28 September 2006
Virgin Galactic unveils the rocket-powered ship to launch space tourism
This morning, Virgin CEO Sir Richard Branson offered the first public look at
the rocketship expected to make space tourism a reality. The mock-up — revealed at WIRED/NextFest in New York — is based on the design of SpaceShipOne, the Ansari X-Prize-winning craft designed by Burt Rutan (TED2006). (Watch for Rutan's TEDTalk later this fall.) The first Virgin Galactic flight is tentatively scheduled for 2009; tickets are expected to cost £100,000 ($190,000).
28 September 2006
Who will be the next U.N. secretary general?
Even if there weren't two TEDsters in the running, we'd be keeping a close watch on the race to succeed Kofi Annan as U.N. Secretary General, when he steps down at year's end. One in a series of informal votes takes place today at UN Headquarters. In today's New York Times, an Op/ED piece titled Why I Should Run the U.N. (log-in required) poses two brief questions to each of the seven candidates, and five -- including former Afghan Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani (who spoke at TEDGlobal in 2005), and UN Under-secretary General Shashi Tharoor (who introduced the TEDPrize winners in 2005) -- weighed in.
More on the candidates with this BBC primer.
26 September 2006
Happiness Expert Dan Gilbert on TEDTalks
Dan Gilbert is a psychology professor at Harvard, and author of Stumbling on Happiness
Download this talk: Audio (MP3) | Video (MP4)
More TEDTalks: TEDTalks website | iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video)
Blog this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:
Subscribe to TEDTalks for free, automatic updates.
26 September 2006
"Paradox of Choice" author Barry Schwartz on TEDTalks
Barry Schwartz is a sociology professor at Swarthmore College and author of The Paradox of Choice
Download this talk: Audio (MP3) | Video (MP4)
More TEDTalks: TEDTalks website | iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video)
Blog this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:
Subscribe to TEDTalks for free, automatic updates.
20 September 2006
Two TEDsters in the race to succeed Kofi Annan
Last week, the list of potential successors to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan - he will step down at the end of his second five-year term, on December 31st - seemed to have narrowed down to two names: South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon and the current Undersecretary-General Shashi Tharoor, from India - a TEDster: he spoke at TED2005, presenting the TEDPrize recipients with the award and noting that "problems without passport" continue threatening many human lives. Tharoor is also a well-regarded author.
But another candidate just signalled that he will join the race: Ashraf Ghani, the former Finance Minister of Afghanistan - also a TEDster. Ghani has significant UN and World Bank credentials, and he was one of the strongest voices at last year's TEDGLOBAL in Oxford (picture right), where he offered an articulate vision and impressed everyone speaking about the need to mobilize capital and encourage investments in developing countries: "One dollar of investment has the same impact as $20 of aid", he said (we will soon release his full speech on TEDtalks). That's a powerful, reform-oriented statement. Whether it's also a good
electoral platform for getting the top U.N. job, however, remains to be
seen.
20 September 2006
BIGGER BOLDER TEDDER Than Ever Before!
Last week, Apple announced that its complete line of video iPods can finally handle Standard Definition (SD) television resolution of 640x480 pixels.
We're thrilled to announce the first batch of TEDTalks SD - four times the image size of regular TEDTalks - optimized for viewing on your computer - or playing back through your television.
Download - Jeff Han (2006) - 96 MB
Download - TEDTalks Trailer - 30 MB
More TEDTalks: TEDTalks website | iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video)
20 September 2006
Malcolm Gladwell on TEDTalks
Malcolm Gladwell is a staff writer for The New Yorker, and best-selling author of The Tipping Point
Download this talk: Video (MP4) | Audio (MP3)
More TEDTalks: TEDTalks website | iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video)
Blog this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:
Subscribe to TEDTalks for free, automatic updates.
20 September 2006
Steven Levitt on TEDTalks
Steven Levitt is an economics professor at the University of Chicago and the best-selling author of Freakonomics
Download this talk: Video (MP4) | Audio (MP3)
More TEDTalks: TEDTalks website | iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video)
Blog this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:
Subscribe to TEDTalks for free, automatic updates.
19 September 2006
Investing in the long term
San Francisco investor Peter A. Thiel (co-founder of PayPal) is putting $3.5 million into the antiaging research pioneered by TED speaker Aubrey de Grey (see past posts on him). The money will come in annual installments of $500,000 over the next three years for a pilot project, plus matching money for every dollar donated by others to de Grey's foundation.
It is not known whether there are strings attached to the donation. It seems to us, however, that consistency with the scope of de Grey's research would have Thiel transfer the money in installments of, say, $10 a day over the next 1000 years.
18 September 2006
...like you give a damn
For a long time, TEDPrize winner Cameron Sinclair has encapsulated his philosophy in a slogan that recently turned into the title of his inspiring book: "Design like you give a damn" (see Cameron's speech on TEDtalks - or if you are in New York see him live this coming Wednesday 20 at the NYPL). Now, helped by some free promotion provided by the New York Times, comes a new magazine called Good that has that very philosophy as its driving principle, spelled out on the cover of its premiere issue:
Ben Goldhirsh, the founder, describes it as "a passion for potential mixed with fierce pragmatism and creative engagement". The magazine, no pun intended, is good, and it will be controversial, and is innovative (including in its subscription approach: subscribe and the full amount of your fee - $20 - will go to a non-profit that you can choose among 12). Several past TED and TEDGLOBAL speakers are profiled or mentioned (Majora Carter, Jimmy Wales, Peter Diamandis).
But something's puzzling: despite the statement on the cover there is no mention of Sinclair. How do they say? Mention sources like you give a damn.
(Cross-posted on LoIP)
15 September 2006
The superefficient Google.org car
To TEDsters, Google.org - the philanthropic arm of Google - is mostly known for the inspiring speech its director Larry Brilliant gave at TED
last february, outlining a very compelling plan for an Internet-based
system to rapidly detect disease outbreaks (see the original post from the conference or Brilliant's TEDprize speech in video).
A story today in the New York Times and the Herald Tribune
reveals a second project that Google.org is working on: "the
organization is aiming to develop an extremely fuel-efficient, plug-in
hybrid car engine that runs on ethanol, electricity and gasoline". It
"has arranged for the purchase of a small fleet of cars with plans to
convert the engines so that their gas mileage exceeds 100 miles per
gallon, or about 42 kilometers per liter".
The same article also reports that Google.org is "drawing skepticism for both its structures and its ambitions", mostly because the structure is an unusual mix of non-profit and for-profit. Nothing really new there: Brilliant already explained it in a Wired interview in July:
We are not really a foundation. It’s a bit of a 501(c)3, a bit of a C corp, and a bit of an academic environment. I can play more of the keys on the keyboard. A 501(c)3 can’t lobby. A 501(c)3 can’t invest in a company or build an industry. It may be that the only way to deal with climate change is to create an industry or build companies.
The non-profit Google Foundation, endowed with $90 million, is therefore just one component of Google.org. The rest of the one-billion-plus given to Google.org is for-profit money. "The for-profit status will greatly increase their philanthropy's range and flexibility", explains the reporter, quoting Brilliant: "we can start companies, build industries, pay consultants, lobby, give money to individuals, and make a profit".
Or lose it: "the emphasis is on social returns, not economic returns". Which reminds of the principles behind the Skoll Foundation's financing of Hollywood movies.
(Cross-posted on LoIP)
12 September 2006
Richard Dawkins on TEDTalks
Richard Dawkins is Oxford University's "Professor for the Public Understanding of Science." Author of the landmark 1976 book, The Selfish Gene, he's a brilliant (and trenchant) evangelist for Darwin's ideas. In this talk, titled, "Queerer Than We Suppose: The strangeness of science," he suggests that the true nature of the universe eludes us, because the human mind evolved to understand the "middle-sized" world we can observe. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 22:42)
Download this talk: Audio (MP3) | Video (MP4)
More TEDTalks: TEDTalks website | iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video)
Blog this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:
Subscribe to TEDTalks for free, automatic updates.
12 September 2006
David Deutsch on TEDTalks
Legendary physicist David Deutsch is author of The Fabric of Reality and the leading proponent of the multiverse intrepretation of quantum theory — the astounding idea that our universe is constantly spawning countless numbers of parallel worlds. In this rare (and delightfully engaging) public appearance, he weaves a complex and captivating argument placing the study of physics at the center of our species' survival. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 19:45)
Download this talk: Audio (MP3) | Video (MP4)
More TEDTalks: TEDTalks website | iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video)
Blog this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:
Subscribe to TEDTalks for free, automatic updates.
11 September 2006
An Evening with Architecture for Humanity
TEDPrize winner, Cameron Sinclair, and Architecture for Humanity co-founder, Kate Stohr, will be in NYC next week for the celebration of the launch of their book - Design Like You Give a Damn. They're being interviewed by John Hockenberry at the New York Public Library on September 20th. A similar event is being planned for San Francisco in October.
NYC Details:
Live from the NYPL + WIRED present
Design Like you Give A Damn
Wednesday, September 20 | 7 PM
The New York Public Library
Fifth Avenue + 42nd Street
Enter on 42nd Street
(You’ll need a ticket)
Live from the NYPL has an incredible line up of upcoming events, including a number of evenings with past TED speakers.
06 September 2006
Jill Sobule's musical tribute to Helen Fisher
At TED2006, Helen Fisher delivered an unforgettable talk (now available online) focusing largely on love: Its evolution, its vital importance to human society, and the science behind the stages of lust, infatuation, and long-term attachment. Inspired by Fisher -- and, well, slightly disturbed by the biochemical basis of it all -- singer/songwriter Jill Sobule penned a pensive tribute, which she began performing in clubs this spring.
We didn't want to wait for the next CD, so Jill recorded a special demo just for TED ... Here, timed with the release of Helen Fisher's TEDTalk, is Jill's lyrical response: The End of Love (MP3. Duration: 3:33).
06 September 2006
Helen Fisher on TEDTalks
Helen Fisher is an anthropologist with Rutgers University, specializing in gender differences and the evolution of human emotions. Her most recent book is Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love. In this wide-ranging talk, she outlines the bio-chemical foundations of love (and lust), and discusses the natural talents of women, and their new significance in the modern world. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 24:13)
Download this talk: Video (MP4) | Audio (MP3)
More TEDTalks: TEDTalks website | iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video)
Blog this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:
Subscribe to TEDTalks for free, automatic updates.
06 September 2006
Eve Ensler on TEDTalks
Eve Ensler is the playwright of The Vagina Monologues and The Good Body, and founder of the global movement V-Day, which is working to end violence against women and girls. In this presentation, from TED2004, she performs an excerpt from "The Vagina Monologues" and explains how the show took on a life of its own. (Recorded February 2004 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 21:11)
Download this talk: Video (MP4) | Audio (MP3)
More TEDTalks: TEDTalks website | iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video)
Blog this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:
Subscribe to TEDTalks for free, automatic updates.
01 September 2006
Tokyo is under attack!
At the University of Chicago, Professor Michael C. LaBarbera has prepared a comprehensive analysis of the Biology of B-Movie Monsters. In it, he discusses the brittleness of King Kong's bone structure, how Mothra breathes, and who would really win in a battle between a tiny-tiny man and a tarantula. Read the article before placing your bets.
Quick links
Read more about the TED Miro player >>
Find TEDTalks that have been transcribed >>
Subscribe to the TED Blog's RSS feed >>
Tips? Comments? contact (at) ted (dot) com
Blogs We Watch
>> Thomas Dolby | TED Musical Director, blogging at ThomasDolby.com
>> Bruno Giussani | TED European Director, blogging at LunchOverIP.com
>> Emeka Okafor | TEDAfrica Director, blogging at Timbuktu Chronicles and Africa Unchained
TED Bloggers
Chris Anderson | Curator
June Cohen | Director of TED Media
Amy Novogratz | TED Prize Director
Tom Rielly | Humorist
Jason Wishnow | Director, Film + Video
Emily McManus | Editor, TED.com
Archives
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Powered by Movable Type
Subscribe to the TED Blog's RSS feed.
What we blog about
Recent Comments
danwinter on Wake up! It's They Might Be Giants on TED.com
edocarter on 6 ways mushrooms can save the world: Paul Stamets on TED.com
pearlfinder on World Science Festival May 28-June 1 in New York City
eAgent on 18 minutes with an agile mind: Clifford Stoll on TED.com
shijiscott on Italy plays Tibet: A fan video from Pangea Day Milano
davidmabus69 on Dan Dennett on dangerous memes, on TED.com
1940 on Dick Clark on Jill Bolte Taylor
Pianoman on Your brain on improv
eAgent on The power to connect the world: Hector Ruiz on TED.com
eAgent on What really goes on at the Large Hadron Collider: Brian Cox on TED.com
