William Kamkwamba, the 19-year-old self-taught engineer who built a windmill power system for his family’s home in Malawi, was a star of TEDGlobal 2007. As reported by Ethan Zuckerman, several TEDsters have pledged to help him further his education. Now you can follow William’s journey on his blog. Read about the windmill he built, his […]
Stephen Lawler, from Microsoft, takes us on a tour through the company’s new Virtual Earth project, which is, basically, an attempt to turn the entire planet into an interface to the web. Collecting and synthesizing massive amounts of data — bird’s-eye views, street-level photos, 3D wireframes — the Virtual Earth team are building a world […]
Ethel is, perhaps, the first 21st-century realization of the classical string quartet. An all-star foursome, Ethel is Cornelius Dufallo (violin), Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello), and Mary Rowell (violin), a mixed bag of players from classical, rock and downtown new-music circles. On TED.com, they perform the third movement from Phil Kline’s four-part suite “The […]
TED Curator Chris Anderson writes: If there had been no other outcome of TEDGlobal than the story below, I think the whole thing would have been worthwhile. This hit my inbox today… It’s from Yene Assegid, the founder of a development organization in Sierra Leone called Integral Africa. She was part of the Fellows program […]
Watch here a new "taste of TED" video documentary shot at this year’s conference, in March. In 7 minutes it gives a great sense of the atmosphere at TED and of the content of the conference. It is also available elsewhere on this site, and you can download it here (158 Mb). Another documentary about […]
Strategic planner Thomas P.M. Barnett has advised US leaders on national security since the end of the Cold War. In this bracingly honest — and very funny — talk, Barnett outlines a solution for the foundering US military: Break it in two. One half makes war, and the other half builds the peace that follows. […]
TED’s Media Production Specialist, Michael Glass, is in Toronto this week premiering his film “Little Gold Men” at the Worldwide Short Film Festival — in a program called “Laughing at Americans.” Check out a clip >>
TED’s Content Producer, Kelly Stoetzel, helps choose the speakers for every TED conference. She shares her thoughts after TEDGlobal 2007 — on the conference buzz, the connections and the small moments between the sessions: I observed so many connections and conversations at the conference that felt like they were changing lives. Like William Kamkwamba, the […]
Architect David Rockwell loves to create drama and spectacle, in his designs for casino interiors, hotels, restaurants, movie and theater sets, and even a playground. Shortly after 9/11, he collaborated with other designers and architects to create a temporary viewing platform overlooking Ground Zero in New York. Here, in conversation with Kurt Andersen, Rockwell talks […]
TEDGlobal 2007 has been largely reported and disseminated via blog. Which is not surprising, when you consider the sheer number of African and world bloggers who attended — and how powerful their blogs have been in sharing ideas of the new Africa. For those following the conference from home, it’s clear that the blog coverage […]
Afromusing sums it up: TED Global felt like a seminal moment in Africa. I may have said this already but i will say it again. It was unlike any conference i have ever attended. Stupendous, challenging, interesting, eye-opening, heart-opening literally with Dr. Seyi Olesola and figuratively with Binyavanga Wainaina, Chris Abani and the music of […]
TEDGlobal 2007 was studded with announcements of new initiatives and major gifts to the cause of Africa’s next chapter. Here’s a sampling, as reported by the blogs: As Ethan Zuckerman reports from the final session: Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete took the stage with Dr. Larry Brilliant of Google.org and Bruce McNeighbor of Technoserve. Dr. […]
Amid TEDGlobal’s talk of our global connection and interconnection, it’s a fine time to present Bob Thurman, Buddhist monk and scholar, on the Buddhist view of the universe. In our hyperlinked world, we can know anything, anytime. And this mass enlightenment, says Thurman, is our first step toward becoming Buddha. When we can know everything, […]
People are packing up to leave TEDGlobal now, and the bloggers who came to the conference are thinking over the past four days. David McQueen found new connections and strengthened virtual ones, and he sums it up in words and pictures: I honestly don’t think Chris and Emeka (the organisers) REALLY understand how powerful this […]
The campfire. It’s one of the world’s most enduring metaphors, evoking simultaneously the safety of light, warmth, family, story; also the danger of darkness, exile, what lies beyond. The metaphor is all the more poignant here in Africa, where humankind evolved, along with language and storytelling and music and myth. And well-timed for our last […]
In a session punctuated by spontaneous applause and quiet tears, three heroes told their stories. If ever you doubt the ability of one person to move the world, any one of these talks would make you a believer. Ernest Chijioke Madu is determined to bring world-class cardiovascular care to Africa, and stem the tide of […]