Report on TEDx Tekst: Ronan Poirier Coutansais Foto: Alicja Piotrowska and Vilde Koch Fredriksen, Foto NHHS It’s not useless to remind the purpose of TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design). It is a global set of conferences under the slogan “Ideas worth spreading” where speakers talk during 20 minutes. I can already assume that the event fulfilled its goal successfully. I think we are more or less receptive to ideas depending whether we identify ourselves to one or another speaker. Thus, it is also good to keep in mind that my report is obviously biased and that people would perhaps focus in other points in one speech. Now that the framework is set I can try to report the best as I can. The TEDx Bergen chose the theme: “the (Im)possible redefined” to try to revel how human put themselves boundaries in their heads. All speakers had this in common, they faced the challenge of imaginative human boundaries and they simply pushed boundaries a bit further. The day was divided in three sessions with three speakers each. Technological Leaps ! John Barrett is a Director of the Nimbus Centre at Cork Institute of Technology where research focuses on real world applications of the Internet of Things. So we can simplify that in saying that Mr Barrett is a specialist in new technologies. He reminded us that some obvious habits, uses, for us today were not before. “159 000 000 results in 42 seconds should be impossible!” he said. Today more and more stuff are connected and it seems that nothing cannot be. All the data generated can change our lives. And I think this is all the purpose of his speech, the research in technologies has to be ambitious and not simply be to add “gadgets” to our lives. For example, data could allow us to be aware of where food would be needed in the world and where it would be in surplus, thus wasted would be prevent.
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Reindun Schlanbusch is doing research on green buildings in the environment group at SINTEF Buildings and Infrastructure and in the Research Center on Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB). In her speech she showed us how she was trying to push boundaries of emission or I should say “non-emission” in building sector. When we are only thinking about reducing gas emission in our
daily life by conducting an electric car or by lowering the heat in our houses, she is trying to eradicate emissions at the source. Indeed she adds two points: eradicate greenhouse gas emission from the very raw materials of houses (we could extend this to cars…) and even producing clean energy. The issue of raw materials is actually the most difficult part but, as she is trying to make us realize, it is possible! Projects already exist and the industry begins to change… The movie Interstellar suggested that somehow humans had lost their explorer spirit. Christopher Hoftun is none one of those. Indeed, he is co-founder of the Mars Institute Norway and Principal Investigator for PlasMars, Zaptec & ESA. He began its speech asking “Are we alone in the universe?!”. If he did not answer the question, he showed us that research on Mars, on the moon or on asteroids is promising. The next years, research will in particular focuses on drilling. Indeed drilling could allow humans to better understand origins of life in making new discoveries beneath the surface. Exchange of material might have happened between Earth and Mars billions years ago. For life to appear, three ingredients are needed: organics, liquid water and energy force. Conditions in Mars are not very welcoming and even the simple fact of drilling demands to push boundaries far. Mr Hoftun is contributing for this to happen. And I am looking forward to have results in his field! Daring to redefine ! If the first part showed us great technological leaps and how this contributed to push boundaries, the second session focuses on boundaries that we cannot really see or even imagine. Humans often build boundaries in their minds and this can sometimes put a brake on “moving forward”. As a consequence this part is much harder to report! You could wonder why a Norwegian rap-duo is speaking in this session. But it turns out that the choice for KUUK’s speech is really relevant. In a way they face human mind boundaries. If there songs are not about feminist fight, they were here to tackle some prejudices they face constantly in the “male dominated rap world”. They gave a large panel of examples. Some of it concern language. It goes from “when boys are in collaboration with a team to make their show, girls, are helped…” to “we are rappers and not female rappers”. To a large extent, prejudices are about their bodies. They insisted that it is obvious that artists need to express themselves also with their bodies. Males as females. And females should not be more limited in this use than males. When girls dance, it is too often associated with “tool” and “stupid”. So they push boundaries in trying to ensure that girls and men are (or will be) equal to enter the music. Sanna Sarromaa is a former researcher and liberal politician but she is still a feminist and a historian. She was here to tackle the politically correct that is present in our societies and at the same time she reminds us that we have to think by ourselves, above all while reading newspapers that can be really manipulators. The boundaries she faced are very treacherous and she paid the price, medias in Norway attacked her. “In Norway: freedom of speech only if you talk about politically correct” Her message is that in willing a society so equal and so perfect we forget some verities and are behaving wrongly. She faced the example of a disabled child who was in a class with normal children, but it resulted, according to her, in much harm than good for this child,
K7 Magasin tirsdag 6. oktober