Entries from TED Blog tagged with 'Hans Rosling'
11 November 2009
Google makes World Bank data visible
Stats guru Hans Rosling writes to say the popular search engine, Google, is making 17 of the World Bank's World Development Indicators available to search queries:
Subject: TED helps liberate data!
Here is very good news! As of today, the first hole to freedom exists in the data vault of the World Bank -- and the data is now passing through Google search and reaching the world with added value in the form of Google Public Data graphics!
This is the first step toward the reality of the vision [TED] helped me launch through my TED2006 talk! Big change takes time ... but this will change the world!
Chung Wu, on the official Google Blog, writes: "We hope this new data and our new embedding feature will help facilitate quick and easy access to public statistics. There are still many other data sets and sources out there, and we're excited about the possibilities for the future."
Watch Hans Rosling's talk from TED@State >>
05 November 2009
The Buzz: Hans Rosling on the rise of Asia
Hans Rosling kicked off the first session of TEDIndia speaking about Asia's past and future life expectancy and per capita income. Using his trademark GapMinder bubble graph, he projects India and China will catch up to the US in 2048 … on July 27th, to be exact. The Twitter and Facebook audiences were impressed:
Hans Rosling at TEDIndia. Very interesting chart shows how income and life health in India, China, USA changed over decades. -- shantanughosh
Hans Rosling is the bestest. Sexy, sexy stats. -- digitalkulcha
Even after watching 4 talks by Hans Rosling earlier, still love his GapMinder charts and lively, witty speaking style :) -- rbx
Hans Rosling at #TEDIndia: Inequalities in India and China present the biggest challenge to growth. Social investments are needed. -- infosys
Hans Rosling at #tedindia : Income/person and life expectancy in India will catch up with that of the USA in 2048. -- shantanughosh
Hans Rosling gets a standing ovation! -- TEDxShekhawati
01 September 2009
Reddit and TED to interview Hans Rosling. Submit your questions!
Such a success was the first ever Reddit-and-TED joint interview -- featuring Sir Ken Robinson -- that we and our partner Reddit have decided to expand it into a semi-regular feature.
This week, enduring TED favorite Hans Rosling (watch all his talks) will answer your questions.
Submit your questions in the Reddit thread now >>
We'll ask Hans the top 10 questions as of 5pm Pacific on Thursday, September 3rd.
Expect to see Hans' answers here on the TED Blog early in the following week.
As a doctor and researcher, Hans identified a new paralytic disease induced by hunger in rural Africa. Now the global health professor is looking at the bigger picture, increasing our understanding of social and economic development with the remarkable trend-revealing software he created.
P.S. Redditors may enjoy watching the only TEDTalk in which narwhals are mentioned.
29 August 2009
The week in comments
Maybe it was because of our 500th TEDTalk, but this weeks comments seemed especially meaningful. From people being amazed at Eric Giler's WiTricity to people rethinking their life strategy thanks to Dan Pink's talk on motivation. Here's just a sampling of the reaction:
On Natasha Tsakos' talk: A multimedia theatrical adventure:
This lady is amazing - talented and inspiring, to say the least. My sense is that she's just begun to explore the depths of reality and cross the borders of an infinite imagination. What's more, to have a social conscience - to connect and collaborate - makes her work a must-see for everyone! -- Ron
On Dan Pink's talk: The surprising science of motivation:
1. autonomy, 2. mastery, 3. purpose. I am going to be beating this drum for a bit. thanks to dan pink TWIT -- coreformula via Twitter
Excellent talk! Its interesting to note that the science supports innovative, out-of-the-box thinking and not the subject of economics. Economics is based on aligning incentive structures to maximize utility and productivity. Productivity is reminiscent of the 20th century and the industrial revolution. The 21st Century is about fostering innovation and companies need re-think their performance models to take that into account and stay competitive in this new arena … -- Rebecca
On Eric Giler's talk: Wireless electricity demo:
I'm pumped on the reality of WiTricity from Eric Giler's talk at #TED -- vspeelman via Twitter
That is very interesting. As Eric stated this is very old technology, I am wondering why it has come out now? And how they will hinder its productivity to monopolize it? I will watch this old invention made new with great interest. -- Aaron
On Hans Rosling's talk: Let my dataset change your mindset:
The way his personality and his website bring information to the public so lucidly and persuasively is unparalleled from all the talks I've watched from TED. Here he breaks apart our conceptions of developing countries and literally delineates the problems plaguing so many countries. -- Brad
Thank you TED, for letting Hans come and talk again. Inspiring, really really inspiring. Improving data availability, transparency and usability (As hans conveys perfectly) will rocket our world into new heights of prosperity and health, I am sure of it! -- Colin
As always, thanks for the comments on the talks. We hope you'll be here sparking discussion for the next 500.
27 August 2009
Celebrating the 500th TEDTalk!
Today, TED.com releases its 500th TEDTalk: perennial favorite Hans Rosling’s latest data-bubble presentation from TED@State. Since April 2007, the TED.com site has selected the best talks and performances from TED and partner conferences around the world and made them available to everyone online, for free. In keeping with TED’s mission to spread ideas, these talks have been reposted, shared among friends and shown in classrooms from middle schools to colleges.
Reaching 500 TEDTalks is an amazing milestone, and one that was not entirely expected. The experiment of putting talks online has blossomed into a thriving web community of fans and friends of TED, in ways that no one could have predicted. One blogger has made it her goal to watch absolutely all of the TEDTalks (for a spreadsheet that includes every TEDTalk, click here). Our incredibly dedicated volunteer translators have helped us provide TEDTalks in dozens of different languages. And, on our Facebook page, fans discuss and debate on the talks as they go up, creating strings of conversation that often extend into hundreds of comments. At TED, we’ve worked very hard to reach 500 talks, but we couldn’t have done without you.
27 August 2009
Let my dataset change your mindset: Hans Rosling is our 500th TEDTalk
Talking at the US State Department this summer, Hans Rosling uses his fascinating data-bubble software to burst myths about the developing world. Look for new analysis on China and the post-bailout world, mixed with classic data shows.(Recorded at the US State Department, June 2009 in Washington, DC. Duration: 19:57)
Watch Hans Rosling'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 500 TEDTalks.
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15 July 2009
Go behind the scenes of a TEDTalk
It's our third anniversary of posting TEDTalks free to the world! We started in June 2006 with our first six talks -- including Sir Ken Robinson, Al Gore, Majora Carter ... Three years and 486 talks later, we hope you'll enjoy this mini-documentary, "Behind the TEDTalk." It stars TED Curator Chris Anderson and the TED team, and a roster of speakers you love: Elizabeth Gilbert, Hans Rosling, Seth Godin and more, in a 6-minute look behind the scenes:
Download the "Behind the TEDTalk" documentary:
+ Zipped MP4
+ Unzipped MP4
+ Unzipped high-def (480p)
Our thanks to the m ss ng p eces team, and to the speakers, thinkers and doers whose interviews tell this story.
03 June 2009
TED@State: Hans Rosling asks if your mindset corresponds with his dataset
Hans Rosling is a data rock star. Pulling health and social data from worldwide collections, he uses his brilliant bubble-making software, Gapminder, to stand our preconceived notions on their heads. Watch one of his three TEDTalks (in 2006, 2007 and 2009) and get ready to re-examine everything you think you know about the developing world.
Live at TED@State, Hans mixed up some classic data shows and some new analysis -- focusing on the State Department folks and other government people who made up a good chunk of the audience. He says: "Does your mindset correspond with my data set? If not, one of them needs upgrading." And he made the clever point that, for most of us, our basic view of the world is determined by the year our teachers were born. His software (and his "solidified laser pointer," in the photo above -- Hans tends to point with anything that he's got handy) helped to refresh our view of the first world versus the third world.
The first world is traditionally viewed as a place of small families and long lives, while the third world means large families and short lives. But as he shows, this is changing. "Life expectancy," he says, "is about the bathroom and the kitchen. If you have soap, water & food, you can live long." And life-expectancy data is changing in the third world. His moving data bubbles show hopeful trends in many African countries (five of which, he points out, have low Western-level rates of child mortality, an indicator of overall health). Rosling pits country against country in child health data -- with surprising results for his own country, Sweden.
Rosling concludes by addressing the government employees in the audience: "Thanks to the US for taking such wonderful health data! This is US government at its best." USAID has funded 25 continuous years of demographic research that lets us understand how the world has changed. As he puts it: "This is not the State Department, this is the World Department, and we have very high hopes for you!"
Discuss this talk and more in the comments section:
03 June 2009
TED goes to Washington: Today is TED@State
TED is in Washington, DC, today, helping to throw a first-of-its-kind conference: TED@State, bringing great ideas from TEDTalks to Washington. This afternoon at the State Department, five TEDTalks stars -- Clay Shirky, Paul Collier, Jacqueline Novogratz, Stewart Brand, and Hans Rosling -- will share insight and new ideas; music will come from the legendary Zap Mama.
Our partner in this event is the Global Partnership Initiative, based at the State Department. This initiative was launched in April to establish public-private partnerships with foundations, businesses and NGOs ... and TED@State is the first major event under this initiative. The Special Representative for Global Partnerships, Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, is proud to welcome TED and these visionary speakers to the Department of State (read her remarks to the audience).
You can follow TED@State on our Twitter feed @TEDNews -- or look for the hashtag #TEDState. Look for TED@State onstage and backstage photos on Flickr. And we'll be reporting on each speaker here on the TEDBlog, and hosting the post-event Q&As right here.
Watch CNN's report on TED@State >>
Above: TEDTalks star Hans Rosling meets with TED's Director of Film + Video, Jason Wishnow. Photo: TED / Mike Femia.
15 May 2009
Q&A with Hans Rosling (Part 2): How to change Fidel Castro's mind ... and everybody else's
In the second half of the TEDBlog's interview with global health professor and stats expert Hans Rosling, he gets personal. With his usual wit, Hans tells stories of winning over Fidel Castro, remembers his battle with testicular cancer and explains why we can't get enough of him. If you need to catch up before diving into Part 2, read Part 1 of the interview or watch his newest TEDTalk, posted on Wednesday.
While we’re discussing world leaders -- rumor has it that you have out-talked Fidel Castro. Would you like to tell that story?
Oh, that’s a very good story. It was 1993 in Cuba, and there was a huge outbreak of neuropathy which is basically damage to the nerves. It causes great damage to the legs and the eyes. There were 40,000 cases across the island. In May of ’93, I was approached by the Cuban Embassy in Sweden and invited to join a team of scientists going to Cuba. I agreed.
We were very well received in Cuba. I discovered that the Cuban government and professionals are great to make deals with. They keep to their word. If they don’t want something, they don’t want it, but if they say yes ...
Fidel Castro actually came to me on the first day and chatted with me. It was a chat to go through my CV and check if it was true. Because of my work and time living in Africa, I have a Fidel-loving CV and he wanted to be sure all of this was true. He asked a lot of trick questions, but I passed the test.
I liked that he had stopped smoking, as leader of a country famous for their cigars. But, I also decided not to fall into calling him a great leader and all these things. I did not want to either promote or criticize the Cuban government, but to do what I was invited to do.
I told Castro that I would like to use qualitative research methods, incorporate some anthropology. But this was 1993, and it was very early to be using these methods in public health research. Now it’s totally accepted, but then it was a very new idea. And it was important to use in this case as I had noticed that the tobacco-growing provinces had much higher frequency of the condition. Also, the food distribution was equal in Cuba but the disease distribution was unequal, so that link was gone. So I said, “Let’s not just do a questionnaire here.” Quantitative people don’t like you to say that. So there was some argument, and that was the moment when Castro came in.
We sat for three or four hours and we got into a discussion over the details, the very smallest details. At one point I said, “We need to do good research.” He misunderstood me and thought that I meant that the research of his scientists was low quality. So he also had to give me a long lecture about how good the Cubans were at epidemiology. And it’s difficult to stop Castro when he begins talking -- almost as difficult as it is to stop me. But then I said, “Can I tell you a story?” And as a Cuban, he immediately said, “Yes.”
So, I told him that I had watched a documentary on him, and he asked me more questions to verify that I remembered it all correctly and it was all true -- and I passed. And then I said, “I liked especially when you lived in the Sierra Maestra. You worked along with the people, you ate with them, you played with their children. You must have learnt so much about them.” And he said, “Yes. Yes, we did.” And I replied, “But you didn’t have any questionnaires!” He laughed at that. So, I told him, “You see, today the methods of Sierra Maestra have become science.” He sort of liked that.
The next day the Minister of Health and the head of the Armed Forces and such all sat down with me for a meeting and said, “We would like you to stay in Cuba for the next six months. Tell us who you would like to work with.” So I stayed, and we did exactly the studies I had proposed.
I stayed for only three months, but I learned a lot about Cuba. And I will say this: What you think is good in Cuba is much better than you think. And what you think is bad in Cuba is much worse than you think.
14 May 2009
Q&A with Hans Rosling (Part 1): A deeper look at AIDS transmission and disease stats
On Monday, the TEDBlog had a long chat with Hans Rosling, the extraordinary global health professor that makes data come alive. He had his third TEDTalk posted yesterday and again wowed us all, explaining complex information with animated graphs -- and humor. In this interview, he delves into his theories on concurrency and AIDS transmission, our ideological ruts and developing the Obama-meter!
Hans had so much interesting news to share, that we had to split our interview in two! Return tomorrow for Part 2 of the interview, when Hans will recount meeting Fidel Castro, explain how cancer changed him and divulge the secret of why we love him so.
So, you’ve seen your TEDTalk already?
Oh yes, and I got so disappointed because, first, I went over the time. Also, we had technical problems and spent the last two hours before my talk debugging the presentation. So, the presentation I gave is not as good as the version that was on my computer. It just did not come out well at all. You know, it’s a real challenge to talk about a subject as complicated as AIDS in front of a large audience.
And I made that one mistake. I said male circumcision prevents HIV transmission when really it reduces it in a population. And when someone hears this, he will think, “If I have a circumcision, I can’t contract HIV,” and this is not the case. However, at least this part was edited out of the talk.
I thought the talk was very good. Do you always feel this way about your talks? Have you given a talk that you thought was good?
TheTEDTalk from 2006 is almost perfect. Even the mistakes I made in that talk were almost perfect. Then, the screen was low and you could see the graphics around me while I was talking. It was so good for my style of presenting. But in 2007, you raised the screen.
Anyway, I didn’t know that format was going to be so good. This was a technique I discovered by serendipity, like the joke in my talk about solidifying the beam of the laser. People really liked that, because they are so fed up with laser pointers which are such an overused technology. Now, I’m working on a bamboo version so that it will be biodegradable.
We know AIDS spreads more rapidly with concurrent sex partners, but what exactly do Africa’s concurrent partner relationships look like?
Well, this concurrency I have only observed in some parts of southern and eastern Africa. You must remember that there are tremendous variations between practices in all of Africa. Remember in the talk, I spoke about the difference between Salt Lake City and San Francisco. For example, the gay community in Salt Lake City is not that strong. But where there is the practice of concurrent partners, between the ages of 15 and 30 you may have less partners and less intercourse and have 50 times more HIV.
Now, Swedes have serial monogamy, which is one partner after another but no overlap. And then there is polygamy. Concurrent partners does not mean polygamy. These are as different as snow and sand. I want to carefully explain this, because this area is so heavy with moral judgment.
Having concurrent partners means that during a one month period, on a regular basis, you have sex with more than one person. There is not one main partner and then little affairs, either. In these societies, sex is linked to the social transaction. Sex has a different social role. There’s not as much jealousy with regard to sex. Now, it sounds as if I am defending concurrent partners. But with the Swedish way, serial monogamy, you just drop partners. It’s not very nice.
There is another model as well. In the Middle East, you marry when you are between 17 and 21 and you only have sex with the person you marry. And, actually these people probably have more intercourse, with their spouse, than anyone else. Many of these couples have a great sex life, too.
Also, as I said in the talk, HIV doesn’t have the same risk of transmission at all times. From the time of infection, the virus’ levels grow and peak in the blood in the first six weeks. With no other STD present, the risk of transmission is actually very low at other times. So with serial monogamy, even if a person is infected, they continue to have sex only with the person that infected them until their viral levels have fallen. Whereas, if you have sex with two other people just after infection, the virus is more likely to spread.
Promiscuous parts of the gay community in the United States, and in Sweden, also have concurrent partners. Note that I said promiscuous. For heroin abusers, this concurrency pattern is also the same as they reuse needles from many different people. This is also significant as blood is more contagious than any other bodily fluid.
There is no research consensus on concurrency, but it is the most probable hypothesis.
READ MORE: Hans talks about ideological mistakes, circumcision, his swine flu commentary and the Obama-meter
13 May 2009
New facts on HIV and stunning data visuals: Hans Rosling on TED.com
Hans Rosling unveils new data visuals that untangle the complex risk factors of one of the world's deadliest (and most misunderstood) diseases: HIV. He argues that preventing transmissions -- not drug treatments -- is the key to ending the epidemic. (Recorded at TED2009, February 2009, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 9:56.)
Watch Hans Rosling'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 400+ TEDTalks.
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05 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: Hans Rosling, a perennial favorite
In a surprise appearance earlier today, Hans Rosling, who is counted among the 10 most popular TEDTalks, lit up TED2009 by clearly illustrating statistics on HIV/AIDS. His boundless energy and colorful graphics caused TEDsters to respond with equally enthusiastic tweets. Let's take a peek:
Here comes Hans Rosling, of course, almost everyone's favorite TED talks -- whiteafrican
Hans Rolsing holding a metal pole "I have solidified the beam of a laser" LOL! #TED --
ashdonaldson
TED sword swallower, statistician, professor, gapminder Hans Rosling is on -- afromusing
we have now reached a steady state for HIV, and if you don't believe him, hans rosling will beat you with his huge staff of power ted -- senatorgrant
TED Hans Rosling showing growth of aids epidemic on great interactive graph, shows global patterns and understand it in entirely new way. -- eveblossom
Hans Rosling: "50% of HIV-infected persons are in 4% of world population in Southern Africa." ted -- heartnsoul
Rosling: "Terrible simplification that there is one Africa. It's not respectful and it's not clever." -- HelenWalters
Hans managed -- yet again -- to teach us all that statistics are the world's greatest mythbusters.
27 June 2008
TEDTalks turn 2!
Two years ago today, TED.com posted its first six TEDTalks. It was a radical notion to share these powerful talks and ideas with the world -- but it looks like it was the right notion. This week, TEDTalks notched its 50 millionth view, and we moved to a daily publishing schedule to keep up with the demand for more great talks, performances and conversations.
Celebrate with us by suggesting your favorite TEDTalks over the past two years. Count down the Top 10 TEDTalks in a special Theme page, where you can discuss the talks and suggest your own hidden gems from the archive.
Watch the first six TEDTalks, posted two years ago today:
Al Gore on 15 ways to avert a climate crisis
David Pogue says "Simplicity sells"
Majora Carter's tale of greening the ghetto
Ken Robinson asks, Do schools kill creativity?
Tony Robbins talks about why we do what we do
Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen
26 June 2008
Counting down the Top 10 TEDTalks
With 50 million views since we debuted online two years ago, TED talks have become a powerful cultural force.
To celebrate this milestone, we're releasing a never-before-seen list: the Top 10 TED talks of all time, as of June 2008.
With speakers like neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor and global health expert Hans Rosling, the list proves one of the compelling ideas behind TEDTalks: that an unknown speaker with a powerful idea can reach -- and move -- a global audience. Links to all 10 talks are found below -- or browse through our Top 10 TED Talks Theme. Even if you've seen all the talks, the highlights video is darn fun.
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Top 10 TED Talks of all time
1. Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight
2. Jeff Han: Touchscreen demo foreshadows the iPhone
3. David Gallo: Underwater astonishments
4. Blaise Aguera y Arcas: Jaw-dropping Photosynth demo
5. Arthur Benjamin: Lightning calculation and other "Mathemagic"
6. Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?
7. Hans Rosling: The best stats you've ever seen
8. Tony Robbins: Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better
9. Al Gore: 15 ways to avert a climate crisis
10. Johnny Lee: Creating tech marvels out of a $40 Wii Remote
16 February 2008
Embrace the zen of presentation
More presentation news: Garr Reynolds pulls examples from his favorite TEDTalks (Majora Carter, Hans Rosling, Sir Ken Robinson) for his new book, Presentation Zen
What makes a great TED speaker? Passion, connection, a story to tell. As Reynolds points out, "If your idea is worth spreading, presentation matters."
01 January 2008
Web-based ways to make a difference
To help those of us making resolutions this week, here is a sampling of web tools for making a difference, inspired by TEDTalks speakers:
+ Share Ron Eglash's cool math tools, for studying math via breakdancing, Latin beats and cornrow braids
+ Dive into Richard Baraniuk's Connexions, a massive repository of open-source class materials
+ Visit Phil Borges' Bridges to Understanding site, which rounds up student films from all over the world
+ Browse Erin McKean's booklist "So You Want to Be a Lexicographer?"
+ Check out the beta of Gapminder World, powered by Hans Rosling's Trendalyzer software
+ Watch video and take action at The Hub, a platform for human rights media and action -- presented by Peter Gabriel's WITNESS
+ Discuss sustainable design and materials on the Cradle to Cradle forums, inspired by the work of William McDonough
+ Learn more about Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop per Child
+ Catch up with Majora Carter's Sustainable South Bronx -- or make a specific gift to SSBx via Changing the Present
+ Calculate your personal CO2 production -- and start helping the planet -- at the website for Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, produced by Jeff Skoll
TEDTalks is full of ideas for making change for oneself and for others -- many more than we can list here. Please share your suggestions for other TEDTalks-inspired change!
05 October 2007
Data at play: Some cool visualization tools
On Guardian Unlimited, Charles Arthur offers a neat roundup of new ways to see all kinds of data with fresh eyes. On the list: Jonathan Harris' "We Feel Fine" project (watch his TEDTalk) and, of course, Hans Rosling's Gapminder tools (watch his TEDTalks from 2006 and 2007).
The story is part of Guardian Unlimited's Free Our Data campaign, an effort to press the UK government to release mapping and demographic data about the UK and its citizens, collected by government entities -- who currently charge for access to it.
26 June 2007
Hans Rosling's jaw-dropping demo, on TED.com
In a follow-up to his now-legendary TED2006 presentation, Hans Rosling demonstrates how developing countries are pulling themselves out of poverty. He shows us the next generation of his Trendalyzer software -- which analyzes and displays data in amazingly accessible ways, allowing people to see patterns previously hidden behind mountains of stats. (Just days after this talk, he announced a deal with Google to acquire the software.) He also demos Dollar Street, a program that lets you peer in the windows of typical families worldwide living at different income levels. Be sure to watch straight through to the (literally) jaw-dropping finale. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 19:09) Read more about Hans Rosling on TED.com.
Watch this talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
06 June 2007
TEDGlobal 2007 Session 7: Tales of Invention
Day Three of TEDGlobal began with a series of pointed questions ...
"Where are the women inventors?" Bola Olabisi asked, as she walked around an international inventors fair, where she'd come on a slow afternoon in London, while pregnant with her fourth child and in need of distraction. She walked the hall all day, and failed to find a single woman inventor. Distressed, she approached the organizer to ask why no women were represented. "If you can find them, let me know," he said. And this sent Olabisi on what became her new life's mission, to encourage innovation and invention among women, and African women in particular.
"There was a lack of acknowledgement, recognition or even awareness of any African inventor or innovator." So along with founding the Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network she developed a Pan-African network for women inventors as well. And while there were many doubters ("Women inventors in AFRICA? have you thought about this carefully?"), every seat in her first symposium was full, often with designers of low-tech inventions -- floor tiles, wigs, household appliances, children's toys -- who may not have otherwise considered themselves "inventors."
The question, "Where are the African inventors?" echoed through the next talk as well, as Moses Makayoto called on young African scientists and engineers to stand up and be counted. An inventor and chemist himself, Makayoto invented the popular Mama Safi detergent, produced cheaply using local resources, and is now doing R&D into naturally developed malaria treatments and bio-pesticides, which can, for example, prevent malaria by attacking mosquitoes at the larval stage, and which can be created from raw materials found anywhere.
From Dr. Seyi Oyesola, a different question: Where are the well-trained African doctors? Answer: Overseas. Where they're better paid, better treated and enjoy modern hospital settings. In contrast, most hospitals on the continent lack vital equipment, and woefully fail to uphold sanitary standards. So "where do generally healthy Africans go if they need to be treated for things besides malaria, TB or HIV?" Oyeseola asks.
Distressed by the conditions in a Nigeria hospital where he came to perform a dozen open-heart surgeries (equipment was held together by duct tape; floors were dirty; X-rays were taped to windows for lack of a light table), Oyesola resolved to find a portable solution for bringing modern medicine with him. He co-developed the "Hospital in a Box" -- a pop-up, portable, plug-and-play system for off-grid medicine. Its environment-tolerant anesthesia makes surgery possible even in deeply inhospitable regions (or deeply ill-equipped regional hospitals).
His portable invention aside, the charismatic Oyesola stressed the importance of developing a strong non-emergency health care system throughout Africa. Emphasizing its economic significance, he quoted TEDster Hans Rosling: "You get wealthy faster if you're healthy first." (Watch Rosling's TEDTalk on TED.com)
The session's final question was asked by the entire audience, silently, to ourselves: "How on EARTH did he do that?" Chris and Emeka asked one of the TED Fellows -- 17-year-old William Kamkwamba from Malawi -- to the stage. A natural inventor, he built a fully-functional electricity-producing windmill from spare parts, working only from a photo in a magazine. After reading about Kamkwamba in a local African newspaper, TEDGlobal Conference Director Emeka Okafor spent several weeks tracking him down and invited him to join us here in Arusha, as part of our sponsored Fellowship program (There are 100 Fellows here). From the stage, William explained to TED Curator Chris Anderson that the windmill now powers 4 lights and two radios in his parents home. His dream? To build a larger version to help with irrigation, and go back to school. I have a feeling the next question for is: "How can we help?"
For more extensive descriptions of each talk, see Ethan Zuckerman's real-time posts on Bola Olabisi, Moses Makayoto and Dr. Seyi Oyesola.
Watch for these talks on TED.com beginning midsummer 2007.
Technorati tags: tedglobal2007
21 March 2007
Google and TED sword-swallowing demographer team up to think outside the X and Y axes
Google has acquired Hans Rosling's Trendalyzer software, which the Swedish demographer and his team at Gapminder have developed since 2005 to generate more useful visualizations of facts and figures. Rosling has met the Google founders at TED2006, where he gave a thought-provoking speech on the nature of statistics and the general misinterpretation of them (see short summary and video of that speech). At TED2007 ten days ago he gave another insightful speech, ending it with the now-famous sword-swallowing moment (yes, Rosling is a serious demographer but also -- another deadly serious activity -- one of the few sword-swallowers active in Sweden). Photo Robert Leslie/TED:
Marissa Mayer of Google comments the acquisition on their blog:
"Gathering data and creating useful statistics is an arduous job that
often goes unrecognized. We hope to provide the resources necessary to
bring such work to its deserved wider audience by improving and expanding Trendalyzer and making it freely available
to any and all users capable of thinking outside the X and Y axes." The
Trendalyzer team will join Google in Mountain View to work on
developing the tools; the non-profit Gapminder Foundation
-- whose goal is to "to promote a fact-based worldview by bringing
statistical story-telling to new levels" -- will instead continue
operating out of Stockholm.
(Via IHT Metamedia)
Technorati Tags: Hans Rosling, Google, Gapminder, TED2006, TED2007
08 March 2007
TED2007 Day One: things that knocked my hat in the creek
I had my mind blown in a thousand different directions by TED2007 today. My big impression was having felt the future, in myriad ways. From hallway conversations to the content of speaker presentations to the feeling of just being a part of it all, it was a fabulous first day.
My assignment, as handed down by the head office of TED, is to tell you about the thing which blew my mind the most. However, I'm going to take the easy route and talk about everything buzzing in my mind right now. All the speakers were wonderful, but here are my personal highlights. So bear with me; here we go:
- Philippe Starck: Proof positive that tangents are but the arcs of greater circles, Philippe gave us a very big picture look at life, beauty, meaning, the universe, and brushes for one's toilet and mouth. No photos, no precious design shots, just him and the space around him dancing around the stage in a virtuostic lesson in what it means to be a charismatic speaker. Strictly nonlinear in presentation -- and likely uncomfortable to some -- his time on stage tickled me pink, and was formidable! Watch for the TEDTalks on this one. You need to see it to understand it all.
- Hans Rosling: How does one go about topping your previous world-changing effort? Hans Rosling did it. With equal parts killer interface design + serious storytelling + oodles of data + approximately a third of a meter of reliable Swedish steel, Hans Rosling pulled it all off.
- Murray Gell-Mann: Was the field of particle physics ever presented in a more human, accessible way? Elegance personified. I loved every minute of this. It was like being in the room with a triumvirate of geniuses: Newton, Einstein, Gell-Mann. Wow.
- Jeff Han: Okay, I want one. Please. I want one.
- Steve Miller: As part of TEDUniversity, told stories about Tiger Woods to reveal some elegant points about how to set standards of excellence and then rise to meet them.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: A moving essay on jazz, leadership, responsibility, and the need to look deep within to find excellence. Inspiring.
- Raul Midon: A degree of artistic achievement which made we weep, so powerful was his music. The high point of Day One. And recipient of my TED Quote of the Day Award: "Feel the fear, but do it anyway".
Onward! Tomorrow bodes to be another amazing day.
photo credit: Jurvetson
27 June 2006
Introducing TEDTalks
Today, for the first time ever, we're thrilled to present some of the most remarkable talks from TEDs past. We launch with six from this year's conference — Al Gore, Tony Robbins, David Pogue, Majora Carter, Hans Rosling and Ken Robinson — with more coming weekly. All the talks are downloadable as audio or video, searchable and free.
It's a big moment for us: Until now, the TED experience has been limited to 1,000 people each year. But we believe passionately that these talks deserve a much wider audience. Now — thanks to the maturation of online video and podcasting, and a visionary sponsorship from BMW — we can share them for the first time.
TEDTalks are designed to fit into your life: You can subscribe, to easily receive updates each week. There's an audio series (produced with WNYC/New York Public Radio) that commutes well, as well as the video series, offered on this blog and TED.com, and downloadable through iTunes. Plus, the talks are fully searchable, so you can always find exactly what you're looking for.
Our intention here isn't to draw attendees (TED2007 already has a long waiting list), but simply to share these profound talks — which have had such great impact on us — with the widest possible audience. They're ideas worth spreading. So whether you're a TED veteran or virgin, we encourage you to clear your schedule and watch at least three talks, back to back. They have a cumulative effect ... — Chris
08 December 2005
Visualizing global trends
Humans have a hard time picturing certain things: long-term consequences, very large numbers, global trends ... For better or worse, our brains evolved to understand the immediate, "middle-sized" world that confronts us daily. We're grateful then, to the designers and thinkers who make abstract concepts accessible. Case in point: Gapminder, a Stockholm-based non-profit. Their extraordinary interactive graphs help you visualize complex global trends — like the distribution of poverty, in different regions of the world, over time. The raw statistics would bore you to tears; the web graphs — dynamic, colorful and clear — are utterly compelling. They're worth a look — not only for their particular content — but for the possibilities presented by this marriage of technology, information and design. (Link via kottke. Thanks!)
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