This year’s fifteen speakers represented the diversity of Raleigh’s industries, both established and fledgling. Fitting the chosen theme of “alchemy”, TEDxRaleigh organizers asked “What are the elements, processes, and reactions that turn ideas into reality?” and received answers from a variety of sources including Larry’s Beans, Symbology Clothing, the NC Film Institute, and the BioFuels Center of NC.
During his speech, Whitehurst wove the story of the “Information Revolution” beginning with the assertion that current advances in technology will reach farther beyond gadgets, software and tangible results, ultimately affecting our lives and society. As Whitehurst described the “major players” in the Industrial and Information Revolutions, including the auto-lathe, transportation systems, microprocessors, and cloud computing, he noted an important difference that the Industrial Revolution was about making things more efficient, while the Information Revolution will hinge on more efficient use of what society has already made.