TEDTalks (video)

TEDTalks : Stefana Broadbent: How the Internet enables intimacy - Stefana Broadbent (2009)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:43:00 -0600

We worry that IM, texting, Facebook are spoiling human intimacy, but Stefana Broadbent's research shows how communication tech is capable of cultivating deeper relationships, bringing love across barriers like distance and workplace rules.

TEDTalks : Matthew White gives the euphonium a new voice - Matthew White (2009)

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

The euphonium, a tuba-like musical instrument, is rarely heard outside of traditional brass bands. Young euph prodigy Matthew White uses hip-hop rhythms and a wild new vocal technique to bring a fresh sound to this underappreciated horn.

TEDTalks : Marcus du Sautoy: Symmetry, reality's riddle - Marcus du Sautoy (2009)

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:04:00 -0500

The world turns on symmetry -- from the spin of subatomic particles to the dizzying beauty of an arabesque. But there's more to it than meets the eye. Here, Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy offers a glimpse of the invisible numbers that marry all symmetrical objects.

TEDTalks : Becky Blanton: The year I was homeless - Becky Blanton (2009)

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:29:00 -0500

Becky Blanton planned to live in her van for a year and see the country, but when depression set in and her freelance job ended, her camping trip turned into homelessness. In this intimate talk, she describes her experience of becoming one of America's working homeless.

TEDTalks : Rachel Armstrong: Architecture that repairs itself? - Rachel Armstrong (2009)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:03:00 -0500

Venice, Italy is sinking. To save it, Rachel Armstrong says we need to outgrow architecture made of inert materials and, well, make architecture that grows itself. She proposes a not-quite-alive material that does its own repairs and sequesters carbon, too.

TEDTalks : David Deutsch: A new way to explain explanation - David Deutsch (2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:34:00 -0500

For tens of thousands of years our ancestors understood the world through myths, and the pace of change was glacial. The rise of scientific understanding transformed the world within a few centuries. Why? Physicist David Deutsch proposes a subtle answer.

TEDTalks : Ian Goldin: Navigating our global future - Ian Goldin (2009)

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

As globalization and technological advances bring us hurtling towards a new integrated future, Ian Goldin warns that not all people may benefit equally. But, he says, if we can recognize this danger, we might yet realize the possibility of improved life for everyone.

TEDTalks : Marc Koska: 1.3m reasons to re-invent the syringe - Marc Koska (2009)

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:24:00 -0500

Reuse of syringes, all too common in under-funded clinics, kills 1.3 million each year. Marc Koska clues us in to this devastating global problem with facts, photos and hidden-camera footage. He shares his solution: a low-cost syringe that can't be used twice.

TEDTalks : Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors - Itay Talgam (2009)

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word. In this charming talk, Itay Talgam demonstrates the unique styles of six great 20th-century conductors, illustrating crucial lessons for all leaders.

TEDTalks : Paul Debevec animates a photo-real digital face - Paul Debevec (2009)

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:57:00 -0500

At TEDxUSC, computer graphics trailblazer Paul Debevec explains the scene-stealing technology behind Digital Emily, a digitally constructed human face so realistic it stands up to multiple takes.

TEDTalks : John Gerzema: The post-crisis consumer - John Gerzema (2009)

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

John Gerzema says there's an upside to the recent financial crisis -- the opportunity for positive change. Speaking at TEDxKC, he identifies four major cultural shifts driving new consumer behavior and shows how businesses are evolving to connect with thoughtful spending.

TEDTalks : Julian Treasure: The 4 ways sound affects us - Julian Treasure (2009)

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:51:00 -0500

Playing sound effects both pleasant and awful, Julian Treasure shows how sound affects us in four significant ways. Listen carefully for a shocking fact about noisy open-plan offices.

TEDTalks : Henry Markram builds a brain in a supercomputer - Henry Markram (2009)

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:37:00 -0500

Henry Markram says the mysteries of the mind can be solved -- soon. Mental illness, memory, perception: they're made of neurons and electric signals, and he plans to find them with a supercomputer that models all the brain's 100,000,000,000,000 synapses.

TEDTalks : Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man - Rory Sutherland (2009)

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Advertising adds value to a product by changing our perception, rather than the product itself. Rory Sutherland makes the daring assertion that a change in perceived value can be just as satisfying as what we consider “real” value -- and his conclusion has interesting consequences for how we look at life.

TEDTalks : David Hanson: Robots that "show emotion" - David Hanson (2009)

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

David Hanson's robot faces look and act like yours: They recognize and respond to emotion, and make expressions of their own. Here, an "emotional" live demo of the Einstein robot offers a peek at a future where robots truly mimic humans.

TEDTalks : Eric Sanderson pictures New York -- before the City - Eric Sanderson (2009)

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:07:00 -0500

400 years after Hudson found New York harbor, Eric Sanderson shares how he made a 3D map of Mannahatta's fascinating pre-city ecology of hills, rivers, wildlife -- accurate down to the block -- when Times Square was a wetland and you couldn't get delivery.

TEDTalks : Sam Martin: The quirky world of "manspaces" - Sam Martin (2009)

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:40:00 -0500

Author Sam Martin shares photos of a quirky world hobby that's trending with the XY set: the "manspace." (They're custom-built hangouts where a man can claim a bit of his own territory to work, relax, be himself.) Grab a cold one and enjoy.

TEDTalks : Beau Lotto: Optical illusions show how we see - Beau Lotto (2009)

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:05:00 -0500

Beau Lotto's color games puzzle your vision, but they also spotlight what you can't normally see: how your brain works. This fun, first-hand look at your own versatile sense of sight reveals how evolution tints your perception of what's really out there.

TEDTalks : Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2009)

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

TEDTalks : David Logan on tribal leadership - David Logan (2009)

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

At TEDxUSC, David Logan talks about the five kinds of tribes that humans naturally form -- in schools, workplaces, even the driver's license bureau. By understanding our shared tribal tendencies, we can help lead each other to become better individuals.

TEDTalks : Carolyn Steel: How food shapes our cities - Carolyn Steel (2009)

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Every day, in a city the size of London, 30 million meals are served. But where does all the food come from? Architect Carolyn Steel discusses the daily miracle of feeding a city, and shows how ancient food routes shaped the modern world.

TEDTalks : Stefan Sagmeister: The power of time off - Stefan Sagmeister (2009)

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Every seven years, designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical to rejuvenate and refresh their creative outlook. He explains the often overlooked value of time off and shows the innovative projects inspired by his time in Bali.

TEDTalks : Garik Israelian: How spectroscopy could reveal alien life - Garik Israelian (2009)

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:21:00 -0500

Garik Israelian is a spectroscopist, studying the spectrum emitted by a star to figure out what it's made of and how it might behave. It's a rare and accessible look at this discipline, which may be coming close to finding a planet friendly to life.

TEDTalks : Karen Armstrong: Let's revive the Golden Rule - Karen Armstrong (2009)

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:46:00 -0500

Weeks from the Charter for Compassion launch, Karen Armstrong looks at religion's role in the 21st century: Will its dogmas divide us? Or will it unite us for common good? She reviews the catalysts that can drive the world's faiths to rediscover the Golden Rule.

TEDTalks : Tim Brown urges designers to think big - Tim Brown (2009)

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:10:00 -0500

Tim Brown says the design profession is preoccupied with creating nifty, fashionable objects -- even as pressing questions like clean water access show it has a bigger role to play. He calls for a shift to local, collaborative, participatory "design thinking."

TEDTalks : Parag Khanna maps the future of countries - Parag Khanna (2009)

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Many people think the lines on the map no longer matter, but Parag Khanna says they do. Using maps of the past and present, he explains the root causes of border conflicts worldwide and proposes simple yet cunning solutions for each.

TEDTalks : Jacqueline Novogratz: A third way to think about aid - Jacqueline Novogratz (2009)

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

The debate over foreign aid often pits those who mistrust "charity" against those who mistrust reliance on the markets. Jacqueline Novogratz proposes a middle way she calls patient capital, with promising examples of entrepreneurial innovation driving social change.

TEDTalks : Taryn Simon photographs secret sites - Taryn Simon (2009)

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Taryn Simon exhibits her startling take on photography -- to reveal worlds and people we would never see otherwise. She shares two projects: one documents otherworldly locations typically kept secret from the public, the other involves haunting portraits of men convicted for crimes they did not commit.

TEDTalks : William Kamkwamba: How I harnessed the wind - William Kamkwamba (2009)

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:21:00 -0500

At age 14, in poverty and famine, a Malawian boy built a windmill to power his family's home. Now at 22, William Kamkwamba, who speaks at TED, here, for the second time, shares in his own words the moving tale of invention that changed his life.

TEDTalks : Evgeny Morozov: How the Net aids dictatorships - Evgeny Morozov (2009)

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:39:00 -0500

TED Fellow and journalist Evgeny Morozov punctures what he calls "iPod liberalism" -- the assumption that tech innovation always promotes freedom, democracy -- with chilling examples of ways the Internet helps oppressive regimes stifle dissent.

TEDTalks : Jonathan Zittrain: The Web as random acts of kindness - Jonathan Zittrain (2009)

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Feeling like the world is becoming less friendly? Social theorist Jonathan Zittrain begs to difffer. The Internet, he suggests, is made up of millions of disinterested acts of kindness, curiosity and trust.

TEDTalks : Imogen Heap plays "Wait It Out" - Imogen Heap (2009)

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Imogen Heap plays a powerful stripped-down version of "Wait It Out," from her new record, Ellipse.

TEDTalks : Oliver Sacks: What hallucination reveals about our minds - Oliver Sacks (2009)

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Neurologist and author Oliver Sacks brings our attention to Charles Bonnett syndrome -- when visually impaired people experience lucid hallucinations. He describes the experiences of his patients in heartwarming detail and walks us through the biology of this under-reported phenomenon.

TEDTalks : John Lloyd inventories the invisible - John Lloyd (2009)

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Nature's mysteries meet tack-sharp wit in this hilarious, 10-minute mix of quips and fun lessons, as comedian, writer and TV man John Lloyd plucks at the substance of several things not seen.

TEDTalks : Bjarke Ingels: 3 warp-speed architecture tales - Bjarke Ingels (2009)

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:05:00 -0500

Danish architect Bjarke Ingels rockets through photo/video-mingled stories of his eco-flashy designs. His buildings not only look like nature -- they act like nature: blocking the wind, collecting solar energy -- and creating stunning views.

TEDTalks : Misha Glenny investigates global crime networks - Misha Glenny (2009)

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Journalist Misha Glenny spent several years in a courageous investigation of organized crime networks worldwide, which have grown to an estimated 15% of the global economy. From the Russian mafia, to giant drug cartels, his sources include not just intelligence and law enforcement officials but criminal insiders.

TEDTalks : Vishal Vaid's hypnotic song - Vishal Vaid (2006)

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Vishal Vaid and his band explore a traditional South Asian musical form in this mesmerizing improv performance. Sit back and let his music transport you.

TEDTalks : Rebecca Saxe: How we read each other's minds - Rebecca Saxe (2009)

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Sensing the motives and feelings of others is a natural talent for humans. But how do we do it? Here, Rebecca Saxe shares fascinating lab work that uncovers how the brain thinks about other peoples' thoughts -- and judges their actions.

TEDTalks : Lewis Pugh swims the North Pole - Lewis Pugh (2009)

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Lewis Pugh talks about his record-breaking swim across the North Pole. He braved the icy waters (in a Speedo) to highlight the melting icecap. Watch for astonishing footage -- and some blunt commentary on the realities of supercold-water swims.

TEDTalks : James Balog: Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss - James Balog (2009)

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Photographer James Balog shares new image sequences from the Extreme Ice Survey, a network of time-lapse cameras recording glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change.

TEDTalks : Steve Truglia: A leap from the edge of space - Steve Truglia (2009)

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

At his day job, Steve Truglia flips cars, walks through fire and falls out of buildings -- pushing technology to make stunts bigger, safer, more awesome. He talks us through his next stunt: the highest jump ever attempted, from the very edge of space.

TEDTalks : Evan Grant: Making sound visible through cymatics - Evan Grant (2009)

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:55:00 -0500

Evan Grant demonstrates the science and art of cymatics, a process for making soundwaves visible. Useful for analyzing complex sounds (like dolphin calls), it also makes complex and beautiful designs.

TEDTalks : Geoff Mulgan: Post-crash, investing in a better world - Geoff Mulgan (2009)

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:58:00 -0500

As we reboot the world's economy, Geoff Mulgan poses a question: Instead of sending bailout money to doomed old industries, why not use stimulus funds to bootstrap some new, socially responsible companies -- and make the world a little bit better?

TEDTalks : Josh Silver demos adjustable liquid-filled eyeglasses - Joshua Silver (2009)

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Josh Silver delivers his brilliantly simple solution for correcting vision at the lowest cost possible -- adjustable, liquid-filled lenses. At TEDGlobal 2009, he demos his affordable eyeglasses and reveals his global plan to distribute them to a billion people in need by 2020.

TEDTalks : Cary Fowler: One seed at a time, protecting the future of food - Cary Fowler (2009)

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500

The varieties of wheat, corn and rice we grow today may not thrive in a future threatened by climate change. Cary Fowler takes us inside a vast global seed bank, buried within a frozen mountain in Norway, that stores a diverse group of food-crop for whatever tomorrow may bring.

TEDTalks : Natasha Tsakos' multimedia theatrical adventure - Natasha Tsakos (2009)

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Natasha Tsakos presents part of her one-woman, multimedia show, "Upwake." As the character Zero, she blends dream and reality with an inventive virtual world projected around her in 3D animation and electric sound.

TEDTalks : Hans Rosling: Let my dataset change your mindset - Hans Rosling (2009)

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Talking at the US State Department this summer, Hans Rosling uses his fascinating data-bubble software to burst myths about the developing world. Look for new analysis on China and the post-bailout world, mixed with classic data shows.

TEDTalks : Eric Giler demos wireless electricity - Eric Giler (2009)

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:59:00 -0500

Eric Giler wants to untangle our wired lives with cable-free electric power. Here, he covers what this sci-fi tech offers, and demos MIT's breakthrough version, WiTricity -- a near-to-market invention that may soon recharge your cell phone, car, pacemaker.

TEDTalks : Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation - Dan Pink (2009)

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and maybe, a way forward.

TEDTalks : Emmanuel Jal: The music of a war child - Emmanuel Jal (2009)

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500

For five years, young Emmanuel Jal fought as a child soldier in the Sudan. Rescued by an aid worker, he's become an international hip-hop star and an activist for kids in war zones. In words and lyrics, he tells the story of his amazing life.

TEDTalks : Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action - Janine Benyus (2009)

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Janine Benyus has a message for inventors: When solving a design problem, look to nature first. There you'll find inspired designs for making things waterproof, aerodynamic, solar-powered and more. Here she reveals dozens of new products that take their cue from nature with spectacular results.

TEDTalks : Michael Pritchard's water filter turns filthy water drinkable - Michael Pritchard (2009)

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Too much of the world lacks access to clean drinking water. Engineer Michael Pritchard did something about it -- inventing the portable Lifesaver filter, which can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds. An amazing demo from TEDGlobal 2009.

TEDTalks : Willard Wigan: Hold your breath for micro-sculpture - Willard Wigan (2009)

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Willard Wigan tells the story of how a difficult and lonely childhood drove him to discover his unique ability -- to create art so tiny that it can't be seen with the naked eye. His slideshow of figures, as seen through a microscope, can only be described as mind-boggling.

TEDTalks : Paul Romer's radical idea: Charter cities - Paul Romer (2009)

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500

How can a struggling country break out of poverty if it's trapped in a system of bad rules? Economist Paul Romer unveils a bold idea: "charter cities," city-scale administrative zones governed by a coalition of nations. (Could Guantánamo Bay become the next Hong Kong?)

TEDTalks : Elaine Morgan says we evolved from aquatic apes - Elaine Morgan (2009)

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Elaine Morgan is a tenacious proponent of the aquatic ape hypothesis: the idea that humans evolved from primate ancestors who dwelt in watery habitats. Hear her spirited defense of the idea -- and her theory on why mainstream science doesn't take it seriously.

TEDTalks : Golan Levin makes art that looks back at you - Golan Levin (2009)

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Golan Levin, an artist and engineer, uses modern tools -- robotics, new software, cognitive research -- to make artworks that surprise and delight. Watch as sounds become shapes, bodies create paintings, and a curious eye looks back at the curious viewer.

TEDTalks : Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success - Alain de Botton (2009)

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Alain de Botton examines our ideas of success and failure -- and questions the assumptions underlying these two judgments. Is success always earned? Is failure? He makes an eloquent, witty case to move beyond snobbery to find true pleasure in our work.

TEDTalks : Gordon Brown: Wiring a web for global good - Gordon Brown (2009)

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

We're at a unique moment in history, says UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown: we can use today's interconnectedness to develop our shared global ethic -- and work together to confront the challenges of poverty, security, climate change and the economy.

TEDTalks : Nina Jablonski breaks the illusion of skin color - Nina Jablonski (2009)

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Nina Jablonski says that differing skin colors are simply our bodies' adaptation to varied climates and levels of UV exposure. Charles Darwin disagreed with this theory, but she explains, that's because he did not have access to NASA.

TEDTalks : Jim Fallon: Exploring the mind of a killer - Jim Fallon (2009)

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:10:00 -0500

Psychopathic killers are the basis for some must-watch TV, but what really makes them tick? Neuroscientist Jim Fallon talks about brain scans and genetic analysis that may uncover the rotten wiring in the nature (and nurture) of murderers. In a too-strange-for-fiction twist, he shares a fascinating family history that makes his work chillingly personal.

TEDTalks : Daniel Kraft invents a better way to harvest bone marrow - Daniel Kraft (2009)

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Daniel Kraft demos his Marrow Miner -- a new device that quickly harvests life-saving bone marrow with minimal pain to the donor. He emphasizes that the adult stem cells found in bone marrow can be used to treat many terminal conditions, from Parkinson's to heart disease.

TEDTalks : Olafur Eliasson: Playing with space and light - Olafur Eliasson (2009)

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

In the spectacular large-scale projects he's famous for (such as "Waterfalls" in New York harbor), Olafur Eliasson creates art from a palette of space, distance, color and light. This idea-packed talk begins with an experiment in the nature of perception.

TEDTalks : Stewart Brand proclaims 4 environmental 'heresies' - Stewart Brand (2009)

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

The man who helped usher in the environmental movement in the 1960s and '70s has been rethinking his positions on cities, nuclear power, genetic modification and geo-engineering. This talk at the US State Department is a foretaste of his major new book, sure to provoke widespread debate.

TEDTalks : Kary Mullis' next-gen cure for killer infections - Kary Mullis (2009)

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:39:00 -0500

Drug-resistant bacteria kills, even in top hospitals. But now tough infections like staph and anthrax may be in for a surprise. Nobel-winning chemist Kary Mullis, who watched a friend die when powerful antibiotics failed, unveils a radical new cure that shows extraordinary promise.

TEDTalks : Sophal Ear: Escaping the Khmer Rouge - Sophal Ear (2009)

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

TED Fellow Sophal Ear shares the compelling story of his family's escape from Cambodia under the rule of the Khmer Rouge. He recounts his mother's cunning and determination to save her children.

TEDTalks : Tom Wujec on 3 ways the brain creates meaning - Tom Wujec (2009)

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Information designer Tom Wujec talks through three areas of the brain that help us understand words, images, feelings, connections. In this short talk from TEDU, he asks: How can we best engage our brains to help us better understand big ideas?

TEDTalks : The design genius of Charles + Ray Eames - Eames Demetrios (2007)

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

The legendary design team Charles and Ray Eames made films, houses and classic midcentury modern furniture. Eames Demetrios, their grandson, shows rarely seen films and archival footage in a lively, loving tribute to their creative process.

TEDTalks : Daniel Libeskind's 17 words of architectural inspiration - Daniel Libeskind (2009)

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Daniel Libeskind builds on very big ideas. Here, he shares 17 words that underlie his vision for architecture -- raw, risky, emotional, radical -- and that offer inspiration for any bold creative pursuit.

TEDTalks : Gever Tulley teaches life lessons through tinkering - Gever Tulley (2009)

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Gever Tulley uses engaging photos and footage to demonstrate the valuable lessons kids learn at his Tinkering School. When given tools, materials and guidance, these young imaginations run wild and creative problem-solving takes over to build unique boats, bridges and even a rollercoaster!

TEDTalks : Arthur Benjamin's formula for changing math education - Arthur Benjamin (2009)

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:50:00 -0500

Someone always asks the math teacher, "Am I going to use calculus in real life?" And for most of us, says Arthur Benjamin, the answer is no. He offers a bold proposal on how to make math education relevant in the digital age.

TEDTalks : Ray Zahab treks to the South Pole - Ray Zahab (2009)

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Extreme runner Ray Zahab shares an enthusiastic account of his record-breaking trek on foot to the South Pole -- a 33-day sprint through the snow.

TEDTalks : Katherine Fulton: You are the future of philanthropy - Katherine Fulton (2007)

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

In this uplifting talk, Katherine Fulton sketches the new future of philanthropy -- one where collaboration and innovation allow regular people to do big things, even when money is scarce. Giving five practical examples of crowd-driven philanthropy, she calls for a new generation of citizen leaders.

TEDTalks : Paul Collier's new rules for rebuilding a broken nation - Paul Collier (2009)

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Long conflict can wreck a country, leaving behind poverty and chaos. But what's the right way to help war-torn countries rebuild? At TED@State, Paul Collier explains the problems with current post-conflict aid plans, and suggests 3 ideas for a better approach.

TEDTalks : Philip Zimbardo prescribes a healthy take on time - Philip Zimbardo (2009)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:35:00 -0500

Psychologist Philip Zimbardo says happiness and success are rooted in a trait most of us disregard: the way we orient toward the past, present and future. He suggests we calibrate our outlook on time as a first step to improving our lives.

TEDTalks : Qi Zhang's electrifying organ performance - Qi Zhang (2009)

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:50:00 -0500

Organ virtuoso Qi Zhang plays her electric rendering of "Ridiculous Fellows" from Prokofiev's "The Love for Three Oranges" orchestral suite. This exhilarating performance from TEDx USC features the Yamaha Electone Stagea, a rare, imported instrument specially programmed by Qi herself.

TEDTalks : Catherine Mohr: Surgery's past, present and robotic future - Catherine Mohr (2009)

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Surgeon and inventor Catherine Mohr tours the history of surgery (and its pre-painkiller, pre-antiseptic past), then demos some of the newest tools for surgery through tiny incisions, performed using nimble robot hands. Fascinating -- but not for the squeamish.

TEDTalks : Diane Benscoter on how cults rewire the brain - Diane Benscoter (2009)

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Diane Benscoter spent five years as a "Moonie." She shares an insider's perspective on the mind of a cult member, and proposes a new way to think about today's most troubling conflicts and extremist movements.

TEDTalks : Clay Shirky: How social media can make history - Clay Shirky (2009)

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

While news from Iran streams to the world, Clay Shirky shows how Facebook, Twitter and TXTs help citizens in repressive regimes to report on real news, bypassing censors (however briefly). The end of top-down control of news is changing the nature of politics.

TEDTalks : Jane Poynter: Life in Biosphere 2 - Jane Poynter (2009)

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Jane Poynter tells her story of living two years and 20 minutes in Biosphere 2 -- an experience that provoked her to explore how we might sustain life in the harshest of environments. This is the first TED talk drawn from an independently organized TEDx event, held at the University of Southern California.

TEDTalks : Richard St. John: "Success is a continuous journey" - Richard St. John (2009)

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

In his typically candid style, Richard St. John reminds us that success is not a one-way street, but a constant journey. He uses the story of his business' rise and fall to illustrate a valuable lesson -- when we stop trying, we fail.

TEDTalks : Robert Full: Learning from the gecko's tail - Robert Full (2009)

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Biologist Robert Full studies the amazing gecko, with its supersticky feet and tenacious climbing skill. But high-speed footage reveals that the gecko's tail harbors perhaps the most surprising talents of all.

TEDTalks : Nancy Etcoff on the surprising science of happiness - Nancy Etcoff (2004)

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Cognitive researcher Nancy Etcoff looks at happiness -- the ways we try to achieve and increase it, the way it's untethered to our real circumstances, and its surprising effect on our bodies.

TEDTalks : John La Grou plugs smart power outlets - John La Grou (2009)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

John La Grou unveils an ingenious new technology that will smarten up the electrical outlets in our homes, using microprocessors and RFID tags. The invention, Safeplug, promises to prevent deadly accidents like house fires -- and to conserve energy.

TEDTalks : Kevin Surace invents eco-friendly drywall - Kevin Surace (2009)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Kevin Surace suggests we rethink basic construction materials -- such as the familiar wallboard -- to reduce the huge carbon footprint generated by the manufacturing and construction of our buildings. He introduces EcoRock, a clean, recyclable and energy-efficient drywall created by his team at Serious Materials.

TEDTalks : Pete Alcorn on the world in 2200 - Pete Alcorn (2009)

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

In this short, optimistic talk from TED2009, Pete Alcorn shares a vision of the world of two centuries from now -- when declining populations and growing opportunity prove Malthus was wrong.

TEDTalks : Publisher Felix Dennis' odes to vice and consequences - Felix Dennis (2004)

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:11:00 -0500

Media big shot Felix Dennis roars his fiery, funny, sometimes racy original poetry, revisiting haunting memories and hard-won battle scars from a madcap -- yet not too repentant -- life. Best enjoyed with a glass of wine.

TEDTalks : Yann Arthus-Bertrand captures fragile Earth in wide-angle - Yann Arthus-Bertrand (2009)

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

In this image-filled talk, Yann Arthus-Bertrand displays his three most recent projects on humanity and our habitat -- stunning aerial photographs in his series "The Earth From Above," personal interviews from around the globe featured in his web project "6 billion Others," and his soon-to-be-released movie, "Home," which documents human impact on the environment through breathtaking video.

TEDTalks : Ray Kurzweil: A university for the coming singularity - Ray Kurzweil (2009)

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:53:00 -0500

Ray Kurzweil's latest graphs show that technology's breakneck advances will only accelerate -- recession or not. He unveils his new project, Singularity University, to study oncoming tech and guide it to benefit humanity.

TEDTalks : Liz Coleman's call to reinvent liberal arts education - Liz Coleman (2009)

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Bennington president Liz Coleman delivers a call-to-arms for radical reform in higher education. Bucking the trend to push students toward increasingly narrow areas of study, she proposes a truly cross-disciplinary education -- one that dynamically combines all areas of study to address the great problems of our day.

TEDTalks : How we are deceived by our own miscalculations of the future - Dan Gilbert (2005)

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:32:00 -0600

Dan Gilbert presents research and data from his exploration of happiness -- sharing some surprising tests and experiments that you can also try on yourself. Watch through to the end for a sparkling Q&A with some familiar TED faces.

TEDTalks : Does happiness have a price tag? - Benjamin Wallace (2008)

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:00:00 -0600

Can happiness be bought? To find out, author Benjamin Wallace sampled the world's most expensive products, including a bottle of 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc, 8 ounces of Kobe beef and the fabled (notorious) Kopi Luwak coffee. His critique may surprise you.

TEDTalks : The design of the universe - George Smoot (2008)

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:00:00 -0600

At Serious Play 2008, astrophysicist George Smoot shows stunning new images from deep-space surveys, and prods us to ponder how the cosmos -- with its giant webs of dark matter and mysterious gaping voids -- got built this way.

TEDTalks : The powerful link between creativity and play - Tim Brown (2008)

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:00:00 -0600

At the 2008 Serious Play conference, designer Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play -- with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn't).

TEDTalks : Products (and toys) from the future - Keith Schacht / Zach Kaplan (2005)

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500

The Inventables guys, Zach Kaplan and Keith Schacht, demo some amazing new materials and how we might use them. Look for squishy magnets, odor-detecting ink, "dry" liquid and a very surprising 10-foot pole.

TEDTalks : Healing and other natural wonders - Dean Ornish (2004)

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Dean Ornish talks about simple, low-tech and low-cost ways to take advantage of the body's natural desire to heal itself.

TEDTalks : A brief digression on matters of lost time - John Hodgman (2008)

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Humorist John Hodgman rambles through a new story about aliens, physics, time, space and the way all of these somehow contribute to a sweet, perfect memory of falling in love.

TEDTalks : A beautiful new theory of everything - Garrett Lisi (2008)

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Physicist and surfer Garrett Lisi presents a controversial new model of the universe that -- just maybe -- answers all the big questions. If nothing else, it's the most beautiful 8-dimensional model of elementary particles and forces you've ever seen.

TEDTalks : Creativity, fulfillment and flow - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2004)

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks, "What makes a life worth living?" Noting that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of "flow."

TEDTalks : Why societies collapse - Jared Diamond (2003)

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Why do societies fail? With lessons from the Norse of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter Island and present-day Montana, Jared Diamond talks about the signs that collapse is near, and how -- if we see it in time -- we can prevent it.

TEDTalks : Sound stylings by a human beatbox - James Burchfield (2003)

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Human beatbox James "AudioPoet" Burchfield performs an intricate three-minute breakdown -- sexy, propulsive hip-hop rhythms and turntable textures -- all using only his voice.

TEDTalks : Will videogames become better than life? - David Perry (2006)

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Game designer David Perry says tomorrow's videogames will be more than mere fun to the next generation of gamers. They'll be lush, complex, emotional experiences -- more involving and meaningful to some than real life.

TEDTalks : Stefan Sagmeister: Things I have learned in my life so far - Stefan Sagmeister (2008)

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Rockstar designer Stefan Sagmeister delivers a short, witty talk on life lessons, expressed through surprising modes of design (including ... inflatable monkeys?).

TEDTalks : Chalking it up to the blank slate - Steven Pinker (2003)

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Steven Pinker's book The Blank Slate argues that all humans are born with some innate traits. Here, Pinker talks about his thesis, and why some people found it incredibly upsetting.

TEDTalks : A digital library, free to the world - Brewster Kahle (2007)

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Brewster Kahle is building a truly huge digital library -- every book ever published, every movie ever released, all the strata of web history ... It's all free to the public -- unless someone else gets to it first.

TEDTalks : The deep oceans: a ribbon of life - David Gallo (1998)

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0500

With vibrant video clips captured by submarines, David Gallo takes us to some of Earth's darkest, most violent, toxic and beautiful habitats, the valleys and volcanic ridges of the oceans' depths, where life is bizarre, resilient and shockingly abundant.

TEDTalks : The real difference between liberals and conservatives - Jonathan Haidt (2008)

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we're left, right or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.

TEDTalks : Talking and squawking TED2006 - Einstein the Parrot (2006)

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:04:00 -0500

This whimsical wrap-up of TED2006 -- presented by Einstein, the African grey parrot, and her trainer, Stephanie White -- simply tickles. Watch for the moment when Einstein has a moment with Al Gore.

TEDTalks : Why we don't understand as much as we think we do - Jonathan Drori (2007)

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Starting with four basic questions (that you may be surprised to find you can't answer), Jonathan Drori looks at the gaps in our knowledge -- and specifically, what we don't about science that we might think we do.

TEDTalks : Close-up card magic - Lennart Green (2005)

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Like your uncle at a family party, the rumpled Swedish doctor Lennart Green says, "Pick a card, any card." But what he does with those cards is pure magic -- flabbergasting, lightning-fast, how-does-he-do-it? magic.

TEDTalks : Photography connects us with the world - David Griffin (2008)

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500

The photo director for National Geographic, David Griffin knows the power of photography to connect us to our world. In a talk filled with glorious images, he talks about how we all use photos to tell our stories.

TEDTalks : Idea + square = origami - Robert Lang (2008)

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:03:00 -0500

Robert Lang is a pioneer of the newest kind of origami -- using math and engineering principles to fold mind-blowingly intricate designs that are beautiful and, sometimes, very useful.

TEDTalks : Predicting the next 5,000 days of the web - Kevin Kelly (2007)

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:01:00 -0500

At the 2007 EG conference, Kevin Kelly shares a fun stat: The World Wide Web, as we know it, is only 5,000 days old. Now, Kelly asks, how can we predict what's coming in the next 5,000 days?

TEDTalks : The art of collecting stories - Jonathan Harris (2007)

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:00:00 -0500

At the EG conference in December 2007, artist Jonathan Harris discusses his latest projects, which involve collecting stories: his own, strangers', and stories collected from the Internet, including his amazing "We Feel Fine."

TEDTalks : What positive psychology can help you become - Martin Seligman (2004)

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:28:00 -0500

Martin Seligman talks about psychology -- as a field of study and as it works one-on-one with each patient and each practitioner. As it moves beyond a focus on disease, what can modern psychology help us to become?

TEDTalks : Brain magic - Keith Barry (2004)

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:40:00 -0500

First, Keith Barry shows us how our brains can fool our bodies -- in a trick that works via podcast too. Then he involves the audience in some jaw-dropping (and even a bit dangerous) feats of brain magic.

TEDTalks : Technology, faith and human shortcomings - Billy Graham (1998)

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Speaking at TED in 1998, Rev. Billy Graham marvels at technology's power to improve lives and change the world -- but says the end of evil, suffering and death will come only after the world accepts Christ. A legendary talk from TED's archives.

TEDTalks : The brain in love - Helen Fisher (2008)

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Why do we crave love so much, even to the point that we would die for it? To learn more about our very real, very physical need for romantic love, Helen Fisher and her research team took MRIs of people in love -- and people who had just been dumped.

TEDTalks : My year of living biblically - A.J. Jacobs (2007)

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Speaking at the most recent EG conference, author, philosopher, prankster and journalist A.J. Jacobs talks about the year he spent living biblically -- following the rules in the Bible as literally as possible.

TEDTalks : A girl, a photograph, a homecoming - Rick Smolan (2007)

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:30:00 -0500

Photographer Rick Smolan tells the unforgettable story of a young Amerasian girl, a fateful photograph, and an adoption saga with a twist.

TEDTalks : Classical music with shining eyes - Benjamin Zander (2008)

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it -- and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections.

TEDTalks : A new vision for refrigeration - Adam Grosser (2007)

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Adam Grosser talks about a project to build a refrigerator that works without electricity -- to bring the vital tool to villages and clinics worldwide. Tweaking some old technology, he's come up with a system that works.

TEDTalks : How engineers learn from evolution - Robert Full (2002)

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:05:00 -0500

Insects and animals have evolved some amazing skills -- but, as Robert Full notes, many animals are actually over-engineered. The trick is to copy only what's necessary. He shows how human engineers can learn from animals' tricks.

TEDTalks : Picturing excess - Chris Jordan (2008)

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:00:00 -0500

Artist Chris Jordan shows us an arresting view of what Western culture looks like. His supersized images picture some almost unimaginable statistics -- like the astonishing number of paper cups we use every single day.

TEDTalks : Stories from the birth of the computer - George Dyson (2003)

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:58:00 -0500

Historian George Dyson tells stories from the birth of the modern computer -- from its 17th-century origins to the hilarious notebooks of some early computer engineers.

TEDTalks : Do all languages have a common ancestor? - Murray Gell-Mann (2007)

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:00:00 -0500

After speaking at TED2007 on elegance in physics, the amazing Murray Gell-Mann gives a quick overview of another passionate interest: finding the common ancestry of our modern languages.

TEDTalks : Institutions vs. collaboration - Clay Shirky (2005)

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:30:00 -0500

In this prescient 2005 talk, Clay Shirky shows how closed groups and companies will give way to looser networks where small contributors have big roles and fluid cooperation replaces rigid planning.

TEDTalks : The worldwide web of belief and ritual - Wade Davis (2008)

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Anthropologist Wade Davis muses on the worldwide web of belief and ritual that makes us human. He shares breathtaking photos and stories of the Elder Brothers, a group of Sierra Nevada indians whose spiritual practice holds the world in balance.

TEDTalks : How ordinary people become monsters ... or heroes - Philip Zimbardo (2008)

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Philip Zimbardo knows how easy it is for nice people to turn bad. In this talk, he shares insights and graphic unseen photos from the Abu Ghraib trials. Then he talks about the flip side: how easy it is to be a hero, and how we can rise to the challenge.

TEDTalks : 4 ways to improve the lives of the "bottom billion" - Paul Collier (2008)

Wed, 28 May 2008 15:00:00 -0500

Around the world right now, one billion people are trapped in poor or failing countries. How can we help them? Economist Paul Collier lays out a bold, compassionate plan for closing the gap between rich and poor.

TEDTalks : Memes and "temes" - Susan Blackmore (2008)

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Susan Blackmore studies memes: ideas that replicate themselves from brain to brain like a virus. She makes a bold new argument: Humanity has spawned a new kind of meme, the teme, which spreads itself via technology -- and invents ways to keep itself alive

TEDTalks : Creating objects that tell stories - Yves Behar (2008)

Wed, 21 May 2008 02:53:00 -0500

Designer Yves Behar digs up his creative roots to discuss some of the iconic objects he's created (the Leaf lamp, the Jawbone headset). Then he turns to the witty, surprising, elegant objects he's working on now -- including the "$100 laptop."

TEDTalks : Exploring the ocean's hidden worlds - Robert Ballard (2008)

Tue, 20 May 2008 04:00:00 -0500

Ocean explorer Robert Ballard takes us on a mindbending trip to hidden worlds underwater, where he and other researchers are finding unexpected life, resources, even new mountains. He makes a case for serious exploration and mapping. Google Ocean, anyone?

TEDTalks : What's wrong with what we eat - Mark Bittman (2007)

Thu, 15 May 2008 03:43:00 -0500

In this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on what's wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home cooking), and why it's putting the entire planet at risk.

TEDTalks : The amazing intelligence of crows - Joshua Klein (2008)

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:27:00 -0500

Hacker and writer Joshua Klein is fascinated by crows. (Notice the gleam of intelligence in their little black eyes?) After a long amateur study of corvid behavior, he's come up with an elegant machine that may form a new bond between animal and human.

TEDTalks : Juggling rhythm and motion - Michael Moschen (2002)

Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:00 -0500

Michael Moschen puts on a quietly mesmerizing show of juggling. Don't think juggling is an art? You might just change your mind after watching Moschen in motion.

TEDTalks : 6 ways mushrooms can save the world - Paul Stamets (2008)

Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 -0500

Mycologist Paul Stamets lists 6 ways the mycelium fungus can help save the universe: cleaning polluted soil, making insecticides, treating smallpox and even flu ... Read more.

TEDTalks : An inside tour of the world's biggest supercollider - Brian Cox (2008)

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:47:00 -0500

"Rock-star physicist" Brian Cox talks about his work on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Discussing the biggest of big science in an engaging, accessible way, Cox brings us along on a tour of the massive project.

TEDTalks : Your genes are not your fate - Dean Ornish (2008)

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Dean Ornish shares new research that shows how adopting healthy lifestyle habits can affect a person at a genetic level. For instance, he says, when you live healthier, eat better, exercise, and love more, your brain cells actually increase.

TEDTalks : The universe on a string - Brian Greene (2005)

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:50:00 -0500

Physicist Brian Greene explains superstring theory, the idea that minscule strands of energy vibrating in 11 dimensions create every particle and force in the universe.

TEDTalks : Where does creativity hide? - Amy Tan (2008)

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:38:00 -0500

Novelist Amy Tan digs deep into the creative process, looking for hints of how hers evolved.

TEDTalks : Why we know less than ever about the world - Alisa Miller (2008)

Wed, 14 May 2008 01:35:00 -0500

Alisa Miller, head of Public Radio International, talks about why -- though we want to know more about the world than ever -- the US media is actually showing less. Eye-opening stats and graphs.

TEDTalks : Open-source economics - Yochai Benkler (2005)

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:30:00 -0500

Yochai Benkler explains how collaborative projects like Wikipedia and Linux represent the next stage of human organization.

TEDTalks : Releasing the music in your head - Tod Machover / Dan Ellsey (2008)

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:25:00 -0500

Tod Machover of MIT's Media Lab is devoted to extending musical expression to everyone, from virtuosos to amateurs, and in the most diverse forms, from opera to video games. He and composer Dan Ellsey shed light on what's next.

TEDTalks : Creating tech marvels out of a $40 Wii Remote - Johnny Lee (2008)

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0500

Building sophisticated educational tools out of cheap parts, Johnny Lee demos his cool Wii Remote hacks, which turn the $40 video game controller into a digital whiteboard, a touchscreen and a head-mounted 3-D viewer.

TEDTalks : Tourist snapshots from North Korea - Paul Koontz (2007)

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:33:00 -0500

While on vacation in Asia in 2007, Paul Koontz got the rare chance to spend a few days in North Korea as a tourist. He brought along his kids and his camera. In this talk, he shares his experiences, from quotidian details to grand spectacle.

TEDTalks : New thinking on the climate crisis - Al Gore (2008)

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:27:00 -0500

In this brand-new slideshow (premiering on TED.com), Al Gore presents evidence that the pace of climate change may be even worse than scientists recently predicted. He challenges us to act.

TEDTalks : Asking big questions about the universe - Stephen Hawking (2008)

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:31:00 -0500

In keeping with the theme of TED2008, professor Stephen Hawking asks some Big Questions about our universe -- How did the universe begin? How did life begin? Are we alone? -- and discusses how we might go about answering them.

TEDTalks : Rethinking the music video - Jakob Trollback (2007)

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:14:00 -0500

What would a music video look like if it were directed by the music, purely as an expression of a great song, rather than driven by a filmmaker's concept? Designer Jakob Trollback shares the results of his experiment in the form.

TEDTalks : 18 minutes with an agile mind - Clifford Stoll (2006)

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Clifford Stoll captivates his audience with a wildly energetic sprinkling of anecdotes, observations, asides -- and even a science experiment. After all, by his own definition, he's a scientist: "Once I do something, I want to do something else."

TEDTalks : Looking inside the brain in real time - Christopher deCharms (2008)

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:46:00 -0500

Neuroscientist and inventor Christopher deCharms demonstrates a new way to use fMRI to show brain activity -- thoughts, emotions, pain -- while it is happening. In other words, you can actually see how you feel.

TEDTalks : The true face of Leonardo Da Vinci? - Siegfried Woldhek (2008)

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:14:00 -0500

Mona Lisa is one of the best-known faces on the planet. But would you recognize an image of Leonardo da Vinci? Illustrator Siegfried Woldhek uses some thoughtful image-analysis techniques to find what he believes is the true face of Leonardo.

TEDTalks : 2008 TED Prize wish: Charter for Compassion - Karen Armstrong (2008)

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0500

People want to be religious, says scholar Karen Armstrong; we should help make religion a force for harmony. She asks the TED community to help build a Charter for Compassion -- to restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine.

TEDTalks : 2008 TED Prize wish: Once Upon a School - Dave Eggers (2008)

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:59:00 -0500

Accepting his 2008 TED Prize, author Dave Eggers asks the TED community to personally, creatively engage with local public schools. With spellbinding eagerness, he talks about how his 826 Valencia tutoring center inspired others around the world to open

TEDTalks : 2008 TED Prize wish: An African Einstein - Neil Turok (2008)

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:26:00 -0500

Accepting his 2008 TED Prize, physicist Neil Turok speaks out for talented young Africans starved of opportunity: by unlocking and nurturing the continent's creative potential, we can create a change in Africa's future.

TEDTalks : From 1984, 4 predictions about the future (3 of them correct) - Nicholas Negroponte (1984)

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:26:00 -0500

With surprising accuracy, Nicholas Negroponte predicts what will happen with CD-ROMs, web interfaces, service kiosks, the touchscreen interface of the iPhone and his own One Laptop per Child project.

TEDTalks : My stroke of insight - Jill Bolte Taylor (2008)

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:10:00 -0500

Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An astonishing story.

TEDTalks : A powerful idea about teaching ideas - Alan Kay (2007)

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:09:00 -0600

With all the intensity and brilliance for which he is known, Alan Kay envisions better techniques for teaching kids by using computers to illustrate experience in ways -– mathematically and scientifically -- that only computers can.

TEDTalks : On the verge of creating synthetic life - Craig Venter (2008)

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:38:00 -0600

"Can we create new life out of our digital universe?" Craig Venter asks. His answer is "yes" -- and pretty soon. He walks through his latest research and promises that we'll soon be able to build and boot up a synthetic chromosome.

TEDTalks : WorldWide Telescope - Roy Gould / Curtis Wong (2008)

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:00:00 -0600

Educator Roy Gould and researcher Curtis Wong show a sneak preview of Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope, which compiles images from telescopes and satellites to build a comprehensive, interactive view of our universe.

TEDTalks : Welcome to Vaudeville 2.0 - Raspyni Brothers (2002)

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:16:00 -0600

Illustrious jugglers the Raspyni Brothers show off their uncanny balance, agility, coordination and willingness to sacrifice (others). Now, if you'll just stand completely still...

TEDTalks : The Jill and Julia Show - Julia Sweeney / Jill Sobule (2007)

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:03:00 -0600

Two TED favorites, Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney, team up for a delightful set that mixes witty songwriting with a little bit of social commentary.

TEDTalks : Let's take a nuclear-powered rocket to Saturn - George Dyson (2002)

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:23:00 -0600

Author George Dyson spins the story of Project Orion, a massive, nuclear-powered spacecraft that could have taken us to Saturn in five years. His insider’s perspective and a secret cache of documents bring an Atomic Age dream to life.

TEDTalks : What makes a building unique? - Moshe Safdie (2002)

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:22:00 -0600

Looking back over his long career, architect Moshe Safdie delves into four of his design projects and explains how he labored to make each one truly unique for its site and its users.

TEDTalks : Theremin, the untouchable music - Pamelia Kurstin (2002)

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:40:00 -0600

Virtuoso Pamelia Kurstin performs and discusses her theremin, the not-just-for-sci-fi electronic instrument that is played without being touched. Songs include "Autumn Leaves," "Lush Life" and David Mash’s "Listen, Words Are Gone."

TEDTalks : Way-new collaboration - Howard Rheingold (2005)

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:39:00 -0600

Howard Rheingold talks about the coming world of collaboration, participatory media and collective action -- and how Wikipedia is really an outgrowth of our natural human instinct to work as a group.

TEDTalks : All roads lead to Rome Antics - David Macaulay (2002)

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 01:57:00 -0600

David Macaulay relives the winding and sometimes surreal journey toward the completion of Rome Antics, his illustrated homage to the historic city.

TEDTalks : The omnivore's next dilemma - Michael Pollan (2007)

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 01:04:00 -0600

What if human consciousness isn't the end-all and be-all of Darwinism? What if we are all just pawns in corn's clever strategy game to rule the Earth? Author Michael Pollan asks us to see the world from a plant's-eye view.

TEDTalks : Rebuilding America, one slide show at a time - Bill Strickland (2002)

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:05:00 -0600

Bill Strickland tells a quiet and astonishing tale of redemption through arts, music, and unlikely partnerships.

TEDTalks : The story of a passionate life - Ben Dunlap (2007)

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:45:00 -0600

Wofford College president Ben Dunlap tells the story of Sandor Teszler, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor who taught him about passionate living and lifelong learning.

TEDTalks : Underwater astonishments - David Gallo (2007)

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:28:00 -0600

David Gallo shows jaw-dropping footage of amazing sea creatures, including a color-shifting cuttlefish, a perfectly camouflaged octopus, and a Times Square's worth of neon light displays from fish who live in the blackest depths of the ocean.

TEDTalks : The mystery box - J.J. Abrams (2007)

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:00:00 -0600

J.J. Abrams traces his love for the unseen mystery –- a passion that’s evident in his films and TV shows, including Cloverfield, Lost and Alias -- back to its magical beginnings.

TEDTalks : Tales of passion - Isabel Allende (2007)

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:00:00 -0600

Author and activist Isabel Allende discusses women, creativity, the definition of feminism -- and, of course, passion -- in this talk.

TEDTalks : Help fight local warming - Yossi Vardi (2007)

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:00:00 -0600

Investor and prankster Yossi Vardi delivers a careful lecture on the dangers of blogging. Specifically, for men.

TEDTalks : 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do - Gever Tulley (2007)

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:27:00 -0600

Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School, spells out 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do. From TED University 2007.

TEDTalks : Why aren't we all Good Samaritans? - Daniel Goleman (2007)

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:38:00 -0600

Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, asks why we aren't more compassionate more of the time.

TEDTalks : Lightning calculation and other "Mathemagic" - Arthur Benjamin (2005)

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:13:00 -0600

In a lively show, mathemagician Arthur Benjamin races a team of calculators to figure out 3-digit squares, solves another massive mental equation and guesses a few birthdays. How does he do it? He’ll tell you.

TEDTalks : African fractals, in buildings and braids - Ron Eglash (2007)

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:00:00 -0600

'I am a mathematician, and I would like to stand on your roof.' That is how Ron Eglash greeted many African families he met while researching the fractal patterns he’d noticed in villages across the continent.

TEDTalks : Why design? - Philippe Starck (2007)

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:30:00 -0600

Designer Philippe Starck -- with no pretty slides to show -- spends 18 minutes reaching for the very roots of the question "Why design?" Listen carefully for one perfect mantra for all of us, genius or not.

TEDTalks : A 4-minute medley on the music wars - David Pogue (2007)

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 01:45:00 -0600

New York Times tech columnist David Pogue performs a satirical mini-medley about iTunes and the downloading wars, borrowing a few notes from Sonny and Cher and the Village People.

TEDTalks : Secrets of movement, from geckos and roaches - Robert Full (2005)

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:45:00 -0600

Biologist Robert Full shares slo-mo video of some captivating critters. Take a closer look at the spiny legs that allow cockroaches to scuttle across mesh and the nanobristle-packed feet that let geckos to run straight up walls.

TEDTalks : Beauty and truth in physics - Murray Gell-Mann (2007)

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 09:00:00 -0600

Armed with a sense of humor and laypeople's terms, Nobel winner Murray Gell-Mann drops some knowledge on TEDsters about particle physics, asking questions like, Are elegant equations more likely to be right than inelegant ones?

TEDTalks : Why can't we grow new energy? - Juan Enriquez (2007)

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 01:00:00 -0600

Juan Enriquez challenges our definition of bioenergy. Oil, coal, gas and other hydrocarbons are not chemical but biological products, based on plant matter -- and thus, growable. Our whole approach to fuel, he argues, needs to change.

TEDTalks : A surprising idea for "solving" climate change - David Keith (2007)

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:44:00 -0600

Environmental scientist David Keith proposes a cheap, effective, shocking means to address climate change: What if we injected a huge cloud of ash into the atmosphere to deflect sunlight and heat?

TEDTalks : Habits of happiness - Matthieu Ricard (2004)

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:42:00 -0500

What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard says we can train our minds in habits of well-being, to generate a true sense of serenity and fulfillment.

TEDTalks : Our cell phones, ourselves - Jan Chipchase (2007)

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:05:00 -0500

Nokia researcher Jan Chipchase's investigation into the ways we interact with technology has led him from the villages of Uganda to the insides of our pockets. He's made some unexpected discoveries along the way.

TEDTalks : My history of electroshock therapy - Sherwin Nuland (2001)

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 04:23:00 -0500

Surgeon and author Sherwin Nuland discusses the development of electroshock therapy as a cure for severe, life-threatening depression -- including his own. It’s a moving and heartfelt talk about relief, redemption and second chances.

TEDTalks : How creativity is being strangled by the law - Larry Lessig (2007)

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 01:00:00 -0600

Larry Lessig, the Net’s most celebrated lawyer, cites John Philip Sousa, celestial copyrights and the "ASCAP cartel" in his argument for reviving our creative culture.

TEDTalks : A journey to the center of your mind - Vilayanur Ramachandran (2007)

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 08:15:00 -0500

Vilayanur Ramachandran tells us what brain damage can reveal about the connection between celebral tissue and the mind, using three startling delusions as examples.

TEDTalks : Casting spells with DNA - Paul Rothemund (2007)

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 01:14:00 -0600

Paul Rothemund writes code that causes DNA to arrange itself into a star, a smiley face and more. Sure, it's a stunt, but it's also a demonstration of self-assembly at the smallest of scales -- with vast implications for the future of making things.

TEDTalks : The illustrated woman - Maira Kalman (2007)

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 01:50:00 -0500

Author and illustrator Maira Kalman talks about her life and work, from her covers for The New Yorker to her books for children and grown-ups. She is as wonderful, as wise and as deliciously off-kilter in person as she is on paper.

TEDTalks : Life at 30,000 feet - Richard Branson (2007)

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 06:17:00 -0500

Richard Branson talks to TED's Chris Anderson about the ups and the downs of his career, from his multibillionaire success to his multiple near-death experiences -- and reveals some of his (very surprising) motivations.

TEDTalks : Hip-hop dance and a little magic - Kenichi Ebina (2007)

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 09:25:00 -0500

Kenichi Ebina moves his body in a manner that appears to defy the limits imposed by the human skeleton. He combines breakdancing and hip-hop with mime using movements that are simultaneously precise and fluid.

TEDTalks : Fly me to the moons of Saturn - Carolyn Porco (2007)

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 05:23:00 -0500

Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco shows images from the Cassini voyage to Saturn, focusing on its largest moon, Titan, and on frozen Enceladus, which seems to shoot jets of ice.

TEDTalks : The case for informed optimism - Larry Brilliant (2007)

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:32:00 -0600

We've known about global warming for 50 years and done little about it, says Google.org director Larry Brilliant. In spite of this and other depressing trends, he's optimistic and tells us why. From Skoll World Forum, Oxford, UK, www.skollfoundation.org

TEDTalks : Flying on solar wings - Paul MacCready (2003)

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:23:00 -0500

Paul MacCready -- aircraft designer, environmentalist, and lifelong lover of flight -- talks about his long career.

TEDTalks : Can kids teach themselves? - Sugata Mitra (2007)

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Speaking at LIFT 2007, Sugata Mitra talks about his Hole in the Wall project. Young kids in this project figured out how to use a PC on their own -- and then taught other kids. He asks, what else can children teach themselves?

TEDTalks : Building on the green agenda - Norman Foster (2007)

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:36:00 -0500

Architect Norman Foster discusses his own work to show how computers can help architects design buildings that are green, beautiful and "basically pollution-free." From the 2007 DLD Conference, Munich; www.dld-conference.com

TEDTalks : Simplicity patterns - John Maeda (2007)

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:38:00 -0500

The MIT Media Lab's John Maeda lives at the intersection of technology and art, a place that can get very complicated. Here he talks about paring down to basics.

TEDTalks : Making movies that make change - Jeff Skoll (2007)

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:09:00 -0500

Film producer Jeff Skoll (An Inconvenient Truth) talks about his film company, Participant Productions, and the people who've inspired him to do good.

TEDTalks : 10 ways the world could end - Stephen Petranek (2002)

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 03:07:00 -0500

How might the world end? Stephen Petranek lays out the challenges that face us in the drive to preserve the human race. Will we be wiped out by an asteroid? Eco-collapse? How about a particle collider gone wild?

TEDTalks : Robots that are "self-aware" - Hod Lipson (2007)

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 02:57:00 -0500

Hod Lipson demonstrates a few of his cool little robots, which have the ability to learn, understand themselves and even self-replicate.

TEDTalks : The stuff of thought - Steven Pinker (2005)

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 14:56:00 -0500

In an exclusive preview of his book The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker looks at language and how it expresses what goes on in our minds -- and how the words we choose communicate much more than we realize.

TEDTalks : A brief history of violence - Steven Pinker (2007)

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:55:00 -0500

Steven Pinker charts the decline of violence from Biblical times to the present, and argues that, though it may seem illogical and even obscene, given Iraq and Darfur, we are living in the most peaceful time in our species' existence.

TEDTalks : The art of creating creatures - Theo Jansen (2007)

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0500

Artist Theo Jansen demonstrates the amazingly lifelike kinetic sculptures he builds from plastic tubes and lemonade bottles. His creatures are designed to move -- and even survive -- on their own.

TEDTalks : Redefining the dictionary - Erin McKean (2007)

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:30:00 -0500

Is the beloved paper dictionary doomed to extinction? In this infectiously exuberant talk, leading lexicographer Erin McKean looks at the many ways today's print dictionary is poised for transformation.

TEDTalks : Tackling poverty with "patient capital" - Jacqueline Novogratz (2007)

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 15:00:00 -0500

Jacqueline Novogratz shares stories of how "patient capital" can bring sustainable jobs, goods, services -- and dignity -- to the world's poorest.

TEDTalks : Educating a new generation of African leaders - Patrick Awuah (2007)

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:29:00 -0500

Patrick Awuah makes the case that a liberal arts education is critical to forming true leaders.

TEDTalks : How I built my family a windmill - William Kamkwamba (2007)

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:20:00 -0500

When he was just 14 years old, Malawian inventor William Kamkwamba built his family an electricity-generating windmill from spare parts, working from rough plans he found in a library book.

TEDTalks : Cheetahs vs. Hippos for Africa's future - George Ayittey (2007)

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:32:00 -0500

Ghanaian economist George Ayittey unleashes a torrent of controlled anger toward corrupt leaders in Africa -- and calls on the “Cheetah generation” to take back the continent.

TEDTalks : Is 4 a.m. the new midnight? - Rives (2007)

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:44:00 -0500

Poet Rives does 8 minutes of lyrical origami, folding history into a series of coincidences surrounding that most surreal of hours, 4 o'clock in the morning.

TEDTalks : Fantastic voyage inside a cell - David Bolinsky (2007)

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 08:31:00 -0500

Medical animator David Bolinsky presents 3 minutes of stunning animation that show the bustling life inside a cell.

TEDTalks : Toys that make worlds - Will Wright (2007)

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 10:22:00 -0500

In a friendly, high-speed presentation, Will Wright demos his newest game, Spore, which promises to dazzle users even more than his previous masterpieces.

TEDTalks : How do ants know what to do? - Deborah Gordon (2003)

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:26:00 -0600

With a dusty backhoe, a handful of Japanese paint markers and a few students in tow, Deborah Gordon digs up ant colonies in the Arizona desert in search of keys to understanding complex systems.

TEDTalks : The Web's secret stories - Jonathan Harris (2007)

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:14:00 -0500

Jonathan Harris wants to make sense of the emotional world of the Web. With deep compassion for the human condition, his projects troll the Internet to find out what we're all feeling and looking for.

TEDTalks : What do we really know about the spread of AIDS? - Emily Oster (2007)

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 06:19:00 -0500

Emily Oster re-examines the stats on AIDS in Africa from an economic perspective and reaches a stunning conclusion: Everything we know about the spread of HIV on the continent is wrong.

TEDTalks : Why can't we grow new body parts? - Alan Russell (2006)

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:45:00 -0500

Alan Russell studies regenerative medicine -- a breakthrough way of thinking about disease and injury, using a process that can signal the body to rebuild itself.

TEDTalks : Journey to the center of the Earth ... and beyond! - Bill Stone (2007)

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:50:00 -0500

Bill Stone, a maverick cave explorer who has plumbed Earth’s deepest abysses, discusses his efforts to mine lunar ice for space fuel and to build an autonomous robot for studying Jupiter’s moon Europa.

TEDTalks : New insights on poverty and life around the world - Hans Rosling (2007)

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:12:00 -0500

Researcher Hans Rosling uses his cool data tools to show how countries are pulling themselves out of poverty. He demos Dollar Street, comparing households of varying income levels worldwide. Then he does something really amazing.

TEDTalks : BumpTop desktop is a beautiful mess - Anand Agarawala (2007)

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 12:01:00 -0500

Anand Agarawala presents BumpTop, a user interface that takes the usual desktop metaphor to a glorious, 3-D extreme, transforming file navigation into a freewheeling playground of crumpled documents and clipping-covered "walls."

TEDTalks : Becoming Buddha -- on the Web - Robert Thurman (2006)

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 10:31:00 -0500

In our hyperlinked world, we can know anything, anytime. And this mass enlightenment, says Buddhist scholar Bob Thurman, is our first step toward Buddha nature.

TEDTalks : Jaw-dropping Photosynth demo - Blaise Aguera y Arcas (2007)

Sun, 27 May 2007 00:37:00 -0500

Blaise Aguera y Arcas leads a dazzling demo of Photosynth, software that could transform the way we look at digital images. Using still photos culled from the Web, Photosynth builds breathtaking dreamscapes and lets us navigate them.

TEDTalks : Seeking salvation and profit in greentech - John Doerr (2007)

Sun, 27 May 2007 11:54:00 -0500

"I don't think we're going to make it," John Doerr proclaims, in an emotional talk about climate change and investment. Spurred on by his daughter, who demanded he fix the mess the world is heading for, he and his partners.

TEDTalks : Swim with giant sunfish in the open ocean - Tierney Thys (2003)

Mon, 21 May 2007 15:59:00 -0500

Marine biologist Tierney Thys asks us to step into the water to visit the world of the Mola mola, or giant ocean sunfish. Basking, eating jellyfish and getting massages, this behemoth offers clues to life in the open sea.

TEDTalks : Brain science is about to fundamentally change computing - Jeff Hawkins (2003)

Mon, 21 May 2007 15:08:00 -0500

Treo creator Jeff Hawkins urges us to take a new look at the brain -- to see it not as a fast processor, but as a memory system that stores and plays back experiences to help us predict, intelligently, what will happen next.

TEDTalks : The future of design is human-centered - David Kelley (2002)

Tue, 15 May 2007 10:00:00 -0500

IDEO’s David Kelley says that product design has become much less about the hardware and more about the user experience. He shows video of this new, broader approach, including footage from the Prada store in New York.

TEDTalks : The tragedy of suburbia - James Howard Kunstler (2004)

Sat, 12 May 2007 08:20:00 -0500

In James Howard Kunstler's view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about.

TEDTalks : "Black Men Ski" - Stew (2006)

Mon, 07 May 2007 13:44:00 -0500

What happens when a black man visits Aspen? Singer/songwriter Stew and his band are about to let you know.

TEDTalks : Inside the Google machine - Sergey Brin and Larry Page (2004)

Thu, 03 May 2007 17:51:00 -0500

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin offer a peek inside the Google machine, sharing tidbits about international search patterns, the philanthropic Google Foundation, and the company's dedication to innovation and employee happiness.

TEDTalks : Technology's Long Tail - Chris Anderson (Wired) (2004)

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:11:00 -0500

Chris Anderson, the editor of WIRED, explores the four key stages of any viable technology: setting the right price, gaining market share, displacing an established technology and, finally, becoming ubiquitous.

TEDTalks : Ants, terrorism, and the awesome power of memes - Dan Dennett (2002)

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:45:00 -0500

Starting with the simple tale of an ant, philosopher Dan Dennett unleashes a devastating salvo of ideas, making a powerful case for the existence of memes -- concepts that are literally alive.

TEDTalks : "La Vie en Rose" - Thomas Dolby / Rachelle Garniez (2004)

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 05:35:00 -0500

Featuring the vocals and mischievous bell-playing of accordionist and singer Rachelle Garniez, the TED House Band -- led by Thomas Dolby on keyboard -- delivers this delightful rendition of the Edith Piaf standard "La Vie en Rose."

TEDTalks : A comic send-up of TED2006 - Tom Rielly (2006)

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 03:54:00 -0500

Satirist Tom Rielly delivers a wicked parody of the 2006 TED conference, taking down the $100 laptop, the plight of the polar bear, and people who mention, one too many times, that they work at Harvard. Watch for a special moment between Tom and Al Gore.

TEDTalks : An atheist's call to arms - Richard Dawkins (2002)

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:07:00 -0500

Richard Dawkins urges all atheists to openly state their position -- and to fight the incursion of the church into politics and science. A fiery, funny, powerful talk.

TEDTalks : How could God have allowed the tsunami? - Tom Honey (2005)

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 01:55:00 -0500

In the days following the tragic South Asian tsunami of 2004, the Rev. Tom Honey pondered the question, "How could a loving God have done this?" Here is his answer.

TEDTalks : After the gold rush, there's innovation ahead - Jeff Bezos (2003)

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 23:43:00 -0500

The dot-com boom and bust is often compared to the Gold Rush. But Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos says it’s more like the early days of the electric industry.

TEDTalks : The wisdom of designing Cradle to Cradle - William McDonough (2005)

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 18:03:00 -0500

Green-minded architect and designer William McDonough asks what our buildings and products would look like if designers took into account "all children, all species, for all time."

TEDTalks : How to listen to music with your whole body - Evelyn Glennie (2003)

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:51:00 -0500

In this soaring demonstration, deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie illustrates how listening to music involves much more than simply letting sound waves hit your eardrums.

TEDTalks : Can we know our own minds? - Dan Dennett (2003)

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 10:33:00 -0500

Philosopher Dan Dennett makes a compelling argument that not only don't we understand our own consciousness, but that half the time our brains are actively fooling us.

TEDTalks : The universe is queerer than we can suppose - Richard Dawkins (2005)

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 00:11:00 -0500

Biologist Richard Dawkins makes a case for "thinking the improbable" by looking at how the human frame of reference limits our understanding of the universe.

TEDTalks : Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy? - Dan Gilbert (2004)

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 00:11:00 -0500

Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, challenges the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want. Our "psychological immune system" lets us feel truly happy even when things don’t go as planned.

TEDTalks : Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better - Tony Robbins (2006)

Tue, 27 Jun 2006 20:38:00 -0500

Tony Robbins discusses the "invisible forces" that motivate everyone's actions -- and high-fives Al Gore in the front row.

TEDTalks : New prosthetic arm for veterans - Dean Kamen (2007)

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 06:00:00 -0500

Inventor Dean Kamen previews the prosthetic arm he’s developing at the request of the US Department of Defense. His quiet commitment to using technology to solve problems -- while honoring the human spirit -- has never been more clear.

TEDTalks : What separates us from the apes? - Jane Goodall (2002)