Diana Nyad swam 110 miles from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, a journey that took her just under 53 hours last September. In today’s talk, Nyad gives a vivid account of what it was like to be out in the water, making her fifth attempt at this swim — one she first tried […]
Limitations, schimitations. At TED2013, Phil Hansen shared the story of how he thought his art career was over when he developed a severe hand tremor. Instead, by learning to “embrace the shake,” Hansen became a creative powerhouse, constantly coming up with new ways to transcend his limitation. And so we wondered: what if we asked […]
When the lights went down at TEDxMet, a TEDx event hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in October, anyone looking very closely could see a tiny light in the first row, casting a dim glow on a lucite desk. The desk was created for artist Alice Attie, who sat with a piece of paper […]
The pressure to find great gifts is on. And rather than wait in a long line to purchase yet another sweater, we ask: why not give the gift of an idea? This week, we contacted incredible speakers from 2013 and asked them to gift three people in their life with a TED Talk that will […]
Behold, your weekly recap of TED-related news: Yesterday, a United States federal court ruled that the NSA’s surveillance of phone records is “likely” to be unconstitutional. The New York Times’ editorial board applauded the move today. TED speakers Mikko Hypponen (who gave the talk “How the NSA betrayed the world’s trust”) and Malte Spitz (who […]
Still hurting for gift ideas? Never fear. The inventive and iconoclastic TED Fellows are coming to the rescue with the recent fruit of their labors. These inspired and unusual items — from Chinese-inflected banjo music to a remote-controlled underwater vehicle — are sure to delight your loved ones. Just be gentle stuffing that all-terrain vehicle […]
Great gifts aren’t always tangible. Just think back to the last time someone made your holiday season by gifting you an experience, or by writing you a card that got you just a little choked up. And so we ask: why not give the gift of an idea? This week, we’ve asked some of our […]
UPDATED: To see all these talks at one click, check out our updated Playlist: The 20 Most Popular Talks of All Time. As 2013 draws to a close, TED is deeply humbled to have posted 1600+ talks, each representing an idea worth spreading. So which ideas have had the most widespread impact? Below, a look […]
In her talk from TED2013, Nilofer Merchant inspired many to try walking meetings rather than spend hour-upon-hour in a chair. Now, this business innovator has another idea that you might want to adopt: giving the gift of TED to people on your holiday shopping list. In a blog post, Merchant put together a wish list […]
Beyoncé must love surprises. Because late last night, she unexpectedly dropped her fifth studio album, Beyoncé, on iTunes. It’s what she’s calling a “visual album,” and it features 14 songs and 17 music videos — including a song about her daughter, Blue Ivy, and guest appearances from husband Jay-Z, pals Justin Timberlake and Frank Ocean […]
All over the world, land is turning into desert at an alarming rate. Biologist Allan Savory has dedicated a lifetime to figuring out what’s causing this “desertification.” Finally, after decades of work in the field, Savory discovered a radical solution—one that went against everything scientists had always thought. He used huge herds of livestock, managed […]
Join EyeWire, a game to map the brain, from Sebastian Seung’s lab at MIT (watch his TED Talk). The game’s one-year anniversary is today, Dec. 10, and they’d love to hit their goal of 100,000 players. Jump in. The new book, Uncharted: Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture from Jean-Baptiste Michel and Erez […]
TEDWomen 2013 brought so many moments of delight. In session 1, Jessica Matthews showed us how a jumprope could generate electricity. In session 2, Rupal Patel revealed an incredible system to give an authentic voice to those who are unable to speak. And in session 3, Esta Soler explained how the Polaroid camera was an […]
“I don’t think protected bicycle ways are a cute architectural feature. They are a right, just as sidewalks are,” says Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogota, Colombia, in today’s talk. “Protected bikeways also are a powerful symbol of democracy, because they show that a citizen on a $30 bicycle is equally important to one […]
By Kate Torgovnick, Helen Walters and Emily McManus Session 3 of TEDWomen begins with an empty stage. And then: the noise of drumming breaks through the quiet as four women, draped in shiny blue cloth with gold bands around their foreheads, march onstage carrying with them large, wooden drums. They place them on the red […]
“It’s nice to look out and see so many women. That’s not my norm,” Sheryl Sandberg comments drily as she takes her place onstage at TEDWomen 2013 at the SFJazz Center. She’s here to talk with co-host Pat Mitchell, in a Q&A follow-up to her incendiary 2010 TED Talk, given at a TEDWomen three years […]