“From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.“ -- Carl Sagan

The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by the Voyager 1 space probe from a then-record distance of about 6 billion kilometers from Earth.

Inspired by this fascinating picture, and by the principle idea it represents, this year TEDxVilnius team invites you to reflect on the biggest contradictions and crucial subjects of today. You will spend the day engaged in deep discussions with outstanding speakers and wonderful crowd!

TEDxVilnius 2015 will guide you through the full day event, letting you immerse yourself into a number of different topics:

MANMADE vs. NATURAL

Bionic man living in a green city; synthetic biology meets nature; ecology, biotechnology, rooftop gardening and 3D- printed cells... We are definitely living into extraordinary decades ahead!

PUBLIC vs. PERSONAL

Privacy; online security; legal corruption; corporate social responsibility, doing well by doing good; philanthropy. Is there anything “Personal” left nowadays?

TRADITIONAL vs. FUTURISTIC

Historic heroes, lessons learnt from the past and artificial intelligence, crazy novel ideas. We can now detail the essence of Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, but what about the generations yet to be born - what could they be like?

LOCAL vs. GLOBAL

How does Lithuania look on the Pale Blue Dot? Can we still make a distinction between Local and Global? Talks and performances by some of the most talented Lithuanian artists and experts, both widely known and still undiscovered.

Even though media reminds us daily of the political, social and economic challenges of the world, we want to explore an amazing collection of new ideas, new ways of thinking, science and technology, new art and most importantly new understanding of who we are.

While suggesting a different set of the opposites and contrasts at TEDxVilnius 2015, we invite YOU to join the discussion, express your personal views and as always... prepare to be amazed!

REGISTER FOR TEDxVilnius: PALE BLUE DOT NOW!

The registration process is the same as last year: you have time to register until Friday, March 6th; then we will carefully review EACH of the applications and select a diverse group of participants based on everyone’s desire and passion to attend, enthusiasm to contribute to TEDxVilnius and own community, and both care and engagement in filling the form.

After being selected, you will be able to pay a pledge of your choice. There are only 550 spots available and the form is available in English (feel free to also fill it in Lithuanian if you feel more comfortable like this; the entire event will be carried out in English though).

The 5th TEDxVilnius is going to be a very special one and we can’t wait to welcome you at our new and amazing venue -- Lithuanian National Drama Theatre!

We’ll be announcing first speakers shortly -- stay tuned!

The TEDxVilnius Team