Updated 10/29/08: Oxford announced yesterday the appointment of Professor Marcus du Sautoy to the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science. Du Sautoy is a mathematician and a dedicated popularizer of math and science. To get to know him, you might start with today’s installment of his London Times column “Sexy Maths.” From […]
While the world economy twists itself into a tangle, one of our favorite designers and TED speakers, Stefan Sagmeister, is spending more human time in beautiful Indonesia. He just sent me this delightful story … As my village neither possesses proper street names nor numbers, I was sitting at 6:00am today on the couch in […]
Last fall, scientist and provocateur David Keith offered one of the most conversation-provoking TEDTalks ever — calmly discussing ideas for geo-engineering our climate that border on shocking (like shooting a cloud of sulphurous particles into the stratosphere to simulate the cooling effects of a major volcanic eruption). It’s a scary subject, but as Keith pointed […]
Looking for a little inspiration — a shot of energy to get involved in making the world a better place? Check out this 4-minute version of Dave Eggers’ 2008 TEDTalk, where he talks about something meaningful you can do right in your neighborhood: Learn more about Dave’s wish at TEDPrize.org and at Once Upon a […]
Today’s Newsday offers an image-packed collection of stories on the school lunch as it is served and paid for in Long Island, New York. Check out the image gallery, which includes Berkeley schools chef Ann Cooper’s dream school lunch pictures above (with recipes). For more on U.S. school lunches, watch Ann Cooper’s TEDTalk >> Image: […]
In today’s New York Times, Johnny Lee talks about his clever Wii hacks — and how he shared them with the world via viral video. Johnny Lee’s TEDTalk, in which he shows how to make an interactive whiteboard from a $40 game controller, is a perpetual Top 10 talk on TED.com. Lee’s amazing YouTube videos […]
From the BPS Research Digest: Researchers Marie Helweg-Larsen and Barbara L. LoMonaco have been studying the moral code of people who line up for tickets to see their favorite band — and they’ve found some surprising news. It turns out it’s just as annoying for a hard-core U2 fan to see someone jump the line […]
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Via Slashdot, blogger Andrew Keen writes that economic troubles will trigger the decline of the “free” economy, collaboration, and open-source — including communities such as Wikipedia — and even, perhaps, the blogosphere itself. People will be less likely to give away “their intellectual labor on the Internet in the speculative hope that they might get […]
On Monday, Michael Pollan appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air to talk about avoiding the coming food crisis. (Listen to the podcast.) Earlier this month, in a open letter to the next president, he warned that “the era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close.” Fresh Air host Terry Gross asks […]
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced the first set of 104 Grand Challenges Explorations grants, a program that offers $100,000 to seed exciting ideas in global health. (It’s part of the $200 million research initiative called Grand Challenges in Global Health.) These small grants … will foster innovation in global health research and […]
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor — the brain scientist who suffered a stroke, and remembered every detail — visits The Oprah Winfrey Show. The show airs at 4pm Eastern time on ABC channels. Find local listings here. If you can’t catch the show today, you can watch this slideshow about Dr. Taylor’s appearance on The Oprah […]
Your local science museum might offer a “Night at the Museum,” where kids in sleeping bags cuddle up alongside the stuffed mammoth diorama. But at the Guggenheim in New York, an overnight at the museum becomes an act of performance art. A centerpiece of the show “theanyspacewhatever,” opening next week, is Carsten Höller‘s Revolving Hotel […]
Bjorn Lomborg has a bone to pick with environmentalists, and he’s not afraid to let us know about it. In two recent articles in the British press, Dr. Lomborg argues that global warming is both overblown and a waste of money, when there are global concerns both more pressing and less costly to tackle. Instead, […]
Bluegrass legend Eddie Adcock had brain surgery last month to correct an essential tremor — an uncontrollable shaking that left him unable to play the banjo. During the surgery, he stayed awake to give feedback while surgeons prodded his brain, looking for the exact spot to stimulate to control the tremor. His method of feedback […]
Casson at the TED Prize Blog tips us off to two events: XDR-TB Panel in Washington DC tomorrow, Oct. 14: If you live in DC and have an hour at lunch, head over to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) to view James Nachtwey’s slideshow and participate in a conversation on XDR-TB with […]