The El Niño skies dumped buckets of the fluffy stuff on our neck of the woods late last week and through the weekend.

Three straight days of snowshoeing. Yes, we had fun.

Years ago, Andrew Abela created this simple, clear diagram:

I love it. I am surprised at the frequency that I see poorly presented data. Often, it boils down to a chart choice that's just plain wrong. Hmmm, this chart sure sure is shiny... I think I'll use it! you think as you scroll through the myriad options in Excel. Future Edward Tuftes, Richard Saul Wurmans, and talented designers aside, most of us are clueless when it comes to effective data presentation. With this at our side at least we can start off on the right foot!

A bit over a week ago I attended TEDxTamaya, the first of its kind in New Mexico. Although Adarsh Pallian and Gong Szeto, the two presenters I was most excited about, had to cancel, the stage played host to enough pleasant surprises to make the day worthwhile.

TED, or "Technology, Entertainment, and Design" is the big grandpappy of conferences that will change the way you think. Although I've never been to a TED conference, I did have the good fortune to attend the similar BIF-4 in the fall of 2008 and it's safe to say that I'm hooked on these things. The short, narrative presentation style native to TED/BIF style conferences and the combination of fascinating people accomplishing fascinating things in a number of different disciplines refreshes neurons gone dormant from the your average daily grind. But the big win for me is the crowds these conferences attract: thoughtful, engaging, positive folks. Some were dreamers, some were do-ers, some appeared to have a good mix of both. In other words, my kind of people.

So naturally, when news broke of our first local, TED-inspired event, I was in.

My highlight was Michael Roberts and his Earthship concept. One, because it satisifed my expectation of a TEDx talk: Earthships are legitimately some wild and cool shit. Two, the presentation was very snappy with lots of pictures and a quick pace. Wild + cool + good preso is something that I will not only gladly endure, but likely embrace and share as I go about spreading my memes. But more than that, I really loved the Earthship concept. If you haven't yet read Natural Capitalism, get thee reading, because it's one of the few books you'll read might actually give you hope for the human race (and in a reasonable, non-metaphysical way). In 18 minutes, Michael demonstrated that Earthship takes natural capitalism concepts and puts them into practice. Apparently there are rentals are tours are available at installations in Taos. Who knew? It's on my to-do list.

A second highlight was Naomi Natale and her current project, One Million Bones, a project aimed to bring greater awareness here in the states (and especially in Washington) to the ongoing genocides in places like Sudan and Congo. Her previous effort, The Cradle Project, increased awareness of the African orphan problem. What resonated with me wasn't so much the causes but her approach to build support and spread the message. Instead of asking for a simple cash donation, or a signature on a petition, or a letter to a congressperson, she has asked artists to apply their crafts and actually make something. Some of the cradles are magnificent. By mixing these works back with the message, she's built a better, more interesting product with a longer lifetime and multiplied the number of ways she can reach audiences, raise more green stuff, and perpetuate the cycle. Score one for a better method.

After lunch I enjoyed a good conversation with Jonathan Wolfe, the executive director of the Fractal Foundation. Jonathan created and emcees the First Friday Fractals show in the planetarium at the science and history museum (a must-see event in Albuquerque) each month, and he's found a way to use fractals to keep kids engaged with math and science. In the upcoming months, I'll be speaking in high schools about my life in science and I look forward to learning more from Jonathan.

My compliments to the TEDx organizers.  Conference organization is largely a thankless, painful task and this gang pulled it off for a first effort. A few things I'd like to see next time: as beautiful as the Tamaya resort is, I'm hoping that a more central location in Albuquerque can attract a larger crowd. I'd also like to see more intermissions. After all, sometimes the most fascinating and relevant people aren't on stage, they're in the audience. But it takes time to find them.

Cousin Avi sent this to me today:

It's a beautifully simple advertisement for something that most of us already use every day. Search has powered my last decade. It boggles the mind to think of how the next generation will wield this power from the moment they hit the net: a search-powered life.