When the Best American books make their annual appearance each fall, it’s normally Best American Science and Nature Writing that pulls us in. The guest editor (this year: physicist Brian Greene) has inevitably spoken at Monterey, and the writers always include a stable of TED favorites. The titles in this ever-expanding franchise offer something for […]
We took note last fall, when Masters of American Comics opened in Los Angeles. The exhibit’s traveled now to New York, and is accompanied — like so many things in this city — with a lecture series. Comic Conversations opens next week with one of our superheroes: Simpsons creator (and long-time TEDizen) Matt Groening, along […]
The TEDTalks Team is expanding and we’re approaching the TED Community first. We’re looking for a FULLTIME MEDIA PRODUCTION ASSISTANT skilled in the following areas: • Web & blog savvy: experienced with blogs and the web, able to troubleshoot HTML, update RSS feeds, manage and organize media assets. • Fluency/Familiarity with: Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, […]
Aubrey de Grey, British biogerontologist and founder of SENS, controversially claims to have created a roadmap to defeat biological aging. In this talk, he argues that aging — like other diseases — can be cured, and that humans can live for centuries, if only we approach the aging process as “an engineering problem.” (Recorded July […]
Eva Vertes is a Princeton student recognized as a teenager for her research on Alzheimer’s, and now embarking on a career focused on new ways of thinking about cancer. In this talk, she explains her theory that stem cells — seeking to initiate repairs in the body — may actually be the root of cancer. […]
Last spring, I gushed about the magic that was made when Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney shared a stage for the first time. The two met at TED2006, confessed to being long-time fans of each other’s work, and resolved to collaborate on a show. The result was an uncategorizable delight, mixing stories and song. If […]
This morning, Virgin CEO Sir Richard Branson offered the first public look at the rocketship expected to make space tourism a reality. The mock-up — revealed at WIRED/NextFest in New York — is based on the design of SpaceShipOne, the Ansari X-Prize-winning craft designed by Burt Rutan (TED2006). (Watch for Rutan’s TEDTalk later this fall.) […]
Even if there weren’t two TEDsters in the running, we’d be keeping a close watch on the race to succeed Kofi Annan as U.N. Secretary General, when he steps down at year’s end. One in a series of informal votes takes place today at UN Headquarters. In today’s New York Times, an Op/ED piece titled […]
Dan Gilbert is a psychology professor at Harvard, and author of Stumbling on Happiness. In this memorable talk, filmed at TED2004, he demonstrates just how poor we humans are at predicting (or understanding) what will make us happy. (Recorded February 2004 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 22:02) Get TED delivered: Subscribe to the TEDTalks video […]
Barry Schwartz is a sociology professor at Swarthmore and author of The Paradox of Choice. In this talk, he persuasively explains how and why the abundance of choice in modern society is actually making us miserable. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 20:22) Get TED delivered: Subscribe to the TEDTalks video podcast via […]
Last week, the list of potential successors to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan – he will step down at the end of his second five-year term, on December 31st – seemed to have narrowed down to two names: South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon and the current Undersecretary-General Shashi Tharoor, from India – a TEDster: he […]
Last week, Apple announced that its complete line of video iPods can finally handle Standard Definition (SD) television resolution of 640×480 pixels. We’re thrilled to announce the first batch of TEDTalks SD – four times the image size of regular TEDTalks – optimized for viewing on your computer – or playing back through your television. […]
Malcolm Gladwell is a staff writer for The New Yorker, and best-selling author of The Tipping Point and Blink. In this talk, filmed at TED2004, he explains what every business can learn from spaghetti sauce. (Recorded February 2004 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 18:15) Get TED delivered: Subscribe to the TEDTalks video podcast via RSS […]
Steven Levitt is an economics professor at the University of Chicago and the best-selling author of Freakonomics. In this talk, filmed at TED2004, he studies data from an inner-city gang to examine economic principles at work in the real world. (Recorded February 2004 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 22:00) Get TED delivered: Subscribe to the […]
San Francisco investor Peter A. Thiel (co-founder of PayPal) is putting $3.5 million into the antiaging research pioneered by TED speaker Aubrey de Grey (see past posts on him). The money will come in annual installments of $500,000 over the next three years for a pilot project, plus matching money for every dollar donated by […]
For a long time, TEDPrize winner Cameron Sinclair has encapsulated his philosophy in a slogan that recently turned into the title of his inspiring book: "Design like you give a damn" (see Cameron’s speech on TEDtalks – or if you are in New York see him live this coming Wednesday 20 at the NYPL). Now, […]