I’ll try to cover design since it is integral to TED (technology entertainment design) even if not to this blog. This session was mostly concerned with how design can make the world a better place and the following is not done in speaker order.

Architect Moshe Safdie talked about rethinking towers and cities to make them more livable. Pattie Maes talked about better design for the ‘internet of Things’ or ‘Network of Smarter Objects’ where the objects respond to us intuitively, e.g. lights that change in response to biofeedback from us as we meditate. Sarah Kay talked about poetry. I agree with her  comment that she didn’t belong in the session but there was something kind of charming about a poet participating in a design session. Aimee Mullins, a paralympian who’s been mentioned here before (my first posting about her was a July 24, 2009 piece on human enhancement) discussed imagination and its importance for creating the future. Stefan Sagmeister talked about asking for what you want in the context of his design practice. I’m excerpting  this from his TED biography,

While a sense of humor invariably surfaces in his designs, Sagmeister is nonetheless very serious about his work; his intimate approach and sincere thoughtfulness elevate his design. A genuine maverick, Sagmeister achieved notoriety in the 1990s as the designer who self-harmed in the name of craft: He created a poster advertising a speaking engagement by carving the salient details onto his torso.

Finally, the moderator asked Sarah Kay to return to the stage for a poem (from the Kia Kaha Tumblr page),

“Toothbrush to the Bicycle Tire” by Sarah Kay

They told me that I was meant for the cleaner life.

That you would drag me through the mud.

They said that you would tread all over me.

That they could see right through you.

That you were full of hot air.

That I would always be chasing,

Always watching you disappear after sleeker models.

That it would be a vicious cycle.

But I know better.

I know about your rough edges

and I have seen your perfect curves.

I will fit into whatever spaces you let me.

If loving you means getting dirty, bring on the grime.

I will leave this porcelain home behind.

I’m used to twice a day relationships

but with you, I’ll take all the time.

And I know we live in different worlds,

and we’re always really busy,

but in my dreams you spin around me so fast

I always wake up dizzy.

So, maybe one day you’ll grow tired of the road

and roll on back to me.

And when I blink my eyes into the morning,

your smile will be the only one I see.

There was more; this is not exhaustive description.