I was so happy to be able to attend my first TEDxHouston event this weekend. TEDx is the collective of local independant events organized in the spirit of the TED Conference and its motto – Ideas worth spreading.
2013 marked TEDXHouston’s fourth annual event, and Schipul was among the sponsors. Speakers ranged from astronauts to artists, and included a diverse group of local scientists, sustainable farmers, engineers, magicians, poets, and cancer survivors.
The theme was “The Other Things” – as in, Kennedy’s famous Moon Speech at Rice University where he declares:
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” – John F. Kennedy
What are “the other things” that we still wish to accomplish? The TEDxHouston speakers gave their insight.
It was a day full of fresh perspectives and lots of brain candy. My favorite quotes from the event are listed below. (Disclaimer: These primarily came from my notes, with a few from the tweets of other #TEDxHouston attendees – so I apologize if I get any words off in my note taking!)
Enjoy!
12 Inspiring Moments from #TEDxHouston 2013
| 1. |
“Comedy is a contagious emotion.”
– David J. Neff (@daveiam), on why everyone should do stand up comedy once in their life
| 2. |
“There’s nothing like your first career panic attack.”
– Dave Rangel (@thedaviderangel), professional magician
| 3. |
“When you know your history, you see that we’re all part of the same story.”
– Rick Brennan (@histrionix), Social Studies teacher and creator of the educational game Historia
Historia “Gaming the History of Civilization”
| 4. |
“Opting out does not change a bad system. Opting in to a better way does.”
– Christian & Lise Seger ( @BlueHeronFarmTX), sustainable farmers
| 5. |
“Well informed citizens are the building blocks of a functioning democratic society.”
– Tara Ruttley, on the importance of science education
| 6. |
“Cancer is our new normal – and that’s not acceptable.”
– Gabe Canales (@gabecanales), Cancer Survivor and founder of Blue Cure Foundation, on cancer prevention
| 7. |
“Fear is profitable. A fearful population can be made to do things. Knowledge counteracts fear.”
– Dr. Ricky (@dricky), scientist and author of sciencebasedcuisine.com, on educating yourself on what you eat
| 8. |
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the police force, it’s that you’ve got to look what’s coming at you straight in the eye.”
– Sarah Cortez, on facing the inevitable
| 9. |
“Cisgender people are not normal people, they are just common people”
– Scott Turner Schofield (@turnerschofield), on gender identity
| 10. |
“As artists, we are the conscience of society. Without us, there is no truth.”
– Sehba Sarwar, writer
| 11. |
“Criticizing is not participating.”
– Taylor Gahm (@taylorgahm), comedian
| 12. |
“My grandmother always told me: ‘You’ll never see a U-haul following a hearse.'”
– Outspoken Bean (@outspokenbean), poet
Missed TEDxHouston 2013? Not to worry!
The full 9 hour livestream of TEDxHouston 2013 is available now! Check it out (talks start at about 40 minutes): http://new.livestream.com/tedx/tedxhouston2013
Upcoming TEDx Events
- TEDxYouth@Houston is November 16 – and includes programming specifically targeted to middle and high school students – ticket information
- For more upcoming events from the TEDxHouston team, check out tedxhouston.com!
- Not in Houston? Check out TED.com’s find an event map to find a TEDx event near you!
THANKS! AND What Did We Miss?
A huge THANKS to the leadership and all of the volunteers that made TEDxHouston happen! It was a great inspiration-filled day!
What were your favorite moments of TEDxHouston 2013 that we left out? Let us know in the comments!