Okay, it’s no secret that I dig the living hell out of TED. Granted, the “Entertainment” portion of the TED moniker needs some work–dude whose entire bit was breathing into a flute (not playing–breathing) was a joke and a half–but all the Technology and Design stuff is fascinating. I always thought it would be cool as hell to attend one of their conferences in person, but I think it costs your left kidney. Or someone’s left kidney. Anyway.
Now they’ve announced a new “Associate Membership” program. This lets you get the entire 2009 conference via the internet. You also get the boxed set of DVDs (Which you can’t get anywhere else–why, TED? We’d buy the living shit out of those) and more goodies.
You can sit and watch this with up to ten viewers, so I’m thinking get nine friends and chip in together. Why? Because it’s $995. Which is still less than a kidney, but with nine friends–$100 a piece–I’d be up for it. Just decide whose house has the best system for watching stuff and it’s a multi-day party.
Full press release follows. But if anybody wants to get me that for Xmas, I will not be sad. Because you get to see stuff like this:
Direct link for the feedreaders.
[ad#longpost]TED Conference Announces Affordable Associate Membership Program
Access $995 Membership Option No Matter Where You Live
NEW YORK, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ — In an exciting new chapter of TED’s ongoing mission to share “Ideas Worth Spreading,” organizers of the TED Conference today announced the launch of a new Associate Membership program. It will offer a virtual front row seat to the whole TED2009 conference via a private live web stream.
TED Associate Members will also be entitled to other exclusive benefits previously available only to conference attendees.
The TED2009 conference, themed “The Great Unveiling,” will take place February 3-7 in its new locations in Long Beach, California, with a live simulcast event, TED@Palm Springs. The complete speaker lineup will be unveiled Monday, December 22, 2009, at ted.com.
TED’s Associate Membership option will provide individuals and organizations including businesses, libraries and universities the opportunity to join TED at an affordable price while receiving many of the unique benefits of a full-price TED membership.
Members can join any day of the year and will receive twelve continuous months of benefits including access to the private webcast of the one TED conference in Long Beach, California, that occurs during the term of their membership.
“We created the TED Associate Membership Program to offer a more affordable way for thousands of people around the world to experience the excitement of watching the TED conference live from the comfort of their home, office, library or educational institution, regardless of where they live,” says Tom Rielly, TED Community Director.
“In addition, Associate Members receive exclusive yearlong benefits previously available only to conference attendees, such as the TED Book Club, associates’ online social network, early notification of conference registration and the TED Archive DVDs,” he added.
TED Associate Memberships cost $995.00 annually, and include all of the benefits of the free TED.com membership, plus:
— A password-protected, single-computer, live web stream of the TED conference in Long Beach, California (upcoming: February 3-7, 2009) and a noncommercial license that lets you share that webcast with up to ten viewers in the same room.
— A boxed set of DVDs from the current year’s TED conference, shot by award-winning Hollywood directors of photography. These archival DVDs are not available anywhere else, and contain all of the content from the conference, including introductions, short talks and other TED moments not found on TED.com.
— Enrollment in the TED Book Club, which sends members inspired media packages five times a year, starting with the first mailing following the date of registration. A typical mailing might include two or three books, CDs or DVDs specifically chosen for TEDsters.
— Associate Member status on TED.com’s social networking system.
— Early notification of conference registration (in advance of general public) to attend TED in person, pending application approval.
— Even if someone doesn’t have a high-speed Internet connection, he or she can enjoy the conference proceedings shortly afterwards from the DVDs.
— Special gifts from our partners, available starting in early 2009.
— And a couple of surprises…
TED Associate Memberships can be given as a gift. For more information about the program, or to sign up, please visit: www.ted.com/associates
About TED
TED is a nonprofit that organizes events where some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers are invited to share what they are most passionate about. “TED” originally stood for Technology, Entertainment, Design — three broad subject areas that are, collectively, shaping our future. In recent years however, TED has widened its scope, identifying and showcasing interesting and relevant ideas in any discipline. Attendees have called it “the ultimate brain spa” and “a four-day journey into the future.” The diverse audience — CEOs, scientists, creatives, philanthropists — is almost as extraordinary as the speakers, who have included Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Frank Gehry, Paul Simon, Sir Richard Branson, Philippe Starck and Bono.
TED was first held in Monterey, California, in 1984. In 2001, Chris Anderson’s Sapling Foundation acquired TED from its founder, Richard Saul Wurman. In recent years, TED has expanded to include an international conference, TEDGlobal; media initiatives, including TED Talks and TED.com; and the TED Prize, an annual award granting three individuals “one wish to change the world.” TED2009, “The Great Unveiling,” will be held Feb 3-7, 2009, in Long Beach, California, with a simulcast event in Palm Springs, California. TEDGlobal 2009, “The Substance of Things Not Seen”, will be held July 21-24, 2009 in Oxford, UK.
For more information, please visit www.ted.com.
Source: TED Conferences
