Apparantly there’s a new (read: new to me) phenomenon called “camera tossing”. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Basically you press the shutter on your camera and then toss it into the air. You might end up with some interesting and trippy images depending on how you spin and twirl the camera for your toss. Just make sure to catch it. See more interesting results on their Flickr group.

I can’t wait for the videos from TED 2007, but in the mean time, they put up this 7 minute “teaser” to further whet my appetite. Prepare to be inspired.

Ze Frank: What’s so funny about the Web?

The annual Technology, Entertainment, Design conference brings together speakers from around the globe, each getting 18 minutes to fascinate and inspire the audience with their ideas in art, science, technology, nature, humanity, music, religion and everything in between.

The speakers are a veritable who’s who of the world’s best and brightest. Recognizable names such as Bill Clinton, Bono, Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon), Richard Dawkins, Peter Gabriel, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Sergey Brin and Larry Page (co-founders of Google), Tony Robbins, and James Watson share the stage with unfamiliar, but equally, if not more compelling speakers like Wade Davis (National Geographic), David Deutsch (physicist at the University of Oxford), Frans Lanting (nature photographer), Rev. Tom Honey (Canon Pastor of Exeter Cathedral), Helen Fisher (anthropologist), Joshua Prince-Ramus (architecture), and Jehane Noujaim (filmmaker).

One of the highlights of the event is the TED Prize. Three people are selected before the conferenc, each getting some prize money and, more importantly, one wish to present to the TED attendees. This is the 2nd year for the TED Prize, one of last year’s prize winner was Bono, and his wish was “to help build a social movement of more than one million american activists for Africa”. TEDsters acted and set up ONE.org, Sun Microsystems provided technology support, others provided funding, marketing, and media access. Today, ONE is a network more than two million strong.

This year, another wish maker was Dr. Larry Brilliant who played an important role in the wiping out of Small Pox. His wish was to help build an early warning system to protect us from a pandemic outbreaks such as the Bird Flu. In addition to other supporters, he was approached by the founders of Google to head up their $1 billion philanthropic foundation Google.org. It will give him a great head start in reaching his goal.

Check out the documentary The Future We Will Create: Inside the World of TED, It will make you feel better about the state of the world and humanity. Also, be sure to go to TED.com and watch and be inspired by these brilliant speakers.

Camera on a conveyor at a Tokyo sushi bar. It was about midnight and the place was packed with great people.

The predictably named Virgin Comics is the latest venture of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group. Its director’s cut series features comics from the minds of John Woo and Guy Ritchie.