October 2009 Archives

TED Talks is a conference in California consisting of fascinating people talking about fascinating things. A scaled down, independently organised version of TED is coming to Sydney on May 22:

TEDxSydney at CarriageWorks on Saturday 22 May 2010 will feature a selection of Australia’s leading visionaries and storytellers showcasing their Ideas Worth Spreading LIVE to a hand-picked group of thinkers … as well as ONLINE to the world at large.

As you can tell by the exuberance expressed with the CAPS LOCK BUTTON, this promises to be an exciting event. It’s invite only – and frankly, if you’re reading this blog you’re unlikely to get an invite – but there will be live webcasts and video beamed out to us hoi polloi.

In case you’re wondering what TED refers to, I did a bit of research so you don’t have to. It is, in fact, an acronym derived from “Technology, Entertainment, Design”. Not Tiny Electronic Disco, like I thought.

Still not convinced? Here’s a fine example of a TED Talk, courtesy of adman Rory Sutherland. He’s a Funny Bastard.

This LOUISE HAWSON character has taken a year off, set up a blog called 52 Suburbs, and is gallivanting around Sydney taking photos:

I’ve lived in Sydney for over 30 years but I’ve never set foot in most of its 637 suburbs. Time to dust off the street directory, grab my camera and venture out into the great unknown. My plan? To nose around one new suburb every week for a year, in search of the beauty in the ‘burb. Care to join me?

Why, yes! Thank you for asking.

From the site intro:

What happens when a 28 year old guy makes a profile of a hot girl on a free dating site? A bunch of WTF.

No First Date: actual laugh-out-loud goodness.

I’ve been trying to convince my wife, Liv, of the wonder of keeping track of websites with an RSS aggregator. So this message is especially for you, Liv. Welcome!

Chris Lilley (Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes) has a new project called Angry Boys:

Lilley has landed a co-production with ABC and HBO – not only an Australian first, but with an order for 12 episodes, 4 more than Summer Heights High. It will also air on the BBC.

Shooting in a mock documentary style, the series will explore ‘what it means to be a 21st century boy by putting the male of the species under the microscope.’

It’s a way off, but this will definitely be one to watch.