Alice in InfoLand

I am addicted to *TEDtalks*. TED (for Technology, Entertainment, Design) began in 1984 as a way to bring people from those three industries together to exchange ideas. Since then the annual TED conference has expanded to include coverage of ‘science, business, the arts, and global issues facing our world,’ as 1000 attendees gather in Long Beach CA for four days to see/hear “the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers…give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.” There’s no way I could ever afford to attend the actual conference (tickets sell out a year in advance), but now many of the presentations are available online in both audio and video formats. If you’re new to TEDtalks, start by downloading the *top 10 TED talks highlights video*, to get a sense of the variety of subjects available. You can search for talks by theme, topic, or speaker, or just subscribe to the audio or video podcasts via iTunes.
I listen to the audio versions while driving, and lately I’ve been downloading the videos to show/share with the residents of my mother’s nursing home. 20 minutes is just enough for these 90-year-olds’ attention spans, and it’s certainly a change from daytime television!

SLJ20