Back in summer 2008, a group of Google engineers started horsing around with multiscreen displays and Google Earth, using their 20 Percent time. Fast forward a year and a half, and the hack has turned into this sensurround array of seven screens, offering an immersive experience that’s like stepping inside Google Earth. From the Google […]
Yesterday we test-drove the high-tech, yet-to-be released Chevy Volt electric car. Smooth handling and great engine pickup made for a fun driving experience. Cool features we liked: + Due to the pin-drop silent engine, the Volt sounds a soft beeping alert when it detects pedestrians in proximity. + After the battery charge is depleted, Volt’s […]
Our job on the Media Team is to make TEDTalks look as wonderful as possible. At TED2010, we’re running an ambitious eight-camera shoot (with some cool new back-end processes to match — watch for more on that). Some of the people running these cameras are, from left: Alexandre Naufel, Richard Marcus, Todd Dos Reis, Rodney […]
JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure At her Harvard University commencement speech, “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling offers some powerful, heartening advice to dreamers and overachievers, including one hard-won lesson that she deems “worth more than any qualification I ever earned.” Watch JK Rowling’s talk now >>
Richard Dawkins: Growing up in the universe At the Royal Institution in 1991, Richard Dawkins asks us to look at our universe with new eyes. Packed with big questions and illuminating visuals, this memorable journey through the history of life magnifies the splendor of evolution and our place in it. Watch Richard Dawkins’ talk now […]
Today, as we think about what we can do for Haiti, there’s no more pertinent message than in the words of this moving, soulful reading by Haitian author Edwidge Danticat — who reminds us of what Haiti has done for us. Edwidge Danticat: Stories of Haiti In the midst of an earlier crisis, Haitian author […]
The TED Blog today spoke with Patrick Meier, who is part of the team at Ushahidi working to bring information about the Haiti earthquake crisis to Haitians (those inside and outside the country), the press, humanitarian relief workers, governments, and concerned people worldwide. (TED Senior Fellow Erik Hersman, TED speaker Ory Okolloh and TED Senior […]
Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Numerous members of the TED community have sought to find a way to help victims of the Haiti quake. We believe one of the organizations best placed to make an immediate difference is Partners in Health. They have operated medical facilities in Haiti for more than two decades and have numerous people […]
As of 2005, only 15 percent of the world was mapped. This slows the delivery of aid after a disaster — and hides the economic potential of unused lands and unknown roads. In this short talk, Google’s Lalitesh Katragadda demos Map Maker, a group map-making tool that people around the globe are using to map […]
When Karen Armstrong was given one wish to change the world through the TED Prize, she wished for the creation of a Charter for Compassion. On November 12th, the charter was unveiled to the world, after months of collaborative effort and multi-denominational participation. At launch, over 60 plaques bearing the charter were hung in significant […]
We’re excited to post the next three talks in our new Best of the Web series! Today, we hear from a computer scientist who was battling pancreatic cancer, a neuroscientist and primatologist who learned about human nature by studying animals, and a man whose response to losing his life savings was unexpectedly hopeful. Randy Pausch: […]
At TED2009, Maestro Jose Abreu revealed his TED Prize wish, asking that a special program be created to train gifted young musicians so that they could recreate the highly successful El Sistema program around the world. Those young musicians, the Abreu Fellows, have just finished the first semester of their program at New England Conservatory, […]
At TEDGlobal, Loretta Napoleoni gave a fascinating talk on her exclusive opportunity to speak with members of the secretive Italian terrorist group, the Red Brigades, and the startling insight she’s gained over decades of studying the economics of terrorism. Before her talk posted, she chatted with the TEDBlog and shared a little more of her […]
Shereen El Feki explains the interplay between the Internet, economics and politics in the mesh of civilizations
Sunitha Krishnan’s talk was easily the most talked-about at TEDIndia, and sharing it with the world on TED.com provoked emotional reactions from many people — all showing support for her and her work. She chatted with the TEDBlog on Sunday, to give just a little more insight on her critically important efforts against human trafficking […]
Ushahidi’s new video explains how it crowdsources crisis information via text messaging and the web so citizens can easily access the latest reports (represented visually on GoogleMaps) and swiftly respond to crisis developments. Initially a quick fix scraped together in two days to track violence following Kenya’s 2008 election, the open source platform has evolved […]