31 January 2008
TED's Miro player launches today
TED and Miro announce the TED Miro player -- a free, downloadable, open-source media player that comes pre-loaded with TED's channels and content guide.
Download the TED Miro player here, for Mac and for Windows.
Using the channels, you can browse TEDTalks by Theme -- "A Greener Future," "Africa: The Next Chapter," and many more. And you have access to the entire universe of programming available through the Miro player -- thousands of channels of news, educational programming, music and other video and audio podcasts.
Update: If you've already got the Miro player installed, you can quickly add the TED channels by clicking "Subscribe to all TED channels in one click" here.
TED is one of three premier partners for the Miro player -- the other two are Revision3 and the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
The Miro player is a project of the Participatory Culture Foundation. To learn more about Miro, visit GetMiro.com.
31 January 2008
This Is Nollywood screens in the US
TEDGlobal star Franco Sacchi's documentary This Is Nollywood will play at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston February 1 and 10. February 1 is the opening night of the African Film Festival at the MFA. More US screenings are set for LA and Portland, Oregon.
This Is Nollywood tells the story of the booming Nigerian film scene, estimated to be the world's third largest film industry. Smart, creative crews make local stories for local audiences, movies that offer audiences characters they can identify with in stories that relate to their everyday lives, distributed exclusively on DVD. It's an amazing story. (And watch for Sacchi's TEDTalk to be posted soon.)
Photo by Aimee Corrigan
31 January 2008
Pangea Day: Hear Jehane Noujaim on NPR
Pangea Day -- the global film festival, happening May 10, 2008 -- comes from a wish made by filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, who won the TED Prize in 2006. Listen to Jehane talk about her vision for the festival, which is taking busily taking shape now.
And it's not too late to submit your film for the February 15, 2008, deadline! Submit a film. Share a story. The world will be watching. Find out here how to submit your short film or video >>
31 January 2008
Zipcar and beyond: Robin Chase on TED.com
Robin Chase rose to fame by founding Zipcar, the world's biggest car-sharing business, but that was one of her smaller ideas. In this presentation she travels much farther, contemplating road-pricing schemes that will shake up our driving habits and a no-fee mesh network as sprawling as the United States Interstate highway system. But how could you build a free wireless system that vast and pervasive? Chase finds the answer in a few short lines from The Graduate. And it has nothing to do with plastic. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 13:39.)
Watch Robin Chase's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Robin Chase on TED.com.
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30 January 2008
We're made for zooming
It its newest issue, Newsweek publishes a detailed story on Microsoft's Seadragon technology and the man behind it, Blaise Aguera y Arcas (who premiered it at TED07 last March, watch his speech), and discusses what it calls the "zoom interface":
The Internet, it seems, doesn't take advantage of how humans best process information. Evolution granted Homo Sapiens a high degree of visual acuity ... Scrolling and linking are inferior modes of taking in information. "Humans are incredibly good at spatial navigation and incredibly bad at navigating through a list of generic icons or generic text." ... These limitations are not lost on the technology giants and forward-thinking entrepreneurs working to commercialize a new way to take in information visually: the zoom interface. In its simplest form, it displays information all at once - all the photos in an album, say, or all the files on a PC, or all the entries in a database, or all the items retrieved in a search - and when you spot something of interest, you zoom down into it. In this way, zooming represents an upgrade from the second- and third-best methods for accessing information (scrolling and linking) to the best option: displaying information like a landscape, and giving people the chance to zoom down to the details ... Only recently have engineers had the advances in display technology, broadband connections and video processors capable of coping with a zoom interface. As a result, prototype zoom interfaces are now up and running in labs around the world.
And are arriving on the market. Think of Google Earth's zooming capabilities, of the iPhone, of Jeff Han's PerceptivePixel multi-touch wall (watch his speech at TED06), of Zumobi's zooming interface for cell phones, and many others.
30 January 2008
A vision for TED: Chris Anderson on TED.com
At the time of this talk, TED's future was in the balance. Its founder, Richard Saul Wurman, had just sold the conference to Chris Anderson's foundation, and had announced that this 2002 conference was the last TED he would run. Many in the audience had concluded that the conference would not survive the transition to a new owner, and few had signed up for the following year's event. This was Anderson's attempt to persuade TEDsters that the conference had a future, and that the transition from a for-profit event, to one owned by a nonprofit, could work. The talk took place five months after September 11, and at the very bottom of the dot-com stock market bust, when many in the room had lost 90% or more of their net worth. Here, Anderson shares his own story -- and his vision for what TED can become. (Recorded February 2002 in Monterey, California. Duration: 12:47.)
Watch Chris Anderson's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Chris Anderson on TED.com.
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28 January 2008
Looking at celebrity: Alison Jackson on TED.com
Why can't you make it through the checkout line without flipping through page after page of pregnant celebs in Us magazine? Alison Jackson knows why. In her work, she photographs the people you think you recognize doing what you really want to see. And in the process, she's questioning our shared desire to get personal with celebrity culture. Funny and sometimes shocking, Jackson's work contains some graphic images. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 17:36.)
Watch Alison Jackson's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Alison Jackson on TED.com.
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23 January 2008
Telling the story of a passionate life: Ben Dunlap on TED.com
Sit back and listen, as Ben Dunlap tells the story of Sandor Teszler, a Hungarian man he met at Wofford College. In telling Teszler's dramatic life story, which arcs from the Holocaust to the American Deep South of the 1950s, Dunlap shares some deep and, ultimately, moving lessons about justice -- and the power of lifelong learning. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 19:08.)
Watch Ben Dunlap's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Ben Dunlap on TED.com.
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22 January 2008
U2, 3D, and the rise of immersive cinema
The first of a new generation of digital three-dimensional films, U2 3D, is in limited release now. Already the entertainment world is abuzz: a rapturous reception at Sundance followed a smash-hit premiere at Cannes. TEDster and 3D evangelist Steve Schklair, founder and CEO of 3ality Digital Systems, drove the production and the revolutionary technology behind it. A don't-miss for music fans and the tech-savvy: Feel like you're on stage with (2005 TED Prize winner) Bono. -- Matthew Trost
21 January 2008
Rebuilding America, one slide show at a time: Bill Strickland on TED.com
With subtle accompaniment by longtime friend Herbie Hancock, and a slide show that has opened the minds (and pocketbooks) of CEOs across the country, artist and youth activist Bill Strickland tells a quiet and astonishing tale of redemption through arts, music and unlikely partnerships. (Recorded February 2002 in Monterey, California. Duration: 35:28.)
Watch Bill Strickland's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Bill Strickland on TED.com.
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17 January 2008
Porco awarded, Antonelli promoted
TED speaker Paola Antonelli (watch her TED 2007 talk) has been promoted to senior curator of the New York Museum of Modern Art's department of architecture and design. The promotion was announced by MoMA's director Glenn Lowry. Paola is currently preparing "Design and the Elastic Mind", an exhibition on science, design and innovation that will open at MoMA on February 24.
Carolyn Porco, leader of the imaging team for the Cassini space mission to Saturn and the opening speaker at TED 2007 (watch her talk), will be the recipient of this year's Isaac Asimov Science Award, given by American Humanist Association. Porco will receive the award in June in Washington.
To both, congratulations!
17 January 2008
"Nice building. Then what?" Frank Gehry on TED.com
Frank Gehry wanted to be a scientist when he grew up. But after blowing up a part of his house, at age 14, he decided against it. He's gone on to create some mindblowing buildings, including the Guggenheim at Bilbao and LA's Walt Disney Concert Hall. This wildly entertaining conversation with Richard Saul Wurman (then host of TED) touches on many topics, including the power of failure, the importance of collaboration, and the need for architects to bring personal expression to the table. (Recorded February 2002 in Monterey, California. Duration: 22:00.)
Watch Frank Gehry's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Frank Gehry on TED.com.
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15 January 2008
TED moves to Long Beach in 2009
After more than 20 happy, but increasingly crowded years in Monterey, the TED conference is moving ...
We scoured the entire U.S. for a new location that would give us some breathing room, while retaining all the qualities that made Monterey so special. To our surprise and delight, we found the place we're looking for... in Long Beach, California. The arts and cultural center there is absolutely perfect for our needs; after months of planning and dreaming, we've become convinced that it will make a spectacular long-term home for us (starting with TED2009). Read more >>
Sign up for TED.com to get on the mailing list for more TED2009 announcements >>
15 January 2008
Design as art: Paola Antonelli on TED.com
Paola Antonelli, design curator at New York's MOMA, wants to spread an appreciation of design, in all shapes and forms -- and to remove any stigma of it being considered mere decoration. She leads a quick tour of some design exhibitions she has organized, including "Mutant Materials," "Workspheres" and "Safe." (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 18:11.)
Watch Paola Antonelli's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Paola Antonelli on TED.com.
Download this talk in 480p high definition >>
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13 January 2008
"Crack economics" researcher tells his story
Stephen Levitt calls him the "main character" in his TEDTalk on crack economics: Sudhir Venkatesh, the young grad student who infiltrated a Chicago crack-dealing gang. His research brought back reams of sociological data -- and offers an unfiltered glimpse into gang life. In his new book, Gang Leader for a Day, Venkatesh writes about his experiences during the six years he spent with the Black Kings gang in Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes. Venkatesh is interviewed on NPR, whose site also offers an excerpt from his book, while the Chicago Sun-Times has an MP3 of the author reading his work.
12 January 2008
TEDsters build site to track Kenyan violence
Five people who met at TEDGlobal Africa have joined to build Ushahidi.com, a website that gives Kenyans a way to report incidents of violence in this post-election crisis -- over the web or by SMS. The idea was inspired by blogger Ory Okolloh, who wrote:
For the reconciliation process to occur at the local level, the truth of what happened will first have to come out.
The site offers a map-based way to see where violence is taking place, and collects eyewitness accounts and photographs -- important during this crisis, and crucial in the aftermath.
In a very real way, bloggers have been the media in Kenya. Bloggers Afromusing, Mentalacrobatics and White African worked on Ushahidi.com, after spending the previous weeks reporting on the ground and collecting reports from others. Bookmark Erik Hersman's comprehensive list of blogs, photoblogs and videoblogs covering the crisis.
For those moved to help, Segeni Ng'ethe's shopping site MamaMike's lets you donate directly to the Kenyan Red Cross, without requiring a wire transfer.
11 January 2008
Underwater astonishments: David Gallo on TED.com
David Gallo shows jaw-dropping footage of amazing sea creatures, including a shape-shifting cuttlefish, a pair of fighting squid, and a mesmerizing gallery of bioluminescent fish that light up the blackest depths of the ocean. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 5:21.)
Watch David Gallo's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about David Gallo on TED.com.
Download this talk in 480p high definition >>
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10 January 2008
The mystery box: J.J. Abrams on TED.com
Filmmaker J.J. Abrams traces his love of the unseen mystery -- the heart of Alias, Lost and the upcoming Cloverfield -- back to its own magical beginnings, which may or may not include an early obsession with magic, the love of a supportive grandfather, or his own unopened Mystery Box. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 18:02.)
Watch J.J. Abrams's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about J.J. Abrams on TED.com.
Download this talk in 480p high definition >>
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08 January 2008
The Big Questions: TED2008 lineup is online
View the interactive TED2008 Conference Program >>
Download a PDF of the TED2008 schedule >>
Slated to appear at TED2008: memeticist Susan Blackmore (top) addresses the question "What is life?" Singer and activist Vusi Mahlasela (middle) asks, "How can we change the world?" Designer Yves Behar (bottom) asks, "How do we create?"
Many people come to TED -- and visit TED.com -- seeking something out of the ordinary. A chance to mentally recharge. A chance to step back and consider the really big stuff that's happening. A chance to understand life in a richer way.
TED2008 will be our most ambitious attempt yet to deliver on that agenda. We're building our program around the biggest questions there are. And many of these talks will appear on TED.com starting in late March.
Because it's TED, we'll be seeking answers not just from the sources you might expect, but by bringing together multiple voices from very different disciplines. The "Aha!" moments often come from the most unexpected connections. The questions below will give you a flavor of the incredibly rich vein of possibility in this approach. Plenty of Profundity and Challenge, for sure ... but also plenty of room for Cool, Exciting and Whimsical. See the complete TED2008 Conference Program for more. We think you will like it very much. Here are the 12 questions:
Who are we?
What is our place in the universe?
What is life?
Is beauty truth?
Will evil prevail?
How can we change the world?
How do we create?
What's out there?
What will tomorrow bring?
What stirs us?
How dare we be optimistic?
And the point?
TED 2008 and TED@Aspen are sold out. Apply to join the waitlist >>
08 January 2008
How do ants know what to do? Deborah Gordon on TED.com
Armed with a few students, a backhoe and a handful of markers, Deborah Gordon digs up ant colonies in the Arizona desert. She asks: How do these chitinous creatures get down to business -- and even multitask when they need to -- with no language, memory or visible leadership? Her answers could lead to a better understanding of all complex systems, from the brain to the Web. Thanks, ants. (Recorded February 2003 in Monterey, California. Duration: 20:25.)
Watch Deborah Gordon's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Deborah Gordon on TED.com.
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06 January 2008
Following the Kenyan crisis on the blogs
Photo: Smoke from burned houses, Eldoret, January 1. Courtesy Afromusing.
Many TEDGlobal 2007 bloggers have been covering the Kenyan election crisis with direct and passionate reports. You can find a constantly updated list of bloggers covering events in Kenya over at White African -- where Hash writes, "The traditional media has been shut out and shut down for all intents and purposes."
Now, while the violence appears to be in a lull (as Bankalele writes, "The police are tired, protesters are tired"), bloggers are finding ways to help those affected by it, and brainstorming ideas for Kenya's next step forward.
Ory Okolloh, who writes Kenyan Pundit and the Kenyan parliament-watch blog Mzalendo, reported from Nairobi until Thursday, when she flew with her family to Johannesburg. (She writes: "The trip to the airport was one of the scariest moments in my life.") She's meeting now with other Kenyans in SA to start rebuilding -- and it starts with dialogue. She writes, "This might seem like a very fluffy suggestion, but let me reiterate that emotions are still very charged." She asks her readers for their own views:
I would like to move away from the “end violence” “peace in Kenya” “Kenya belongs to Kenyans” platitudes -- I want you to tell me how you feel about this situation on a personal level ... what does Kenya mean to you. ... I think it is so important to tell OUR story in OUR voice -- not that of the media, of the politicians, of the party, of the tribe ... speak YOUR truth.
Afromusing is reporting from Nairobi now, after leaving Eldoret, in the Rift Valley. The Red Cross is in action as of yesterday; donations to the Kenyan Red Cross can be made by wire transfer -- or by sending airtime credit to the head of the Kenyan Red Cross, who will redistribute the credit to those who need cell-phone minutes, a vital commodity right now. More details are given in this post and its many comments.
Bankalele writes out a possible scenario for what comes next in Kenyan politics:
One institution we have intact and legitimate is parliament – whose members were gazetted this week. Parliament to be reconstituted -– and they can then vote for the president.
The MP's are our elected leaders and all (but 3) of the countries 210 constituencies have duly elected their representatives for the next five years. There elections are not in doubt for the most part and they are a legitimate group of people, many of them new to parliament for the first time. The vote can be in public or by secret ballot. And surely it will be easier to tally 210 votes than 10 million votes. This can be done in a week at most and will result in a legitimate president for the country.
There's much more Kenyan reporting out there. On Global Voices, Ndesanjo Macha has been aggregating and commenting on the blog coverage; while the Berkman Center's Internet & Democracy Project shows how blogs and SMS have been so vital during the crisis.
Taken together, the bloggers on White African's list offer a comprehensive look at this terrible past week, in narrative, photos and video, and in heartbreaking personal moments.
06 January 2008
"No Country for Old Hatreds": Wainaina on Kenya
TEDGlobal 2007 speaker Binyavanga Wainaina has an opinion piece in today's New York Times, "No Country for Old Hatreds," that offers some backstory on the violent post-election crisis in Kenya. It's not about "ancient feuds," as some pundits have glibly summed it up. As he points out:
Five years ago, we voted for a broad and nationally representative government. Inside this vehicle were the country’s major tribes: the Luo, the Luhya, the Kikuyu, many Kalenjin -- all the people now killing one another.
Rather, the violence has its roots in modern intergovernmental squabbling, in which these tribes were used as chess pieces. The nation of Kenya, Wainaina reminds us, is only 40 years old -- and it was founded on the hope that a country of tribes could develop a shared national identity. He writes:
Yet all is not lost. Nations are built on crises like this. If there is such a thing as Kenya, it should be gathering energy right now.
Photo Credit: Andrew Heavens: MeskelSquare.com, TEDGlobal 2007
04 January 2008
The "dangers" of blogging: Yossi Vardi on TED.com
Investor and prankster Yossi Vardi delivers a careful lecture on the dangers of blogging. Specifically, um, for men. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 6:15.)
Watch Yossi Vardi's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Yossi Vardi on TED.com.
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03 January 2008
Tales of passion: Isabel Allende on TED.com
In one of the most beloved talks from TED2007, novelist Isabel Allende talks about writing, women, passion, feminism. She tells the stories of powerful women she has known, some larger-than-life (listen for a beauty tip from Sophia Loren), and some simply living with grace, dignity and ingenuity in a world that, in too many ways, still treats women unjustly. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 18:02.)
Watch Isabel Allende's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Isabel Allende on TED.com.
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02 January 2008
Edge question 2008: What have you changed your mind about? Why?
Many TEDTalks speakers have answered the 2008 Edge Foundation question: What have you changed your mind about? Why?
Among the more than 160 essays from leading thinkers -- scientists, philosophers, artists -- look for Wired's Chris Anderson, Nick Bostrom, Stewart Brand, Richard Dawkins, Aubrey de Grey, Juan Enriquez, Helen Fisher, Neil Gershenfeld, Daniel Gilbert, Daniel Goleman, Kevin Kelly, Steven Pinker, Carolyn Porco, Martin Rees, Michael Shermer and Craig Venter. Block out some time to sample these -- it's an addictive read.
01 January 2008
Web-based ways to make a difference
To help those of us making resolutions this week, here is a sampling of web tools for making a difference, inspired by TEDTalks speakers:
+ Share Ron Eglash's cool math tools, for studying math via breakdancing, Latin beats and cornrow braids
+ Dive into Richard Baraniuk's Connexions, a massive repository of open-source class materials
+ Visit Phil Borges' Bridges to Understanding site, which rounds up student films from all over the world
+ Browse Erin McKean's booklist "So You Want to Be a Lexicographer?"
+ Check out the beta of Gapminder World, powered by Hans Rosling's Trendalyzer software
+ Watch video and take action at The Hub, a platform for human rights media and action -- presented by Peter Gabriel's WITNESS
+ Discuss sustainable design and materials on the Cradle to Cradle forums, inspired by the work of William McDonough
+ Learn more about Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop per Child
+ Catch up with Majora Carter's Sustainable South Bronx -- or make a specific gift to SSBx via Changing the Present
+ Calculate your personal CO2 production -- and start helping the planet -- at the website for Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, produced by Jeff Skoll
TEDTalks is full of ideas for making change for oneself and for others -- many more than we can list here. Please share your suggestions for other TEDTalks-inspired change!
01 January 2008
Ettore Sottsass, 1917-2007
Designer Ettore Sottsass died yesterday, at 90. The leader of a group of Italian designers who called themselves Memphis, he helped spark the postmodern design revolution, which mixed pure modernism with color and pattern, historic references and unabashed pastiche. Now-classic Memphis pieces such as his Carlton room divider rocked the design world in the early 1980s, and continue to inspire designers today (a burned Carlton divider appeared in the 2004 show "Where There's Smoke" at Moss).
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But before Memphis, with its focus on objects for the home, Sottsass was known as a designer of technology. His little red typewriter for Olivetti is an icon in its own right, and he designed Olivetti's elegant mainframe computer, the Elea 9003 (pictured here), back in 1959.
Many recent exhibits have celebrated Sottsass' career, among them an 88th-birthday retrospective at LACMA, a 90th-birthday show last summer at London's Design Museum, and a show open now in his hometown of Turin.
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