TEDx Coming (Back) to San Antonio

Saturday, October 15 could be just another ordinary day. Or, you could:

· Escape from the killing fields of Cambodia.
· Feel the beat of Tejano music and understand the soul of Xicano.
· Fuel your entrepreneurial fires by hearing how one man started a company, that became San Antonio's largest homegrown defense contractor, from his garage.
· Be inspired by how one woman is changing the lives of disadvantaged women, one suit at a time.
· Scam your way to the top of iTunes or master the ultimate card cheat.

And so much more.

These are just a few of the innovative topics that will be featured at TEDxSanAntonio 2011 with speakers: Sichan Siv, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Juan Tejeda, instructor of Music & Mexican Studies at Palo Alto College; Guvinder P. “G.P.” Singh, CEO, Paras Capital Management; Pamela Taylor, co-founder and executive director of Dress for Success San Antonio; and Brian Brushwood, award-winning magician and star of Scam School.

TEDxSanAntonio currently is accepting applications for those who want to participate. The goal of the event is to spur the kind of discussions that lead to action. Visit the TEDxSanAntonio website to apply today. The application closes on September 15, 2011, so don’t delay.

At its core, TED brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. The goal is to inspire people to change the world. Past speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Sir Richard Branson, Isabel Allende and many other thought leaders, and idea pioneers. TEDx was created so communities could create their own localized versions of TED events. At TEDxSanAntonio, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.

It's not often we have an opportunity to participate in an event like this one, so don't miss this opportunity!

(Full disclosure: Jennifer Milikien serves as the public relations committee chair for TEDxSanAntonio 2011. This is a volunteer/unpaid position.)

Fascinating TED Talk: Jane McGonigal on How Gaming Can Make a Better World

NPR’s On the Media podcast recently focused it’s weekly episode on the World of Gaming. Now I’ve never considered myself a gamer, so I almost skipped it. But I always learn something when I listen to On the Media, so I stuck it out. And I’m so glad I did.

One of the stories played an excerpt of a TED Talk by Jane McGonigal. She talks about her research into the game-world. She says, “In the best-designed games, our human experience is optimized: We have important work to do, we're surrounded by potential collaborators, and we learn quickly and in a low-risk environment.” She concludes that if we could harness this gamer power, we could improve the way we learn, work, solve problems, and lead our real lives. And she’s talking about solving big real-world problems.

She lists four “super powers” of gamers, meaning what these games are making people virtuosos at:

Urgent Optimism – Gamers have extreme self motivation. The have the desire to act immediately to tackle an obstacle combined with the belief that we have a reasonable hope of success

Tight Social Fabric – Gaming builds strong bonds, trust and cooperation

Blissful Productivity – Gamers are happier working hard than by just hanging out

Epic Meaning – Gamers love be attached to awe-inspiring missions

Jane says that gamers are “super-empowered hopeful individuals.” They believe they are capable of changing the world. Right now, they mean the virtual world. Jane wants to transfer that to the real-world.

After her talk, I may be a believer.