TEDxBoston : the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

This is NOT an Official TED video, it is simply an archive of the TEDxBoston Adventure.

What academic light can two Boston College professors shed on the nation’s largest environmental disaster?
What lessons for oil extraction, transport, crisis prevention, and response can be drawn from this present calamity? Meanwhile, can a 2010 TED Fellow on the frontline in the Gulf contribute to the design of autonomous robots that collect oil?
Join Boston College Professors Noah Snyder of the Geology and Geophysics department and Zygmunt Plater of the Law School for an interactive briefing on the situation in the Gulf. Professor Snyder is the Director of BC's interdisciplinary Environmental Studies program. Professor Plater served on the State of Alaska Oil Spill Commission during the Exxon Valdez crisis; he has been involved with Alaskan efforts to assist Gulf communities in the aftermath of the BP Gulf blowout and attempts to draw systemic lessons for the future from the Exxon Valdez and the BP blowout. We also will be joined via Skype by Cesar Harada, a former MIT researcher in New Orleans. Ask critical questions about environmental science and law, as well as some of Harada’s other ambitions, from creating the International Ocean Station as an open-source architecture project to crowdsourcing environmental data on the web.

Thanks to John Werner and Grier Tumas. 

Devlin Hall, Room 201, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467

DATE: Thursday, July 22nd, late morning

TEDxBoston : http://tedxboston.org/
John Werner : http://www.citizenschools.org
Zygmunt Plater : http://bc.edu/schools/law/fac-staff/deans-faculty/platerz.html
Noah Snyder : http://www2.bc.edu/~snyderno/
Shannon Dosemagem : http://labucketbrigade.org/
Cesar Harada : http://cesarharada.com/
Oil collecting Robot : http://protei.org

We need something to clean up the ocean!

Carl Safina on TED. We need to clean up the ocean!

Posted via email from Open_Sailing

Mission Blue

Sylvia Earle's TED Prize-winning talk in 2009 has sparked the Mission Blue Project. If you need convincing that the oceans need protecting, watch this video.



The mission launched a couple of days ago. Learn more at Mission Blue website and follow @MissionBlue on Twitter

Largest Marine Protected Area

This is a huge opportunity!  http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_our_oceans/?cl=495119443&v=5513
Avaaz does great things for immediate and long term emergencies.  The ocean faces long and short term crises every day. Please add your name and pass along.  What a success this could be~
thank you! Colleen

Dreaming of type 1 civilization?

Thanks to Will Moller for the link.

As defined by Michio Kaku :
- Type-1 civilization : is capable of harnessing the entire power of a planet, and dominate its processes, including its weather, geothermal energy, etc. It should be able to construct facilities anywhere it wants to on the planet.
- Type-2 civilization : is capable of harnessing the power of its local star, and subsidiary planets.
- Type-3 civilization can become inter-stellar/multi-stellar, capable of expanding across multiple star systems, and eventually the entire galaxy. (Star Trek is one exemple of Type-III Civilization)
We are currently at the zero-point-something mark on this scale.

As a 2010 TED fellow, we are collectively required to adress the question "what the world needs now?".

The world leaders had the same requirements at the COP15 Copenhagen summit.
Each of us has the opportunity everyday in each of our most insignificant actions - they are significant.

What a humbling question.

The first thing that pops to my mind is how difficult it is to link that different scales of actions : the global political decision and the everyday individual behavior changes in little gestures. Maybe we need to proceed the other way round this time?

Would it be possible? A peaceful working global interoperability? 

- Knowledge : People need to know about it.

- Desire : the proposed world need to desirable, ethical social model.

- Capacity : everyone needs to be able to participate in their own ways within earth limits.

I am working on this with this nascent project : the World Environment Organization and I am looking for programmers and lawyers for that (the website is very very bad for now, lots of work to do, contact me).

But the real question is : is a Type 1 civilzation even desirable?

The type 1 civilization Michio Kaku describes has :

- a type 1 language : english (an everyone speaks another native land language).

- a type 1 monetary system (a global currency + capitalism).

- a type 1 political system (democracry + republic).

hummmm...... I think only americans agree with themselves on this. What does a chinese, an indian, a brazilian, cuban, french, arabic, persian, african person think about supremacy? Portuguese, English, French, Japanese have attempted it not long ago, Americans are doing it now... I think this "type 1 thinking" contradicts with the values of tolerance and cohesive forces necessary for the making a durable type 1 civilization. Haven't all empires collapsed? Diversity is the driving force for competition, evolution and civilizational progress, we can't wish for ONE dominant system, there wouldn't be any more progress, just an unstoppable normative force. Myself being a japanese descent I am very surprised Kaku advocates a totalitarian type 1 civilization, as if plurality wasn't thinkable, only American domination... How sad...

As Michio Kaku describes it, the type 1 civilization is a civilization of absolute control : control over the planet, processes, including its weather, geothermal energy. So it is human domination over "nature". Which is also a questionnable desire.  And Kaku suggests that's only achievable with a type 1 language, 1 monetary and 1 political system. I think this way of thinking is dangerous. Think about linguistics : why do we have so many words, so many languages, so many dialects... Why do Eskimos have so many different words to describe "snow"? Why do we have every week new artificial computer and artificial languages? Diversity is a fact, and is necessary. Kaku suggests each will have his/her own local language + english, but the fact is that local languages tend to disappear on the long term.

Kaku interestingly simplified the options for accessing the type 1 civilization conditional to :

- positive "integration forces" with tolerance, multi-cultural fabric on one hand ;

- and on the other hand "disintegration forces" : "weapons of mass destruction, germ weapons, terrorism..."

I think it is a good simplification, it does help : we need to concentrate on minimizing the disintegration forces, and maximizing integration forces. On this we can all agree, but it only is valid if no country has a domination desire... and he himself clearly declares he has!

Kaku also takes the example of the European Union, and falsely explains its inception as a counter-measure to the North American Free Trade Agreement. It is not true! Europe was born after the war as a space of political cooperation, to ensure peace - and later only - to improve economic condition. Thanks to American help on this, by the way.

The US is very different, it is a very recent rich colonized land, from which the natives have largely been subject to what many qualify a genocide. Europe is a land of a much higher diversity of languages, economies and political systems than the US today, and according to the recent economic crisis, Europe happens to be more stable and resilient. Still the US is now a dominant economic, political, military and cultural entity. 

The US alone wont make the entire world access this type 1 civilization by forcing its normative military power, economy, language and values. There will be no global acceptance of the US type 1 civilization project. That would create too much friction. I like to think civilization type 0 transitioning to a civilization type 1 as the moment a plane breaks the sound barrier, or brakes itself. (video explaining sonic boom).

If our "civilization type 0" tries to transition to "civilization type 1" without enough velocity and cohesion it will fail like the early supersonic flights dramatic attempts. And we got only one chance!!!

We wont transition to type 1 civilization by forcing the entire world to speak the same language, use the same currency, have the same political ideas.

We wont transition to type 1 civilization by dominating the nature.

We wont transition to type 1 civilization with our actual political democratic system inability to change efficiently individual everyday little gestures.

We wont transition to type 1 civilization if each of us doesn't have the knowledge, desire and capacity to be on that flight.

Today, "I have a dream" has been published on http://www.ted.com : 

http://www.ted.com/talks/martin_luther_king_jr_i_have_a_dream.html

Today the American president is a black man.

The dream is becoming a reality. Maybe.

I have a dream that we will all enter type 1 civilization with cohesion in our diversity of languages, currencies, political ideas.

I have a dream that we will enter type 1 civilization in harmony with nature, not dominating it.

I have a dream that each of our everyday gestures would reflect our many better political systems.

I have a dream that, not only a rich minority, but all of us will enter type 1 civilization with the capacity, knowledge and desire to, in their own ways.

Making maps to fight disaster, build economies, Lalitesh Katragadda

http://www.ted.com/talks/lalitesh_katragadda_making_maps_to_fight_disaster_build_economies.html



We dont need to map things to think the world, we can update the maps day after day, from satellite view.

Open_Sailing at TED

One of the great things about working on an open source project is that we're happy to show everyone everything we do.

What's more, anyone can see what we're up to, anyone can comment and criticise, and anyone can contribute. The more people who know about the project, the more people who can contribute, and the better it all becomes.

Which is why we're pleased to announce that Open_Sailing's Cesar Harada has been awarded a TED Research Fellowship. In February, he'll be presenting the Open_Sailing project in Long Beach, California. The talk will be in front of some of the most interesting, connected people in the world – as well as an unlimited global audience. TED is a fantastic organisation, and we're humbled and happy to be a part of it.

Click here for the full TED 2010 lineup

TED 2010 fellowship, Cesar Harada

2009/12/14 : It is now official and public :
Open_Sailing will be present at TED 2010 Long Beach!
Following is the Press release
http://www.ted.com/pages/view/id/394

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TED ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF NEXT 25 TED FELLOWSHIPS

Newest TED Fellows to participate in the prestigious TED2010 Conference in Long Beach, CA

NEW YORK, December 14, 2009 — Organizers of the TED Conference announced today the 25 TED Fellows who will participate in TED2010, TED’s annual conference in Long Beach, CA, February 9 – 13, 2010. The TED2010 Fellows join the TED community as the most recent additions to the TED Fellows program, joining the TED, TEDGlobal and TEDIndia Fellows from 2009.

The TED2010 Fellows reflect both geographic and discipline diversity. From Israel to Brazil to Malaysia, these innovators excel in the technology, entertainment, design, science, film, art, music, entrepreneurship and nonprofit worlds. The group also includes filmmakers, engineers, artists, scientists and musicians.

“We are thrilled to embark upon our second year of the TED Fellows program with these 25 individuals. They represent a spectacular concentration of cross-disciplinary talent in the arts and sciences, entrepreneurship and engineering, education and new journalism. We look forward to their contributions to the TED community and the amazing collaborations that are sure to occur among them," said Tom Rielly, TED Fellows director.

In addition to participating as full members of the TED2010 conference audience, each TED Fellow will participate in a two-day pre-conference, where they will receive world-class communication training, deliver a short TEDTalk, and collaborate with their peers, among other benefits. The Fellows will also participate in the TED community throughout the next year, by telling their ongoing stories on the TED Fellows blog, being featured in the online Fellows directory and participating in a private social network.

The TED Fellows program seeks individuals of age 21-40 (though anyone over age 18 is eligible) who demonstrate remarkable achievement in their field of endeavor. The program focuses on candidates from five regions: Asia/Pacific, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Middle East. The TED Fellows program is made possible by the visionary support of the Bezos family, Sherpalo Ventures, the Harnisch Foundation, the Case Foundation, private donors and Nokia.

Meet the TED2010 Fellows:

Mubarak Abdullahi (Nigeria/UK) – Aircraft engineer who, at 24, built a homemade helicopter out of old car and bike parts

Milena Boniolo (Brazil) – Chemist and PhD student at Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil, who is developing methods to detect emerging contaminants in the environment

Premesh Chandran (Malaysia) – Co-founder and CEO of Malaysiakini.com, an independent Malaysian news website

Perry Chen (US) – Co-founder and CEO of Kickstarter.com, a web platform offering people a new way to fund their creative ideas and endeavors

Anita Doron (Ukraine/Israel/Canada) – Surrealist filmmaker and documentarian

Ndubuisi Ekekwe (Nigeria/US) – Engineer, inventor, author and founder of the African Institution of Technology, an organization seeking to develop microelectronics in Africa

Saeed Taji Farouky (UK/Palestine) – Documentary filmmaker, photographer and writer focusing on human rights in the Middle East and North Africa

Jessica Green (US) – Professor at the University of Oregon’s Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, whose research focuses on microbial diversity

Benjamin Gulak (Canada/US) – Inventor of the Uno, a “green” electric street bike, and founder of BPG Motors

Robert Gupta (US) – Violinist and youngest member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic whose area of study also included neurobiology

Cesar Harada (Japan/France/UK) – Coordinator of the Open_Sailing project, working to develop open-source technologies to intelligently inhabit the oceans

Susie Ibarra (US/Philippines) – Composer, percussionist and co-founder of Song of the Bird King, a production company using music and film to preserve indigenous culture and ecology

Jennifer Indovina (US) – Founder of Tenrehte Technologies, a semiconductor company developing wireless smart-grid applications

Mitchell Joachim (US/Canada) – Architect and co-founder of Terreform ONE + Terrefuge, non-profit design groups that promote ecological design in cities

Raffael Lomas (Israel) – Sculptor and teacher of creative visual workshops for the blind

Kate Nichols (US) – Artist-in-residence at the Alivisatos Lab who synthesizes nanoparticles that exhibit structural color and incorporates them into macroscale art pieces

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Pakistan/Canada) – Documentary filmmaker and founder of The Citizens Archive of Pakistan, an educational institution and heritage center established to preserve Pakistan's history.

Sarah Jane Pell (Australia) – Artist-researcher, diver and founder of Aquabatics Research Team initiative (ARTi)

Manu Prakash (India/US) – Junior Fellow at Harvard Society of Fellows, physicist and inventor pursuing research in the field of physical biology

Kellee Santiago (US) – President and co-founder of thatgamecompany, a video game company working to create games that communicate unique emotional experiences

Durreen Shahnaz (Bangladesh/Singapore/US) – Founder and Chairperson of Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX), a social stock exchange for Social Enterprises to raise growth capital

Gavin Sheppard (Canada) – Founder of I.C. Visions and co-founder of The Remix Project, a youth program acting as an arts and cultural incubator in Toronto, Canada

Hugo Van Vuuren (South Africa/US) – Fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Fellow at The Laboratory at Harvard, co-founder of Lebone – a social enterprise working on off-grid technologies

Angelo Vermeulen (Belgium) – Biologist, filmmaker, and visual artist creating large-scale collaborative art installations

Daniel Zoughbie (US) – Founder and CEO of the Global Micro-Clinic Project (GMCP), an organization working to prevent and manage diseases in the developing world using low-cost behavioral interventions

Details on each Fellow and the program are available at www.ted.com/fellows. To support the program, or to receive more information, please contact Logan McClure at +1 212.346.9333 or via email at fellows@ted.com. Follow the TED Fellows blog at http://tedfellows.posterous.com.

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California; TEDGlobal is held each year in Oxford, UK. TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where three exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action, and TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world. Follow TED on Twitter, twitter.com/tedtalks, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/TED

TED2010, “What the World Needs Now,” will be held Feb. 9-13, 2010, in Long Beach, California, along with TEDActive, a simulcast conference of TED2010, in Palm Springs, California. TEDGlobal 2010, “And Now the Good News,” will be held July 13-16, 2010, in Oxford, UK

Logan McClure
Program Officer, TED Fellows
TED Conferences