11 talks that freaked us out in 2012

Global Issues

11 talks that freaked us out in 2012

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[ted id=1583 width=560 height=315] Vicki Arroyo’s hometown is New Orleans, and after Hurricane Katrina struck, she knew firsthand the looming threat of climate change. In this eye-opening talk from TEDGlobal 2012, “Let’s prepare for our new climate,” Arroyo reveals the startling truths about droughts, rising water levels and natural disasters — that they may only []

Education

The best of TED-Ed: How to rethink thinking

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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, the TED-Ed team picked their favorite talks of the year. Here, a second look at the []

Culture

Favorites of 2012: The power of a flashbulb

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. 2012 was the year of radical openness at TED. In that spirit, while our office is closed for winter break, TED’s editorial staffers have selected their favorite talks of the year, giving you a peek into both our process and our personalities. We hope you enjoy.. TED editorial meetings are a flurry of sound. []

TED Weekends: A meditation on asteroids

Science

TED Weekends: A meditation on asteroids

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In Phil Plait’s talk from TEDxBoulder, “How to defend earth from asteroids,” he astonishes the audience, sharing how a single rock hurtling through space could damage our civilization as we know it. This weekend, TED Weekends on the Huffington Post features Plait’s spine-tingling talk. Below, some of our favorite essays from this edition, about those big []

News

In Short: Big kid Legos, plus outer space real estate

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Enjoy this sampling of the stories from around the internet that captured our interest this week: Kids at heart, rejoice! Makeblock — essentially, Lego for adults — have officially launched. CNN takes a look at these open-source toys. Want to find more Lego fans? Watch Hillel Cooperman’s TED Talk about the outlandish reaches of Lego []

And the countdown to Armageddon continues…

Global Issues

And the countdown to Armageddon continues…

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[ted id=167 width=560 height=315] By Stephen Petranek So, the world hasn’t come to an end yet. But the insecurities and fears about the so-called Mayan Calendar prediction that Earth as we know it will cease to exist today has created such a ruckus that Michigan officials closed 33 schools in preparation and NASA has devoted []

The voice detective: Fellows Friday with Max Little, whose Parkinson’s Voice Initiative took off after his TED Talk

Health

The voice detective: Fellows Friday with Max Little, whose Parkinson’s Voice Initiative took off after his TED Talk

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At TEDGlobal 2012, Max Little (watch his TED Talk) asked the public to contribute voice samples to the Parkinson’s Voice Initiative, a data-gathering project that aims to help develop a way to diagnose the neurological disease quickly, non-invasively and in its early stages. If it succeeds, it could change the quality of care for Parkinson’s []

4 efforts to diffuse conflict in Israel with art

Design

4 efforts to diffuse conflict in Israel with art

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[ted id=1636 width=560 height=315] Israeli graphic designer Ronny Edry has always loved posting images on Facebook, most of them garnering just a few random likes from his friends. But on March 15, he posted an image that got a different kind of reaction. The image showed him holding his young daughter, an Israeli flag in []