With just over 40 days to go till TED, we’re proud to present what could be the best ever TED Speaker Program. At a time of deep uncertainty about the world’s future, it’s a wonderful prospect to be able to gather together for a few days and hear voices of insight, brilliance, passion and wisdom. […]
Mathematician Steven Strogatz shows how flocks of creatures (like birds, fireflies and fish) manage to synchronize and act as a unit — when no one’s giving orders. The powerful tendency extends into the realm of objects, too. (Recorded February 2004 in Monterey, California. Duration: 21:59.) Watch Steven Strogatz’s talk on TED.com, where you can download […]
In 2009, for the first time ever, you can experience the TED Conference live, from anywhere in the world. As part of our new Associate Membership program, you can join a live webcast of the conference and create a private TED event for you and your friends. But more than that, you’ll be part of […]
So the Mars Rovers didn’t scoop up any alien lifeforms … ? Scientist Penelope Boston thinks there’s a good chance — a 25 to 50 percent chance, in fact — that life might exist on Mars, deep inside the planet’s caves. She details how we should look and why. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, California. […]
UPDATE: Location confirmed! Lecture Theatre H1.25, Building H, Monash Caulfield campus, 871 Dandenong Road, Melbourne. TEDTalks fans in Melbourne, Australia, are inviting the world to an independently organized TEDx event. At the TEDx Melbourne Marathon, Jan. 17, 2009, from 10am to 7pm, you’ll see a program of live, local speakers and the crowd’s favorite TEDTalks […]
From Taste3 2008: Can happiness be bought? To find out, author Benjamin Wallace sampled the world’s most expensive products, including a bottle of 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc, 8 ounces of Kobe beef and the notorious Kopi Luwak coffee. His critique may surprise you. (Recorded July 2008 in Napa, California. Duration: 14:40.) Watch Benjamin Wallace’s talk […]
Dan Gilbert presents research and data from his exploration of happiness — sharing some surprising tests and experiments that you can also try on yourself. Watch through to the end for a sparkling Q&A with some familiar TED faces. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 33:38.) Watch Dan Gilbert’s talk from TEDGlobal 2005 at […]
Jay Walker, curator of the Library of Human Imagination, conducts a surprising show-and-tell session highlighting a few of the intriguing artifacts that backdropped the 2008 TED stage. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 7:09.) Watch Jay Walker’s talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other […]
TED@PalmSprings is a new way to experience TED. Wondering what it will be like? Watch this preview of the lively, loungey, interactive gathering to be held at Palm Springs this February. Find out more about TED@PalmSprings — there are still some spots available. Follow TED@PalmSprings on Twitter >>
Folk musician and storyteller David Holt plays the banjo and shares photographs and old wisdom from the Appalachian Mountains. He also demonstrates some unusual instruments like the mouth bow — and a surprising electric drum kit he calls “thunderwear.” (Recorded March 2004 in Monterey, California. Duration: 25:31.) Watch David Holt’s talk on TED.com, where you […]
Inventor Nick Sears demos the first generation of the Orb, a rotating persistence-of-vision display that creates glowing 3D images. A short, cool tale of invention. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 3:46.) Watch Nick Sears’ talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks […]
Want to see what a post-bailout auto industry could look like? General Motors VP of R&D Larry Burns previews next-gen car design: sleek, customizable (and computer-enhanced) vehicles that run clean on hydrogen — and pump energy back into the electrical grid when they’re idle. (Recorded February 2005 in Monterey, California. Duration: 9:12.) Watch Larry Burns’s […]
Why build a virtual world? At this year’s Serious Play conference, Philip Rosedale talks about the virtual society he founded, Second Life, and its underpinnings in human creativity. It’s a place so different that anything could happen. (Recorded May 2008 in Pasadena, California. Duration: 28:31.) Watch Philip Rosedale’s talk from Serious Play on TED.com, where […]
TED curator Chris Anderson appears on BBC Radio 4’s “iPM: Share What You Know” to discuss a provocative topic: Is the age of big ideas over? Chris debates the notion with philosopher Alain de Botton, the author of How Proust Can Change Your Life. Download the podcast here >>
Science writer Richard Preston (he wrote The Hot Zone) talks about some of the most enormous living beings on the planet, the giant trees of the US Pacific Northwest. Growing from a tiny seed, they support vast ecosystems — and are still, largely, a mystery. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 19:31.) Watch […]
Biochemist Gregory Petsko makes a convincing argument that, in the next 50 years, we’ll see an epidemic of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, as the world population ages. His solution: more research into the brain and its functions. He also shares a few simple things we can do for ourselves to keep our brains healthy. […]