Things I DID at DLD

DLD stands for Digital, Life and Design.

But for me one of the D’s has to stand for Dreams.

Dreams that came true at DLD.

DLD is the brainchild of Dr. Yossi Vardi and Dr. Hubert Burda.

The chief organizer and powerhouse behind the operation is Steffi Czerny.

I participated in DLD for the first time in 2010. Yossi Vardi invited me. When Yossi invites you to a conference, un-conference (or anything), you don’t ask questions. You say thank you, pack your sax and show up.

I got to sing and play with Randi Zuckerberg.

I got to jam with Shimon the musical robot, and Jeff Pulver, the very real human being.

I played “Girl from Ipanema” for a very kind gentleman from Brazil. Then I asked him his name. “Paulo”, he said. “Paulo Coelho”. There was no one around to take a picture of the shock on my face.

But best of all, I met my childhood hero, Donovan.

And even better, I got to sing and play with him! Sadly, the only record of our musical union is the photo taken by Itay Talgam. I dream of meeting Donovan again one day. After all, we have more songs to sing together!

And I did! I did meet Donovan year later when he appeared in Israel. He was exhausted and I’m not sure he remembered me, but we’ll always have DLD!

In 2011 I was invited back to DLD to give a talk on breath and body odors. It was at eight in the morning after the wild DLD party. Very few people showed up. One was Ami Ginegar. He gave me a big hug. I will never forget that.

Randi and I were upgraded that year. We got to sing at the Chairman’s Dinner.

That same summer, I was invited back to DLD Women. I was one of the only men there among 500 women. It was intimidating. They took over our washrooms. I felt disenfranchised and overwhelmed. I was. I gave a talk called “Sense and Sensibility”.

I was on tv! The interview was thankfully in English.

The very next year, I gave a lift to a young ginger haired woman named Stav Shafir. She went on to become a very famous and successful member of the Israeli parliament (and the youngest in history).

And in 2014, we launched Ourboox.com at the DLD, centerstage!

As I said, DLD is a place where dreams come true. If Yossi invites you, pack your bags and go.

Photo: Doron Havassy