I was asked to be funny, and to try to mention gadgets, as TED audiences tend to like seeing fancy innovations. Given that my speech was about grief and spirituality, I wasn't sure where to fit in a pen that can be recycled as a plant, or a smart shirt that senses your temperament.

I'm hoping to inspire others to follow their dreams and help the environment at the same time. I'll be talking about what inspired me to design and build a solar car, and then what I decided to do with it and what happened in the process and what I was able to accomplish in the end. The dream, the struggle, the victory!

Right now, except when you go to the ballot box, the only time you're in touch with government is when you're complaining about something. You never just call to say, "Hey my garbage pick up is always on time and my bins are always upright. And I appreciate that." It's almost never a positive exchange of appreciation, and it's light-years away from being playful. I think the TEDx audience will be receptive to thinking about how something super-serious and formal can be playful.

For some kids, the neighbourhood is what they know, their safety blanket. And for some reason, they won't leave. What we don't have in our communities is deep investment. Once we get past those defences we can start talking about credit, and how you can obtain it, how you can walk into a meeting place to achieve what you're passionate about achieving. We start taking the intuitive skills they have learned from living in the hood. Desperation breeds ingenuity. It's the idea of creatively understanding the skills and ideas that are there in these communities and what's necessary to support them: deep investment, time, understanding, and capital.

I like stupid movies. Considering Ted's box office success, chances are so do you.