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April 2008

Music

Wake up! It’s They Might Be Giants on TED.com

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In a very, very early-morning set, They Might Be Giants rock the final day of TED2007. Songs include “Older,” “Bee of the Bird of the Moth,” “Asbury Park,” “Fingertips,” the premiere of “Phone Calls from the Dead,” and “Alphabet of Nations.” (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 17:21.)   Watch They Might Be Giants’ []

Bionic athletes and the future of sports

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ESPN The Magazine‘s April 23 cover story takes a look at the future of sports — a world where prosthetics can enhance athletic skill beyond current human capabilities: The prosthetic-enhanced athlete will be able to run faster, jump higher and pitch harder than mere mortals. From an idea lab at MIT to a prosthetic design []

UPDATE: Andrew Mwenda out on bond, must report to police

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Andrew Mwenda writes to the mailing list Africa Club: I want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement. I am now out and free, although reporting to police tomorrow, unsure of the outcome. The struggle for freedom in Uganda is not going to be easy. The challenges are enormous and so are []

Two weeks until Pangea Day!

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On Saturday, May 10, 2008 -– Pangea Day -– join the world for four hours of amazing short films, visionary speakers and great music. Pangea Day is a celebration of the power of film to unite us all. You’ll see films that are funny — sad — gorgeous — stark — powerful. Voices that have []

Andrew Mwenda arrested, newspaper office raided

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Reuters Africa is reporting that Andrew Mwenda and two other staffers of the Independent have been arrested by Ugandan officials. Reuters reports: KAMPALA (Reuters) – Ugandan security forces on Saturday raided the offices of a magazine seen as critical of President Yoweri Museveni’s government, arresting three journalists and taking computers, a lawyer said. Read more []

4 ways to get more out of TEDTalks

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These 4 tools can help you get more from TEDTalks: The TED Miro player: This free, open-source player lets you easily download TEDTalks, store them and play them offline. Talks are arranged in channels based on our most popular Themes. The TED Miro player comes in especially handy for educators who want to ensure reliable []

Dean Ornish's 2008 TEDTalk temporarily offline

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Dr. Dean Ornish’s 2008 TEDTalk has been temporarily taken offline for technical reasons — we’ll announce when it has been replaced. Sorry for this inconvenience. In the meantime, you might check out Dr. Ornish’s 2005 TEDTalk on America’s killer diet — or one of these related TEDTalks and Themes: + Dr. Ernest Madu on reinventing []

Science

World Science Festival May 28-June 1, 2008, in New York City

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The inaugural World Science Festival, a celebration of science and discovery, will take place May 28-June 1, 2008, in New York City. Organized by physicist Brian Greene, who explained string theory at TED2005, the event will bring together a range of speakers — including many TEDTalks favorites such as philosopher Dan Dennett, inventor and futurist []

Superstring theory explained (really!): Brian Greene on TED.com

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In clear, nontechnical language, string theorist Brian Greene explains how our understanding of the universe has evolved from Einstein’s notions of gravity and space-time to superstring theory, where minuscule strands of energy vibrating in 11 dimensions create every particle and force in the universe. (This mind-bending theory may soon be put to the test at []

Transcript

Where does creativity hide? Amy Tan on TED.com

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Novelist Amy Tan digs deep into the creative process, journeying through her childhood and family history and into the worlds of physics and chance, looking for hints of where her own creativity comes from. It’s a wild ride with a surprise ending. (Recorded March 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 22:52.)   Watch Amy Tan’s talk []

Music

Thomas Dolby remixes Radiohead

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From the blog of TED’s musical director, Thomas Dolby: I’ve done a remix of Radiohead’s gorgeous ‘Nude’ from the Rainbows album. This was not solicited by the band. They are running a remix contest for their single, and I just went to iTunes and bought the ’stems’ to the song for $5 just like everybody []

World-class health care for all: Dr. Ernest Madu on TED.com

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Dr. Ernest Madu runs the Heart Institute of the Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica, where he proves that — with careful design, smart technical choices, and a true desire to serve — it’s possible to offer world-class health care in the developing world. Listen for some eye-opening statistics on heart disease, which is as ruthless a []

Transcript

Open-source economics: Yochai Benkler on TED.com

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Law professor Yochai Benkler explains how collaborative projects like Wikipedia and Linux represent the next stage of human organization. By disrupting traditional economic production, copyright law and established competition, they’re paving the way for a new set of economic laws, where empowered individuals are put on a level playing field with industry giants. (Recorded July []

TED Prize

TED Prize update: "The Greens" turns 1!

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When photographer Edward Burtynsky won the 2005 TED Prize, he wished that the TED community would help him teach kids how to live green. This month, his web cartoon series for kids, The Greens, turns 1 year old — and celebrates 3 million page views! Written and produced by WGBH in Boston (with partners including []