TED Community » Mauricio Castro

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Learning about the latest technologies and how they will affect us in the future. Exploring the world beyond our neighborhoods. Making the world a more helpful place, one person at a time.

An idea worth spreading

I miss the days of the arcades, but not the simple play-for-ticket games. Today's games focus on either sitting at your computer or TV, talking to others through a microphone. Sometimes, you're stuck in your own world playing a game on your phone or tablet. The days of being there with another person playing the same game aren't there like they used to be anymore. I'd like to see that communal experience of the arcade brought back someday. Maybe it doesn't have to be arcade games, but it should be something where we can all get back together and hear everyone's screams, hands-in-the-air motions, and settling tests of skill face-to-face.

Talk to me about

A book I should be reading. An app that will make my life easier. A new technology that more people should know about. A lot of things.

People don't know that I'm good at

Drumming on the desk with my hands (and occasionally doing a bit of beatboxing if I get carried away). Taking well-composed Instagram photos (@themauricio). Writing at length about certain things.

My TED Story

I was sitting around watching TEDTalks in my spare time when I thought to myself, "I want to attend one of these." Of course, with Virginia Tech being so far away from most major cities, it didn't seem there were any in the southwest Virginia area. So, I thought to myself: I go to a major research university. We have our own students, faculty members, and alumni with stories to share. We'll make one ourselves! Along with the help of Dr. Eddie Watson (a former faculty member who has since moved on to the University of Georgia), we reached out to people we knew to create an 18-person steering committee for the first TEDxVirginiaTech conference in November 2012. We're already hard at work on the next one, and it'll be bigger and better now that I've been listed as a TED attendee!

Comments

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• +4

  A comment on Talk: Shane Koyczan: "To This Day" ... for the bullied and beautiful

  Mar 9 2013: I vividly remember looking around and seeing everyone, eyes wide open towards the TVs at TEDActive and not down at their laptops or phones. Hands-down one of the most emotionally charged ANYTHING I've ever experienced in my life.
• +4

  A comment on Talk: Ron Finley: A guerilla gardener in South Central LA

  Mar 7 2013: One of my favorite talks of the week! Taking the taxi from TEDActive to Palm Springs Airport, I saw all of the empty lots and thought, "This could be a community garden." This was the seed you planted in my head!
  
  I don't know if you're still reading the comments, Ron, but I hope this talk gets you some more attention from the LA city government! How are you finding more places in LA to plant even more gardens?