TEDBlog July, 2011 Archive
14 July 2011
The orbital perspective: Ron Garan from the ISS
TED Blog exclusive video: US astronaut Ron Garan is currently on board the International Space Station with five colleagues from the US, Russia and Europe. (This is Garan‘s second trip to the ISS.) For TEDGlobal 2011, he recorded a talk sharing the perspective from space and describing the wide range of scientific experiments that are run on the station during missions, taking advantage of its unique situation — and describing how these developments can then be applied on Earth.
14 July 2011
“Embracing Otherness”: Images and notes from Session 8 of TEDGlobal 2011
Media pioneer Pat Mitchell hosts Session 8: Embracing Otherness: “I suspect all of us have at one point or another have been the other.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Actor Thandie Newton: “The key to my success as an actor is the very lack of self that used to make me feel so anxious and insecure.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Chinese media mogul Yang Lan: “With barriers stacked against Chinese youth who have a social media voice, change is afoot 140 characters at a time.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Nadia Al-Sakkaf of the Yemen Times: “In times of revolution, one message to the West: It’s very important for YOU to listen to OUR voice.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Filmmaker Jarreth Merz: “Ghana found itself in the same place as the US in 2000. But Ghana honored democracy.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
The Vertigo Dance Company delivers a wonderfully creative performance. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Bunker Roy, founder of Barefoot College says: “Look for solutions within, and listen to people. They have all the solutions in the world.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
14 July 2011
Visual note-taking with Tom Wujec at TEDGlobal 2011
Video: At TEDGlobal 2011, Tom Wujec, a Fellow at Autodesk and a repeat TED speaker, showed his spectacular note-taking technique to the TED Blog’s Karen Eng.
14 July 2011
Raising the bar: Q&A with Lucy Kimball, creator of the Physical Bar Chart
Nafissa Yakubova holds her two favorite pins from the Physical Bar Chart. Photo: Robert Leslie / TED
One wall of the simulcast room at TEDGlobal 2011 is festooned with what appears to be a massive bar chart. Closer inspection reveals it’s a row of vertical plastic tubes, about 2 meters high, each dispensing buttons of a different color, and a message, such as “I was inspired and acted on it” (green), “I surprised myself” (blue) and “I said what I believe ” (red). We asked Lucy Kimball, the London-based designer and artist who created this “Physical Bar Chart,” to tell us all about the buttons and bars.
What’s this Physical Bar Chart for?
Physical Bar Charts are a participative installation that are extremely nondigital. This installation gives us real-time data about the ways the TED community is reflecting on what is going on at TED and how people are participating. People are invited to help themsleves to the badges — one or none, or as many as they like, and wear them. That way they make public in this community what they’re thinking about, what they’ve been experiencing at TED.
The texts on the buttons — “I stayed up too late last night,” or “I delayed judgement” — spark conversation. “Oh, you delayed judgement, too. Tell me about that.” It’s a way for people to connect in a nondigital way.
The tubes are also a technology for showing the results at the same time, so it’s real-time data gathering in a very nondigital way. If you stand from a distanace, you can see the current level in the tube and see clearly what the community are thinking about — a visual snapshot.
Why data as art?
I used to do a lot of digital art and became increasingly interested in data and the social reduction of data. I moved toward the idea of how the making, creating and sharing of data is very social process. This bar chart has been used in many public libraries, art galleries, universities, sometimes over months, in different types of communities, with different, appropriate texts, of course. Often they have to do with citizenship and political participation. So the charts are really a device for reflecting what a community is thinking about.
What made you move away from digital media?
I do digital media as well, but this is a reduction to absurdity. We now have the ability to digitally comment on everyone else’s comments, we all have vast amounts of data about ourselves, data we create, data we make public to others. Yet this is data: each one of these badges is a piece of data, so I’m playing with it as a kind of data artwork.
What’s more important to you, data or art?
Neither. I’m profundly interested in the processes of how we make sense of the world, how we engage with each other. Data and research are two of the ways. So this is unofficial research. It’s a playful, experiential kind of research.
Have there been any surprises?
People in the TED community have not been wearing the badges as much as I expected. In other communities, people wear them like medals, with immense pride, sometimes many at a time. Here, they find them funny, take them, put them in their pockets and don’t wear them. This is a community of innovators, who are used to the idea of disruption, yet they want to keep something a little bit private about what they’re thinking about TED. That has surprised me slightly.
What’s the least popular?
“My ideas were challenged.” That’s a surprise, too!
The most?
“I said what I believe.”
14 July 2011
“Bodies”: Images and notes from Session 7 of TEDGlobal 2011
Movement expert Daniel Wolpert on the relationship between brain and body: “Our brains map our own body’s motions and correct our perception. That’s why you can’t tickle yourself.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Sheril Kirshenbaum talks about the science behind an ancient behavior, kissing: “We’re interpreting the world through our mouths more than we realize.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Hosain Rahman introduces UP, a wrist band that uses sophisticated sensor technology to track sleep and nutrition — and enables the data to be shared online. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Roboticist Péter Fankhauser demos Rezero, a highly agile robot that balances atop a ball. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Techno-illusionist Marco Tempest brings stick figures to life in a custom-designed interactive performance. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Jae Rhim Lee “trains” mushrooms to eat bodies after they’re buried. In her work she aims to shift culture toward “a radical acceptance of death and decomposition.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Forceful soul singer Alice Russell launches into a stunning rendition of “Citizens.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
14 July 2011
“The Dark Side”: Images and notes from Session 6 of TEDGlobal 2011
Underworld investigator Misha Glenny: “There are two types of companies in the world: those that know they’ve been hacked and those that don’t.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Cybersecurity expert Mikko Hypponen advocates for an “Internetpol” — an Interpol for the net. He says: “In the vast majority of online attacks, we don’t even know which continent they’re coming from.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
The extraordinary Eddi Reader sings the haunting “Semiprecious” as a theme for Session 6: The Dark Side. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
“Everyone lies,” says lie detector Pamela Meyer. “Lying is an attempt to bridge our wishes for what we want to be with what we really are.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Ben Goldacre launches in on the misrepresentation of science and the “536,731 ways the evidence can be distorted.” He says: “We can’t make decisions based on lack of information.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Anti-torture activist Karen Tse: “We think of torture as a political tool, but 95% is for people who live in broken down political systems.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
14 July 2011
A global culture to fight extremism: Maajid Nawaz on TED.com
The second TEDTalk posted from TEDGlobal 2011, happening now in Edinburgh:
Why do transnational extremist organizations succeed — where democratic movements have a harder time taking hold? Maajid Nawaz, a former Islamist extremist, asks for new grassroots stories and global social activism to spread democracy in the face of nationalism and xenophobia. A powerful talk from TEDGlobal 2011. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 17:53)
Watch Maajid Nawaz’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 900+ TEDTalks.
14 July 2011
5 e-etiquette tips to practice on a date or at TEDGlobal 2011
The eETIQUETTE space at TEDGlobal 2011. Photo: Robert Leslie / TED
Can you put your phone down for 1 hour? Not many people can without an increase in stress levels. Designer Julia Leihener of Deutsche Telekom Laboratories’ Creation Center took the time to bring e-etiquette to techies and power users at TEDGlobal 2011. TED Blog’s Corvida Raven sat down with Julia to get her top 5 e-etiquette recommendations to keep you from looking like a douche.
- Only R2D2 is allowed to end a relationship digitally.
- A quick phone call can circumvent the need for a frustrating and interminable e-mail exchange.
- Only upload images of which your mother would approve.
- Even Romeo & Juliet set their phones to ‘airplane mode’ on their first date
- The first hour of ‘free’ coffee shop Wi-Fi costs one cappuccino and one muffin. The second hour is only a chocolate-chip cookie.
If you know someone who is in desperate need of more e-etiquette tips, don’t hesitate to send them to www.eetiquette.com for help.
14 July 2011
Three amazing women: Meet the Shape What’s to Come ambassadors
The Shape What’s to Come ambassadors, with Lakshmi Pratury from the INK Conference, talk in the journaling space — while behind them, visualization artist Sunni Brown doodles their ideas into shape. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
At TEDGlobal this year, we’re meeting three ambassadors of Levi’s Shape What’s to Come campaign — three Indian women who are doing important work, and telling important stories, in their own communities. The TED Blog’s Corvida Raven sat down with them.
Ladies, what do you do?
Pavitra Chalam: I make films and tell stories about change, hope, and the future specifically for my country [India].
Karishma Shahani: I’m a fashion and textile designer.
Shilo Shiv Suleman: I am a student, an artist, illustrator, and story-teller! I do all sorts of visual storytelling.
Patriva, which of your films would you introduce to the TED audience to give them a different perspective on the world?
Pavitra Chalam: I would probably introduce my first film, which I made in Pakistan as a Peace Ambassador. This is before I knew much of anything about filmmaking. Somehow I ended up in the midst of what was one of the most controversial issues in the world. There were about 30-40 young people that wanted to say “this is enough”. We made a film called Bus and it was shot on a bus. Coincidentally, bus also means enough in Hindi. We wanted to talk peace. So, I decided that it would be good if the Hindu should played the Pakistani and the other way around. We took some interesting sort of gifts back home. I think we got a lot of perspective.
This is important, not because of the quality or amazing story, but I think it transformed every single person who was part of the creation of the film. We made a statement about Peace. If we are going to lead our countries in the future, we started there. So, I would introduce that film to the TED audience.
Karishma, how did you get into fashion and textile design?
Karishma Shahani: I know it’s weird to say I knew I would do this. But you know what, I think I’ve always wanted to do it. I used to doodle as a child. I still can’t draw that well, but I tried! I wanted to be a lot of different things, I won’t deny that. But I became a fashion designer and I’m very enthused about it.
I actually studied for my Economics degree before I went on to study fashion. I did not have a moment. I just wanted to do it. I love to make things. And Fashion is so close to you. It’s the first thing you see on the streets. Even when you have a timeline and it always revolve around clothes. That was the ’70s. That is the ’60s. So basically, I just think it’s so close to society, and so close to telling us what is happening in the world.
Karishma, what is your most powerful piece that you’ve made to date?
Karishma Shahani: I graduated last year and have started my own label now. So my first collection [Yatra] is my graduation collection. I would say the first piece that I made for that collection [is the most powerful piece]. I love them all. They’re all very dear to me, but that piece was fun. I like to have fun with my work. That piece was inspired by God and Lord Shiva, who I think is really beautiful. That was the first piece I started working on.
Shilo, what do you get out of telling stories in such a visual way?
Shilo Shiv Suleman: Love.
What’s your favorite story that you’ve told and the materials you used?
Shilo: My favorite story is what I’m working on now, which is called Coya. Basically, I’ve been a technophobe all of my life. I always thought that if I got sucked in by an iPhone or an iPad. I might not see my dream or not talk to the flowers [laughs].
So basically, you thought you would miss out on life?
Shilo: Yes! I decided I had to get over that because let’s face it, iPhones are cool! iPads are cool. I have one!
So, I’ve been working on a series of interactive narratives for children using augmented reality and using the iPad to really bring alive the magic of a fascinating story for children. I love working with children and making storybooks for children. I did my first illustration book for children when I was 15. So I was still quite a child myself. [Shilo is 22 now].
How do you feel about being at TEDGlobal?
Karishma Shahani: Special!
[Laughs all around]
Pavitra: It’s just amazing. I love it!
13 July 2011
“Emerging Order”: Images and notes from Session 5 of TEDGlobal 2011
Matt Ridley, rational optimist, hosts Session 5: Emerging Order, on July 13, during TEDGlobal 2011, July 11-15, 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Svante Paabo, geneticist: “Today, people living outside of Africa have 2.5% of their DNA from Neanderthals. We have always mixed — with other early humans, and with each other.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Mark Pagel, evolutionary biologist: “Language really is the most potent trait that has ever evolved, and the most subversive tool we have. It allows you to implant a thought in someone else’s mind — without surgery.” Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Elizabeth Murchison, cancer researcher, studies a horrifying new disease affecting Tasmanian devils: a contagious cancer, the first to threaten an entire species with extinction. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Cynthia Kenyon, biochemist and geneticist, doubled the lifespan of a worm in one experiment, shedding light on how genes control longevity in animals. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Joe Castillo, artist, creates live, animated stories with his fingers, sand and light. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
Karol Boudreaux, poverty economist, demonstrates how community-run nature conservancies benefit pastoralists and sustain wildlife. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED
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