By Yasheng Huang Earlier this year, economist Yasheng Huang (watch his 2011 TED Talk) sparred with Eric X. Li in the pages of Foreign Affairs on a similar topic to today’s TED Talk. The TED Blog asked Huang to expand on his argument in his ongoing conversation with Li. Imagine confusing the following two statements from […]
[ted id=1239 width=560 height=315] Last October, we posted this TEDTalk given at TEDGlobal 2011 by plastic engineer Mike Biddle, Founder and President of MBA Polymers, which has developed an incredibly energy and economically efficient method to recycle plastics — by turning it into the raw material again. The TEDtalk elicited over 1000 comments and questions on […]
Part of Bangalore-based art duo Pors & Rao, Aparna Rao (watch her TED Talk) embeds high-tech and humor in interactive, sculptural artworks that awaken us to our own subtle behavioral patterns and emotional responses. What’s your vision and motivation for making this art? I think it’s more a compulsion than a vision. It all started […]
Late in January, Robin Ince tweeted: balls, 7 months too late I’ve just realised what i should have done my TED talk on So the TED Blog asked: What? And here is what he wrote: Every year I attempt to say yes to things that are out of my comfort zone. These are never physical […]
As a companion to today’s TEDTalk from Alain de Botton, he sent us this FAQ, a brief introduction to the thinking behind Atheism 2.0: What do you think of the aggressive atheism we have seen in the past few years? I am an atheist, but a gentle one. I don’t feel the need to mock […]
What aspects of religion should atheists (respectfully) adopt? Alain de Botton suggests a “religion for atheists” — call it Atheism 2.0 — that incorporates religious forms and traditions to satisfy our human need for connection, ritual and transcendence. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 19:20.) [ted id=1327] Watch Alain de Botton’s talk […]
Jodie Wu’s Global Cycle Solutions creates bike-run machines mounted on rideable cycles, transforming bikes into mobile business tools for rural Tanzania. How did you get interested in innovating solutions for problems in developing nations? I first went to Tanzania as part of MIT’s D-Lab, a multidisciplinary course on development of appropriate technologies, innovation, and creative […]
Political prisoners aren’t the only ones being tortured — the vast majority of judicial torture happens in ordinary cases, even in ‘functioning’ legal systems. Social activist Karen Tse shows how we can, and should, stand up and end the use of routine torture. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 14:20.) [ted id=1288] […]
Every day, we use materials from the earth without thinking, for free. But what if we had to pay for their true value: would it make us more careful about what we use and what we waste? Think of Pavan Sukhdev as nature’s banker — assessing the value of the Earth’s assets. Eye-opening charts will […]
Artist Jae Rhim Lee (watch her TED Talk) is asking us to rethink our relationship with death and the planet — with the help of flesh-eating mushrooms, she’s making human decomposition clean and green. You’re an artist and designer primarily concerned with how our bodies interact with the world. I’m concerned with finding alternatives that […]
Does science ruin the magic of life? In this grumpy but charming monologue, Robin Ince makes the argument against. The more we learn about the astonishing behavior of the universe — the more we stand in awe. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 8:38.) [ted id=1276] Watch Robin Ince’s talk on TED.com, […]
“Travels in Space, Time & Imagination” was the theme of the fifth TEDSalon in London, which took place on Thursday 10 November and played to a packed house. “Journeys can be of many sorts,” TED European director, and the evening’s host, Bruno Giussani said, opening the Salon. And indeed the program was eclectic, featuring nine […]
How can we begin to understand the way the brain works? The same way we begin to understand a city: by making a map. In this visually stunning talk, Allan Jones shows how his team is mapping which genes are turned on in each tiny region, and how it all connects up. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, […]
Using sleight-of-hand techniques and charming storytelling, techno-illusionist Marco Tempest brings a jaunty stick figure to life onstage at TEDGlobal. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 5:45.) [ted id=1262] Watch Marco Tempest’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from […]
Neuroscientist Daniel Wolpert starts from a surprising premise: the brain evolved, not to think or feel, but to control movement. In this entertaining, data-rich talk he gives us a glimpse into how the brain creates the grace and agility of human motion. (Recorded at TEDGlobal, July 2011, in Edinburg, Scotland. Duration: 20:00.) [ted id=1261] Watch Daniel […]
A flying car — it’s an iconic image of the future. But after 100 years of flight and automotive engineering, no one has really cracked the problem. Pilot Anna Mracek Dietrich and her team flipped the question, asking: Why not build a plane that you can drive? (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, […]