Wade Davis recently spent time in the Northern Territory of Australia, working on a film with the Aboriginees on Dreamtime and the Songlines. He reports from his time there: I must tell you of the Dreaming. Spent a month in the Northern Territory. Here’s a copy of the note that I sent back in week […]
Rockstar designer Stefan Sagmeister delivers a short, witty talk on life lessons, expressed through surprising modes of design (including … giant inflatable monkeys?). (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 04:45.) Watch Stefan Sagmeister’s 2008 short talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks […]
In this prophetic talk from 2003, roboticist Rodney Brooks talks about how robots are going to work their way into our lives — starting with toys and moving into household chores … and beyond. (Recorded February 2003 in Monterey, California. Duration: 18:47.) Watch Rodney Brooks’ 2003 talk on TED.com, where you can download this […]
Photographer James Nachtwey will be breaking a big story on October 3 — using his powerful photographs to share a vital story that the world needs to know about. You can be part of the breaking news by adding a badge to your site. Let your readers know that — starting October 3 — these […]
TEDGlobal 2009, to be held in Oxford, UK, is titled “The Substance of Things Not Seen,” and will feature more than 40 remarkable speakers presenting over the course of four days, from July 21-24, 2009. “TEDGlobal is TED’s twin conference, with the same focus on identifying novel voices and bringing to the stage inspired ideas, […]
Steven Pinker‘s book The Blank Slate argues that all humans are born with some innate traits and abilities. Here, Pinker talks about why some people found this idea incredibly upsetting. (Recorded February 2003 in Monterey, California. Duration: 22:42.) Watch Steven Pinker’s 2003 talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment […]
Pleo the robot dinosaur acts like a living pet — exploring, cuddling, playing, reacting and learning. Inventor Caleb Chung (he’s the mind behind the Furby) talks about Pleo and his wild career in toys at EG07, on the week that Pleo shipped to stores for the first time. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: […]
In this deceptively simple 3-minute talk, Laura Trice muses on the power of the magic words “thank you” — to deepen a friendship, to repair a bond, to make sure another person knows what they mean to you. Try it. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 03:34.) Watch Laura Trice’s 2008 talk on […]
Conveniently timed for last week’s premiere of Jonathan Haidt’s TEDTalk, “The Real Difference Between Liberals and Conservatives,” this report in Science suggests that libs and cons may sport a physiological difference, in their bodies’ reponses to unexpected stimuli. From the abstract: … In a group of 46 adult participants with strong political beliefs, individuals with […]
Psychologist Philip Zimbardo knows how easy it is for nice people to turn bad. In this talk, he shares his insights — and graphic, unsettling, unseen photos — from the Abu Ghraib trials, where he served as an expert witness. But he also studies the flip side of this question — how easy it is […]
Listen closely — Marvin Minsky‘s arch, eclectic, charmingly offhand talk on health, overpopulation and the human mind is packed with subtlety: wit, wisdom and just an ounce of wily, is-he-joking? advice. (Recorded February 2003 in Monterey, California. Duration: 13:33.) Watch Marvin Minsky’s talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment […]
The General Assembly of the United Nations convenes this week. In this session, they’ll be reviewing the Millenium Development Goals set in 2000 — and to underscore the UN’s commitment, secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has declared that the “bottom billion” of the earth’s poorest people are the focus of development efforts for 2008. But economist Paul […]
Filmmaker and animator David O’Reilly (who came up with the concept for iHologram) has noticed an interesting property in this animated GIF: He writes: While working in 3D last year, I discovered this optical illusion: A large grid seen rotating at a certain speed will appear to group itself into smaller grids, spinning independently. See […]
Overfishing is the number-one threat to the oceans’ ability to provide food and sustain life. Under current conditions, we’re closer than we think to a world of no more tuna-fish sandwiches, sushi, or protein for more than a billion people. Back in 2003, the Environmental Defense Fund’s Oceans Program asked TED and its parent, the […]
Thinking startup? David S. Rose’s rapid-fire TED U talk on pitching to a venture capitalist tells you the 10 things you need to know — and prove to a VC — before you fire up your slideshow. (Recorded February 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 14:45.) Watch David S. Rose’s 2007 talk on TED.com, where […]
The Rock the Vote bus is parked in Philadelphia today and tomorrow, and the TED Blog dropped by to visit. A special playlist of TED Talks is in rotation on the bus monitors (Hans Rosling is shown in the photo). Also on the bus are four kiosks where soon-to-be voters can register to vote and […]