21 April 2009

Rethinking the way we sit down: Niels Diffrient on TED.com

Design legend Niels Diffrient talks about his life in industrial design (and the reason he became a designer instead of a jet pilot). He details his quest to completely rethink the office chair starting from one fundamental data set: the human body. (Recorded at TED2002, February 2002, in Monterey, California. Duration: 17:20.)

Watch Niels Diffrient'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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09 April 2009

A trickster's theory of everything: Emily Levine on TED.com

Philosopher-comedian Emily Levine talks (hilariously) about science, math, society and the way everything connects to everything else. She's a brilliant trickster, poking holes in our fixed ideas and bringing hidden truths to light. Settle in and let her ping your brain. (Recorded at TED2002, February 2002, in Monterey, California. Duration: 22:52.)

Watch Emily Levine's talk from TED2002 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 -- including more funny talks.

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06 April 2009

My father, my architect: Nathaniel Kahn on TED.com

Nathaniel Kahn shares clips from his documentary My Architect, about his quest to understand his father, the legendary architect Louis Kahn. It's a film with meaning to anyone who seeks to understand the relationship between art and love. (Recorded at TED2002, February 2002, in Monterey, California. Duration: 10:28.)

Watch Nathaniel Kahn's talk from TED2002 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 -- including more talks about architecture.

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26 March 2009

How John Wooden changed my life: Exclusive interview with Steve Jamison

Steve Jamison has co-authored five books with John Wooden, produced a documentary about him, and is consultant to his leadership program at UCLA. All this came about after one fateful meeting, for an innocuous interview.

Coach Wooden has influenced the lives of many, and he discusses his inspirational philosophy on personal success in today's heartwarming TEDTalk. To understand why Steve got hooked by the story of this legendary basketball coach, read below the fold >>

An excerpt from the interview:
When I got back to transcribe the conversation, I realized that every single sentence was fully formed, enlightening and substantive. I just kept re-reading it. And it was about leadership and life, not basketball. He said things like, "Don't forget, Steve, the most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

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02 March 2009

Exclusive interview with Brenda Laurel: We "brought girls roaring into the online game space"

Brenda Laurel spoke at TED in early 1998 -- at a watershed moment. In 1997, she launched Purple Moon to make smart computer games aimed at girls. By 1999, the company had come to a much-publicized end. But between start and finish, Purple Moon marked a sea change in the girl-game market. The TED Blog interview Laurel via email last week, to get the rest of the Purple Moon story, and to talk about how the experience changed her and (just maybe) changed the world.

From the interview: I adored those [games]. I still get email from young women who still play them in order to hear the stories at the end of each path, because they "need to." We even found a couple of girl-generated sites for trading stones outside of the Purple Moon world, as some of them became "rare." I see that Facebook has this sort of feature now, and it makes me smile.

Read the full interview after the jump >>

Watch Brenda Laurel's TEDTalk >>

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25 September 2007

10 ways the world could end: Stephen Petranek on TED.com

Stephen Petranek reveals the question that occupies scientists at the end of the day (and the beginning of happy hour): How might the world end? He lays out the challenges that face us in the drive to preserve the human race. Will we be wiped out by an asteroid? Eco-collapse? How about a particle accelerator gone wild? (Recorded February 2002 in Monterey, California. Duration: 29:10.)

Watch Stephen Petranek's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

Read more about Stephen Petranek on TED.com.

NEW: Read the transcript >>

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03 July 2007

Dan Dennett on dangerous memes, on TED.com

Here's one of those talks that can change your view of the world forever. Starting with the deceptively simple story of an ant, Dan Dennett unleashes a dazzling sequence of ideas, making a powerful case for the existence of "memes" -- a term coined by Richard Dawkins for mental concepts that are literally alive and capable of spreading from brain to brain.
On the way, look out for:
• a powerful one-sentence secret of happiness
• a compelling insight into terrorists' motivation
• a chilling view of Islam
And just when you think you know where the talk's heading, it dramatically shifts direction and questions some of western culture's fundamental assumptions.
This. Is. Unmissable. (Recorded February 2002 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 15:39) Read more about Dan Dennett on TED.com.

NEW: Read the transcript >>

Watch this talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

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