We’re not posting a new TED Talk today or tomorrow — it’s Thanksgiving Day in the United States. But here are some talks we’re excited to post in December: Next week: Richard Preston on the giant trees You might know Richard Preston from his groundbreaking reportage on disease, like The Hot Zone and his new […]
The blogosphere is all a-blog of a new cringe-inducing spoof published at McSweeney’s. Its title, “Atlas Shrugged Updated for the Current Financial Crisis” sums it up well enough. But here’s an excerpt: “I heard the thugs in Washington were trying to take your Rearden metal at the point of a gun,” she said. “Don’t let […]
Ad man Andy Hobsbawm shows iconic images from the media that use creative thinking to help society change for the better. Then he shares a fresh ad campaign about going green — and some of the fringe benefits. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 4:00.) Watch Andy Hobsbawm’s talk on TED.com, where you […]
At the Taste3 conference in Napa, chef Dan Barber tells the story of a small farm in Spain that has found a humane way to produce foie gras. Raising his geese in a natural environment, farmer Eduardo Sousa embodies the kind of food production Barber believes in. (Recorded September 2008 in Napa, California. Duration: 20:24.) […]
Technologist and futurist Bill Joy shares several big worries for humanity — and several big hopes in the fields of health, education and future tech. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, California. Duration: 19:02.) Watch Bill Joy’s talk from TED2006 on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find […]
Update: Last night, WITNESS’ 4th annual Focus for Change benefit honored TED’s Chris Anderson. WITNESS was founded by Peter Gabriel to harness the power of video to fight injustice — by putting cameras in the hands of oppressed people and helping them become firsthand witnesses. Watch Peter Gabriel’s TEDTalk about his work with WITNESS — […]
At Serious Play 2008, astrophysicist George Smoot shows stunning new images from deep-space surveys, and prods us to ponder how the cosmos — with its giant webs of dark matter and mysterious gaping voids — got built this way. (Recorded May 2008 in Pasadena, California. Duration: 19:00.) Watch George Smoot’s talk from Serious Play […]
Zambia-born filmmaker Franco Sacchi tours us through Nollywood, Nigeria’s booming film industry (said to be the world’s 3rd largest). Listen for stories of guerrilla filmmaking and brilliance under pressure from crews that can shoot a full-length feature in a week. (Recorded June 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania. Duration: 17:34.) Watch Franco Sacchi’s talk from TEDGlobal […]
Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi spins through a dizzying array of inspirations — from ’50s pinups to a fleeting glimpse of a hole in a shirt that makes him shout “Stop the cab!” What else keeps him creative and passionate about everything? His TV chatfest, his work with Mark Morris, his cabaret act, and his … […]
Futurist Stewart Brand works on the Clock of the Long Now, a timepiece that counts down the next 10,000 years. It’s a beautiful project that asks us to think about the far, far future. Here, he discusses a tricky side problem with the Clock: Where can we put it? (Recorded February 2004 in Monterey, California. […]
A free press — papers, magazines, radio, TV, blogs — is the backbone of any true democracy (and a vital watchdog on business). Sasa Vucinic, a journalist from Belgrade, talks about his new media fund, which supports free media by selling bonds. As one TED member writes: “The opening clip is full of power and […]
Phil Plait at Bad Astronomy shares the thrill: This is incredible: For the first time, ever, astronomers have captured an optical image of a planet orbiting a star like our own. And that’s not all: we also have a second picture showing TWO planets orbiting a second star! (Calm down. Breathe, breathe.) Read the whole […]
Artist and comedian Ursus Wehrli shares his vision for a cleaner, more organized, tidier form of art — by deconstructing the paintings of modern masters into their component pieces, sorted by color and size. Beyond the whimsy, of course, is a serious message, to honor and balance creativity and messiness, form and chaos. (Recorded February […]
At Serious Play 2008, Charles Elachi shares stories from NASA’s legendary Jet Propulsion Lab — including tales and video from the Mars Rover project. (Recorded May 2008 in Pasadena, California. Duration: 28:17.) Watch Charles Elachi’s talk from Serious Play 2008 on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and […]
Political scientist Samantha Power tells the story of a complicated hero, Sergio Vieira de Mello. This UN diplomat walked a thin moral line, negotiating with the world’s worst dictators to help their people survive crisis. It’s a compelling story told with a fiery passion. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 23:08.) Watch Samantha […]
Physicist Lee Smolin talks about how the scientific community works: as he puts it, “we fight and argue as hard as we can,” but everyone accepts that the next generation of scientists will decide who’s right. And, he says, that’s how democracy works, too. (Recorded February 2003 in Monterey, California. Duration: 12:25.) Watch Lee […]