Out of step?

It's nice to be able to comment on some encouraging and optimistic news. Last week, the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference was held in Oxford. Their own website (TED program) gives a flavour of what they're about, but doesn't yet report on this year's event. The BBC summary Big Thinkers show the way Forward has some snippets and comments.

What comes over is the optimism and enthusiasm for Mankind's future. According to the BBC report "The brains of delegates at the conference were left buzzing with shared ideas about how to use science, design and technology for sustainable development, environmental regeneration and ending global poverty."

But so often we are told that technology is the problem and that we can't solve our these problems via more "technical fixes". In this case, a group of thinkers came together to share and discuss their ideas in a country notably cynical about science. Few people who regard themselves as part of the intelligensia have a science background, and it's almost a badge of pride in the media not to understand science.

How refreshing, then, to hear that:

There seemed to be a few assumptions underlying a lot of the ideas at TED such as:

• despite terrorism, environmental destruction and poverty, the future could be bright
• technology can solve more problems than it creates
• entrepreneurs are good and governments are inflexible

This was spoilt by the reporter then saying that no-one seemed to question these assumptions. So, the true pessimism of the media is revealed again...