Bill and TED’s Excellent Adventure

by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 01/26/09 at 3:15 pm

Did you seethe New York Times Magazine this weekend where Virginia Heffernan owned up to being a junkie?

As friends of Bill W. say, “Hi, Virginia.” I, too, am a TED addict. I’m going for my big fix next week. The rush is indescribable. You can get a contact high at www.ted.com. Like the usual dealer of addictive substances, TED gives you the first one free. Unlike other suppliers,TED Curator Chris Anderson and sponsor BMWlet you get high on their dime every time.Good ideas are not only worth spreading, they MUST be spread!

That was Bill W.’s idea, too.

I’m not a friend of Bill W. but Iam a friend of Bill G. Gates, that is. (OK, he doesn’t know I’m his friend, but I am.)

Today I received his first Annual Letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bill knows the value of a viral idea. He writes:

“And as we execute our strategies, we need to share what we learn, because the biggest leverage is in getting many others to adopt best practices. Since we are in this for the long run, we need to develop credibility by the strength of our evidence, and by not claiming to know more than we do….In the areas we work in, we want to make sure the foundation is drawing other players in the best way we can. Given the business sector’s broad expertise and resources, we particularly need to get more of its innovation power focused on our issues.”

What idea do YOU have that’s worth sharing, worth spreading, worth getting others to adopt?


One Comment

Bill G (not Gates)

Jan 26th, 2009

Change NASA from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to a revised organization called the National Advanced Sciences Administration. This new entity could explore scientific advances that would help us on Planet Earth. Areas of interest could be energy, environment, medical research and transportation. NASA built an electric car in 1971, called the Lunar Rover. Imagine what they could do now?

I have enjoyed NASA for the 51 years they have been in operation. But now, the space race is over and we won. We need more than Tang and pens that write upside down. Where is my flying car?

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