5 Reasons You Don’t Want to Miss TEDxAsheville

So, you’ve heard all the buzz, ‘liked’ all of the engaging conversations and status updates on Facebook and kicked around the idea of slipping on your winter boots and joining in the conversation about exploring the EDGE with us…BUT you still haven’t bought the ticket to hop on the train. Let’s just go ahead and fix this silly situation by giving you five good reasons you don’t want to be left out of this day of inspiration and community conversation.

  1. Sunday football really is overrated. Don’t spend another Sunday watching brain cells splatter around the gridiron when you could be sprouting new neurons while participating in some of the most heart-wrenching, soul searching stories you’ve ever heard. Seriously, turn on your Tivo. This is better than any Lifetime movie you’ve ever witnessed!
  2. You always fantasized that you were in fact a Jedi, fighting the forces of evil and keeping peace in the Galaxy for generations to come. Now you can! For serious!
  3. You’ll still get to shake yer booty Asheville style to long-time local musical geniuses of Toubab Krewe as well as local GRAMMY-nominated fiddle virtuoso Casey Driessen and master African drummer Adama Dembele. Honestly, did you know a GRAMMY nominated rockstar lived in Asheville?
  4. Jeffrey Kluger is taking a weekend vacation from TIME magazine to talk to Asheville about space travel being the next step in human destiny! Come on now! You would miss the King of Other-Worldly Exploration to sit on your couch, eat Fritos and watch re-runs of Family Guy?
  5. Have you ever seen a native grizzly bear juggle peanut butter and jelly biscuits while standing on a soccer ball? Well you won’t at TEDxAsheville either– but we promise you won’t leave anything other than amazed and possibly ready to go out and learn how to do that on your own!


Moving Objects With Your Mind at TEDxAsheville 2012

TEDxAsheville 2012 presenter Avi Goldberg Explores the EDGE of Human Limitation:

Since the days of sorcerers, gods and witches, the human species has been fascinated with the idea of moving objects with their minds. We do it everyday with our own bodies to breathe, move our arms and legs but the deeper question is whether we can track those sub-conscious brainwaves being sent and use them to move objects outside of ourselves.

TEDxAsheville speaker Avi Goldberg has discovered a way to do exactly that, by using electroencephalography (EEG), which records electrical activity along the scalp and has long been used as a research tool in neuroscience and cognitive psychology to diagnose epilepsy, comas and brain death. A Computer Science major at UNC Asheville, Goldberg is a software developer who is fascinated with super computing, artificial intelligence, trans-humanism and futurism. Wearing only a single sensor EEG, he has discovered a way to capture electrical activity from the brain and use it to control the volume on his computer—simply by concentrating. Spooooky.

“I had never heard of consumer-level EEG products until a friend of mine came across one on the Internet and asked if I could hook it up to his music equipment to be able to control it with his mind,” said Goldberg. “We ordered it and I figured it out pretty quickly.”

After playing around on their electronic music equipment, Goldberg went on to modify open-source software to allow him to connect the EEG to his laptop. He claims it’s not as difficult as most people think it is and that’s what he really wants people to walk away understanding.

“Most people don’t realize that you can buy one of these things for $100 and with only a basic knowledge of programming and technology, you can do it too,” Goldberg matter-of-factly claims.

After presenting his research at several undergraduate symposiums and before several classes at UNCA, Goldberg continues to innovate his unique software that he hopes all will eventually be able to use for more than simply volume control. He envisions a world where it will be used as a practical way to interfacing with computers, allowing people to easily control their electronics using mind power.

“I definitely see it as a matter of making the world a better place,” said Goldberg. “There is a lot of potential to really hone this and move forward in innovating the way we interact with technology. It all depends on how we choose to use it.”

 

 

Tina Staley

Imagine yourself pregnant with twins, overwhelmed with joy and ready for these little miracles of life when you’re suddenly diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. Will you live long enough to birth your precious children? If you do, how will you breast-feed them? Why did this happen to you? Who will care for you while you’re sick and unable to work?

Social worker Tina Staley, born and raised in South Asheville, asked exactly those questions and sought answers to help people experiencing the profound emotional distress brought on by cancer diagnosis. “I feel so blessed to have been raised in Asheville,” said Staley. “When I was 13 I volunteered at a nursing home and would sit and listen to the elderly share their stories after school and would talk to them about their life and their family. When they would talk, their expression changed and they were so full of life and they were wanting that sense of purpose to prepare for the next chapter and the next journey. That’s really where my inspiration and my passion started to grow.” (more…)

Tickets Now On Sale!

Tickets for the 2012 TEDxAsheville Conference are on sale now for $37.00. This special price will only be available until October 4. Starting October 5, the ticket price will increase to $47.00.

This year’s event is themed around “The Edge” and will be held at the Diana Wortham Theater on November 4. The response to our newly announced slate of presenters has been overwhelming, so click the link below today to secure your tickets for what promises to be an amazing conference.

BUY TICKETS

Speakers Announced

Our first three speakers have been selected to present on the TEDxAsheville 2012 stage around our theme of THE EDGE.

  • GRAMMY nominee Casey Driessen, an Asheville-based fiddle virtuoso, takes the audience to the edge of musical possibility, mixing traditional sounds with modern technology to create a new sound all his own.
  • Interfaith minister and healer Anne Heck brings the audience to the edge of one woman’s body and soul with her personal story of healing, redemption and transformation—after surviving a brutal assault that made national headlines.
  • TIME Magazine science editor and author of the book that became the movie Apollo 13, Jeffrey Kluger, returns to our stage to take us to the edge of human aspiration—and to the new edge of our species’ future—as he addresses space travel as the next step in human destiny.

Tickets for TEDxAsheville are now available for purchase here. Ticket price is $37 until October 5, at which time they will increase to $47. Attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets early as seats are limited and the event is expected to sell out early.

Sponsors Extend Reach, Impact

TEDxAsheville will showcase a new feature this year—The Forum—which models the type of interactive discussion space characteristic of TED and TEDActive conferences. During the November 4th event, attendees will have the opportunity to take a break from the formality of the presentation stage and share ideas in The Forum, a new, dynamic space on the lower floor of Pack Place. The Forum will feature a live feed of all presentations with the opportunity to move about and talk with other attendees.

The Forum is made possible by these sponsors:

  • Visitors will be hosted by The United Nations Association of Western North Carolina, a non-profit membership organization dedicated to building understanding of and support for the ideas and vial work of the United Nations.
  • The space will be designed and furnished by Office Environments of Asheville, whose award-winning interior design and space planning experts will showcase the latest trends in how the interconnected workplace is supporting collaboration and innovation.
  • Audio-visual support connecting The Forum to the Diana Wortham stage will be provided by Harmony Interiors, designers of custom home audio, theater and artistic speaker solutions.


Educator, World Traveler, TEDxAsheville Voluntee

TEDxAsheville volunteer Nathan Smith is a rolling stone come home. After stints in Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Ecuador, Colombia, and New York City, Nathan has returned to his native Asheville to pursue teaching at Erwin High School’s Freshman Academy. He holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from UNC Greensboro and a Master’s of Teaching degree from Western Carolina University. With experience in travel writing, journalism, linguistics, bilingual education and multimedia integration, Nathan brings both youth and experience to TEDxAsheville. He is currently leading an initiative to bring TED talks into classrooms across Western North Carolina. Stay tuned for big things with this new addition!

Krull & Company Shares TEDx Inspiration Beyond Asheville

TEDxAsheville is pleased to announce a return commitment of support from Peter Krull at Krull & Company. As was the case in 2011, Krull & Company, a socially and environmentally responsible investment management firm based in Asheville, will be sponsoring video production services for TEDxAsheville 2012. Peter is a dedicated TEDx participant and has provided support for both TEDxAsheville and TEDxCreativeCoast in Savannah. If you have not seen the 2011 videos produced by Digital Media Foundry, we encourage you to view them here.

2012 Production Kick-Off

August has started with a burst! We held our volunteer appreciation party, launched ticket sales, and our speaker slate is nearing completion. We have also kicked off our production activities for TEDxAsheville 2012.

You can expect to see the event listed in the paper, on the web, in social media circles, and on the streets of Asheville between now and November 4. But I want to let you in on a little secret…

If you want to experience the full essence of TEDxAsheville, if you love the event and find yourself wanting more, then join our volunteer team! Volunteers are the people who DEFINE the event. They are the salt and spice that makes the flavor of the whole dish taste so yummy. Trust me YOU WANT to experience our volunteers! They are intelligent and creative, fun and playful, inspiring, and most importantly they are team in the truest sense of the word.

I invite you to prepare yourself for an amazing season. Look for updates, get your tickets now, and join us for a TED talk at our weekly Salons on Tuesdays from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge.

Volunteering from Day One

Rick Fornoff has been a part of TEDxAsheville since the start of the TEDx phenomenon. In 2009 and 2010, Rick was part of the core organizing team; he chaired the speaker selection committee and served as emcee for TEDxAsheville 2010 and TEDxKathuah 2011; and he co-directed TEDxKatuah 2011. Most notably, Rick has applied his talents as a presentation coach at TEDxAsheville, TEDxNextGenerationAsheville and TEDxKatuah, as well as other TEDx events throughout the southeast. In total, Rick has coached 76 TED talks, including those presented on the TEDxGreenville, TEDxCharlotte, TEDxRaleigh and TEDxCreativeCoast stages.

Of his experience, Rick says, “I’ve worked with the most interesting people. My coaching practice, Message Clarity, has become more refined through helping people achieve the focus that is necessary for a good TED talk.”