I had the privilege of attending TEDxAustin 2012: Beyond Measure on February 11, 2012 at the Austin Music Hall, and it was way more than I expected.
I had heard lots of raves about TEDx events, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I really enjoyed the format of 18 minutes per speaker, mixed with trumpeter Jeff Lofton and the Austin Ballet.
The TEDxAUSTIN speakers were an interesting mix that wasn’t revealed until less than a day before the event.
I saw a Tweet that revealed the speakers after midnight the night before and jumped in for the details on my iPad before going to bed.
I had an idea about which would be most interesting to me and I was totally off.
While they all made me think and challenged me in different ways, my head is still spinning from the talks by David R. Dow on fixing the death penalty system, Penny de los Santos on when to live life, and Jason Roberts on quickly changing urban blight to beauty.
xLunch was pure pleasure. They partnered with Whole Foods Market and brought in six chefs to design a menu in their distinct styles from a list of the same ingredients.
I got to enjoy the work of Philip Speer of Uchiko. Yum.
The vegetables came from Johnson’s Backyard Garden, and I grabbed a card for them to check into their CSA program.
Also, there were chances to meet folks and get know them.
A great day all around.
Keep an eye on http://tedxaustin.com/ for videos from the day.
Thank you to Nancy Giordano, Shawna Butler, Romy Suskin, and the TEDxAustin Team.
Photos: TEDxAUSTIN 2012