Archives > Monthly

April 2009

Find the TEDTalks in the Time 100

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Some familiar TED faces appear in the new Time 100 list, listing the world’s most influential people. As always with this great list, look for short, punchy profiles by some well-matched writers and subjects: Bill James on Nate Silver; Bill Gates on Jeff Bezos; Ashton Kutcher on the Twitter Guys … If you want to []

Final day to vote for TED.com to win some Webbies

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It’s the final day to vote for TED.com and Pangea Day in the Webby People’s Voice Awards. TED has been nominated in 3 categories for 2009. TED.com is in the running for Best Use of Video or Moving Image and Podcasts. And a 2008 TED Prize project, Pangea Day, is nominated in the Movie and []

What can we learn from the 1918 flu pandemic? Laurie Garrett on TED.com

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In 2007, as the world worried about a possible avian flu epidemic, Laurie Garrett, author of The Coming Plague, gave this powerful talk to a small TED University audience. Her insights from past pandemics are suddenly more relevant than ever. (Recorded at TED U 2007, February 2007, in Monterey, California. Duration: 21:05.) Watch Laurie Garrett’s []

Race and the city: An exclusive interview with Nate Silver

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In his TEDTalk, blogger and statistics whiz Nate Silver explained how race may have affected the 2008 election. In this interview with the TEDBlog he further explores the relationships between urban spaces, race and President Obama. Here’s an excerpt: I see Obama as being our first urban president in a long time. His racial heritage []

Find TED on reddit.TV, launching today!

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If you’re as addicted to reddit as we are here — visit the brand-new reddit.TV to channel-surf through reddit’s Best of the Web video, or browse by category: Music, Geek, Sports … And you’ll see a nice red button that will bring up the hottest TED videos on reddit at the moment. We’re thrilled to []

One woman, eight hilarious characters: Sarah Jones on TED.com

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In this hilariously lively performance, actress Sarah Jones channels an opinionated elderly Jewish woman, a fast-talking Dominican college student and more, giving TED2009 just a sample of her spectacular character range. (Recorded at TED2009, February 2009, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 21:00.) Watch Sarah Jones’ talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate []

Adopt a line of Miro player code

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We love the free, open-source Miro player. If you do too, consider supporting the player by adopting a line of Miro code. Visit the Miro Adoption Center to make a small donation and support the team’s constant efforts to improve this player. TED.com was a premier partner for Miro when it launched in January 2008. []

Exploring the re-wiring of the brain: Michael Merzenich on TED.com

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Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich looks at one of the secrets of the brain’s incredible power: its ability to re-wire itself. He’s researching ways to harness this plasticity to enhance our skills and recover lost function. (Recorded at TED2004, February 2004, in Monterey, California. Duration: 23:07.) Watch Michael Merzenich’s talk on TED.com, where you can download this []

TEDGlobal 2009: First speakers announced

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Can an airplane fly around the Earth powered only by solar energy? How can we observe what we can’t see? Can we save the Internet? How does the brain create the mind? Can we back up biodiversity? These are just some of the questions that will be answered at our upcoming TEDGlobal 2009 conference in []

How ideas trump economic crises — a surprising lesson from 1929: Alex Tabarrok on TED.com

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The “dismal science” truly shines in this optimistic talk, as economist Alex Tabarrok argues free trade and globalization are shaping our once-divided world into a community of idea-sharing more healthy, happy and prosperous than anyone’s predictions. (Recorded at TED2009, February 2009, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 14:33.)   Watch Alex Tabarrok’s talk on TED.com, where []

Hear TED's European Director tomorrow in Barcelona

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If you live in or around Barcelona, Spain, you may consider joining TED’s European Director, Bruno Giussani, tomorrow evening Tuesday 28 April at the Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona as he discusses “Ideas Worth Spreading.” The CCCB is one of Europe’s premier cultural institutions, widely recognized for its groundbreaking exhibition and activities. CCCB is []

The week in comments

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If we had to choose a theme for this week’s comments, it would be Interaction Now. Usually, the highlights are reserved for your one-off quips, but from the themes of the talks, to speakers commenting on their own TEDTalks, to lightning-fast replies on threads, it was all about talking it out. On Margaret Wertheim’s TEDTalk: []

Picking apart the puzzle of racism in elections: Nate Silver on TED.com

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Stats whiz Nate Silver suggests answers to controversial questions about race in politics, such as: Did Obama’s race hurt his votes in some places? Stats and myths collide in this fascinating talk that ends with a remarkable insight on how town planning can promote tolerance. (Recorded at TED@PalmSprings 2009, February 2009, in Palm Springs, California. []