Author Steven Johnson takes us on a 10-minute tour of The Ghost Map, his book about a cholera outbreak in 1854 London and the impact it had on science, cities and modern society. Get TED delivered:Subscribe to the TEDTalks video podcast via RSS >>Subscribe to the iTunes video podcastSubscribe to the iTunes audio podcastGet updates […]
Given $50 billion to spend, which would you solve first, AIDS or global warming? Danish political scientist Bjorn Lomborg comes up with surprising answers. Get TED delivered:Subscribe to the TEDTalks video podcast via RSS >>Subscribe to the iTunes video podcastSubscribe to the iTunes audio podcastGet updates via Twitter >>Join our Facebook fan page >> Subscribe […]
Speaking as both an astronomer and “a concerned member of the human race,” Sir Martin Rees examines our planet and its future from a cosmic perspective. He urges action to prevent dark consequences from our scientific and technological development. Get TED delivered:Subscribe to the TEDTalks video podcast via RSS >>Subscribe to the iTunes video podcastSubscribe […]
Robert Neuwirth, author of Shadow Cities, finds the world’s squatter sites — where a billion people now make their homes — to be thriving centers of ingenuity and innovation. He takes us on a tour. Get TED delivered:Subscribe to the TEDTalks video podcast via RSS >>Subscribe to the iTunes video podcastSubscribe to the iTunes audio […]
In this stunning talk, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the world’s indigenous cultures, many of which are disappearing, as ancestral land is lost and languages die. (50 percent of the world’s 6000 languages are no longer taught to children.) Against a backdrop of extraordinary photos and stories that ignite the […]
Photographer Phil Borges displays his remarkable portraits documenting the world’s disappearing cultures, from persecuted monks in Tibet to embattled tribes in the Ecuadorian Amazon. He also shares inspiring results from his digital-storytelling workshops, which give indigenous teenagers tools for cultural preservation and self-expression. A former dentist, Phil Borges rediscovered his passion for photography, and spent […]
Last night in New York, we held our first-ever TED holiday salon, to thank our extended community for a year of wonderful support. It was a full TED session, with five thoughtful speakers, gorgeous music, visual delight, and a parlor trick or two. The evening’s theme was “Unexpected Gifts,” and we think it lived up […]
A little unabashed self-congratulation: TEDTalks have been selected by Apple Computer’s iTunes Podcasting team as one of the Best Podcasts of 2006. Thanks to Apple for the honor and for all of their support throughout the past year. Click here to go to iTunes’ "Best of 2006" page now.
Why do people succeed? Is it because they’re smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success. Get TED delivered:Subscribe to the TEDTalks video podcast via RSS >>Subscribe to the iTunes video podcastSubscribe to the iTunes audio podcastGet […]
Musician and activist Peter Gabriel explains the personal motivation behind his work with human-rights organization Witness, which gives video cameras to ordinary citizens to document human-rights abuses, so the perpetrators may be brought to justice. He shares stories of citizen journalists in action, and poses the question: if injustice happens and a camera is there […]
TEDizens: Tonight in New York, we officially unveiled plans for our first TEDGlobal conference in Africa, to be held in Arusha, Tanzania from June 4 to 7, 2007. Africa, The Next Chapter will feature 50 extraordinary speakers who are shaping Africa’s future though innovation and world-changing ideas. Underlying this new initiative is our recognition that […]
Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil illustrates the increasingly exponential evolution of technology, predicting a sharp rise in computing capability, robotics and life expectancy within the next 15 years. He outlines the shocking ways we’ll use technology to augment our own capabilities, forever blurring the lines between human and machine. A prolific inventor, Kurzweil developed the […]
Wired Editor-at-large Kevin Kelly traces the remarkable similarities between the evolution of biology and technology, ultimately declaring technology the “7th kingdom of life.” He poses an intriguing question: “What does technology want?” As we hurdle forward, evolving increasingly complex, biological and independent machines, how will it affect our humanity? Kelly, widely regarded as an expert […]
Skeptic Magazine founder Michael Shermer takes us on a hilarious romp through the strange claims we humans put forth as truth — from alien encounters to Virgin Mary sightings on pizza pies, to hidden messages revealed while playing “Stairway to Heaven” backwards — and explains the evolutionary and cognitive basis for these lapses in reason. […]
Statistician Peter Donnelly explores the common mistakes humans make in interpreting statistics, and the devastating impact these errors can have on the outcome of criminal trials. Donnelly is a Statistics professor at Oxford who collaborates with biologists, applying statistical models to genetics, with the hope of shedding more light on evolutionary history and the structure […]
How many poets could cram eBay, Friendster and Monster.com into a 3-minute poem worthy of a standing ovation? Enjoy Rives‘ unique talent. Get TED delivered:Subscribe to the TEDTalks video podcast via RSS >>Subscribe to the iTunes video podcastSubscribe to the iTunes audio podcastGet updates via Twitter >>Join our Facebook fan page >> Subscribe to the […]