TED makes the New York Times crossword puzzle! We’re clue 20 Across. 8 letters for “Popular online lectures about ‘ideas worth spreading.’” And they blog about it: We’re their “favorite entry.” We’re honored to be part of such an elegantly constructed puzzle. (No spoilers.)
[ted id=838] TED speaker Omar Ahmad died this morning of a heart attack in San Carlos, California, where he was the Mayor. A Mayor with a very open line to his constituents. In December 2009, when he pitched us what would become his short talk for TED University at TED2010, his suggested title was: “How […]
Volunteering at NGOs around the world convinced Peter Haas there had to be a better way to help villages develop. He co-founded the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) to empower locals to start their own businesses that bring clean water, electricity and sanitation to their communities — and keep them there. Interactive Fellows Friday Feature! […]
TEDTalks star Neil Pasricha, the author of “The Book of Awesome” and the new “Even More Awesome,” came by the TED office on Tuesday to be part of a one-hour live chat with TEDsters. He asked people to chime in on this question: “What do you do to make your life awesome?” Some lovely and […]
[ted id=1091] Eli Pariser’s TEDTalk “Beware online ‘filter bubbles’” is surprising, funny and a little bit scary. And as a side benefit, we noticed that people who share this talk have been coming up with some pretty great taglines before they RT the link. Excerpted samples below: @fbliss: Don’t be a rat in an information […]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7skPnJOZYdA&w=528&h=325&rel=0] The latest commercial for Google Chrome premiered tonight on US television. Which isn’t news we’d blog ordinarily, but this commercial is something special. It tells the story of the It Gets Better project — a video-powered social movement that uses direct, personal messages to tell young gay, lesbian, bi and transgendered teens that life […]
Through his organization, Baobab Health, Gerry Douglas has implemented a top-of-the-line electronic medical records system in Malawi. Many health centers in the developed world have not yet achieved what Baobab has. His secret weapons? Touch screen computers, super-high usability, and low power usage, just to name a few. Interactive Fellows Friday Feature! Join the conversation […]
Sam Richards, whose “Radical Experiment in Empathy” prompted a lively conversation all last week, sat in on TED Conversations today for two hours to answer questions about how to find empathy for people unlike us, and how we might prejudge someone — even a TED speaker … The conversation was thoughtful, honest and deeply optimistic. […]
[ted id=1125] Sociologist Sam Richards will be sitting in on TED Conversations today from 1-3pm Eastern time, looking forward to engaging TEDsters on the questions he brought up in his astonishing TEDTalk, “A Radical Experiment in Empathy.” Use your TED.com username and password to log in, and pose a question, share an experience, or join […]
While training for the military, Rye Barcott took leave to study ethnic conflict by living in Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum. Inspired by community-led initiatives there, Rye co-founded the non-profit Carolina for Kibera to support the projects. His newly released book, It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine’s Path to Peace chronicles his journey […]
With her boundless energy and playful spirit, Jen Indovina is making that most boring of environmental imperatives –- energy efficiency –- sexy and fun. Her invention, the PICOwatt, enables smartphone users to control the energy use in their home or office from anywhere in the world. Interactive Fellows Friday Feature! Join the conversation by answering […]
We didn’t know this when we scheduled Roger Ebert’s TED Talk to run today, but it turns out that April is a good month to become aware of oral, head and neck cancers. Around the US, many free screenings have been scheduled this week, and you may still be able to catch one on this […]
A year ago this week, Mission Blue Voyage set sail. This TED Prize-inspired trip brought together scientists, activists and funders around one of the biggest issues we face: how to stop the degradation of the ocean. Read Chris Anderson’s report on what was accomplished onboard >> Sylvia Earle, when making her TED Prize wish, asked […]
Sarah Jane Pell is making preparations to live in the ocean. That’s right, under the sea — but not until after a jaunt to the Arctic. Never one to be satisfied with the ordinary, Sarah Jane founded the Aquabatics Research Team Initiative to explore water choreography, technology, and human behavior as works of live art. […]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WhWDCw3Mng&w=527&h=325&rel=0] Watch the full-length version of “Sleep,” Eric Whitacre’s new work, sung by a YouTube-powered choir of more than 2,000 singers from around the world. The nine-minute work was premiered last night at the Paley Center in New York — and on YouTube. And watch Eric Whitacre’s TEDTalk, where he talks about his creative process […]
Onstage at TED2011, physicist Janna Levin talked about how gravitational wave detectors are about to produce revolution in astronomy and cosmology: instead of simply seeing the universe, we’ll now be able to hear it as well, the ripples of spacetime itself. In addition to being a groundbreaking cosmologist, she’s a novelist, memoirist and artist. We […]