If you haven’t already, subscribe to the podcast of TED‘s inspirational presentations on iTunes. I’ve long lamented the fact that their podcasts were video podcasts that you can’t use on a 2nd gen iPod nano. I’ve been lusting for a new video playing iPod nano. But I just discovered the other day that they have an audio only version. I can’t believe I overlooked that. Duh.
My commute is just over an hour each way so that gives me time to fit about 3 of the 15-20 minute presentations. I just listened to the presentation given by Cameron Sinclair of Architecture for Humanity at the 2006 TED Conference.
What is amazing is not so much the projects he showed (which are brilliant in and of themselves) but the framework and the community for collaboration that Sinclair has set up: Open-sourcing design is such a great idea. It allows designers to come up with local solutions with local materials and the ideas to be shared, collaborated and applied globally. He talks about using the Creative Common‘s Developing Nations License for design, so that designers’ right are protected in developed countries while their ideas can be used freely in developing countries. See for yourself below or on TED’s website.