TED Community » Craig Velenski

More About Me

I'm passionate about

People, success (my own and everyone elses), knowledge, thinking, the environment, self analysis, technology, the human race, diversity, independance, efficiency, fixing problems & systems, CHANGE

Talk to me about

Health, Bio Sciences, Self improvement, Efficiency, Global trends, Economics, Market forces, Risk management (ELE), Property investment, Education, Energy, Travel, Whatever makes You passionate

People don't know that I'm good at

Pattern analysis, design, coaching, motivating others, jigsaw puzzles, creative activities like music and art (dont spend the time), mimicry (accents and voices), computer games, logic puzzles, faith

My TED Story

Came across the website In June 2010 for the first time and I'm totally addicted and loving the synapse explosions that take place in me with every presentation and idea I watch. It is embarrassing that depsite my knowledge seeking adiction and daily web trawling it has taken me this long to find TED and the awesome website of presentations and ideas. To have access to this many experts is a dream come true. I am only slightly molified to find every person I've directed to the site has never heard of it either. When my expiration date is reached I want to feel that I did everything in my power to change the world in what most would agree was a good way. Preferably anonomously or with a story that doesnt come out until after I'm gone. I feel that in TED I've found a tool to aid me in focusing and realising that lifelong dream.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.50 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Conversation: We can learn by exchanging and discussing our own lists of "10 Things I Know to be True."

  Oct 22 2011: 1. I may not be able to control my circumstances but I can definitely develop more control over the perception of my circumstances.
  2. A mind that never stops thinking and questioning is both a blessing and a curse.
  3. Only through adding value will you gain value.
  4. Life is ...
  5. Curiosity may have killed the cat but we'll never know how he died if we aren't curious enough to look into it.
  6. Everything is a cycle, an ebb and a flow. Going with the flow is much easier than going against it but is probably less rewarding in the long term.
  7. Sometimes relying on logic is the most illogical thing you can do.
  8. Passion beats preparedness in most things.
  9. Diversity is not just PC, it's also nature being an entrepreneur.
  10. You might as well enjoy life because it will kill you in the end. Maybe.
  11. Conformity might be easier but it isn't always the best or right option.

• A comment on Conversation: "WHY is the patient the most under-used resource in healthcare?? How did that happen?" (Follow-up to LIVE TED Conversation July 27)

  Aug 11 2011: I'm guessing that a litigious society is part of the reason in America. The more the doctor reveals and engages the greater perceived risk of saying or doing something that could open them up to a law suit. Same reason we have all those unnecessary medical tests to minimize the litigation risk rather than for any benefit to the patient. Yet having the patient involved as a partner would probably decrease the chance of a court case through more success in treatment and the patient having better understanding throughout the process. They will feel less like a victim if something does go wrong.
  
  In the public health systems of New Zealand, Australia, and the UK I think it is just a case of insufficient resources. They seem to be systems where resources are carefully rationed and behaviors are rewarded within the system that promote the idea of dealing with as many patients as quickly and cheaply as possible. There isn't time for a lot of dialog and a lot of reviewing of medical history or engagement.
  
  In general medicine is not about curing a patient it is about treating a patient. I've been told several times that they might never understand what my underlying problem is but through drugs they can control the symptoms and improve my lot in life. For 10 years in 4 countries I've pursued an answer against the systems. I'm still doing self diagnosis and experimentation to figure it out. My wife was given a diagnosis of pre diabetic or perhaps even type 2 borderline and the doctor wanted to perscribe metformin for her. She went on an aggressive diet and exercise program and rigorous self study of sugars and how certain foods affected them for her. End result blood work totally normal. Why the doctor didn't tell her to do diet and exercise - "no one is ever willing to change their lives that much". The patient is the most underutilized resource in healthcare and also food is medicine. Shame no food reps are knocking down doctors doors promoting leafy green vegetables
• +3

  A comment on Talk: Hanna Rosin: New data on the rise of women

  Aug 11 2011: The discussions and stats on how boys are failing are really worrying me as a Dad of two boys under kindergarten age. At least one is going to struggle with an education system that rewards focus, attention to detail, repetitive learning, and doesn't have tolerance for high energy, = high maintenance, kids. Both have showed open aggressiveness at times and I know there will be 0 tolerance for that no matter what the provocation. I try to teach them to direct it rather than to suppress it but I think for most people skill at controlling your emotions is a life long journey and hard for a 4 year old to consistently master. There in lies one of the problems for men. On the sports field, in sales, between friends, and in a variety of fields and settings there is still room to celebrate male testosterone and aggression. But in general it is totally frowned on all through school and now increasingly in the business world. The punishments for expressing it are getting more and more serious. Yet it is built in every boy and in every man. We seem to think we can reverse engineer thousands of years of evolution in a generation. It isn't going to happen and as the workplace becomes more and more collaborative and cooperative it will become tougher for men to succeed in that environment as it is for them to succeed in school. I'm not talking about men needing to have punch-ups in the cafeteria but even the act of table thumping in meetings or raising your voice in airing concerns about a course of action are taken as too aggressive now.
  
  At the end of the day we need everyone to be learning and working in an environment that fits them well and doing a job that caters to their strengths. It is about the individual not about their sex, skin color or any other generalization. It's the way we as a species can get ahead of the tough challenges that face us.

• A comment on Talk: Hanna Rosin: New data on the rise of women

  Aug 11 2011: My personal experience is that there is an additional element to pay disparity. All the women I have had as partners in life were not good at pushing for more benefits in pay. Both when they applied for jobs and when it came time for the annual review process. They all felt uncomfortable and felt it would be poorly received. In two cases facts came out about what their peers were earning and my partners at the time invariably felt undervalued and upset. Yet they still refused to address the problem by bringing it up with their managers. From my perspective that seemed crazy. Especially since I'd told them both they were worth a lot more even before the facts came out. It was like they didn't have the confidence in their own worth to go to bat for themselves. In discussing why they wouldn't bring it up both of them used the phrase 'that is just not me'. Perhaps from their perspective there were other elements at play but assuming it was a self confidence issue you could argue that this lack of confidence or lack of belief in their self worth was a result of them being raised in a patriarchal society. But without stepping up and addressing the underlying issue it is hard to know if there really was gender pay disparity in those workplaces or was it more about personality pay disparity where men's more aggressive nature saw them in general pushing more for recognition of their labors. So perhaps now a contributing factor to the salary issue being fixed is because there are more women in upper management able to address pay disparity from the top down. My wife has over 40 people working for her and is always working to make sure people are recognized for the great work they do through pay or any number of creative and thoughtful little ways to provide recognition. Her team seem to adore her and she is a great manager. Not because she is a woman but because she manages in a way that fits with her considerable strengths.
• +1

  A reply on Talk: Ali Carr-Chellman: Gaming to re-engage boys in learning

  Feb 2 2011: How about schools that do work? Why can't we just model schools that have the balance right instead of focusing on those that have it wrong? Look at the schools where Boys and Girls succeed in equal numbers. Why can't we use game mechanics to make the schools want to change? I have almost 4 and just turned 5 year old boys. They are both individuals. I think any program that labels them just as boys and treats them both the same is bound to not be perfect for them. Of the 4 schools we are considering there is 1 that blows the other 3 out of the water when you compare results, resources, and environment. My wife and I could tell the minute we walked through the door that it just feels right. They aren't using video games but they are using examples of gaming mechanics. They group by competency and the curriculum uses lots of technology. They have passionate teachers that were in many cases originally parent volunteers. Sadly it is out of district and popular so we may not get in.
• +1

  A reply on Talk: Ali Carr-Chellman: Gaming to re-engage boys in learning

  Feb 2 2011: Blizzards implementation in WOW of achievement unlocks, status leaderboards, and the dungeon finder tool to allow access to higher end content for the more casual gamer are all examples of game mechanics that are based in underlying human psychological needs. With any MMO you get the community element and sense of belonging. With any RPG you get a sense of purpose and accomplishment. But what they have done really well is to build on their success, to keep reinventing and revisiting, and to keep growing. Also the longer they remain the dominant player the less churn they are likely to get. It's tough for someone to throw away those hours, relationships, & achievements earned to start something new. Easy just to buy the expansion. Here's an excerpt from an open position at blizzard "3+ years in a user experience role working on enterprise-scale applications and/or bachelor degree in relevant discipline (human-computer interaction, interaction design, cognitive psychology etc)"
• +3

  A reply on Conversation: Comments

  Feb 2 2011: Being born to die is a fact for every generation Brandon. What you do with your life and the positive change that you can be before that happens is all down to you. You seem angry and frustrated. You might think it is down to the teachers and people around you but at the end of the day the buck stops with you when it comes to your emotions. It is pretty unfair that you get suspended and teacher has no consequences. But she holds the authority and you chose to defy it and life has never been fair. What I think is awesome is that you are so hungry to learn that you are sitting here on TED watching this presentation and that you are passionate enough to tell your story. That's a step towards being a leader buddy. Leaders get to change the world. Don't listen to the trolls and find your own path. Stop putting your energy into defiance and use it to educate and grow you. Find resources out of school if you aren't finding them in school to be a teacher of yourself. Good luck. Be the change.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Comments

  Feb 2 2011: Great idea Zac. I was thinking down the very same lines while watching the presentation.
  Ali one of the barriers to engagement that the companies will be thinking about, and that you might want to address in the pitch, is that often game development is a stressful, time consuming, and high pressure environment. Until the game is done there is no revenue to offset the resources that are being deployed to create it and then maintain it. Assuming it even succeeds after being made. It's also rare to find a single individual with all the skills needed to deliver a quality product in a timely manner. Look at the number of staff that blizzard employ to support their game portfolio. So you need to have some pretty significant motivators in your approach to engage the community. They are all likely to be gamers themselves so game mechanics applied to getting them to engage would seem like a good starting point. Thanks for a great presentation. It has me thinking.