Culture TED Talks

Damon Lindelof, Elif Shafak and Tim O’Reilly share the TED Talks they find most powerful

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Guest-Curated Playlists

To celebrate our billionth video view, we reached out to 24 incredible people in the fields of technology, entertainment and design, asking them to create playlists of the TED Talks that most resonated with them. Their lists are housed in a brand new section of our site: Playlists: Collections for curious minds. Check out the notable names who shared their lists last week. And today, we offer up new playlists from television superstar Damon Lindelof, acclaimed author Elif Shafak and open source enthusiast Tim O’Reilly.

Damon Lindelof's favorite TEDTalks

Damon Lindelof, the co-creator of Lost, didn’t need long to find his favorite TED Talks. He explains, “These are the ones that stayed with me. That I watched more than once. That I felt were truly original, impactful, entertaining and emotional. I have forwarded these talks to friends with hopes of not only expanding their own horizons, but in stimulating future conversation and, yes, debate!” Head to the playlist section to see his picks »

Elif Shafak's favorite TEDTalks

A best-selling author in both Turkey and the United States, Elif Shafak champions in her TED Talk, “The politics of fiction,” the idea that stories can transcend identity politics. Transcendence appears to be the theme that links together the talks that Shafak calls her favorites.

Shafak explains, “I have chosen these speakers because even long after I listened to their talks I noticed I was carrying their words with me wherever I traveled. I usually like the kind of talks that combine the intellectual and the emotional, the mind and the heart. In all of these talks there is a desire to expand, to transcend the boundaries of the Self, to understand and connect, to debunk clichés and stereotypes, and a curiosity combined with a compassion towards one’s fellow human beings. These also happen to be multi-layered talks. They have an eye-opening, intriguing main theme, but when you listen closely, there are also powerful sub-themes. I can listen to these speakers again and again, hearing something new each time. I love their intelligence, as well as their chutzpah. “ Find her selections in TED Playlists »

Tim OReilly's favorite TEDTalks

Tim O’Reilly founded O’Reilly Media with the long-term vision of changing the world by spreading the knowledge of tech innovators. It’s a mission that very much dovetails with TED’s. Head to the playlist section, where O’Reilly picks his favorite TEDTalks and give notes about why each one had an impact on him »

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Stay tuned to the TED Blog tomorrow for playlists from Daryl Hannah, Philippe Starck and Alexis Ohanian. Special thanks to Mashable and iTunes for helping us share these playlists. Head to iTunes to download these lists as limited-edition podcasts and to Mashable to see their exclusive additional lists from tech superstars.

And as always, we want to hear about the talks you love. This week, tweet a favorite playlist — or the name of talk that deeply resonated with you — using the hashtag #topTED.