TED University is our attendee-driven program, and this year’s is the most globally diverse group of attendees — people are here from 71 countries. We think of it as a snapshot and collage of who the TED audience is and what it is they do. And we begin with a meditation on what “radical openness” means …

Nilofer Merchant says: “There are 2 ways of holding an idea. One is with a closed fist. The other is with an open hand. And when you hold an idea like this” — open hand — “it gives them room to evolve.” Her talk explores how communities can collaborate to develop stronger ideas. A powerful image: Money and power used to come from being bigger than the other guy. But players in the social era will look more like gazelles.

David Bismark says: “The thing about randomness is that it’s so hard to…