Live Blog: Ted2014 Conference in Vancouver From Sunray.

[TheCat]

Snowden puts much impetus on the companies to resist the NSA's attempts to violate the rights of "users" of their services.

He thinks that every web page should be encrypted. Encryption by default. When a user goes to look up a book on Amazon it's not just the US that has access to that info...it's every country.

Boundless Informant: It's a program hidden from congress. Congress asked if the NSA knew how many devices were being tracked. The NSA said no, we can't track it it would violate privacy. Snowden suggests Boundless Informant tracks Americans.

[TheCat]

It is too great a temptation to put the entirety of all human communication in the hands of a secret government organization.

There are more revelations to come.  Snowden took about 1.7 million documents.

Bull run: an NSA program that intentionally misleads corporate partners . They tell them that they need to work with them to make sure that the corporate systems are safe. Instead the NSA builds in back doors of access.

[TheCat]

These programs have never stopped a single terrorists attack so say all three branches of our government. Terrorism is a term used for action. These types of programs were rejected in the 90s but after2001 terrorism became the key word to employ any program.

[TheCat]

The moderator says that the split over "you" is not along political standing.
It seems it falls more along generational lines.

The founder of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee takes the stage to discuss the "magma carta" of the internet.

[TheCat]

- I want to be clear I did. It do this to be safe. I did this because it was right.

His final words : we do t have to give up our privacy and liberty to have good government.

[TheCat]

A standing ovation for snowden. The NSA was invited and could not make it. The moderator invites them to beam in if they are watching "and I'm sure they are." 

This session is done

[TheCat]

Amanda Burden: Director of the New York City Department of City Planning



Cities are about people. Amanda is an Animal Behaviorists by training.

She points to blank canvass spaces...just concrete and no amenities. Kind of like what Redman wants to do to Hemming.

She says it is very hard to create successful, meaningful public spaces. They don't happen by accident. Someone has to think very hard about every detail.

Design is not just about how something looks. It is about how you feel in that space. The very individual experience matters.

[TheCat]

Burden was having to consider where and how to plan for a projected 1million new new york residents.

So, they had to grow up because they couldn't really grow out. So, they decided to grow around their transit which meant rezoning. Communities had to approve their plans to create developments that were not framed around cars.

She began walking and walked each neighborhood to learn the DNA of each neighborhood. Block by block we set height limits around transit.

She rezoned 12,500 blocks. All new development in New York is within a ten minute walk of a subway...which means residents don't need a car.

[TheCat]

Burden's passion was the public spaces, though, not rezoning. She wanted LOTS and LOTS of spaces to sit. Her parks were meticulously created. People came from all over the city to use the parks.

Burden's goal and ambition is to find the abandoned spaces that have beautiful dimensions and bring them out.

"All over new york city you can find a place to sit"

Tells a story about the Highline, an elevated rail way. The highline was destined for demolition and lives today because Burden kept a watchful eye. She says it is one of the most contested areas in the city. You may see a beautiful park. Private devlopers want to turn the highline into a "mall"...Burden is dead set against it. Even if it may mean more money for a city the city has to take the long view for development.

[TheCat]

- no matter how successful a public space they should never be taken for granted.
- the one lesson she has learned is that public spaces have power. It changes how you live in a city, how you feel about a city and whether you stay in a city.
- people stay becase the are having a great time.

WOW, so subtly passionate and in love with their work and the people that are connected to the public spaces!

[TheCat]

David Kwong:
David Kwong is a magician, puzzle creator, writer, and producer

"we are born to solve."

Every culture has their own puzzles, like crosswords.

[TheCat]

It's a deeply rooted drive, to solve.

He takes an audience member through an exercise. She is coloring in animals....not sure where this is going...very cool, forgive me...I'm not going to explain.

Okay, I'll try. Essentially, he was able to prove that he knew exactly what colors she was going to use for each animal. Because of subtle suggestions he made in the intro of his tAlk. He is saying we can create order out of chaos even when we don't realize it.

[TheCat]

My laptop battery has finally faded and there are no outlets that I can find inside the  theatre.  Consider this post the wrap up I hope you found the live log enjoyable to some degree.

Good night everyone.

[TheCat]

She was incredible. I can't emphasize how much she mentioned seating as a priority. She wanted people to be able to sit in any part of the city, at any given time. Wherever there were restrictions on seating she changed those rules. Contrast that to todays council...

[mvp]

Great liveblog.  Here's more detail on Bran Ferren's comments- http://blog.ted.com/2014/03/18/what-will-be-our-pantheon-bran-ferren-gives-an-idea-at-ted2014/.

He thinks the game-changer will be autonomous vehicles.

You can check out cars with autonomous vehicle technologies and speak with autonomous vehicle experts at the "Transportation Tomorrow" breakfast, Tuesday March, 7:30-9:30 AM at Marriott Southpoint.

Meet visionary Chunka Mui and get a free signed copy of "The New Killer Apps."  He talks about six technologies that are disrupting every major industry. 

Register here:

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/event/97911