James Duncan Davidson, TED’s conference photographer, is among a crew of five photographers and videographers reporting on the Gulf of Mexico for the TEDxOilSpill Expedition. His photos, taken aboard a plane above the Deepwater Horizon accident site, reveal the staggering extent of the oil slick. See the full photo set >> Burning oil on the […]
RSA Animate shares this neat whiteboard video illustrating an idea from TEDTalks star Philip Zimbardo: How our individual concepts of time influence us. Watch more from Philip Zimbardo on time, on TED.com >> Watch more video from RSA Animate >> (Thanks for the tip, Thaniya!)
From pollution-eating robots to abstract animated films, TED Fellow Cesar Harada is involved in an ocean of projects. He was able to squeeze in this interview with TED, where he talks about architecture, his love of the sea and a special cartoon cat. What are the most important things you’re working on right now? The […]
Before David Byrne’s talk was posted to TED.com today, the TED Blog had the opportunity to chat with him about his eclectic life and times. Almost unnervingly humble, he gave all credit for his achievements to good timing and an open mind — and we think there might be a lesson there. He’s also got […]
Today at the #Promise conference in New York, TED’s June Cohen moderated a panel with GE’s Ed Downing and Ogilvy’s Evan Slater. Downing shared how GE uses social media to have an authentic conversation with the public, and to break old brand images (e.g., grandma’s GE dishwasher) by introducing new projects like the Smart Grid. […]
In the Washington Post today, Peter Storey, one of the architects of the Charter for Compassion, shares his thoughts on the eve of the World Cup in his home of South Africa. Just last month, a plaque of the Charter, which was inspired by Karen Armstrong’s 2008 TED Prize wish, was installed by Archbishop Desmond […]
By the end of Mission Blue Voyage, most of the attendees and speakers were sporting cool glass necklaces, a gift from Dianna Cohen, second from left, and the Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC). (From left, above, you can see filmmaker Mike deGruy, Dianna Cohen, speaker John Delaney, and the legendary Sylvia Earle, all wearing their glass […]
Aside from being a comedian and legend, Chevy Chase is a longtime activist for the environment. (It helps that he’s married to Jayni Chase, the founder of the Center for Environmental Education.) Together, Chevy and Jayni wrote this editorial for World Oceans Day, based around their experiences on Mission Blue Voyage, the boat trip inspired […]
Coach John Wooden has died, at 99. His 2001 TEDTalk has drawn some of the most heartfelt and thoughtful comments on TED.com: “What a wise and pleasant person. I am also tempted to say he represents ‘ old- fashioned decency’. ” — Shalom Freedman “If I would have had a coach like him. If only […]
Photo by Robert Leslie Last night at the Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse moderated a discussion centered around the age-old question: Are we alone? Four scientists, including 2009 TED Prize winner Jill Tarter, shared their latest projects, which are better equipping Earthlings to answer this exciting question. Steven Squyres, who […]
Dan Ariely’s new book, The Upside of Irrationality, debuts tomorrow — he sends us this teaser, based on research that’s described in much more detail in Chapter 1 of the new book: Recently there has been a public outcry against astronomical executive salaries. The basic public sentiment is that it seems unfair that people make […]
Before his talk posted today, the TED Blog talked to epidemiologist and founder of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), Seth Berkley. He told the story of the beginnings of IAVI, exploring why different decisions have historically been made in response to the HIV pandemic and explaining why a vaccine makes sense today. Read on […]
Viktor Frankl: Why to believe in others In this rare clip from 1972, legendary psychiatrist and Holocaust-survivor Viktor Frankl delivers a powerful message about the human search for meaning — and the most important gift we can give others. Watch Viktor Frankl’s talk >>
Today, TED’s Open Translation Project marks one full year of making TEDTalks video available to non-English speakers around the world. As of today, more than 4,000 volunteer translators have completed 7,000 translations, with another 2,000 in progress — subtitling TEDTalks in languages as diverse as Arabic, Bulgarian, Mongolian, Tagalog, Uzbek and more than 70 others. […]
Via The Official Thomas Dolby Blog: Thomas Dolby has posted the lyrics to his brand-new song “Love Is a Loaded Pistol,” which premiered today on TED.com. He throws out a challenge: “See how many of Billie’s song titles you can spot.” Get the lyrics >> He writes that an MP3 of studio version of “Pistol” […]
Roz Savage has just begun the third and final leg of her epic solo row across the Pacific. Yesterday we posted Roz’s TEDTalk from Mission Blue Voyage, where she attempts to answer the question: Why? In this email interview with the TED Blog, completed just days before she set out from Kiribati to row to […]