It’s okay to admit it if at first you too have no idea what all this “TED” business is about. It may seem a bit intimidating and uber-hip, but in fact, TED talks probably sound so hip simply because the acronym isn’t often spelled out. It merely stands for “technology, entertainment, design.” The conferences have even been around since the mid-’80s, and have a fairly straightforward goal: spreading big ideas. The online streaming of the conference’s large number of talks began a few years ago, which probably explains the seemingly sudden ubiquity of TED.
This week sees a Valley incarnation of TED, and focuses on innovators from close to home. It’s dubbed a TEDx event, and that x just means it’s an “independently organized” event.
The 10 speakers for TEDx Shelburne Falls: A Taste of TEDx include a mixed lot of folks, from a young Occupy movement member (Ezekiel Heter-Wegscheider) to Fanny guitarist June Millington (pictured) and Darby Dyar, a Mount Holyoke astronomy professor working on Mars research with NASA.
Nov. 3, $19.72 per live 90-minute session (Mohawk High School simulcast is free, but requires registration.)Live event: Memorial Hall, 51 Bridge St., Shelburne Falls. Session 1: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; session 2: 3-4:30 p.m., (800) 838-3006, www.TEDxShelburneFalls.com.
