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Remembering Emily Levine

Remembering Emily Levine

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“That’s what’s so extraordinary about life: It’s a cycle of generation, degeneration, regeneration.” The humorist Emily Levine has died, after an extraordinary life spent questioning the very nature of reality. A philosopher-comic, she tore apart classics and physics and pop culture, and then, in trickster fashion, stuck them together in ways that created not just []

Remembering Paul Allen

Remembering Paul Allen

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What’s an appropriate second act after co-founding Microsoft? When Paul Allen left the massive software company, sure, he bought a sports team or two, founded a museum, funded schools and a telescope array, built some lovely buildings. But his deepest impact — even beyond the game-changing software he brought to market — may turn out []

Remembering Maestro José Antonio Abreu

Remembering Maestro José Antonio Abreu

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When Maestro José Antonio Abreu lifted his baton, magic sparked to life. Young people from diverse backgrounds played classical music that could take your breath away, yes, but something deeper transpired too — they demonstrated the skills for both personal and cultural thriving. Abreu founded “El Sistema,” the network of youth orchestras, choirs and music []

Remembering Jok Church, 1949-2016

Remembering Jok Church, 1949-2016

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In March 2007, a handsome iron-haired man stepped onto the low stage at Monterey dressed in full leathers, and gave what might be the most beautiful 3-minute TED Talk of all time. Jok Church told a story from his childhood: I was the class queer. I was the guy beaten up bloody every week in the boys’ room, []

Remembering Oliver Sacks

Remembering Oliver Sacks

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Neurologist and author Oliver Sacks died on Sunday, August 30, at age 82. He’d announced in February that he was in the final stages of terminal cancer, and wrote a beautiful essay in the New York Times about what that meant to him: Over the last few days, I have been able to see my life []

Remembering James Horner

Remembering James Horner

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At TED2005, James Horner shared the secret of what made him such a powerhouse film composer — he made it a point to watch each film as a viewer rather than as a creator. “Very often directors will say, ‘That’s not what I had in mind. I shot it with this in mind.’ But when []

Remembering Joachim de Posada

Remembering Joachim de Posada

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At TED2009, Joachim de Posada shared a spin on the marshmallow test — he re-created the famous experiment with kids in Colombia, to see if they’d react differently from the suburban California children who were the subjects of the first test. In Colombia, he found one clever girl who ate the inside of the marshmallow, []

Remembering Homaro Cantu

Remembering Homaro Cantu

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[ted id=1304] At TED2011, chefs Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche of the Chicago restaurant Moto showed us the unique alchemy that kept diners in their restaurant chuckling as they ate: “champagne” grapes, maki rolls printed on paper, a Cuban cigar that tastes like a Cuban sandwich, nachos that are actually dessert. Bouncing with enthusiasm, Cantu []

Remembering Stella Young

Remembering Stella Young

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Stella Young — comedian, activist, TEDx speaker, awesome person — died on December 6, 2014. She wished to be no one’s inspiration. YMMV.

Remembering Robin Williams

Remembering Robin Williams

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It’s 2008, moments before a BBC broadcast live from the stage at TED. But something’s gone wrong. The house lights are still up, the camera ops are looking at one another, official-looking folks are wandering at the stage apron muttering into headsets, and the panelists are sitting patiently onstage but looking, increasingly, baffled. Minutes go []

Remembering Felix Dennis, 1947-2014

Remembering Felix Dennis, 1947-2014

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[ted id=562] We want to remember Felix Dennis, who passed away this week at the age of 67, as he’d probably wish—with this trenchant, funny aside from his 2004 TED Talk. “You guys, you know, you’re going to totally transform everything. Cloning will transform everything. Voice navigation will transform everything … But human nature doesn’t change, []

Remembering Sherwin Nuland

Remembering Sherwin Nuland

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[ted id=189] Surgeon, author and speaker Sherwin Nuland died on March 3, 2014, at age 83. The author of a dozen books — including the award-winning How We Die, a clear-eyed look at life’s last chapter — Nuland came to TED in 2001 to tell a story he’d never told before. The world-renowned surgeon, clinical []

Remembering Doug Engelbart, with two talks about his visionary work

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Computer visionary Doug Engelbart died on Tuesday evening, at age 88. One of the pioneers of the Internet and graphic user interfaces, Engelbart is perhaps best known for inventing the computer mouse. Above, watch him lead what’s been described as the “mother of all demos” in 1968, when he showed off that first mouse and []

Dr. Rita Pierson: The TED community reflects

Dr. Rita Pierson: The TED community reflects

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This short post collects messages and reflections on Rita Pierson, who passed away Friday in Texas. If Dr. Pierson’s talk or work touched your life, please share in the comments below. So very sorry to have this terrible news. I only met Dr. Pearson on the day of the recording and was deeply impressed as []

Remembering educator Rita F. Pierson

Remembering educator Rita F. Pierson

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The TED community was deeply saddened to hear that Rita Pierson, whose powerful, funny, heartfelt talk kicked off TED Talks Education just a few months ago, died today in Texas, at age 61. It was truly an honor to help share her message with the world. Hers is truly an idea worth spreading: that every child, rich []

Remembering Margaret Thatcher

Remembering Margaret Thatcher

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Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, passed away today after suffering from a stroke. The longest-serving Prime Minister of the 20th century, Thatcher also holds the distinction of being the only woman to hold the post. She has died at 87-years-old. Below, some TED Talks that examine Thatcher’s []