Slide from Pattie Maes’ TED 2009 presentationThe TED conference experience incorporates all the senses including those yet to be introduced.

The 2009 TED Conference was literally jam packed with amazing presentations from speakers around the world. I’m excited that Flux was part of this year’s TED (now in its 25th year), it was also the first time that I attended after hearing about it for many years. I helped curate a selection of short films and commercials that ran as interstitials between speakers throughout the conference. TED, which is an acronym for technology, entertainment and design, presents some of the world’s most brilliant people delivering talks in either of two trademark flavors: 18 minute or 3 minute mini talk. No boring moments at this conference. Everything is very fast paced and often awe-inspiring.

TED is simply too much to encapsulate in a blog post, but here are ten of my favorite moments from the conference (over the next few months videos of this year’s talks will pop up on TED.com):

1. Pattie Maes: Sixth Sense

Photo by James Duncan Davidson for TEDPattie Maes unveils the Sixth Sense, an augmented reality project at TED2009

One of my favorite presentations was by associate professor Pattie Maes of MIT’s Media Lab. Remember the scene from Minority Report with the floating touchscreen? Maes showcased a project, that brings that science fiction to life, on which she had collaborated with Media Lab grad student Pranav Mistry. Using off-the-shelf hardware that consists of a small video projector, camera and sensors, Mistry built Wear Ur World (the 6th Sense). Among other things the demo showed how you could open a book and see reviews projected on the page, hold up your hand to dial a phone number (see picture above), frame your fingers in thin air to take a photo etc.

2. Benjamin Zander: Happy Birthday

Photo by James Duncan Davidson for TEDBenjamin Zander energizes the crowd at TED2009 by getting them to sing one of the world’s most known songs to a complete stranger (an attendee named Ross).

Benjamin Zander (TED Talk, Feb 2008), conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, grabbed an audience member (”Ross”) whose birthday will take place soon and got the entire TED audience (1700+) to stand and serenade him with Happy Birthday. After singing the song in its familiar manner, the blasé version we’ve come to know, Zander ramped us up to sing with gusto, enunciating YOU and throwing our arms open, really singing to Ross. He wanted us to rethink how we sing this song and issued a challenge for the next time we had an opportunity to sing it. When I got back from TED, I tried this with my younger son, who recently celebrated his birthday. He ran to the living room and hid under a pillow. Nevertheless I intend to never sing this song the same old way again.

3. Shai Agassi: How would you run a country without oil?

Electric plug for Better Place’s eRouge electric vehicle

In an inspiring (I mean Obama-style inspiring) speech, Shai Agassi laid out an ambitious roadmap (pun intended) for the transformation of automotive industry to electric cars. His company Better Place has already signed up several countries (!) to be part of the trial. I wanted to know where I could sign up - buy one of his cars, invest in his company etc.

Until his talk is posted on TED.com, much of the info Agassi related in his presentation including the amazing story of his company and the awesome quote from Nissan/Renault CEO and Better Place partner Carlos Ghosn: “Hybrids are like mermaids. When you want a woman, you get a fish; when you want a fish, you get a woman” can be found in a Wired profile that ran in August ‘08.

4. Sarah Jones: TED = Technology, Entertainment & Dominicans

Photo by Asa Mathat for TEDSarah Jones at TED2009, Session 6: Invent, Feb. 5, 2009, Long Beach, CA

When the British presenter came to the mic to describe her journey to TED, I didn’t realize I had just been taken by a master impersonator. The chameleon-like playwright/performer Sarah Jones, best known for her Tony award-winning play Bridge & Tunnel, quickly switched to her “normal” voice and then to any number of ethnic characters over the course of 18 minutes: a Jewish grandmother, a Dominican teen, French teacher, German teacher, an Indian, a prim Chinese mother, and Arab woman of Jordanian descent. I was in tears from laughter and yet Jones’ impersonations were not just fun and games, she ended telling us we are all not so different after all.

5. Cindy Gallop - Make Love Not Porn dot com

Photo by Asa Mathat for TEDCindy Gallop warns the audience to cover their ears if they are easily offended.

“I date younger men. And when I date younger men, I have sex with younger men. And when I have sex with younger men, I see the creeping implications of the accessibility of hardcore pornography.” The short three minute presentation from the former chairman of ad agency BBH New York was certainly the most unexpected talk I heard at TED. But honestly where else in our society can such frank and important information be discussed? Gallop used her talk to launch this new educational site: http://www.makelovenotporn.com

6. Where the Wild Things Are film teaser

Of all the short film pieces that Flux curated for TED, this was by far the most popular and played to thunderous applause. A 93 second montage of scenes from Spike’s film set to the sounds of Arcade Fire. Pure goodness.

7. Art Benjamin: Mathemagician

At TED 2009 Palm Springs, mathemagician Art Benjamin makes magic of an attendee’s birth date.

One of the first short sessions of TED 2009 was by Art Benjamin(TED Talk Feb 2005), a Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College who combines his loves of Magic and Mathematics. He is brilliant and has a great sense of humor.

The top row features a birth date which adds to a magic number. All rows and columns also magically add up to this same number.

The next day I got to share lunch with Art and asked if he would sign two Math autographs for my sons. In seconds he filled out two grids of numbers. When I explained them at home to my boys they were amazed. Art teaches people how math can be fun.

8. Bill Gates on malaria and what makes a teacher great

Bill Gates talk is the first of the 2009 presentations to be released for free on TED.com

“I brought some mosquitoes - we’ll let them roam around the auditorium. There’s no reason only the poor should experience this…” joked Bill Gates as he unleashed a jar of insects on TED’s packed Long Beach auditorium while discussing the malaria problem in third world countries.

I think Gates has found his calling in his new life as a philanthropist and perhaps comedian. During his 18 minute talk (watch embedded video above), gave fascinating backgrounds on two of the many projects that are current priorities for the Gates Foundation. As a parent with two kids in a LAUSD school, I was particularly interested in part two of Gates speech in which he explained the secret to making great teachers and improving the performance of students/schools in the U.S. which have fallen far behind Asian schools.

9. Aptera

OK, this is more like a near miss. As I was delivering a box containing all of the TED short films to the Long Beach venue on Monday, I snapped this photo of two guys assembling the awesome looking Aptera electric vehicle. Alas the promised test drives only happened in Long Beach and not at the TED venue in Palm Springs. Next time. I hear these cars hit the market at the end of this year.

10. Golan Levin: where’s “art” in Apple’s app store?

Golan Levin’s Snout

I’ve always been a huge fan of Golan’s work. I had the pleasure of meeting him at one of the Creative Capital retreats. During his TED presentation he discussed some recent projects included the very fun Snout, which involved a large, very heavy robotic arm. (Robotics popped up in numerous TED presentations covering everything from military to surgical applications).

At one point Golan pondered why there was no “Art” category in the iPhone App store and revealed he was working on some projects that would fit there. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.