Ideas | Words & Tricks

BIL and TED’s excellent philosophical differences

March 2nd, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted in News by Chris Pommier

TED and ‘Net Controversy

I blogged, with a touch of snarkiness and disbelief, about this year’s TED Conference and TED Prizes on Friday.

The breathtakingly self-aggrandizing and expensive TED Conference is going on right now in Monterey, California. Owned by The Sapling Foundation, a private 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established by Chris Anderson in 1996, TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design.

In researching TED’s background for that blog post, an entire realm of controversy opened up to me. Sarah Lacy, a technology columnist for BusinessWeek based out of Silicon Valley, described her mixed feelings about the problematic relationship of money, elitism, liberalism and activism demonstrated by the structure of the conference.

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Further Reading on Words & Tricks

World’s greatest people make wishes, blow out candles at TED conference (4)

Watchdoggin’: Top notch reporters & editors share investigative journalism tips for ethnic media (0)

Go Vote! Democracy Still Needs Defenders (0)

Gift Guide: Gift Certificates for Charities (1)

An Ode to Sue Boyer (0)

Tags: activism, BIL, BIL2008, conference, Controversy, free, ideas, internet entrepreneur, Monterey, TED, TED Prize, thinkers

World’s greatest people make wishes, blow out candles at TED conference

February 29th, 2008 | 4 Comments | Posted in News by Chris Pommier

The breathtakingly self-aggrandizing and expensive TED Conference is going on right now in Monterey, California. Owned by The Sapling Foundation, a private 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established by Chris Anderson in 1996, TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. With a moniker like that, is it any wonder that it looms large online? It began as a conference to bring together individuals from those three industries. Now, it’s staff members devote themselves to “spreading ideas.” According to the TED website, “the conference brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers.”

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Gift Guide: Gift Certificates for Charities

December 13th, 2006 | 1 Comment | Posted in Uncategorized by Chris Pommier

Last year I gave my aunt and her family the opportunity to donate to a charity of their choice. I encouraged them to discuss it as a family, to discover something about each other that maybe they didn’t know before. Sure, it’s a little touchy-feely, but they seemed to like it. OK, my aunt seemed to like it, I never did learn whether her kids were burning me in effigy, or not.

I know not everyone will be too keen on this idea with the gimme, gimme, gimme-ness of the season crashing down around us (and yes, I love to get presents, too), but for some JustGive.org’s charity gift certificates are the perfect choice.

So, even if you aren’t sure what causes are closest to your loved one’s heart, there’s no need to go through the pesky process of talking about your values. You can purchase a gift certificate for any amount of money and send it via email, or print it out and send with a card. Then your budding philanthropist can save the whales, cats, kids or whatever or whomever they like. And you look like a saint. What could be better?

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