This week we’re posting three of the most-talked-about talks from TED2007 — Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, John Doerr and Blaise Aguera y Arcas’ remarkable demo of Seadragon/Microsoft Photosynth. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Finance Minister for Nigeria (and the first woman to hold that job), argues for investment — rather than aid — as the means to help […]
Jeff Hawkins brought us the indispensable Palm and Treo — now he’s turned his attention to the human brain, looking to our gray matter for clues to the next generation of powerful computers and software. To date, there hasn’t been an overarching theory of how the brain really works, Hawkins argues in this compelling talk […]
Rural villages worldwide are being deserted, as billions of people flock to cities, to live in teeming squatter camps and slums. And Stewart Brand says this is a good thing. Why? It’ll take you 3 minutes to find out. Music: Brian Eno, “Just Another Day on Earth,” from his 2005 album Another Day on Earth […]
Low-key and thoughtful, IDEO founder David Kelley seems the antithesis of the “design star” — and indeed, he says that product design, within the past two decades, has become much less about the design and more about the user who’ll be experiencing it. In this classic 2002 talk, he shares some video of products coming […]
What happens when a black man visits Aspen? Singer/songwriter Stew is about to let you know, with the arch humor and clever asides that characterize all his work (Hint: “It’s a winter wonderland in the belly of the beast.”) Stew is joined on stage by his partner/collaborator Heidi Rodewald (bass) and Jon Spurney (keyboard/guitar). (Recorded […]
Yes, it seems as though we just announced the 2007 wishes (and, in fact, we did), but it’s once again time to start the search for next year’s TED Prize winners. We’re looking for three more remarkable people that can tap into the energy of TED and do something extraordinary that will contribute to the […]
Stop wringing your hands over AIDS, cancer and the avian flu. Cardiovascular disease kills more people than everything else combined — and it’s mostly preventable. Dr. Dean Ornish explains how changing our eating habits will save lives. NEW: Read the transcript>>
In James Howard Kunstler‘s view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about. NEW: Read the transcript >>
Biologist Richard Dawkins makes a case for “thinking the improbable” by looking at how the human frame of reference limits our understanding of the universe. (Filmed at TEDGlobal 2005, July 2005 in Oxford, UK. 22:00) [ted id=98] Watch Richard Dawkins’ talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find […]
Chris Anderson, the editor of WIRED, explores the four key stages of any viable technology: setting the right price, gaining market share, displacing an established technology and, finally, becoming ubiquitous.
Featuring the vocals and mischievous bell-playing of accordionist and singer Rachelle Garniez, the TED House Band — led by Thomas Dolby on keyboard — delivers this delightful rendition of the Edith Piaf standard “La Vie en Rose.”
Satirist Tom Rielly delivers a wicked parody of the 2006 TED conference, taking down the $100 laptop, the plight of the polar bear, and people who mention, one too many times, that they work at Harvard. Watch for a special moment between Tom and Al Gore.
It’s a classic problem in theology: How can the existence of evil be reconciled with a God who is supposed to be all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful? Reverend Tom Honey attempts to answer this question in the wake of the tsunami. NEW: Read the transcript >>
Singer/songwriter Eddi Reader performs “What You Do With What You’ve Got,” a meditation on a very TED theme: how to use your gifts and talents to make a difference. With Thomas Dolby on piano.
Rives recaps the most memorable moments of TED2006 in the free-spirited rhyming verse of a fantastical mockingbird lullaby.
The dot-com boom and bust is often compared to the Gold Rush. But Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos says it’s more like the early days of the electric industry.