Robert Lang is a pioneer of the newest kind of origami -- using math and engineering principles to fold mind-blowingly intricate designs that are beautiful and, sometimes, very useful.
The photo director for National Geographic, David Griffin knows the power of photography to connect us to our world. In a talk filled with glorious images, he talks about how we all use photos to tell our stories.
Animal fan Nellie McKay sings a sparkling tribute to her dear dog. She suggests we all do the same: "Just go right to the pound/ And find yourself a hound/ And make that doggie proud/ 'cause that's what it's all about."
All humans share some common bits of DNA, passed down to us from our African ancestors. Geneticist Spencer Wells talks about how his Genographic Project will use this shared DNA to figure out how we are -- in all our diversity -- truly connected.
Physicist Patricia Burchat sheds light on two basic ingredients of our universe: dark matter and dark energy. Comprising 96% of the universe between them, they can't be directly measured, but their influence is immense.
Like your uncle at a family party, the rumpled Swedish doctor Lennart Green says, "Pick a card, any card." But what he does with those cards is pure magic -- flabbergasting, lightning-fast, how-does-he-do-it? magic.
rsieberg: Check out Photoshop Web – online foto editing @ http://bit.ly/wuhFw
rsieberg: Check out Photoshop Web – online foto editing @ http://bit.ly/wuhFw
Around the world, a bleak jobs picture Feb 15, 2009 Read more... Jobs are drying up around the world as the global economy enters its first overall downturn since the Great Depression, sparking social unrest in Europe and Asia along with calls to protect local workers from foreign competition.
Have you ever heard of E-Prime? Critical thinkers use it as a tool to write, speak and think more clearly and accurately. Learn how you can use it to sharpen your critical thinking abilities, avoid mental traps and become a better thinker. An E-Prime Primer
rsieberg: Developent Deluxe Blog pimped with Wibiya Toolbar http://bit.ly/tjjt4
Ed Chi, a senior research scientist at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), recently delivered a presentation at MIT about WikiDashboard, a tool that he and PARC colleague Bongwon Suh developed in order to visualize the dynamic nature of Wikipedia’s collaborative editing process. Erica Naone, a regular here at The Noisy Channel, wrote a nice [...]
A camera that can take a photo every half a billionth of a second has been unveiled by researchers. It will be able to catch superfast movements such as neural activity in the brain.
Dan Lyons, better known to most as Fake Steve Jobs, wrote an article in Newsweek today entitled “Time to Hang Up the Pajamas“, or “Growing Rich by Blogging Is a High-Tech Fairy Tale”. An excerpt: My first epiphany occurred in August 2007, when The New York Times ran a story revealing my identity, which until then I’d [...]
China's image improves as world economy slumps (International Herald Tribune) Feb 16, 2009 Read more... As the world lurches ever closer to economic catastrophe, China's image is changing from that of currency manipulator to a source of badly needed consumer demand.
Imagine hearing great, departed pianists play again today, just as they would in person. John Q. Walker demonstrates how recordings can be analyzed for precise keystrokes and pedal motions, then played back on computer-controlled grand pianos.
In 2007, Paul Rothemund gave TED a short summary of his specialty, DNA folding. Now he lays out in clear, adundant detail the immense promise of this field -- to create tiny machines that assemble themselves.
Starting with four basic questions (that you may be surprised to find you can't answer), Jonathan Drori looks at the gaps in our knowledge -- and specifically, what we don't about science that we might think we do.
This whimsical wrap-up of TED2006 -- presented by Einstein, the African grey parrot, and her trainer, Stephanie White -- simply tickles. Watch for the moment when Einstein has a moment with Al Gore.
Peter Diamandis says it's our moral imperative to keep exploring space -- and he talks about how, with the X Prize and other incentives, we're going to do just that.
In this absorbing look at emerging media and tech history, Peter Hirshberg shares some crucial lessons from Silicon Valley and explains why the web is so much more than "better TV."
Psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we're left, right or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.
With vibrant video clips captured by submarines, David Gallo takes us to some of Earth's darkest, most violent, toxic and beautiful habitats, the valleys and volcanic ridges of the oceans' depths, where life is bizarre, resilient and shockingly abundant.
The face of nuclear terror has changed since the Cold War, but disaster-medicine expert Irwin Redlener reminds us the threat is still real. He looks at some of history's farcical countermeasures and offers practical advice on how to survive an attack.
Keith Bellows gleefully outlines the engineering marvels of the camel, a vital creature he calls "the SUV of the desert." Though he couldn't bring a live camel to TED, he gets his camera crew as close as humanly possible to a one-ton beast in full rut.
Brewster Kahle is building a truly huge digital library -- every book ever published, every movie ever released, all the strata of web history ... It's all free to the public -- unless someone else gets to it first.
Storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy spins a funny, wise and luminous tale of parents and kids, starring her Cuban mother. Settle in and enjoy the ride -- Mama's driving!
In this deceptively simple 3-minute talk, Dr. Laura Trice muses on the power of the magic words "thank you" -- to deepen a friendship, to repair a bond, to make sure another person knows what they mean to you. Try it.
Tim Berry has a passion for helping people understand the importance of business planning to the continuing success of their organizations. He founded Palo Alto Software and created Business Plan Pro, one of the leading business applications on the market. Tim talks with us about why business planning is critical for the businesses of all sizes, how business planning should be a continual business activity, and some best practices for getting started with it. Tim also shares with us how his blogging fits in with the strategy of the company, and his own personal crusade to share his knowledge and experience with as many people as possible. And since Tim may not be perceived as the stereotypical blogger, we ask him if he thinks the more experienced entrepreneurs should dive in to Web 2.0 more than they have.
Listen closely -- Marvin Minsky's arch, eclectic, charmingly offhand talk on health, overpopulation and the human mind is packed with subtlety: wit, wisdom and just an ounce of wily, is-he-joking? advice.