Notes on TEDx Diliman: ideas worth sharing? #4 & #5!

TEDx Talks are independently organized TED talks across the world, which is about “riveting talks by remarkable people.” TEDx Diliman was my first. This is a review of each of the TED talks that were part of it, done in 18 minutes or less, because that’s the time limit of a TED Talk. Read more about TED here, and check out this really good video on TEDx here.

Fernando Sena: How to draw an eye

with all due respect to someone who “needs no introduction, as his influence as a teacher has touched the lives of some of the most acclaimed and sought after artists today” (via Sena’s youtubevideo caption).

teaching us literally how to draw an eye? towards in the end promoting one’s art classes and one’s own son.

que horror.

the only thing worse than Sena’s TEDx Diliman talk was Nina Lim-Yuson’s talk: 18 minutes or so of shameless self-promotion of Museo Pambata projects.

both beg the question: wherefore art thou ideas worth spreading?

and really. what a waste of time.

 

Comments

  • GabbyD

    i’m confused. earlier you said: “an idea worth sharing is one that has been proven to work, one that has affected change in some form or manner, one that has, in the course of its existence come to terms with what needs to be done in order to reach a goal that’s about change of some form.”

    doesnt this lecture fit this requirement. he has been teaching people how to draw for a while. it works to provide actual skills that people have used to improve their lives. its an idea that works.

    if its an idea that works, why is it a problem if people are promoting themselves at the same time — esp if the idea and the person are linked? isnt that the whole point? to promote ideas, is it possible to not at the same time to NOT promote oneself, how one actually uses/d the ideas?

      • GabbyD

        what exactly dont i know?

        1) is it an idea that works? –> yes
        2) is it his idea –> yes
        3) is his role in his idea a big part of it? –> yes
        4) when he speaks of his idea, can he avoid talking about himself, his role in it? –> no.

        any of that wrong?

        on self-promotion: can you speak of an idea and not speak on the people who are making that idea come to life? i *guess* its possible, but is it necessary to do that?

        the thing is i AGREE WITH YOU. Ted talks should be about ideas that are PROVEN, and can be used profitably BY OTHER PEOPLE.

        Q: why is this eye drawing guy’s talk NOT a good talk?

        A: the only thing i can think of is: drawing is prosaic, staid. is this enough to say that it can’t be a Ted talk?

        the first ted talk i’ve seen is Hans Roslings talk on development, health, etc.

        its his research. he is/was also promoting google data. is any of that self-promotion *wrong*?

      • Dina Sumulong

        Thus endeth all pretenses toward respectful, intellectual exchange. Pfft! Lolo mong panot! Wherefore art thou civil academic discourse?

        • GabbyD

          thanks dina. i dont get what ina’s problem is. i am asking her about the coherence of her arguments. so far, its been nothing but insults from her.

          its weird coz i actually AGREE with some of what she said…

  • Dina Sumulong

    Obviously, the previous comment referred to “you obviously don’t know what you’re talking about.”

    Like momblogger blocking randomsalt.

    We are all intolerant now.

    Pfft.

      • GabbyD

        huh? what did i do?

        i was asking a question, and then you insulted me. i didnt insult you back.

        how is MY CHARACTER the issue here?

      • GabbyD

        “if you thought that was intolerant, then you don’t know gabby d.”

        seriously, what does this mean?! i’ve been nothing but civil to others online.

        • ina

          civility and your character ONLINE, which is all that you are here, have nothing to do with the statement of tolerating the lack of rigor in the questions you consistently ask of bloggers Gabby D.

          • GabbyD

            yes, i do believe those things are unrelated, but without further clarification, thats not necessarily true of everyone online. so, thanks for that.

            ok, so now you think that i lack rigor. that pretty much was clear when you said i “didnt know what you’re talking about”.

            so, we haven’t progressed at all in the past couple of days. all i’m asking for is, IF what i say makes no sense, PLEASE go ahead and explain.

            …instead of saying “you dont know what you are talking about” in multiple ways.

            see, thats what “CIVIL DISCOURSE” means.

            so lets make some progress, shall we? so, what about what i said makes no sense?

            this makes the least sense out of all the behavior i’ve seen online. instead of explaining why you are wrong, people just say “you’re wrong”, and expect that this adds to online discourse.

            this isn’t true in the real world, and its not true online as well.

          • GabbyD

            if you are interested in having civil discourse, i’m your man. but if all you want if to exchange college-level insults, while fun, is less fun that talking about substantive things.

            so: is “what works” a good arbiter of what a TED talk is –> i agree, YES.

            is some amount of “self promotion” part of what a TED talk is –> yes. why? ideas that work are invariably ideas that need promotion, and it also usually involves “self”.

            now, if you want to add –> should the novelty of the idea be part of the criteria, my reply is “it depends”. is learning how to draw enough of a novelty? it depends. probably NOT in Long Beach. but in Manila? why not?

  • TEDenthusiast

    Was the TED talk for free? How may I know if another TED event will take place?