TED

TED Talk: Jeff Hawkins

How brain science will change computing

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6CVj5IQkzk] Click here for Discussion Forum

TED Talks: Wade Davis

Endangered cultures

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL7vK0pOvKI] Click here for Discussion Forum

TED Talks: Al Gore

New thinking on climate crisis

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUO8bdrXghs] Click here for Discussion Forum

Notes from TED

Here are some notes that I took at TED 2008.  I have a bunch more on each of the speakers individually which I may post as time permits.  Let me know if you want me to expand any of the notes below into a full post.

Themes

TED sessions have their own explicit themes, but I detected a few implicit themes based on the overlapping content of the talks. Global Awakening: there is something afoot that is palpable that is more than a political or cultural movement.  Al Gore and Samantha Power talked explicitly about this referencing a "higher consciousness".  See levels of organization and cultural agency.  Counterpoint theme: The Failure of the System to protect its individual constituents and serve their needs (see Sue Goldie). Compassion / Cooperation: as juxtaposed to the mindset of the selfish gene, social Darwinism, "nature red in tooth and claw", Libertarianism, Objectivism, free-market radicalism, etc.  See cooperation. Breaking the Spell: scientific results…

TED Talks: Iqbal Quadir

Mobile phones fight poverty

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixjxvzb2-Fw] Click here for Discussion Forum

TED Talks: Ken Robinson

Schools kill creativity

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY] Click here for Discussion Forum

TED Talk: Dan Gilbert

What makes us happy

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTO_dZUvbJA] Click Here for Discussion Forum

TED Talk: Amy Smith

Simple lifesaving design

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwFkb1x7FJQ] Click here for Discussion Forum

World's Best Powerpoint Presentations

Some people would say "Best" and "Powerpoint Presentation" are oxymoronic in combination.  But I disagree.  Powerpoint and its digital slideshow ilk (e.g. Keynote) are a relatively new medium, and it is the job of the slideshow creator and the presenter to make the presentation kick ass.  Al Gore proved this point with his slideshow that was so compelling that it was turned into an Oscar-winning movie.  One could argue that his was more about the presenter than the slideshow, but there are examples of amazing stand-alone slideshows, like this one: The medium is just starting to come into its own, and what I really like is when the slideshow and the presenter work together to make a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts.  Larry Lessig delivered such a talk.  And this one by Siegfried Woldhek on the true face of Leonardo da Vinci might blow you away.   If so, you…

TED Talk: Hans Rosling

Two for one special...

Debunking myths about the "third world"

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUwS1uAdUcI] Click here for Discussion Forum

Watch the end of poverty

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpKbO6O3O3M] Click here for Discussion Forum

TED Talk: Chris Abani

For those of you who are enjoying these talks and want to check out more than one of my favorites per day, you can cut to the chase on my TED profile favorites page.  You will have to register there, but it's free to do so.

Stories of Africa

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrbiIWD_CxI] Click here for Discussion Forum

TED Talk: Barry Schwartz

The Paradox of Choice

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6XEQIsCoM] Click here for Discussion Forum

TED Talk: Ashraf Ghani

How to fix broken states

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6GLw12jywo] Click here for Discussion Forum

TED Talk: Helen Fisher

The science of love, and the future of women

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-ewvCNguug] Click here for Discussion Forum

TED Talk: Richard Dawkins

After watching about 150 of the TED talks from archive, and around 100 live ones, I've collected a few favorites.  I'll try to post one of them a day.  Let me know what you think!

The universe is queerer than we can suppose

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1APOxsp1VFw] Click here for Discussion Forum

Complex Links: TED

I attended the TED Conference this year for the first time.  It was a transformative experience, one that I hope everyone can have in some form or another before too long.  One way to simulate being there is watch as many of these incredible talks from past TED conferences as you can in a short period of time.  If you are inspired, check out the TED Prize and how you can be a part of a growing global meta-movement for positive change in the world. I will be blogging about things that piqued my interest at TED, but below are some cool links that I came away with: