TEDBlog January, 2009 Archive
20 January 2009
To watch today: The Anthem Project
It’s Inauguration Day in the US — and a great day to revisit the Anthem Project from Pangea Day. In these wonderful videos, choirs from one country sing the national anthem of another, with surprisingly powerful effects. Below, watch a choir from the US sing the national anthem of Mexico:
Browse the Anthems playlist on Pangea Day’s YouTube channel for more.
19 January 2009
Amory Lovins' think tank spins off a new car company
Via Green Light: The Rocky Mountain Institute, whose chair and chief scientist is TEDTalks star Amory Lovins, this month spun off a car company, Bright Automotive, that’s focused on making street-legal all-electric cars.
From the story on Green Light:
Bright Automotive wants to make plug-in hybrids. The cars will go about 30 miles on a charge and 400 miles or so in all with the help from the gas generator. Overall, the cars will get 100 miles an gallon.
The cars will be street and freeway legal. Right now, most of the electric and plug-in cars produced (from companies like Zenn Motors and Miles Automotive) are “limited range, limited speed” vehicles, i.e., they have governors on them that prevent them going faster than 25 or 35 miles per hour.
The Bright Automotive homepage has more details on the team and the vehicles, while the Rocky Mountain Institute homepage has a video interview with Bright CEO John Waters from CNBC.
19 January 2009
Photosynth Obama's inauguration (update)
Via ReadWriteWeb: CNN.com’s minisite “The Moment” will be Synthing the inauguration on January 20, combining crowd snapshots of this historic Tuesday into an immersive experience:
“We’ll take your photos from every angle, combine them with CNN’s professional shots, and produce what we hope will be an amazing experience that will be shown live on CNN. And you thought the Jessica Yellin hologram was cool! The synth will also be available for everyone to see on CNN.com.”
Meanwhile, MSNBC used Photosynth to capture Sunday’s Lincoln Memorial concert on the Mall:
Correction: This does indeed work on a Mac and other platforms (you may have to install Silverlight). Thanks, Michael H!
And if you’re wondering, What’s Photosynth? — then watch this:
19 January 2009
Design, discovery and humor: David Carson on TED.com
Great design is a never-ending journey of discovery — and for this journey, it helps to pack a healthy sense of humor. Sociologist and surfer-turned-designer David Carson walks through a gorgeous, funny and wise review of his work and found images. It’s packed with quotable moments from Marshall McLuhan, William S. Burroughs and Carson. (Recorded February 2003 in Monterey, California. Duration: 22:40.)
Watch David Carson’s talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 360+ TEDTalks — including more talks about humor.
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18 January 2009
The greatest 16-minute speech ever: "I Have a Dream"
Many of us know Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech from snippets and news clips. If you have time for reflection today, watch it here, all the way through. It’s unmissable. In an era of open injustice and brutal hatred, King challenges his listeners to actively build a better world for themselves and their children. We know the highlights, but watching the whole 16-minute speech makes the context of ’63 shatteringly clear, and underscores the clarity and power of MLK’s vision.
16 January 2009
Great design is serious (not solemn): Paula Scher on TED.com
Speaking at Serious Play 2008, Paula Scher looks back at a life in design (she’s done album covers, books, the Citibank logo …) and pinpoints the moment when she started really having fun. Look for gorgeous designs and images from her legendary career. (Recorded May 2008 in Pasadena, California. Duration: 21:56.)
Watch Paula Scher’s talk from Serious Play 2008 on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 350+ TEDTalks — including more talks about design.
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15 January 2009
Rokia Traoré's new record, Tchamantché
This week, the wonderful Rokia Traoré released her new record, Tchamantché, and it’s been rolling up glowing reviews. If you fell in love with Rokia’s smoky voice and her thoughtful, sensitive songs via her two songs on TED.com, or during her knockout set at Pangea Day last May, seek this record out. You can find video from the new album on her website, RokiaTraore.net. Or get acquainted with Rokia via the stunning “Kounandi,” from her set at TEDGlobal 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania:
15 January 2009
Earth from space, on the Big Picture
Here’s a mind-expanding set of photos from Boston.com’s photo feature, The Big Picture — taken by satellites or by astronauts as they fly above the Earth. The images come from NASA’s Earth Observatory. Talk about taking the 30,000-foot view …
15 January 2009
What do consumers want? Joseph Pine on TED.com
Customers want to feel what they buy is authentic, but Mass Customization author Joseph Pine says selling authenticity is tough because, well, there’s no such thing. He talks about a few experiences that may be artificial but make millions anyway. (Recorded in February 2004, in Monterey, California. Duration: 14:19.)
Watch Joseph Pine’s talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 350+ TEDTalks — including more talks about business.
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14 January 2009
The art of baking bread: Peter Reinhart on TED.com
Batch to batch, crust to crust … In tribute to the beloved staple food, baking master Peter Reinhart reflects on the cordial couplings (wheat and yeast, starch and heat) that give us our daily bread. Try not to eat a slice. (Recorded at Taste3 in July 2008, in Napa, California. Duration: 15:35.)
Watch Peter Reinhart’s talk from Taste3 on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 350+ TEDTalks — including more talks about the food we eat.
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