TEDxManchester (13 Feb 2012): Best of!

2012 can easily be dubbed the year of TEDx for me, as by mid-February I had already attended two TEDx events! First up was TEDxSalford in late January, where I was just a mindblown attendee, and two weeks later it was TEDxManchester where I had the honour to be a speaker!

TEDxManchester took place on Monday 13th February this year at one of the iconic Manchester locations – and my “local” – the Cornerhouse.  Among the luminary speakers were people I have always been admiring, such as the radio Goddess Mary Anne Hobbs, and people I have become very close friends with over the years – which has led me to an equal amount of admiration, such as Ian Forrester (@cubicgarden to most of us).

Here are their respective talks at TEDxManchester 2012 for you to get a taste of the atmosphere at the event and of the impact of the ideas and the immediacy of the sentiments circulated!

Mary Anne Hobbs

Ian Forrester

 My TEDxManchester talk

I spoke about the weird and wonderful world of Voice Recognition (“Voice Recognition FTW!”): from the inaccurate – and far too often funny – simple voice-to-text apps and dictation systems on your smartphones, to the most frustrating automated Call Centres, to the next generation, sophisticated SIRI and everything in-between. I explained why things go wrong and when things can go wonderfully right. The answer is “CONTEXT”; the more you have of it , the more accurate and relevant the interpretation of user intention will be, and the more relevant and impressive the system reaction / reply will be.

Here is finally my TEDxManchester video on YouTube.

And here are my TEDxManchester slides.

The (Re)Tweets

(in reverse chronological order)

@ar3toul4ki 17 Feb

thanks for the #TEDxMCR piccie @cubicgarden! http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6875061121_69555f7eb3_b.jpg @TEDxManchester

Cornerhouse @CornerhouseMcr 16 Feb

For those of you who missed #TEDxMCR check out @cubicgarden’s pics! Videos should be with us in a couple of weeks http://www.flickr.com/photos/cubicgarden/tags/tedxmcr/

Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki

Martin Williams @ukcopywriting 15 Feb

@ar3toul4ki ‘s Next level awesome epic bio – http://www.tedxmanchester.com/#speakers #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
In reply to @ar3toul4ki

@ar3toul4ki 15 Feb

What an awesome (wicked, epic) bio the cool guys and girls @TEDxManchester have written for me!!! http://www.tedxmanchester.com/#speakers #TEDxMCR

@ar3toul4ki 15 Feb
RT @global_lingo: Maria Aretoulaki on voice recognition software. Will digital transcription ever be any good? #tedxmcr no, no it won’t

Lynne McCadden @lmccadden 14 Feb
Belated I know but many congrats to @herbkim for a fantastic TEDxMCR yesterday been thinking about some of it all day today !
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki

TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester 14 Feb
Here’s to the #TEDxMCR speakers in Session 2 – @daveerasmus @martinsfp @ar3toul4ki @cubicgarden @brendandawes
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki

TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester 13 Feb
Thanks to @BandXMedia all today’s #TEDxMCR talks were recorded, will be edited & put online soon 🙂 #TEDxMCR @s2martin
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki

Lynne McCadden @lmccadden 13 Feb

#tedxmcr learning about quarks and leptons from @tarashears making particle physics easy – sort of
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki

Lynne McCadden @lmccadden 13 Feb

watching this @TEDxManchester kevin slavin’s TED talk on how algorithms shape our world:  http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_slavin_how_algorithms_shape_our_world.html
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki

Dr Marieke Navin ‏ @lisamarieke

depends if fitting gaussians to your data is your thing… Question is, do you understand your data?!
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki

Oh yes! © Bruce Balentine RT @LukeRobertMason: “It’s better to be a good Machine than a bad person” Discuss? #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason ‏ @LukeRobertMason

How to Wreck a Nice Beach @TEDxManchester #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason ‏ @LukeRobertMason

It’s a bright future if you are an algorithm or infomorph #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason ‏ @LukeRobertMason

@RichardMichie A little bit of non-human agency can’t hurt… Or can it 😉 #TEDxMCH
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
In reply to RichardMichie
13 Feb
 Ian Forrester ‏ @cubicgarden 

Infomorphs or a weaver… #TEDxMCR love the idea 🙂 very cool! They could work with #perceptivemedia yfrog.com/gzeg2jij
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Ian Pettigrew ‏ @KingfisherCoach

#TEDxMCR @skeuomorphology challenging ‘necessity is the mother of invention’; cars weren’t invented as a response to a shortage of horses!
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason ‏ @LukeRobertMason 

Pure information technologies are the first evolutionary aware technologies. They are stochastic… Emerge from randomness #TEDxMCR @weavrs
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason ‏ @LukeRobertMason 

Living software ‘bots’ or infomorphs via @weavrs #infomorph #TEDxMCR @skeuomorphology
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Michael Di Paola ‏ @MichaelDiPaola

Robots made from programmable gel…where the hell am I? A parallel universe, the future. No. Just at #TEDxMCR listening to Dan O’Hara
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 Luke Robert Mason ‏ @LukeRobertMason 

Infomorph, a form that exists just of information @skeuomorphology #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb

Luke Robert Mason ‏ @LukeRobertMason 

Another type of software agent that exhibits life, @weavrs #infomorph @skeuomorphology #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb

@ar3toul4ki 

@pgaval δε πειράζει, θα είναι στο YouTube για πάντα! (Μαμά! )
In reply to Petros Gavalakis
13 Feb

@ar3toul4ki 

Mondays are my favourite days of the week : D
13 Feb
 Matthew Brooks ‏ @brooksoid 

Great, great talk by @brendandawes on the value of pursuing ideas, and the ideas they spawn, without necessarily knowing where you’re going
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
from Manchester, Manchester
13 Feb
 RichardMichie ‏ @RichardMichie 

Failed art at school? You can still exhibit at #moma @brendandawes #tedxmcr great story love it
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 @ar3toul4ki 

@brendandawes’ cinema redux of Hitchcock’s Vertigo #TEDxMCR twitpic.com/8jfs95
13 Feb

sphey1 ‏ @sphey1

If you make something, give it a name – re: Cinema Redux @brendandawes #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

Things that @brendandawes has done with his 3-printer #TEDxMCR twitpic.com/8jfpn6
13 Feb
 

@ar3toul4ki 

@brendandawes : the creative process is iterative. ( but Battling it against time & cost constraints) #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

RT @CMindsKelly: @brendandawes. The thing we in the room all share is curiosity. That’s why we’re always making new things #TEDxMCR”
13 Feb
 Martin Bryant ‏ @MartinSFP 

At #tedxmcr, @cubicgarden explained how @tdobson and @adew saved his life. instagr.am/p/G9BmXRStoc/
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb

@ar3toul4ki

Ian Forrester: fear the fear #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
 Claire-Marie ‏ @CMBoggiano

‘We are complex & unique organisms And yes, I am still an atheist.’ Ian Forrester, #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 @ar3toul4ki 

Indeed! RT @TonyChurnside: @cubicgarden really touching. Very nicely done!
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

@brooksoid any time!
In reply to Matthew Brooks
13 Feb
 Matthew Brooks ‏ @brooksoid 

@ar3toul4ki great talk Maria, speech recog in focus at the beeb right now, be interesting to talk once I’ve worked out what our landscape is
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 TEDxManchester ‏ @TEDxManchester

Link to the funny vid played by @ar3toul4ki – Scottish voice recognition problems.. http://youtu.be/sAz_UvnUeuU

Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 @ar3toul4ki 

Ευχαριστώ! Το είδες μήπως; RT @pgaval: @ar3toul4ki Καλή επιτυχία!
13 Feb
 Claire-Marie ‏ @CMBoggiano 

‘When I was lying in bed dying, where were the real people?’ Ian Forrester, #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 Tony Churnside ‏ @TonyChurnside 

Watching @cubicgarden talk about his #brushwithdeath. A very scary time. #TEDxMCR pic.twitter.com/hED5mimw
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb

@ar3toul4ki 

@tdobson @cubicgarden is talking about you! : D
In reply to Tim Dobson
13 Feb
 Tim Dobson ‏ @tdobson 

so @cubicgarden is talking about it #brushwithdeath when I may or may not have been his flatmate at the time.. #tedxman
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 Matthew Brooks ‏ @brooksoid 

And @cubicgarden ‘s talk is about… @cubicgarden ! He’s finally gone recursive. #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 Tony Churnside ‏ @TonyChurnside

@cubicgarden you’re looking good! pic.twitter.com/n8xvkzJB
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 Ian Forrester ‏ @cubicgarden

And next on at #TEDxMCR its @ianforrester. With the story of me…
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 TEDxManchester ‏ @TEDxManchester 

Hilarious talk on Voice Recognition from Dr Maria Aretoulaki #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 Tim Dobson ‏ @tdobson

@davemee it’s all about context! /cc @ar3toul4ki 😉
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
In reply to Dave Mee
13 Feb
 Tim Dobson ‏ @tdobson 

@davemee @ar3toul4ki “fetish cheese”
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
In reply to Dave Mee
13 Feb
 Dave Mee ‏ @davemee 

@tdobson @ar3toul4ki feed her through siri and send me a transcript!
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
In reply to Tim Dobson
13 Feb
 Kate Towey ‏ @katiemaymanc 

Fascinating talk from Tara Shears on particle physics. ‘2012 is year of the Higgs’ #tedxmcr
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 Ian Pettigrew ‏ @KingfisherCoach 

So far at #TEDxMCR we’ve covered pursuing your passion, JDI (and make mistakes), technology, algorithms, and particle physics. I’m happy!
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 Allie Johns ‏ @AllieJohns

I propose bringing back Tomorrow’s World and having Tara Shears present it #tedxmcr
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki

@TaraShears @TEDxManchester: oh my Higgs! We’ve seen something! Or have we?? #TEDxMCR twitpic.com/8jdo56
13 Feb

Ian Forrester ‏ @cubicgarden 

The goddamn particle explained at #TEDxMCR yfrog.com/obsv5tmj
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb

@ar3toul4ki 

@TaraShears @TEDxManchester: where’s that God-damned Higgs particle?! If we don’t find it, we’ll have to start all over again… #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
 Claire-Marie ‏ @CMBoggiano 

“@lmccadden: #tedxmcr learning about quarks and leptons from @tarashears making particle physics easy – sort of”
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki

@TaraShears @TEDxManchester: symmetry, simplicity, elegance = beauty of the standard model of particle physics #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
 TEDxManchester ‏ @TEDxManchester 

Up next @TEDxManchester is @TaraShears – tune in live to ow.ly/92eRf #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 @ar3toul4ki 

@TEDx video 1 @TEDxManchester: pragmatic chaos to describe fluid things such as culture #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

@coralgrainger no worries sweetness : )
In reply to coralgrainger
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

@TEDx video @TEDxManchester: what we don’t understand, we give a name and a story to #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
 @ar3toul4ki 

@maryannehobbs you were, nay ARE, awesome! Xx
In reply to maryanne hobbs
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki

Dan O’Hara @skeuomorphology @TEDxManchester: from random relentless replication (cf. spambots) to guided transformation of chaos #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
 Kim Willis ‏ @KimberleyWillis 

Dan O’Hara: technology is not a selection of gadgets but a body of knowledge instagr.am/p/G8sGbrBVY7/ #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb

Ian Wareing ‏ @ianwareing 

#tedxmcr @skeuomorphology “Necessity is not the mother of invention. Invention is the mother of necessity”
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 Ian Forrester ‏ @cubicgarden

Bloatware… or stimulation of the real on the virtual RT @maanasvarun: Skeumorphism. wait what? #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

Dan O’Hara @skeuomorphology @TEDxManchester: the creation of living technology by merging the Arts and Sciences #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

@tombloxhammbe @TEDxManchester: go through life making mistakes, otherwise you don’t take any decisions, just do it ! © #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

@maryannehobbs @TEDxManchester: John Peel saving lives again #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

@maryannehobbs @TEDxManchester: follow your passion! #TEDxMCR twitpic.com/8jcwpn
13 Feb
 TEDxManchester ‏ @TEDxManchester

Hi all we’re suggesting #TEDxMCR as the hashtag for the event today as it’s a bit shorter than #TEDxManchester 🙂
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
 TEDxManchester ‏ @TEDxManchester 

Sorry folks for the livestream #fail. We’re currently on this channel live.. bit.ly/y9kkZa #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

@gazshaw cheers!
In reply to Gaz Shaw
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki

😀 see you there Mike! It’s been a loooong time! RT @mike_higham: @ar3toul4ki @TEDxManchester Looking forward to it #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

@heloukee oh nooo : s
In reply to Helen Keegan
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

Excited & honoured to be speaking @TEDxManchester today. My talk “Voice Recognition FTW!” on the present+future of user interfaces #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

See you there Matt! RT @matthbooth: A bit of work then @TEDxManchester. Looking forward to it.
13 Feb
 Allie Johns ‏ @AllieJohns 

“@maryannehobbs: interesting day: speaking about passion at @TEDxManchester 1pm.. ” > we can never have enough passion in our lives.
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

😀 Will you be my groupie?? RT @technicalfault: @ar3toul4ki Dr Maria at TEDx!
12 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

Looking forward to giving #TEDxMCR an insight into the wondrous+often misconstrued world of voice recognition @TEDxManchester tomorrow
12 Feb
 TEDxManchester ‏ @TEDxManchester 

And in other late-breaking news Dr. Maria @Ar3toul4ki will also be taking the stage tomorrow at #TEDxMCR 🙂
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
12 Feb
 TEDxManchester ‏ @TEDxManchester 

A big welcome for our latest speaker @MartinSFP – European Editor @TheNextWeb for #TEDxMCR. Like @MaryAnneHobbs a brave no-slide presenter!
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
11 Feb
 Anna Nachesa ‏ @ashalynd 

I’ll probably be very evil if I ask during an interview if tail-optimized recursion is possible in C. OTOH, it might be a great icebreaker:)
Retweeted by @ar3toul4ki
11 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

RT @TEDxManchester: @ar3toul4ki:really excited bout Mons #TEDxMCR @maryannehobbs @brendandawes @cubicgarden @skeuomorphology @tombloxhammbe

10 Feb
@ar3toul4ki 

Can’t wait to finally meet you! : D RT @maryannehobbs: @ar3toul4ki 🙂

10 Feb
 @ar3toul4ki 

Getting really excited about Monday’s #TEDxMCR @CornerhouseMcr: @maryannehobbs @brendandawes @cubicgarden Dan O’Hara & my Uni’s Tom Bloxham