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December 2011

Live from TED

When NORAD tracked Santa: Bruno Bowden on the TED Blog

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A TED Blog premiere video: At this year’s TEDActive, in Palm Springs, engineer Bruno Bowden tells the amazing story of NORAD’s quest to track Santa — and how Bruno’s employer now continues the quest: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QabHDoNDpVg] Read more on the official Google Blog >> (This year’s countdown begins Dec. 24 at 2am Eastern.)

Global Issues

There are no scraps of men: Alberto Cairo on TED.com

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Alberto Cairo’s clinics in Afghanistan used to close down during active fighting. Now, they stay open. At TEDxRC2 (the RC stands for Red Cross/Red Crescent), Cairo tells the powerful story of why — and how he found humanity and dignity in the midst of war. (Recorded at TEDxRC2, November 2011, in Geneva, Switzerland. Duration: 19:03) []

Global Issues

How to stop torture: Karen Tse on TED.com

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Political prisoners aren’t the only ones being tortured — the vast majority of judicial torture happens in ordinary cases, even in ‘functioning’ legal systems. Social activist Karen Tse shows how we can, and should, stand up and end the use of routine torture. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 14:20.) [ted id=1288] []

Health

A prosthetic eye to treat blindness: Sheila Nirenberg on TED.com

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At TEDMED, Sheila Nirenberg shows a bold way to create sight in people with certain kinds of blindness: by hooking into the optic nerve and sending signals from a camera direct to the brain. (Recorded at TEDMED 2011, October 2011, in San Diego, California. Duration: 16:00) [ted id=1309] Watch Sheila Nirenberg‘s talk on TED.com, where you []

Health

An unexpected place of healing: Ramona Pierson on TED.com

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When Ramona Pierson was 22, she was hit by a drunk driver and spent 18 months in a coma. At TEDxDU she tells the remarkable story of her recovery — drawing on the collective skills and wisdom of a senior citizens’ home. (Recorded at TEDxDU, May 2011. Duration: 11:13) [ted id=1305] Watch Ramona Pierson’s talk on TED.com, []

Enter Ads Worth Spreading and TED could visit your agency

Business

Enter Ads Worth Spreading and TED could visit your agency

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We’re only two weeks away from the December 31 deadline for Ads Worth Spreading — TED’s initiative to recognize and reward innovation, ingenuity and intelligence in advertising. Please remember to enter before the holidays are here, as good intentions to submit your incredible work might give way to celebrations and vacations. As a holiday bonus, we’ve got great []

Business

Cooking as alchemy: Homaro Cantu + Ben Roche on TED.com

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Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche come from Moto, a Chicago restaurant that plays with new ways to cook and eat food. But beyond the fun and flavor-tripping, there’s a serious intent: Can we use new food technology for good? (Recorded at TED2011, March 2011, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 9:34) [ted id=1304] Watch Homaro Cantu and []

Business

Put a value on nature! Pavan Sukhdev on TED.com

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Every day, we use materials from the earth without thinking, for free. But what if we had to pay for their true value: would it make us more careful about what we use and what we waste? Think of Pavan Sukhdev as nature’s banker — assessing the value of the Earth’s assets. Eye-opening charts will []

The Allen Telescope Array is back!

Live from TED

The Allen Telescope Array is back!

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A note from TED Prize winner Jill Tarter… At TED last February, Chris Anderson told the audience that without a White Knight stepping up to support my SETI observing program on the Allen Telescope Array, the antennas would soon be put into a safe hibernation mode in preparation for shutting down the array. That’s because []

Health

Color-coded surgery: Quyen Nguyen on TED.com

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Surgeons are taught from textbooks which conveniently color-code the types of tissues, but that’s not what it looks like in real life — until now. At TEDMED Quyen Nguyen demonstrates how a molecular marker can make tumors light up in neon green, showing surgeons exactly where to cut. (Recorded at TEDMED, October 2011, in San Diego, []

The INK Conference 2011: Day two of the journey

TEDIndia

The INK Conference 2011: Day two of the journey

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The second day of the INK Conference in Jaipur, India was another eclectic mix of musicians, inventors, designers and visionaries.   The conference’s narrative theme, The Power of the Journey, continued as each session attempted to capture the most important moments of every life. Talks are being held from Thursday December 8 to Sunday December 11. Through []

18 ideas shaping 2012: Add your voice

Culture

18 ideas shaping 2012: Add your voice

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You and other change agents have been commenting in full force in response to TED and The Huffington Post’s year-end collaboration to bring you 18 ideas that will shape 2012. The ideas are in, and the conversation is hot. Since last Thursday’s launch viewers have been sharing ideas of every variety, from the practical repercussions []