TED Kicks Off With TED U and Lots of Rain

By Various frogs - February 10, 2010

Behind the scenes at TED2010. February 9-13, 2010, Long Beach, CA. Credit: TED / Marla Aufmuth

TED begins before you even realize it. I’m checking into my TED experience at the airport in San Francisco. TED bags from past years are everywhere, and the morning flight to Long Beach is filled with TEDsters. "Are you going to TED?” I ask my seat neighbor, although it might as well be written on his forehead (he is reading The New Yorker on his Kindle). After looking at the list of attendees in the TED face book that you somewhat discretely study, you feel very, very under-accomplished, and you just want to hide in your room for the next four days. TED is the Who‘s Who of the Who’s Who. TED’s online social networking tool is helpful but also begs questions of etiquette: Is it appropriate to contact Glenn Close just because she’s on your top 10 matches list? And what is your “conversational approach?"

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