This is not a NASA Website. You might learn something. It's YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work - for YOU.
News

TEDxNASA 2010

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
May 3, 2010
Filed under ,

Keith’s note: According to a Twitter posting by the TEDxNASA folks at LaRC: “THIS JUST IN! Save the date… TEDxNASA 2011 coming November 4, 2010! http://bit.ly/9mHzSl. I certainly hope the organizers have some adult supervision this time as they assemble the agenda. As I noted in my comments from the first event last year, a substantial portion of what was presented had little if anything to do with NASA or exploration. Yes, some of it was interesting and out of the box (and NASA certainly needs some of this right now!) but for an event trumpeted as being relevant to NASA, TEDxNASA failed in many ways.
Yes, a lot of it was done by volunteers whose dedication is noteworthy, but just because the volunteers worked hard and the stagecraft was flawless does not mean that the content was appropriate. Specifically, some of the presenters were outright inappropriate for a NASA-sanctioned event – most notably, Sue Morter. Have a look at a video of her presentation. It is riddled with pseudoscientifc mumbo jumble and nonsensical new age babble. Please tell me that this is NOT what is going to be done again at an event that has a deliberate and overt connection and endorsement by NASA.
TEDxNASA Live Coverage
Previous TEDxNASA postings
TEDxNASA Facebook page Curiously, when I am not logged in to Facebook a “comment” option appears on this page. But when I log in, that disappears. NASA LaRC has been blocking my ability to comment since last Fall. Oh well.
Keith’s update: Magically, my ability to comment on the TEDxNASA Facebook was restablished a few minutes ago after I was blocked for 6 months. Funny thing: I did absolutely nothing to cause that to happen. I changed nothing on Facebook (because there was nothing for me to change). What a coincidence — just as I started to complain about being blocked. Yet people at LaRC claim that no one had blocked me. Again, hhat a coincidence.
According to the TEDxNASA website: “A nationally known speaker, teacher and trainer, Dr. Sue Morter has been called one of todays messengers with tomorrows message. Her Intentional Living Seminar has been lauded by participants as a life-changing event. By understanding the relationship between human energy fields, conscious thoughts and subconscious memory, she will explain how we can become who we really are.” I guess NASA is now openly endorsing New Age pseudoscience. Watch the video and you’ll see. I certainly never heard any of Morter’s outlandish ideas in physics class.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.