PopTech Day One: Better Dead Than TED?

If there?s one thing I know for certain it?s that Camden, Maine is lovely this time of year. I know this because since I arrived here, a little more than 24 hours ago, every man, woman and cab driver I?ve encountered has been sure to tell me.

?Oh, you?re heading to Camden? It?s lovely this time of year.?

?Welcome to Camden! You?ve come at the right time of year!?

Another thing that everyone here is keen to point out is that PopTech, the conference that has dragged me 21 hours out of my comfort zone to the jewel of the Maine coast, is not TED. I mean, yes, like TED, it claims to be filled with "world-changing people, projects and ideas"; yes, like TED, it costs a small fortune to get here and, yes, like TED, the attendees and organizers seem somewhat unhealthily obsessed with TED. But despite all of that, it isn?t - and everybody involved wants to be quite clear on this - TED.

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