace out west. Cost to attend = $5250 to $6000. The normal price for the very same workshop held at a local boarding school in my state during summer recess = $1200 for the classes plus an additional $800 to stay in a school dorm room with four other people.

TED seems to be on the higher midrange of what these things tend to charge.

superboyac:
But it is better than most of what's out there - despite the popularity of all the faux-science and "paranormal phenomenon" shows on the so-called 'science' channels if you're not a diehard UFO or conspiracy buff.
-40hz (March 18, 2014, 05:44 PM)
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;D

40hz:
@SB - ROTFLMAO!

I cannot stand that guy. :Thmbsup:

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