Really cool video of a presentation by Dr. Ariel Shamir at this year’s SIGGRAPH conference where he demonstrates a new image resizing software application

Seems like this will give heightened meaning to “photoshopping” an image, or at least make it that much easier to perform certain potentially shady operations. Are photos even allowed as evidence in courtrooms anymore? If so, probably not for long.

Photojournalist James Nachtwey won one of the 3 TED prizes this year.  The winners get $100K to continue their work and also get to make a wish, that the  influential TED community is then tasked to help bring to fruition.  Watch his acceptance speech here.  The other 2 winners were Bill Clinton and E.O. Wilson.

The folks over at TED* have been releasing videos of past presentations, most recently including a fascinating talk by the photographer Phil Borges who documents endangered indigenous cultures around the world.

It’s a potent reminder of the power photography can wield in the service of social awareness and change, as well as the sublime extent to which technology allows us to document ourselves and world. It’s great to see this power being utilized more often in recent years through projects such as G.I.’s own “Change Me” campaign, the FiftyCrows Foundation, and the excellent documentary Born Into Brothels.

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*an annual cluster-think of “more than 1000 thought-leaders, movers, and shakers” (or anyone else willing & able to pay 6 G’s to be in such company for a couple of days) who meet up in Monterey California to discuss “not just the latest ideas in Technology Entertainment and Design [the namesake], but also Business, Science, and the Arts…in fact ANY subject offering something fresh and important” via a 4-day-long series of presentations by a consistently impressive roster of speakers. The idea being that by “bring[ing] together extraordinary people from every area of thought, work and culture…lo and behold, astonishing connections are made, excitement and inspiration follow.”

As an interesting (or maybe not) sidenote, on the heels of Tim’s previous post, the intro to this year’s TED conference features another photo of Norma Jean.

Now there’s an astonishing connection. Way to go, TED. (Unfortunately not a connection that’s likely to earn me an invitation. Guess I’ll have to content myself with the videos.)