Ted Talk #8 Derek Sivers

Derek Sivers had the idea that whatever ideas one has themselves or just hears, the opposite may also be true. He provided several examples, and they were very interesting to listen to. At first, the idea seemed sort of silly. He gave examples about music, where in one country music starts at the 1 count, but in others the 1 is where the number ends. He then continued with an example where a man from Japan asked an American man what the street blocks were called. The man, rather arrogantly explained that only the streets have names, not the blocks. However, when an American man went to Japan and asked a native the streets names, he explained how only the blocks have names, and addresses are based on whichever house was built first, not the order in which they sit. I thought it was interesting how the answer was obvious to the natives when they were in their home, but the opposite answer confused them profusely because they had never thought about it like that before. Both men thought the answers to be extremely obvious. He ended the presentation by saying that "Whatever genius ideas you have or hear, the opposite may also be true." I thought that it related to stereotyping of people. Things that seem obvious to us when observing from the outside, could be completely opposite. I think he was trying to say how we should be open minded and open to other ways of seeing, than most of us are accustomed to. Sivers had a PowerPoint presentation up, and barely looked at it. His presentation was obviously extremely rehearsed, and he seemed less nervous than several Ted Talks i have seen before now. It was easy to relate to this presentation, and it grasped and held my attention for the entire time.

Ted Talk Response #6 Ebina Kenichi

In this ted talk, Ebina Kenichi showed his talent for magic tricks. He did things like act like he had extra limbs, and send a light from one hand to the other. Although interesting, I didn't like the overall presentation much. I kept waiting for him to say something, but he just kept doing magic tricks. What i disliked most was that i thought Ted Talks were supposed to be about something that matters to you, and should matter to the rest of the world. I'm sure magic matters to Kenichi, but I'm not so sure it should matter much to the rest of the world. Most of the previous Ted Talks had to do with something that would effect not only themselves, but the world around them. I was so disappointed with this talk that i almost turned it off, but i thought this post would be very different from my last posts, giving my blog variety. Don't get me wrong, i really did think the tricks were cool. But cool doesn't change or help the world, which has been the goal of most of the previous speakers I've seen. As interesting as magic was, I can barely write a decent response due to the lack of information provided. That's annoying to me, and makes me dislike it even more...

Ted Talk Response #6 Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers' Ted Talk was my favorite Ted Talk that i have seen so far. Although his presentation wasn't flawless, his ideas and work were phenomenal. The only things i didn't like about his presentation was how at times he would turn almost completely towards is power point, and for the most part he was fidgety. He seemed nervous and almost awkward at the beginning, constantly using the words 'uh' and 'um' and at times stuttering, but gained confidence with time. Dave's ideas on using free time to create something useful relates to Clay Shirkey's idea of cognitive surplus. His ideas were that students need one on one time to truly thrive. He gathered several journalists, writers, etc. from his community to come and tutor children for free. The zoning in the building that they rented was for retail, so the land lord told him he had to have something to sell, therefore creating the idea of a pirate supplies shop in the front, and a tutoring facility in the back. His idea created a breakthrough for many other cities and communities, and I found it really interesting how everything ties together and connects! During his presentation he used the example of: Happy student= happy family. Happy families=happy communities. Happy communities=happy world. What makes a happy student, is getting grades they are proud of, and having the motivation necessary for those grades.