TED Community » John Penn

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• A comment on Conversation: What is harm and what causes it?

  Mar 14 2013: Harm is often just a matter of perspective.
  
  This Chinese folk-story illustrates the point:
  http://ymaa.com/articles/stories-proverbs/blessing-in-disguise

• A comment on Conversation: When is modesty a bad quality to use? Does modesty ever stifle anything?

  Feb 21 2013: Seriously, a job interview is not the time be modest.

• A comment on Conversation: Is it possible to green all deserts?

  Feb 18 2013: I grew up in Libya in 1960's. The government then was trying to reclaim the edges of the Sahara with grass. Apparently they thought it was possible. To my knowledge it hasn't yet worked. It's a hard problem.
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: Why do some of us think we are not worthy?

  Feb 16 2013: I suspect it's the majority of us, at one time or another. We worry too much about what other people think about us.
  
  When I was in high school, a girl at the restaurant I worked at said, "Lets all go to the school dance tonight after work!"
  
  I said, "I don't know how to dance and I don't want people looking at me, making fun."
  
  She then said, very bluntly, "What makes you think your so special? If people even have the courage to get out on the floor, they won't be looking at you! They'll all be worried about whether other people are looking at them. Lets go!"
  
  That made sense to me!
  
  So, we went, we bounced around to the music and we had a great time.
  
  If we just try, and do things the best we can, a lot of people will think we're geniuses!
  But sadly, many won't even try, out of unwarranted fear.

• A comment on Conversation: Why do you love Crêpes?

  Feb 16 2013: I was twelve years old, on the S.S France, with my family. A waiter made crepe suzettes for us at table-side. There were large flames! How can you not love that!? And they were delicious! I assume the food was in the price of the ticket.
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: "Why Can't We Solve Big Problems?"

  Feb 14 2013: I think the question as is, might be a bit loaded.
  
  In the past hundred years, we've actually made a lot of progress solving many, many big problems, even in some of the listed problems.
  
  For example:
  - Much safer: water, food, housing, work environments, etc.
  - Countless medical advancements, leading to longer, healthier life spans,
  lower infant mortality, etc. How about polio or measles?.
  
  Your chances with cancer, malaria and old age maladies are a lot better now than they were even twenty years ago.
  
  Certainly, there are lots of problems still to be solved, but many have solutions that can only be approached asymptotically.
  
  Perhaps the question should be :
  "Why have many of our attempts at solving big problems failed to make real progress?"
  
  My experience in the aerospace industry, has led me to believe that the best, most creative, solutions come from small groups of competent, passionate people, with good leadership and a clear goal.
  
  It may seem counter-intuitive, but too much money and "big-ness" often just gets in the way of solving the real problem. Lean and passion-driven seems to beat big and money-driven every time.

• A comment on Conversation: Spread the word on the "Pink Gun Law" petition

  Feb 6 2013: It's clever, but could backfire. It could just "re-brand" the color pink as being "bad-ass".

• A comment on Conversation: Is religion still relevant?

  Feb 6 2013: Honestly, I'm a little skeptical that this is a sincere question. Is this a real question or just flame-bait?
  If it is a sincere question, could you please elaborate?

• A comment on Conversation: What life lessons has being a parent afforded you? What have you learned from a child/children in your life?

  Feb 4 2013: I have learned that I can, if watched very very carefully, and if reminded of and queried about the instructions on the side of the box, make macaroni and cheese --almost-- as good as Mommy.

• A comment on Conversation: Please define: Leadership.

  Jan 30 2013: Leadership is the ability to motivate a group of people to act in their collective best interest.