2012 can easily be dubbed the year of TEDx for me, as by mid-February I had already attended two TEDx events! First up was TEDxSalford in late January, where I was just a mindblown attendee, and two weeks later it was TEDxManchester where I had the honour to be a speaker!
TEDxManchester took place on Monday 13th February this year at one of the iconic Manchester locations – and my “local” – the Cornerhouse. Among the luminary speakers were people I have always been admiring, such as the radio Goddess Mary Anne Hobbs, and people I have become very close friends with over the years – which has led me to an equal amount of admiration, such as Ian Forrester (@cubicgarden to most of us).
Here are their respective talks at TEDxManchester 2012 for you to get a taste of the atmosphere at the event and of the impact of the ideas and the immediacy of the sentiments circulated!
My TEDxManchester talk
I spoke about the weird and wonderful world of Voice Recognition (“Voice Recognition FTW!”): from the inaccurate – and far too often funny – simple voice-to-text apps and dictation systems on your smartphones, to the most frustrating automated Call Centres, to the next generation, sophisticated SIRI and everything in-between. I explained why things go wrong and when things can go wonderfully right. The answer is “CONTEXT”; the more you have of it , the more accurate and relevant the interpretation of user intention will be, and the more relevant and impressive the system reaction / reply will be. Here are my TEDxManchester slides.
My TEDxManchester video hasn’t been uploaded yet, as it streamed copyrighted material from YouTube. So in the meantime, I am including the offending video here 
The (Re)Tweets
(in reverse chronological order)
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki 17 Feb
thanks for the #TEDxMCR piccie @cubicgarden! http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6875061121_69555f7eb3_b.jpg @TEDxManchester
Cornerhouse @CornerhouseMcr 16 Feb
For those of you who missed #TEDxMCR check out @cubicgarden’s pics! Videos should be with us in a couple of weeks http://www.flickr.com/photos/cubicgarden/tags/tedxmcr/
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
Martin Williams @ukcopywriting 15 Feb
@ar3toul4ki ‘s Next level awesome epic bio - http://www.tedxmanchester.com/#speakers #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
In reply to Maria Ar3toul4ki
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki 15 Feb
What an awesome (wicked, epic) bio the cool guys and girls @TEDxManchester have written for me!!! http://www.tedxmanchester.com/#speakers #TEDxMCR
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki 15 Feb
RT @global_lingo: Maria Aretoulaki on voice recognition software. Will digital transcription ever be any good? #tedxmcr no, no it won’t
Lynne McCadden @lmccadden 14 Feb
Belated I know but many congrats to @herbkim for a fantastic TEDxMCR yesterday been thinking about some of it all day today !
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester 14 Feb
Here’s to the #TEDxMCR speakers in Session 2 – @daveerasmus @martinsfp @ar3toul4ki @cubicgarden @brendandawes
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester 13 Feb
Thanks to @BandXMedia all today’s #TEDxMCR talks were recorded, will be edited & put online soon #TEDxMCR @s2martin
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
Lynne McCadden @lmccadden 13 Feb
#tedxmcr learning about quarks and leptons from @tarashears making particle physics easy – sort of
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
Lynne McCadden @lmccadden 13 Feb
watching this @TEDxManchester kevin slavin’s TED talk on how algorithms shape our world: http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_slavin_how_algorithms_shape_our_world.html
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
Dr Marieke Navin @lisamarieke
depends if fitting gaussians to your data is your thing… Question is, do you understand your data?!
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Oh yes! © Bruce Balentine RT @LukeRobertMason: “It’s better to be a good Machine than a bad person” Discuss? #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason @LukeRobertMason
How to Wreck a Nice Beach @TEDxManchester #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason @LukeRobertMason
It’s a bright future if you are an algorithm or infomorph #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason @LukeRobertMason
@RichardMichie A little bit of non-human agency can’t hurt… Or can it 
#TEDxMCH
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
In reply to RichardMichie
13 Feb
Ian Forrester @cubicgarden
Infomorphs or a weaver… #TEDxMCR love the idea very cool! They could work with #perceptivemedia yfrog.com/gzeg2jij
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Ian Pettigrew @KingfisherCoach
#TEDxMCR @skeuomorphology challenging ‘necessity is the mother of invention’; cars weren’t invented as a response to a shortage of horses!
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason @LukeRobertMason
Pure information technologies are the first evolutionary aware technologies. They are stochastic… Emerge from randomness #TEDxMCR @weavrs
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason @LukeRobertMason
Living software ‘bots’ or infomorphs via @weavrs #infomorph #TEDxMCR @skeuomorphology
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Michael Di Paola @MichaelDiPaola
Robots made from programmable gel…where the hell am I? A parallel universe, the future. No. Just at #TEDxMCR listening to Dan O’Hara
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason @LukeRobertMason
Infomorph, a form that exists just of information @skeuomorphology #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Luke Robert Mason @LukeRobertMason
Another type of software agent that exhibits life, @weavrs #infomorph @skeuomorphology #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@pgaval δε πειράζει, θα είναι στο YouTube για πάντα! (Μαμά! )
In reply to Petros Gavalakis
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Mondays are my favourite days of the week : D
13 Feb
Matthew Brooks @brooksoid
Great, great talk by @brendandawes on the value of pursuing ideas, and the ideas they spawn, without necessarily knowing where you’re going
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
from Manchester, Manchester
13 Feb
RichardMichie @RichardMichie
Failed art at school? You can still exhibit at #moma @brendandawes #tedxmcr great story love it
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@brendandawes’ cinema redux of Hitchcock’s Vertigo #TEDxMCR twitpic.com/8jfs95
13 Feb
sphey1 @sphey1
If you make something, give it a name – re: Cinema Redux @brendandawes #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Things that @brendandawes has done with his 3-printer #TEDxMCR twitpic.com/8jfpn6
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@brendandawes : the creative process is iterative. ( but Battling it against time & cost constraints) #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
RT @CMindsKelly: @brendandawes. The thing we in the room all share is curiosity. That’s why we’re always making new things #TEDxMCR”
13 Feb
Martin Bryant @MartinSFP
At #tedxmcr, @cubicgarden explained how @tdobson and @adew saved his life. instagr.am/p/G9BmXRStoc/
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Ian Forrester: fear the fear #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Claire-Marie @CMBoggiano
‘We are complex & unique organisms And yes, I am still an atheist.’ Ian Forrester, #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Indeed! RT @TonyChurnside: @cubicgarden really touching. Very nicely done!
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@brooksoid any time!
In reply to Matthew Brooks
13 Feb
Matthew Brooks @brooksoid
@ar3toul4ki great talk Maria, speech recog in focus at the beeb right now, be interesting to talk once I’ve worked out what our landscape is
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
from Manchester, Manchester
13 Feb
TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester
Link to the funny vid played by @ar3toul4ki – Scottish voice recognition problems.. http://youtu.be/sAz_UvnUeuU
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Ευχαριστώ! Το είδες μήπως; RT @pgaval: @ar3toul4ki Καλή επιτυχία!
13 Feb
Claire-Marie @CMBoggiano
‘When I was lying in bed dying, where were the real people?’ Ian Forrester, #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Tony Churnside @TonyChurnside
Watching @cubicgarden talk about his #brushwithdeath. A very scary time. #TEDxMCR pic.twitter.com/hED5mimw
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@tdobson @cubicgarden is talking about you! : D
In reply to Tim Dobson
13 Feb
Tim Dobson @tdobson
so @cubicgarden is talking about it #brushwithdeath when I may or may not have been his flatmate at the time.. #tedxman
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Matthew Brooks @brooksoid
And @cubicgarden ‘s talk is about… @cubicgarden ! He’s finally gone recursive. #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
from Manchester, Manchester
13 Feb
Tony Churnside @TonyChurnside
@cubicgarden you’re looking good! pic.twitter.com/n8xvkzJB
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Ian Forrester @cubicgarden
And next on at #TEDxMCR its @ianforrester. With the story of me…
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester
Hilarious talk on Voice Recognition from Dr Maria Aretoulaki #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Tim Dobson @tdobson
@davemee it’s all about context! /cc @ar3toul4ki
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
In reply to Dave Mee
13 Feb
Tim Dobson @tdobson
@davemee @ar3toul4ki “fetish cheese”
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
In reply to Dave Mee
13 Feb
Dave Mee @davemee
@tdobson @ar3toul4ki feed her through siri and send me a transcript!
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
In reply to Tim Dobson
13 Feb
Kate Towey @katiemaymanc
Fascinating talk from Tara Shears on particle physics. ’2012 is year of the Higgs’ #tedxmcr
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Ian Pettigrew @KingfisherCoach
So far at #TEDxMCR we’ve covered pursuing your passion, JDI (and make mistakes), technology, algorithms, and particle physics. I’m happy!
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Allie Johns @AllieJohns
I propose bringing back Tomorrow’s World and having Tara Shears present it #tedxmcr
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@TaraShears @TEDxManchester: oh my Higgs! We’ve seen something! Or have we?? #TEDxMCR twitpic.com/8jdo56
13 Feb
Ian Forrester @cubicgarden
The goddamn particle explained at #TEDxMCR yfrog.com/obsv5tmj
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@TaraShears @TEDxManchester: where’s that God-damned Higgs particle?! If we don’t find it, we’ll have to start all over again… #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Claire-Marie @CMBoggiano
“@lmccadden: #tedxmcr learning about quarks and leptons from @tarashears making particle physics easy – sort of”
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@TaraShears @TEDxManchester: symmetry, simplicity, elegance = beauty of the standard model of particle physics #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester
Up next @TEDxManchester is @TaraShears – tune in live to ow.ly/92eRf #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@TEDx video 1 @TEDxManchester: pragmatic chaos to describe fluid things such as culture #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@coralgrainger no worries sweetness : )
In reply to coralgrainger
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@TEDx video @TEDxManchester: what we don’t understand, we give a name and a story to #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@maryannehobbs you were, nay ARE, awesome! Xx
In reply to maryanne hobbs
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Dan O’Hara @skeuomorphology @TEDxManchester: from random relentless replication (cf. spambots) to guided transformation of chaos #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Kim Willis @KimberleyWillis
Dan O’Hara: technology is not a selection of gadgets but a body of knowledge instagr.am/p/G8sGbrBVY7/ #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Ian Wareing @ianwareing
#tedxmcr @skeuomorphology “Necessity is not the mother of invention. Invention is the mother of necessity”
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Ian Forrester @cubicgarden
Bloatware… or stimulation of the real on the virtual RT @maanasvarun: Skeumorphism. wait what? #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Dan O’Hara @skeuomorphology @TEDxManchester: the creation of living technology by merging the Arts and Sciences #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@tombloxhammbe @TEDxManchester: go through life making mistakes, otherwise you don’t take any decisions, just do it ! © #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@maryannehobbs @TEDxManchester: John Peel saving lives again #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@maryannehobbs @TEDxManchester: follow your passion! #TEDxMCR twitpic.com/8jcwpn
13 Feb
TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester
Hi all we’re suggesting #TEDxMCR as the hashtag for the event today as it’s a bit shorter than #TEDxManchester
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester
Sorry folks for the livestream #fail. We’re currently on this channel live.. bit.ly/y9kkZa #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@gazshaw cheers!
In reply to Gaz Shaw
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
see you there Mike! It’s been a loooong time! RT @mike_higham: @ar3toul4ki @TEDxManchester Looking forward to it #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
@heloukee oh nooo : s
In reply to Helen Keegan
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Excited & honoured to be speaking @TEDxManchester today. My talk “Voice Recognition FTW!” on the present+future of user interfaces #TEDxMCR
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
See you there Matt! RT @matthbooth: A bit of work then @TEDxManchester. Looking forward to it.
13 Feb
Allie Johns @AllieJohns
“@maryannehobbs: interesting day: speaking about passion at @TEDxManchester 1pm.. ” > we can never have enough passion in our lives.
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
13 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Will you be my groupie?? RT @technicalfault: @ar3toul4ki Dr Maria at TEDx!
12 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Looking forward to giving #TEDxMCR an insight into the wondrous+often misconstrued world of voice recognition @TEDxManchester tomorrow
12 Feb
TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester
And in other late-breaking news Dr. Maria @Ar3toul4ki will also be taking the stage tomorrow at #TEDxMCR
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
12 Feb
TEDxManchester @TEDxManchester
A big welcome for our latest speaker @MartinSFP – European Editor @TheNextWeb for #TEDxMCR. Like @MaryAnneHobbs a brave no-slide presenter!
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
11 Feb
Anna Nachesa @ashalynd
I’ll probably be very evil if I ask during an interview if tail-optimized recursion is possible in C. OTOH, it might be a great icebreaker:)
Retweeted by Maria Ar3toul4ki
11 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
RT @TEDxManchester: @ar3toul4ki:really excited bout Mons #TEDxMCR @maryannehobbs @brendandawes @cubicgarden @skeuomorphology @tombloxhammbe
10 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Can’t wait to finally meet you! : D RT @maryannehobbs: @ar3toul4ki
10 Feb
Maria Ar3toul4ki @ar3toul4ki
Getting really excited about Monday’s #TEDxMCR @CornerhouseMcr: @maryannehobbs @brendandawes @cubicgarden Dan O’Hara & my Uni’s Tom Bloxham
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