Time for TEDxAdelaide. Time to think

[ This article by Rose Wodecki, was published on November 3 2011, last updated on April 2 2012. ]

TEDxAdelaide is just around the corner, so it’s time to put on our thinking caps.

For me, one of the most outstanding TED talks of late was one about ‘filter bubbles‘ by Eli Pariser:

Before watching this video, I’d been looking for a good alternative to the Google search engine. It’s what led me to Eli’s TED talk. Not an all out Google replacement, mind you. Just the occasional alternative. But how do you even go about looking for an alternative to Google, when you’re probably searching for that in Google?

Since watching the video, I’ve been using duckduckgo.com for a while now and it does the job very well. But, of course, it’s not just about having a different search engine. It’s about being aware of why it might be needed. And what else I could be doing differently. To think about what might exist outside my ‘web of one’.

I think Eli’s talk sums up the aim of listening to a TED talk incredibly well. It’s not his specific opinion that counts necessarily, it’s the idea of thinking and behaving differently. It’s about ideas.

Whether you’re there in person or watching via the live stream, TEDxAdelaide is an opportunity to open up your mind and allow yourself to see all the different possibilities. To be made uncomfortable and to jump-start your mind. And, above all else, an opportunity to think.

“Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.”

- Mark Twain

By Rose Wodecki