Get Out!

This morning, in the New York Times' Frequent Flier column, I came across a somewhat-more-urban follow-on to Convene Senior Editor Barbara Palmer's recent blog post, "The Nature Break-Out."

Basically, the Frequent Flier column is an "as-told-to" story from a frequent business traveler — in this case, Jennifer Davis, a marketing executive for a digital display company.  Davis does signage, and attends meetings.  In discussing how to beat jet lag, she suggests taking a walk outside prior to whatever it is, business-wise, for which she's flown to a destination.  She relates a great anecdote:

One afternoon in Albi, France, before some meetings on our video wall technology with our European team, I discovered an awesome formal riverfront garden behind the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. No one told me it was there, and it was so incredibly beautiful that it brought a smile to my face. That’s a great way to start a meeting.

McSweeney's Takes Aim at TED

If you don't know by now (which apparently many people don't!), the independent publishing company McSweeney's, founded by author Dave Eggers, has a bunch of hilarious content on its website — or "Internet Tendency," as the company cheekily puts it.  Best of all are its "Lists," which incredibly are archived — together on one long, long page — all the way back to 1999.

Anyway, here's a great meetings-related one I read yesterday, gently tweaking the super-popular TED Talks, and also the oftentimes labored, over-serious titles for various conference educational sessions:

TED Talks Throughout History

By John Cafiero

Have We Been Worshiping the Wrong Sacred Tree?

The Wheel Will Change the Way We Live Forever, Once We Turn It on Its Side and Attach It to Something, But What?

Global Initiatives for Making God Less Angry

How "Coins" Are Revolutionizing Bartering

Dragon Lairs, Leprechaun Hoards, and Other Promising Sources of Wealth in the New Economy 

Great stuff.  Click here for the full list, with four more hilarious fake TED Talk titles.

Bonus info: In doing research for this post, I discovered that Eggers actually won a TED Prize in 2008 for his public-school advocacy work.  Read more about the prize and Eggers' passion for schools here.