5 chapters across the catalog
Bill Gates famously released a jar of mosquitoes during a 2009 TED conference to illustrate the impact of malaria on poor populations. The hosts revisit this event, questioning the legality of releasing potential disease vectors in a public auditorium for a presentation. The stunt was intended to highlight the disparity between funding for baldness drugs and life-saving malaria research.
TED Conference Culture, Gene Simmons MTV Meeting
The culture at high-end TED conferences is criticized for incidents of harassment and "douchey" behavior by senior tech executives. This is contrasted with an anecdote about Gene Simmons of KISS, who once jumped on a table during an MTV music meeting wearing knee pads. Simmons used the provocative stunt to demand airplay for a record he was producing, which successfully influenced the station's rotation.
The Rise and Fall of the Quantified Self Movement
The hosts reminisce about the "Quantified Self" and "Life Logging" fads from circa 2010, which were popularized at TED conferences. They link these early self-tracking trends to current government data mining efforts involving companies like Palantir and Peter Thiel. An anecdote about Austin artist Lori Frick and her data-based murals is included.
Edward Snowden appeared at the TED conference in Vancouver via a telepresence robot. His speech, which focused on the idea that "democracy may die behind closed doors," was criticized for being nonsensical and marking a "shark jump" in his public persona.
Cusp Conference, Symbolic Design Firm, Museum of Contemporary Art
Adam Curry recounts his experience speaking at the Cusp Conference held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. He describes the event, organized by the design firm Symbolic (S-M-Bolic), as a high-tech alternative to TED talks that lacks elitist stigma. Curry mentions staying with former Hot Pockets tour hosts Chuck and Dana and notes that the conference featured diverse presenters who were encouraged to be provocative.
