Well, day 2 at TED2010.

Interesting and full day that started with the second session of Ted University. There was far far too many interesting talks to go into full details but specific highlights were:

–  Rob Cook on why robots or computers could never possibly replace human creativity and empathy. They just don’t get it, and never will.

–  Robert Gupta and his stunning talk on the power of music, followed by his more stunning violin skills

–  Derek Silvers and his theory that we should shun leaders in favour of the power of the first follower (backed up by the funniest and greatest viral video I’ve seen in ten years)

–  Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy with a chilling and totally gut-wrenching documentary film she’d done on the next generation of child suicide bombers from Pakistan (thanks to Sharmeen for making me cry for the first time at TED this year – a day earlier than last year)

Then the real business began on the main stage.

Daniel Kahneman (the inventor of behavioural economics) took us an amazing journey showing us the difference between the ‘experiencing self’ and the ‘remembering self’ and the role that both play in making us happy or content. Basically it is not what we experience that makes us happy it is what we remember about it. And this is largely based on our closing memory of events not what happened throughout them.

David Cameron then got up and delivered a party political broadcast live from the BAFTA club in London. Er, right. Don’t get me started.

Jake Shinabukoro kicked total arse playing versions of Ave Maria and Bohemian Rhapsody on the…..ukelele. Really. I promise. It was totally awesome. I was expecting a slightly cooler George Formby. Not for the first time I was proved to be totally and utterly wrong.

Esther Duflo then told us all the small ways she has helped to prove how to apply economics and simple formulas to solving poverty issues in emerging markets. Simple, effective, humbling. And 100% quantifiably proveable. And mostly counter-inituitive. One thing that will stick in my mind is the effectiveness of information leaflets or worming tablets over providing more teachers in effective education.

Cancer researcher William Li then made everyone sit up, take notice and take more notes. He showed us, through his clinical trials how food can be more effective than drugs in the fight against cancer (and a few other diseases) through his study of angio genesis (look it up). I might have taken my notes down wrong but from now on I’m definitely eating more strawberries, tumeric, tomato, nutmeg and red grapes (not necessarily together).

Cheryl Hayashi told me everything I didn’t know and then some about spider silk and what it can do. Stronger than Kevlar you know.

Carter Emmat (Director of Astro-visualisation – cooooool) showed us a proper kick-ass video of the universe in 3D and interactive kinda stuff. I was impressed and giddy.

Dan Barber (NY chef) was amazing talking us through a new way of farming that could change everyone’s lives for the better. Based on a fish farm in Spain that has worked out a way to farm extensively, not intensively. It doesn’t even have to feed its animals and has a positive (even more than neutral) impact on its local environment. He was hypnotic presenting it, and got everyone standing at the end.

Final session highlights were Frank Drake (50 years at the head of SETI – the guys who search for extra terrestrial life) satisfied the geek in me by talking us through plans for a microscope/telescope in space that has a million mile diameter and can see 550 astronomical units into the depths of various universes. I was well impressed.

Finally Jamie Oliver got the TED prize. He was great actually. He shouted and charmed in equal measure and managed to win the audience. His TED prize wish is to get everyone to cook and understand the role food plays in building the family and reducing obesity. The stats he trotted out were truly frightening but the one I’ll remember is that due to the ‘food impact of their parents’ this is the first generation that has a life expectancy of less than their parents.

I bumped into him in corridor afterwards (he, like me, was avoiding listening to Cheryl Crow and her closing turn). He very kindly wrote a really lovely note for my niece’s cookbook so he’s shot to the top of my ‘celebs I think rock’ list.

Long day finished with dinner and beers. Met loads of amazing people today who inspired and scared in equal measure. I also met some quite famous people. The most famous was Will Smith – who I could have approached coolly as befits an aloof 36 year old. I chose to approach him like a twonk. Here is the proof.

And highlight of the day was definitely getting to meet one of my all time hero figures – Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Nice bloke, genuinely friendly. And I discovered tonight he is actually in the room next door!

Oh, and it was wicked to bump into some old W+K faces as well in the corridors and halls. Sudeep Gohil (ex-Portland) now at Droga5. and the lovely and charming Raina Kumra (now running her own place in NY).

More tomorrow. A minimum of fifteen TED speakers in one days. Woo hoo.