For the first time ever, TED, the nonprofit that promotes Ideas Worth Spreading, came to Naperville on Thursday, March 25. Wentz Hall on the campus of North Central College was the stage for a series of 18-minute-long talks that provided information, laughs and plenty to ponder about the future of mankind.

Speakers at Naperville’s event ranged from Sugar Toad Chef Geoff Ryne who spoke about the sustainable food movement, to Bryan Campen, an associate of The Long Now Foundation which is building a 10,000 year clock to prompt long-term planning in our immediate gratification world.

Some presentations were more light-hearted than others, such as Todd Flaming singing about the many ways he uses the computer program, Notepad. Other talks, like Charlie Catlett’s speech on new media privacy issues, proposed questions of which every person in our society should be aware. The afternoon closed with an energetic performance by the members of the Naperville Central High School Drumshow.

From Triblocal