TEDTalks fan Stefan Kreitmayer was watching Tod Machover — whose lab at MIT developed the tech behind Guitar Hero — when he noticed an interesting coincidence and took a screenshot. Wondering what to watch next? How about these guitar heroes: (Links for these talks: Craig Venter … Freeman Dyson … Kwabena Boahen … the Theme […]
After Robert Lang’s talk on origami at TED2008, Bruno Bowden stepped onstage with a challenge — he would fold one of Lang’s intricate origami figures, blindfolded, in under 2 minutes. He’s accompanied by the cellist Rufus Cappadocia. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 15:59.) Get TED delivered: Subscribe to the TEDTalks video podcast […]
Robert Lang is a pioneer of modern origami — using math and engineering principles to fold mind-blowingly intricate designs that are beautiful and, sometimes, very useful. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 15:59.) Watch Robert Lang’s 2008 talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other […]
Stanford researcher Kwabena Boahen is looking for ways to mimic the brain’s supercomputing powers in silicon — because the messy, redundant processes inside our heads actually make for a small, light, superfast computer. (Recorded June 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania. Duration: 16:21.) Watch Kwabena Boahen’s 2007 talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate […]
At the 2007 EG conference, Kevin Kelly shares a fun stat: The World Wide Web, as we know it, is only 5,000 days old. Now, he asks, how can we predict what’s coming in the next 5,000 days? (Recorded December 2007 in Los Angeles, California. Duration: 19:33.) Watch Kevin Kelly’s 2007 talk on TED.com, […]
Reed Kroloff gives us a new lens for judging new architecture: is it technocratic, or is it romantic? Look for glorious images from two leading practices — and a blistering critique of the 9/11 planning process. (Recorded February 2003 in Monterey, California. Duration: 15:21.) Watch Reed Kroloff’s 2003 talk on TED.com, where you can […]
In this short, image-packed talk, Marisa Fick-Jordan talks about how a village of traditional South African wire weavers built a worldwide market for their dazzling work. (Recorded June 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania. Duration: 2:33.) Watch Marisa Fick-Jordan’s 2007 talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other […]
At the EG conference in December 2007, artist Jonathan Harris discusses his latest projects, which involve collecting stories: his own, strangers’, and stories collected from the Internet, including his amazing “We Feel Fine.”(Recorded December 2007 in Los Angeles, California. Duration: 20:29.) Watch Jonathan Harris’s 2007 talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate […]
Louise Leakey asks, “Who are we?” The question takes her to the Rift Valley in Eastern Africa, where she digs for the evolutionary origins of humankind — and suggests a stunning new vision of our competing ancestors. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 15:35.) Watch Louise Leakey’s 2008 talk on TED.com, where you […]
Chris Abani tells stories of people: People standing up to soldiers. People being compassionate. People being human and reclaiming their humanity. It’s “ubuntu,” he says: the only way for me to be human is for you to reflect my humanity back at me. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 16:14.) Watch Chris Abani’s […]
Positive psychologist Martin Seligman talks about psychology — both as a developing field of study, and as it works one-on-one with each patient and each practitioner. As it moves beyond a strict focus on curing mental disorders and dis-ease, what can modern psychology help us to become? (Recorded February 2004 in Monterey, California. Duration: 23:41.) […]
Four of the speakers that participated in the first TEDGLOBAL in Oxford (July 2005) have all published new books recently. Former Afghani minister and head of Kabul University Ashraf Ghani (watch his TEDtalk), together with Clare Lockhart, has penned “Fixing Failed States: A Framework For Rebuilding A Fractured World“. They discuss the “between forty and […]
First, magician Keith Barry shows us how our brains can fool our bodies — in a trick that works via podcast too. Then he involves the audience in some jaw-dropping (and even a bit dangerous) feats of brain magic. (Recorded February 2004 in Monterey, California. Duration: 19:49.) Watch Keith Barry’s 2004 performance on TED.com, […]
Speaking at the most recent EG conference, author, philosopher, prankster and journalist A.J. Jacobs talks about the year he spent living biblically — following the rules in the Bible as literally as possible. (Recorded December 2007 in Los Angeles, California. Duration: 17:40.) Watch A.J. Jacobs’s 2007 talk from the EG conference on TED.com, where […]
Reverend Billy Graham marvels at technology’s power to improve lives and change the world — but says the end of evil, suffering and death will come only after the world accepts Jesus. (Recorded February 1998 in Monterey, California. Duration: 26:20.) Watch Billy Graham’s 1998 talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, […]
Why do we crave love so much, even to the point that we would die for the lack of it? To learn more about our very real, very physical need for romantic love, Helen Fisher and her research team took MRIs of people in love — and people who had just been dumped. As Fisher […]