Tags > End of year

Stories for "end of year"

The real 10 most fascinating people of 2014, from StoryCorps

The real 10 most fascinating people of 2014, from StoryCorps

on

Last week, I saw Barbara Walters’ list of “The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2014.” It included interesting thinkers like Elon Musk (watch his TED Talk) and George R.R. Martin (the author of Game of Thrones), along with crowd-pleasers like Taylor Swift and Oprah. But reading this list of almost exclusively marquee names made me think about some of the people []

The 10 weirdest things that have happened in TED Talks

The 10 weirdest things that have happened in TED Talks

on

Many unusual things have happened on the TED stage over the years. Our incredible speakers have done everything from perform magic tricks to attempt to set themselves on fire, all in the name of spreading their ideas. Although far from a complete list, here are some of the weirdest TED moments that we still haven’t []

The gamification of weight loss

The gamification of weight loss

on

In 2007, Mayor Mick Cornett put Oklahoma City on a diet, after the city made a less-than-flattering appearance on a list of the most obese cities in the United States. In today’s talk, Cornett shares the aha moments that led him to create This City Is Going on a Diet, a somewhat unusual mayoral initiative. []

Your TED-inspired New Year’s resolutions

Your TED-inspired New Year’s resolutions

on

If you’re dreading the inevitable day your New Year’s resolutions—to lose weight, get a better job, and drink less, perhaps?—fall flat, it might be because you need different resolutions. Instead of focusing on outcomes, why not set your sights on process this year? Here, 10 resolutions inspired by TED Talks. They just might inspire you []

Your holiday reading list: Great novels by 2013 TED speakers

Your holiday reading list: Great novels by 2013 TED speakers

on

Packing up for your holiday trip home? For the downtime from eggnog, food and family, consider bringing a couple of these excellent novels from TED speakers whose talks were published this year. Karen Thompson Walker’s debut novel, The Age of Miracles, quickly took off when it was published last year. Walker imagines a world in []

2013: The Year in Ideas

2013: The Year in Ideas

on

In 2013, TED published more than 250 talks, each with an idea worth spreading. And yet, certain ideas seemed to resonate throughout the year, as if speakers at different events were singing parts of the same choral symphony. As 2013 draws to a close, here is a look at some of the big ideas we []

Lisa Bu gives the gift of TED

Lisa Bu gives the gift of TED

on

The pressure to find great gifts is on. And rather than wait in a long line to purchase yet another sweater, we ask: why not give the gift of an idea? This week, we contacted incredible speakers from 2013 and asked them to gift three people in their life with a TED Talk that will []

Comments we loved this year: The speaker query

Comments we loved this year: The speaker query

on

TED Talks often get 100 or more comments — a mixed bag of kudos, critiques and questions. Looking back on the year, here are a few comments that wowed us. Our speakers want to hear from you! If something in the talk was unclear or you’re wondering where the research will go next, don’t be []

Talks that inspired New Year’s resolutions for our staff

Talks that inspired New Year’s resolutions for our staff

on

Happy New Year! To celebrate the closing of the year, we asked people around the TED office what talks have inspired them to make a New Year’s resolution. Below, check out their answers. Hint: many found aspirations hidden in unexpected talks. And several might help you formulate the perfect resolution. [ted id=1569 width=560 height=315] One answer that popped up again []

The best of TED-Ed: How math guides ships at sea

on

You learn something new every day. This is especially true if you watch TED-Ed lessons, which use animation to bring to life topics as varied as “Insults by Shakespeare” and “Pizza Physics.” As a holiday gift, we’re bringing you a few of the TED-Ed’s team’s favorite talks of the year. Here, a second look at the lesson []

Comments we loved this year: The polite critique

Comments we loved this year: The polite critique

on

TED Talks often get 100 or more comments — a mixed bag of kudos, critiques and questions. Looking back on the year, here are a few comments that wowed us. Every video on TED.com is carefully selected, but not every TEDster will like every talk. Disagree with a speaker’s logic, methods or sources? We want []

The best of TED-Ed: The art of the metaphor

on

The adage goes: You learn something new every day. This is especially true if you watch TED-Ed lessons, which bring to life educational topics as varied as “insults by Shakespeare” and “pizza physics” with animation. As a holiday gift, we’re bringing you the TED-Ed’s team’s favorite talks of the year that, despite being amazing, didn’t get the []