If I could be reborn as any conference in the world in my next life, I'd want to be TED.

TED is remarkably transparent, humble, and self-effacing event,  despite the overall wattage of the attendees.

The conference means different things to different people, but I thought sharing my experience could provide some insight into how TED illuminates the challenges facing the planet. TED is fundimentally a platform for ideas. As ideas - called TED Talks - spark throughout the room,  the conference leaves you feeling empowerd. That the solutions to the issues we face lie in all of us.

First, a bit of context. At TED, scientists seem to be the biggest 'stars' in the room. Sure,  there is a smattering of film and TV stars, and a handful of well known musicians.  But the 'rock stars' of TED are physicists, astronomers, inventors, and biologists. For four days, reclusive and often shy visionaries in the hard sciences get to tell their story to a thousand or so mortals - and try and see if they can turn science into more broadly understandable passion. This is hardly sexy. Frankly everyone is a bit scared.  It's like a flashback to high school science, So if you weren't a left brain student - it comes with baggage.

But the breakthroughs are breathtaking.

Genetic Engineering, Brain Science, Mushrooms, Undersea Adventures, Trees. These are the explorers of both inner and outer space... and they're each in their own way opening our eyes to the potential of the future. When I say 'our' I don't mean just people in the room in Monterey, or watching in Aspen, or live on the web. Certainly Chris Anderson and his team at TED use every piece of communication technology to beam these ideas far and wide - but the mission is broader than that. TED wants these ideas to spread, to take on a life of their own, to multiply and morph.  And - what is clear, is they do. So while being physically present at TED is a powerful experience - the people who attend feel bound to spread what has touched them... to become evangelists for ideas, and to insure that the topics that begin at TED continue have impact and a long life beyond Monterey.

While I'm still thrumming with all that I've experienced,  let me try and see if I can share with you just a few things that are worth further exploration.

Mushrooms.  Ok, there's a schrooms joke - but then,  the fungus thing starts to get cool.  Paul Stamets (www.fungi.com) is a Mycologist, and he believes that mushrooms could save our lives.   His book:  "How Mushrooms can help save the world" is a journey into the world of these fast growing, otherworldly oddities.  He's filed 22 patents for mushroom-related technology. Here's the clue - fossil fuel is organic.  Stamets thinks there could be a mushroom-based energy source to replace oil.  Ok,  have I got your attention now?

Beyond Vision. We use 2 million plastic bottles every 5 minutes in the US.  What does 2 million mean?  Chris Jordan is a photographer who captures pictures of things bigger than we can imagine,  and makes them visible.  And he's focused on more than consumer consumption.  He created a huge series of wall photographs to illustrate the size of the US prison population by stacking folded shirts of inmates. Making 'huge'  fit a human scale is important.  And while Jordan was on stage at TED,  the impact of his talk caused so many people to go to his web site (www.Chisjordan.com)  that it was overrun and crashed.  TED does that - it points a firehose of attention at the folks who get 18 minutes on stage.

Unblinking Evil.  I thought I knew really everything about war in Iraq.  I'd sent camera crews there, I had Peter Arnet reporting during the 'shock and awe' campaign.  I'd seen horrors recorded and brought home on HD video.  I'm hard to shock.  Philip Zimbardo studies what it takes for ordinary people to moved to perform evil acts .  He was an expert witness during the Abu Ghraib trial.  So when he showed pictures from Abu Ghraib - unblinkingly horrible images of torture, degradation,  humiliation, and depravation - it was for a moment,  the lowest place I'd ever been.  This is what the world will remember of my country.  Certainly these images are our Holocaust.  Not in scope - though it is too early to know how many will die -  but to see American soldiers gleefully stack naked prisoners,  to simulate sex,  to set dogs loose on them... it beyond turned my stomach.  It made me ashamed, and scared that we as individuals didn't rise up and demand the war crimes prosecutions that certainly were warranted from these inhumane and despicable acts.

It is impossible to come to TED and leave without being forced to face demons - as well as embrace dreams. That's the nature of the event.

Stroke of Genius.   If you or I had a stroke it would be a bad thing. For Jill Bolte Taylor (www.drjilltaylor.com) it was something of a gift.  Not that she wanted one,  but as a Brain Researcher,  she found she "had a ringside seat to her own stroke."  What did this mean?  It meant she got to experience the unique characteristics of the left and right brain -  and be able to document the experience as only a scientist can.  I've always thought that left and right brain was something of a shorthand for brain behavior, but  listening Taylor retell the details stroke and the shifting abilities and perspectives that her exploding blood vessel afforded her - I was convinced that there is far more to understand about the brain's untapped abilities than I'd ever imagined.

That's just three of the TED talks.  I sat mesmerized by all of them.  From 8am until 7 at night.  Global Warming.  Population Growth.  Clean Water.  Healthcare.  It's hard to think of TED as a light 4 days.  The worlds issues are in the hands of scientists,  activists,  and evangelists -  and in their 18 minutes on stage they want to make sure you remember.  But there's no shortage of beauty, art,  and creativity.  Thomas Dolby conducts the house band.  Ze Frank delivers his sleep deprived comedy. And from the audience Robin Williams jumps up and does 10 minutes of impromptu stand up.

And then, Friday night - wrapping the third day -  Benjamin Zander takes the stage.  With his frock of white hair, and disarming mix of high-brow British affect  and Monty Python classic slapstick -  Zander plugged the entire room into a magical classical music journey. He's the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic - and he was able to connect classical music to passion,  and bring the audience to its feet in a rousing sing-a-long.  Yes,  sing-a-long.  You had to be there.

So,  what does all this have to do with me?  I'm not a scientist. I'm a storyteller.  And Magnify.net is a platform that empowers community-centric storytelling. So as I see it,  my mission at TED is to do this - blog - and to find people and ideas that can be best served by having their community expanded with the power of video.   Anyone who wandered into TED smug left humbled... of that I'm absolutely sure. I'll never eat a mushroom again without pondering the power of spores.