Knowledge over work
TED geeks camp out at Caroline Collective all day to watch conference on TV
It's a brainy pajama party!
Knowledge makes them happy.
If only we could all be so lucky to attend TED2011 this week in California. The hallowed conference, touting "ideas worth spreading," opened Monday and runs through Friday in Long Beach, and tickets are, well, not cheap.
But watching TED2011 as it unfolded for The Deep-Pocketed Ones on the West Coast turned out to be much easier for a smattering of viewers at Caroline Collective Wednesday.
"TED gives the TEDx organizers licenses to make the TED conference publicly available for one day," said Tim DeSilva, a member of the TEDx Houston leadership team. "So they made today the day."
Yes, we do have our very own version of TED here in Houston — and it's slated for a Round No. 2 in June. But until we get to do it ourselves, taking a few cues from the pros never hurt anyone.
But who can actually take an entire day off of work to sit and watch these admittedly compelling talks all day? "It's mostly technologists and entrepreneurs here. It's an educational event," said Grace Rodriguez, another TEDx Houston coordinator.
"We've had about 30 to 50 people filter in and out throughout the day, but we had 70 RSVP," DeSilva said. "We (expected) more for the later sessions because of work."
It was quite the scene over at Caroline Collective for this streaming showcase. There were pillows, tables and chairs strewn about, flanked by enlightenment-hungry whiz kids lazily clacking away at their laptops. The soft glow of the projected image of a braniac-in-action was only punctuated by the brilliance emitted from the speaker's lips, transmitted live from the faraway land of California.
However, for this broadcasted TED event, no one needed to worry about the price tag. It was free as the knowledge and some generous soul even completed a lucrative beer run.
