Today, I went to TEDxSanAntonio, which is part of the TEDx program “that enables local communities such as schools, businesses, libraries, neighborhoods or just groups of friends to organize, design and host their own independent, TED-like events.” I was a little bit worried about how it would measure up to the normal TED talks, but I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting they all were. I don’t understand the need to fill out an application to attend a local TEDx talk, especially when the $50 fee reduces the likelihood of it getting too crowded. Apparently, there was a live video feed during the talks, but it doesn’t look like any videos are available now, so I’ll just provide links that I found to some of the topics that were discussed.
This is a very though provoking slide deck. For instance, Netflix tries to avoid using process to handle the complexity that increases as the business grows, since excessive process hinders their ability to respond to market shifts. Processes are still important for irrecoverable mistakes, but allowing recoverable mistakes instead of requiring approval makes the employees more productive.
The most surprising part is that Netflix doesn’t track vacation time and they don’t have any kind of dress code. This is probably only possible since they purposely get rid of employees that are not high performers, and they don’t tolerate employees that poison the team despite being talented.
This is the most profound youtube video I have ever watched. It’s 90 minutes, and it’s filled with things I never knew. For example, it explains what the Atkins Diet and the typical Japanese diet have in common that helps you stay thin. If you don’t want to watch all 90 minutes, the section from 45:00 to 1:09:00 explains how fructose causes all sorts of health problems. If you still don’t want to watch this, here are a few quick facts and teasers:
There is an epidemic of obese 6-month olds, so it’s not just laziness that causes weight gain.
Fructose gives you calories without making you feel full.
Fructose creates almost as many health problems as ethanol.
Fructose is converted into much more fat that glucose, since fructose does not trigger insulin production to use the sugar, so it just gets stored. You aren’t going to succeed in a low fat diet that is high in fructose.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and white sugar (sucrose) are equally as bad for you.
HFCS is a mixture of approximately 50% glucose and 50% fructose.
Sucrose is a molecule made up of a glucose molecule and a fructose molecule bound together, so it is exactly 50% fructose.
This presentation is done by Robert H. Lustig, MD, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, in the Division of Endocrinology Director of the Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) Program at the University of California San Francisco.
Since it such a long video, you may want to download it.
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