TED is the big conference. Once a year, one thousand people pay a lot of money to jumpstart their brains. TED stands for Technology Entertainment Design and is happening this year – February 27th – March 1st, 2007 in Monterey, California. I’m very excited to be attending this conference (it will be my first time). As build up to it (where you can bet I’ll be Blogging and Podcasting), I subscribed to their video Podcast – TED Talks – which features full presentations of past TED speakers, and always (whether I know the person or not) provides something deep to think about while inspiring me to do more.

All too often, I get asked what to do by someone who does not like to read Blogs, and does not have a lifestyle that is in line with audio Podcasting (which does baffle me, but I digress). TED Talks provides the ultimate solution. By either watching the stream from the TED Website or subscribing via iTunes, you can watch a quick twenty-minute presentation instead of another episode of Desperate Housewives. Do yourself a favor and watch a TED Talk instead.

My inspiration for this Blog posting came today when I saw on the TED Blog this post: Keeping Track Of Your TEDTalks and that they now have over one hundred and fifty presentations available online for free. Unbelievable. Everything from Al Gore and Seth Godin to Hans Rosling and Jimmy Wales. That TED Blog posting lists them all.

Here are two that changed the way I think about life:

1. Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity.

2. Majora Carter’s tale of urban renewal.

My guess is you too will find a wealth of information, insights and innovations that will change the way you work, but more importantly, the way you think.

It’s all available here for free: TED Talks.

It’s Monday – watch one or two of these and spark your Marketing passion for the week (it may even last beyond that).