Having Fun in the Midst of Misery: Ben Uffindell at TEDxChristchurch

22-year-old Ben Uffindell was born in Whangarei but has lived in Christchurch since he was 10 years old. He attended the University of Canterbury from 2009 to 2011, finishing his degree in political science, and spent the majority of 2012 haplessly trying to find his way in a world he wasn't prepared for. Earlier this year, he stumbled upon good fortune when he established and began managing a satirical news website called The Civilian. The website became an a hit in just the first few days after a spoof story about North Korea threatening a nuclear attack against New Zealand went viral. The Civilian, often compared to the popular US site The Onion, now has tens of thousands of daily visitors, and has over 25,000 Fans on Facebook.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)