For those of you not familiar with TED, it's a US non-profit foundation that has really grown in popularity over the past couple of years. http://ted.com Their premise is to have an 18-minute talk, by various participants, with the concept of an Idea Worth Spreading. They have some pretty amazing and thought-provoking talks on their web site, and it is well worth checking out. Along with the end of the year comes the inevitable "top 10 of the year" list, and TED is no different... they've posted their own list, entitled 10 Ted Talks to Download for the Holidays FOCUS: Share your favourite TED talks, or discuss anything TED. ALT-FOCUS: What are your own Ideas Worth Spreading?
This is my first time hearing about it, but it looks like it has true potential. I'm without a doubt going to look into this heavier.
TED is a great way to kill productivity for days on end. I just tell my boss I'm brainstorming and researching new paradigms. I don't think I'll be getting a raise this year. Alternate Focus: Negative Population Growth Back in college I attempted to disseminate this concept to the masses. In addition to being called a fascist, I didn't get laid much. Now it's only a wish I hold deep in my grumpy old heart.
I often sit at my laptop glued to this site Friday nights drinking beer. Theres really some amazing stuff on there worth checking out. Couple of recent favorites: Adam Savage: Obsessions <a class="postlink" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/adam_savage_s_obsessions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/adam_ ... sions.html</a> Oliver Sacks: What hallucination reveals about our minds <a class="postlink" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/oliver_sacks_what_hallucination_reveals_about_our_minds.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.ted.com/talks/oliver_sacks_w ... minds.html</a> Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology <a class="postlink" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_ ... ology.html</a>
Bonnie Bassler on how bacteria "talk." This is a very exciting discovery which may give way to an incredible amount of new drugs to treat common infections without the risk of breeding superbacteria. Here's the Wikipedia link to the subject she's talking about. Edit: 100th post!
I've been a fan of TED for some time; very few of the ones I've watched have not provoked some episodes of deep thought*. Richard Dawkins, interesting man and interesting points of view about religion. I don't agree with everything he has to say but he still brings very interesting ideas to the table and asks good questions. I remember seeing something done by Douglas Adams but I cannot remember if it was a TED talk or not - I also cannot find the damn video. *Could have been a seizure.
Not to rain on your parade, but as good an idea as this would be, it's illegal pretty much everywhere in the US. Something to do with not paying the proper taxes if you sell them individually vs. in a pack. Focus: Someone told me about TED last winter and it almost led to me failing several finals. At least with stupid Youtube videos, I couldn't justify the time wasted with "But I'm still learning! And it's stuff that's actually interesting!"I'll post up some of my favorites when I have more time. Looking forward to seeing what some of you come up with. It's almost overwhelming navigating the site and seeing how many interesting topics they have on there.
Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity <a class="postlink" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilb ... enius.html</a>
What, no "I'm just here to fuck TED" option for the poll? Focus It's like lasers for your ears! I had never heard of this TED before. Pretty awesome idea, and I now know how I will be wasting the rest of my winter break. At least I can write it off as being sort of productive. The applications he was talking about with the directional soundwaves is some serious futuristic Jetsons stuff. I can see that being turned into some pretty serious weaponry, from a taser type approach where it is just to stun people (nails on a chalk board?! make it stop!) without causing permanent damage, to "Bam motherfucka! Now you don't have any eardrums. Can you hear me now?"
I only discovered TED a month or two ago but am now quite happily addicted. One of the most interesting I've seen was by Dan Ariely an MIT economist: Are we in control of our own decisions? On a lighter note; this made me laugh (I think I missed the point) Make love not porn
I could post dozens and dozens of my favorite talks, I've been scouring TED for over a year and a half now. I'll keep it short. The Intelligence of Crows (amazing and amusing) A fascinating look at the way the mind works by examining three cases of dysfunction (absolutely fascinating) 6 ways mushrooms can save the world (ABSOLUTE MUST-SEE FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T) An in-depth analysis of the origins and evolution of "Asian" cuisine (interesting and well written) Also I'm a fan of the works of Dan Ariely and Philip Zombardo. Ariely first examines "glitches" in the implementation of morality by people, and then attempts to answer the question "What is the logic behind illogical behavior?" Philip Zombardo wrote the book "The Lucifer Effect" after running the infamous Stanford prison experiment in the 70's where students came to embody malice and aggression against peers of equal standing after only the acquisition of unregulated power. He discusses the potential for evil or heroism in every person, and that either is a result of circumstance and not a result of inherent inherited inclinations. Also, Hans Rosling manages to put the excitement and enthusiasm of a sports commentator into cultural statistics. I'd probably better stop, that's probably more than 2 hours of videos already.
Two more awesome videos: Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success <a class="postlink" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/alain_de_botton_a_kinder_gentler_philosophy_of_success.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.ted.com/talks/alain_de_botto ... ccess.html</a> Carl Honore praises slowness <a class="postlink" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/carl_honore_praises_slowness.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.ted.com/talks/carl_honore_pr ... wness.html</a>
If you are going to watch TED talks, don't miss Elizabeth Gilbert's piece. I have not read her book, but this is inspiring: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilb ... enius.html</a>
Hi y'all, I missed you lunatics! As for ideas worth spreading... how about a writer who prefers efficiency to freedom arguing that smoking, at worst, results in 4 months off your life? This strongly relates to a LessWrong post about not trusting politicized science, as well as my own opinions on gov't... Girlfriend is yelling about boingboing and moot. Take that for what it is. Love you guys!
This Google spreadsheet lists all the TED talks as of a couple months ago with links and a short summary of each.