Hans Rosling has given nine TED Talks, each sharing a carefully measured dataset to change misconceptions about global issues. Now, the Gates Foundation shares a new demonstration from Rosling. Here, using powerful moving charts, Rosling shatters the fallacy of the “developed” world versus the “developing” world. By looking at the facts, we are able to see that child mortality rates in poorer countries have been steadily decreasing over the past 50 years. Now, those so-called “developing” countries are almost equal to the numbers of the wealthier nations. By 2030, there will be no difference.

What will persist, however? The perception. “It is only by measuring,” says Rosling, “that we can cross the river of myths.”

Steve Case — who became a highly esteemed entrepreneur as the co-founder of America Online — is proof of the success of innovation. Case has been attending TED for almost two decades and feels very proud of its growth.

He writes, “What started as a ‘dinner party for a hundred of the world’s greatest minds’ (which is how founder Richard Saul Wurman initially conceived of TED) has now evolved to be a global platform for ‘ideas worth spreading.’ The decision by Chris Anderson to launch TED.com and make the talks available to the world has made TED all the more impactful, not just for the ideas, but for the people sharing them. Ken Robinson, for example, was respected for his views on education, but after his TED Talk was downloaded 14 million times, he became a global icon for creativity, virtually overnight. It has been amazing to watch TED’s transition from party to platform, and from a small gathering for the benefit of a few in Monterey, California to a massive global movement. Choosing my favorite TED talks after so many years was no easy task, but here goes…” Head to the playlist section to watch his picks >>

Brandon Boyd, lead singer of the band Incubus, is a big TED fan. He writes, “Although I have yet to attend TED, the web database has offered me consistent inspiration for years now. I see it as a beacon of both intellectual and spiritual light that speaks to the best of what we do, who we are and where we are heading. I’ve watched some of these presentations and at times felt at ease with the notion of an alien intelligence looking in on us from another locale. I mention that because there have been times in the not so distant past wherein I was nervous about a Pop Phenomena or a TV show’s signal drifting out into open space, and a quasi-irritable species passing by hearing it and deciding in a brief moment of weakness that these couldn’t be the voices of a species in ascendance and perhaps this ‘Planet Earth’ place isn’t worth all the hubbub. Death Ray activated! Zoinks! Splat! Poof…Then in the vertical blink of an advanced alien eye socket, no more Earth. Thanks a lot, Baha Men. But I digress, TED continues to inspire and evoke! I hope to one day perform live music on the moon and perhaps if all goes according to plan we can make a TED Talk out of it! If that doesn’t happen, I’ll fall back on my plan B: developing invisible deflector shields for incoming planet destroying laser beams. Thanks TED, you’re a cool cat.” Head to the playlist section to watch his favorites >>

And a bonus TED-Ed lesson that Boyd adores: John Lloyd: An animated tour of the invisible

Data visionary Hans Rosling has given nine TED Talks over the years, focusing on global trends in health, economics and population growth. His favorite talks, naturally, keep an eye toward these global themes — from business in Africa to youth culture in China. See his selections in the playlist section >>

.
A big, huge thank you to Mashable and iTunes for helping us share these playlists around the world. 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 a talk that deeply resonated with you — using the hashtag #topTED.

At TEDxSummit last month, Herbert Reininger from TEDxPSU shot this moment of classic Hans. Can you explain the world in ten rocks?

“The strive for a washing machine is stronger than the strive for democracy,” says TEDTalks star Hans Rosling at the beginning of this casual video, shot at TEDxSummit last week. On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, Rosling sat down with a group of fans to chat about presenting data with clarity and passion — using Legos, rocks and humor that reveals deep insight. He muses, too, on TEDx itself, the worldwide movement of people sharing ideas at independent events in their own communities. What does it mean that so many people want to be part of TEDx — and what’s next?
Film: What Took You So Long? whattookyousolong.org
Music: Just a Band: just-a-band.com

What’s happening in this picture above? Ask Mohammed Abu Zeinab, a TEDx speaker and member of the onsite documentary crew WTYSL:

As I walked in, I saw a crowd had gathered, with Lara, our own TEDx Director, even standing on a coffee table to see the center of everyone’s attention, the real show.

I knew what it was. It was Hans. I swerved from the outside of the crowd to get a closer look. There I saw him first, on the edge of his seat, looking straight into the face of his interviewer, speaking animatedly about something. That drew my attention to the crowd surrounding him, and I noticed everyone taking pictures and recording this moment, as rare as it was. I could not help but think “Are these people even hearing what this man has to say about whatever it is he was saying?” (I was clearly one of them.)

Hans helped ease the unsettling but mild frustration people were having as they tried to understand what he was talking about with his presentation methods — using inanimate objects to display stats, figures, messages and information about the world … “one billion, two billion, this billion, that billion, those billion people.”

This man captivated an audience and won them before the battle was over, before the message was delivered, before the story was finished. They all had a preparedness to laugh, to react, to be mesmerized! How could they not? Hans is a great presenter. And that was simply it. His charisma shown bright through his tone, his energy, great from his movement, his passion clear from his hands and eyes. The man was driven. And that was enough for me to like him, and yes, everything that came out of his mouth.

How can a man this unshaken, this bubbly, this clear be wrong? He could not have been. His determination and confidence wouldn’t allow it. This man did his homework. And you didn’t need to check. You knew it and you felt it. And you knew he did too. Those measures of confidence are what we aspire to and why we choose to listen to it.

We project ourselves through such examples as Hans and find all sorts of ways to relate ourselves to them. Whether it’s coming from the same country, to being in the same field, sharing the same thoughts or liking the same dessert. We like not only him but every bit of ourselves in Hans, or our “better” selves in Hans. The man is a Genius. And in the words of Paul Arden, it’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be.

That is what it meant for me to be around people like Hans Rosling. And I hope that not only do I meet people like him, but people who WANT to be like him, like me.

– Mohammed Abu Zeinab
Photo: Kris Krüg

http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf

Watch Hans Rosling’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 700+ TEDTalks.

This story shows the power of Ideas worth spreading. The story runs in 5 acts:

1. My TED2006 talk yielded Google’s acquisition of software from Gapminder.
2. Tim Berners-Lee add pressure for free data at TED2009
3. In 2010, Google launches Public data explorer with moving bubbles and a few of the free indicators from World Bank
4. On 20 April 2010, president Bob Zoellick of World Bank give up the old habit of selling public data. The change in policy is comprehensive and includes the right for institutions and companies to redistribute the data. In Zoellick’s YouTube video, at 1:46 min, the moving bubbles from my TED2006 talk in their new Google formate forms the background for the spread of ideas from the stage at TED in 2006 to World Bank in 2010.

Archimedes said: Give me a fulcrum, and I shall move the world!
Rosling says: Give me a TED talk and I shall move the world!

Kind regards from a happy Hans.

Every year, on December 1, the globe comes together on World AIDS Day to learn more about the virus and to show support for those have been infected. Currently, there are approximately 33 million people living with HIV, while stigma and prejudice continue to cripple educational efforts in many countries.

To increase our awareness of the effect of the AIDS virus on the world and on specific individuals, and to help understand it’s spread and preventative measures, we’d like to offer three TED Talks, each capturing a different aspect of this global issue.

Hans Rosling on HIV: New facts and stunning data visuals

Kristen Ashburn’s photos of AIDS

Emily Oster flips our thinking on AIDS in Africa

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 >>

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