TED Talks
Season 2007
TV-PG
Series of talks about technology, entertainment, and design.
Where to Watch Season 2007
149 Episodes
- Richard St. John: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes
E1Richard St. John: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutesWhy do people succeed? Is it because they're smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success. - Dean Ornish: The world's killer dietE2
Dean Ornish: The world's killer dietStop wringing your hands over AIDS, cancer and the avian flu. Cardiovascular disease kills more people than everything else combined -- and it's mostly preventable. Dr. Dean Ornish explains how changing our eating habits will save lives. - Richard Baraniuk on open-source learningE5
Richard Baraniuk on open-source learningRice University professor Richard Baraniuk explains the vision behind Connexions, his open-source, online education system. It cuts out the textbook, allowing teachers to share and modify course materials freely, anywhere in the world. - Wade Davis: Cultures at the far edge of the worldE6
Wade Davis: Cultures at the far edge of the worldWith stunning photos and stories, National Geographic Explorer Wade Davis celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the world's indigenous cultures, which are disappearing from the planet at an alarming rate. - Phil Borges: Documenting our endangered culturesE8
Phil Borges: Documenting our endangered culturesPhotographer Phil Borges shows rarely seen images of people from the mountains of Dharamsala, India, and the jungles of the Ecuadorean Amazon. In documenting these endangered cultures, he intends to help preserve them. - Robert Neuwirth: The "shadow cities" of the futureE10
Robert Neuwirth: The "shadow cities" of the futureRobert Neuwirth, author of Shadow Cities, finds the worlds squatter sites -- where a billion people now make their homes -- to be thriving centers of ingenuity and innovation. He takes us on a tour. - Ray Kurzweil: The accelerating power of technology
E12Ray Kurzweil: The accelerating power of technologyInventor, entrepreneur and visionary Ray Kurzweil explains in abundant, grounded detail why, by the 2020s, we will have reverse-engineered the human brain and nanobots will be operating your consciousness. - Burt Rutan: Entrepreneurs are the future of space flight
E14Burt Rutan: Entrepreneurs are the future of space flightIn this passionate talk, legendary spacecraft designer Burt Rutan lambasts the US government-funded space program for stagnating and asks entrepreneurs to pick up where NASA has left off. - Robert Fischell: Finding new cures for migraine, depression, malpracticeE15
Robert Fischell: Finding new cures for migraine, depression, malpracticeAccepting his 2005 TED Prize, inventor Robert Fischell makes three wishes: redesigning a portable device that treats migraines, finding new cures for clinical depression and reforming the medical malpractice system. - Ben Saunders: Three things to know before you ski to the North Pole
E17Ben Saunders: Three things to know before you ski to the North PoleArctic explorer Ben Saunders recounts his harrowing solo ski trek to the North Pole, complete with engaging anecdotes, gorgeous photos and never-before-seen video. - Joshua Prince-Ramus: Designing the Seattle Central LibraryE19
Joshua Prince-Ramus: Designing the Seattle Central LibraryArchitect Joshua Prince-Ramus takes the audience on dazzling, dizzying virtual tours of three recent projects: the Central Library in Seattle, the Museum Plaza in Louisville and the Charles Wyly Theater in Dallas. - Hans Rosling: Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seenE20
Hans Rosling: Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seenYou've never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, statistics guru Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called "developing world." - Sasa Vucinic: Why a free press is the best investmentE21
Sasa Vucinic: Why a free press is the best investmentA free press -- papers, magazines, radio, TV, blogs -- is the backbone of any true democracy (and a vital watchdog on business). Sasa Vucinic, a journalist from Belgrade, talks about his new fund, which supports media by selling "free press bonds." - Iqbal Quadir: The power of the mobile phone to end poverty
E23Iqbal Quadir: The power of the mobile phone to end povertyIqbal Quadir tells how his experiences as a kid in poor Bangladesh, and later as a banker in New York, led him to start a mobile phone operator connecting 80 million rural Bangladeshi -- and to become a champion of bottom-up development. - Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy?E25
Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy?Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, challenges the idea that we'll be miserable if we don't get what we want. Our "psychological immune system" lets us feel truly happy even when things don't go as planned. - David Deutsch: Chemical scum that dream of distant quasarsE30
David Deutsch: Chemical scum that dream of distant quasarsLegendary scientist David Deutsch puts theoretical physics on the back burner to discuss a more urgent matter: the survival of our species. The first step toward solving global warming, he says, is to admit that we have a problem. - Steven Levitt: The freakonomics of McDonalds vs. drugsE31
Steven Levitt: The freakonomics of McDonalds vs. drugsFreakonomics author Steven Levitt presents new data on the finances of drug dealing. Contrary to popular myth, he says, being a street-corner crack dealer isn't lucrative: It pays below minimum wage. And your boss can kill you. - Eve Ensler: Finding happiness in body and soul
E32Eve Ensler: Finding happiness in body and soulEve Ensler, creator of "The Vagina Monologues," shares how a discussion about menopause with her friends led to talking about all sorts of sexual acts onstage, waging a global campaign to end violence toward women and finding her own happiness. - Helen Fisher: Why we love, why we cheat
E33Helen Fisher: Why we love, why we cheatAnthropologist Helen Fisher takes on a tricky topic -- love -- and explains its evolution, its biochemical foundations and its social importance. She closes with a warning about the potential disaster inherent in antidepressant abuse. - Mena Trott: How blogs are building a friendlier worldE36
Mena Trott: How blogs are building a friendlier worldThe founding mother of the blog revolution, Movable Type's Mena Trott, talks about the early days of blogging, when she realized that giving regular people the power to share our lives online is the key to building a friendlier, more connected world. - Amy Smith: Simple designs that could save millions of childrens' livesE37
Amy Smith: Simple designs that could save millions of childrens' livesFumes from indoor cooking fires kill more than 2 million children a year in the developing world. MIT engineer Amy Smith details an exciting but simple solution: a tool for turning farm waste into clean-burning charcoal. - Cameron Sinclair: A call for open-source architectureE43
Cameron Sinclair: A call for open-source architectureAccepting his 2006 TED Prize, Cameron Sinclair demonstrates how passionate designers and architects can respond to world housing crises. He unveils his TED Prize wish for a network to improve global living standards through collaborative design. - Dan Dennett: Responding to Pastor Rick WarrenE46
Dan Dennett: Responding to Pastor Rick WarrenPhilosopher Dan Dennett calls for religion -- all religion -- to be taught in schools, so we can understand its nature as a natural phenomenon. Then he takes on The Purpose-Driven Life, disputing its claim that, to be moral, one must deny evolution. - Al Gore: Averting the climate crisis
E47Al Gore: Averting the climate crisisWith the same humor and humanity he exuded in "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore spells out 15 ways that individuals can address climate change immediately, from buying a hybrid to inventing a new, hotter brand name for global warming. - Anna Deavere Smith: Four American charactersE50
Anna Deavere Smith: Four American charactersWriter and actor Anna Deavere Smith gives life to author Studs Terkel, convict Paulette Jenkins, a Korean shopkeeper and a bull rider, excerpts from her solo show "On the Road: A Search for American Character." - Neil Gershenfeld: The beckoning promise of personal fabricationE52
Neil Gershenfeld: The beckoning promise of personal fabricationMIT professor Neil Gershenfeld talks about his Fab Lab -- a low-cost lab that lets people build things they need using digital and analog tools. It's a simple idea with powerful results. - Chris Anderson (Wired): Technology's Long TailE56
Chris Anderson (Wired): Technology's Long TailChris Anderson, the editor of WIRED, explores the four key stages of any viable technology: setting the right price, gaining market share, displacing an established technology and, finally, becoming ubiquitous. - Caroline Lavelle: A cello performance that casts a spellE59
Caroline Lavelle: A cello performance that casts a spellCaroline Lavelle plays the cello like a sorceress casting a spell, occasionally hiding behind her wild mane of blond hair as she sings of pastoral themes. She performs "Farther than the Sun," backed by Thomas Dolby on keyboards. - Chris Bangle: Great cars are Art
E61Chris Bangle: Great cars are ArtAmerican designer Chris Bangle explains his philosophy that car design is an art form in its own right, with an entertaining -- and ultimately moving -- account of the BMW Group's Deep Blue project, intended to create the SUV of the future. - Eddi Reader & Thomas Dolby: "What You Do With What You've Got"E65
Eddi Reader & Thomas Dolby: "What You Do With What You've Got"Singer/songwriter Eddi Reader performs "What You Do With What You've Got", a meditation on a very TED theme: how to use your gifts and talents to make a difference. With Thomas Dolby on piano. - Frans Lanting: The story of life in photographsE67
Frans Lanting: The story of life in photographsIn this stunning slideshow, celebrated nature photographer Frans Lanting presents The LIFE Project, a poetic collection of photographs that tell the story of our planet, from its eruptive beginnings to its present diversity. Soundtrack by Philip Glass. - Sergey Brin and Larry Page: The genesis of Google
E68Sergey Brin and Larry Page: The genesis of GoogleGoogle co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin offer a peek inside the Google machine, sharing tidbits about international search patterns, the philanthropic Google Foundation, and the company's dedication to innovation and employee happiness. - Jane Goodall: What separates us from chimpanzees?
E71Jane Goodall: What separates us from chimpanzees?Jane Goodall hasn't found the missing link, but she's come closer than nearly anyone else. The primatologist says the only real difference between humans and chimps is our sophisticated language. She urges us to start using it to change the world. - Juan Enriquez: The life-code that will reshape the futureE74
Juan Enriquez: The life-code that will reshape the futureScientific discoveries, futurist Juan Enriquez notes, demand a shift in code, and our ability to thrive depends on our mastery of that code. Here, he applies this notion to the field of genomics. - Nick Bostrom: Humanity's biggest problems aren't what you think they areE75
Nick Bostrom: Humanity's biggest problems aren't what you think they areOxford philosopher and transhumanist Nick Bostrom examines the future of humankind and asks whether we might alter the fundamental nature of humanity to solve our most intrinsic problems. - James Kunstler: How bad architecture wrecked citiesE76
James Kunstler: How bad architecture wrecked citiesIn James Howard Kunstler's view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about. - Paul Bennett: Design is in the detailsE78
Paul Bennett: Design is in the detailsShowing a series of inspiring, unusual and playful products, British branding and design guru Paul Bennett explains that design doesn't have to be about grand gestures, but can solve small, universal and overlooked problems. - Seth Godin: How to get your ideas to spread
E80Seth Godin: How to get your ideas to spreadIn a world of too many options and too little time, our obvious choice is to just ignore the ordinary stuff. Marketing guru Seth Godin spells out why, when it comes to getting our attention, bad or bizarre ideas are more successful than boring ones. - Sheila Patek: Measuring the fastest animal on earthE81
Sheila Patek: Measuring the fastest animal on earthBiologist Sheila Patek talks about her work measuring the feeding strike of the mantis shrimp, one of the fastest movements in the animal world, using video cameras recording at 20,000 frames per second. - Susan Savage-Rumbaugh: The gentle genius of bonobos
E82Susan Savage-Rumbaugh: The gentle genius of bonobosSavage-Rumbaugh's work with bonobo apes, which can understand spoken language and learn tasks by watching, forces the audience to rethink how much of what a species can do is determined by biology — and how much by cultural exposure. - Thom Mayne: Architecture is a new way to connect to the worldE83
Thom Mayne: Architecture is a new way to connect to the worldArchitect Thom Mayne has never been one to take the easy option, and this whistle-stop tour of the buildings he's created makes you glad for it. These are big ideas cast in material form. - Thomas Dolby & Rachelle Garniez: "La Vie en Rose"E84
Thomas Dolby & Rachelle Garniez: "La Vie en Rose"Featuring the vocals and mischievous bell-playing of accordionist and singer Rachelle Garniez, the TED House Band -- led by Thomas Dolby on keyboard -- delivers this delightful rendition of the Edith Piaf standard "La Vie en Rose." - Jeff Hawkins: How brain science will change computing
E91Jeff Hawkins: How brain science will change computingTreo creator Jeff Hawkins urges us to take a new look at the brain -- to see it not as a fast processor, but as a memory system that stores and plays back experiences to help us predict, intelligently, what will happen next. - Tierney Thys: Swim with the giant sunfishE92
Tierney Thys: Swim with the giant sunfishMarine biologist Tierney Thys asks us to step into the water to visit the world of the Mola mola, or giant ocean sunfish. Basking, eating jellyfish and getting massages, this behemoth offers clues to life in the open sea. - John Doerr: Seeking salvation and profit in greentechE93
John Doerr: Seeking salvation and profit in greentech"I don't think we're going to make it," John Doerr proclaims, in an emotional talk about climate change and investment. Spurred on by his daughter, who demanded he fix the mess the world is heading for, he and his partners. - Anand Agarawala: BumpTop desktop is a beautiful messE95
Anand Agarawala: BumpTop desktop is a beautiful messAnand Agarawala presents BumpTop, a user interface that takes the usual desktop metaphor to a glorious, 3-D extreme, transforming file navigation into a freewheeling playground of crumpled documents and clipping-covered "walls." - Stefan Sagmeister: Happiness by design
E97Stefan Sagmeister: Happiness by designGraphic designer Stefan Sagmeister takes the audience on a whimsical journey through moments of his life that made him happy -- and notes how many of these moments have to do with good design. www.ted.com/talks/view/id/50 - David Kelley: The future of design is human-centeredE98
David Kelley: The future of design is human-centeredIDEOs David Kelley says that product design has become much less about the hardware and more about the user experience. He shows video of this new, broader approach, including footage from the Prada store in New York. - David Rockwell: Building the Ground Zero viewing platformE99
David Rockwell: Building the Ground Zero viewing platformIn this emotionally charged conversation with journalist Kurt Andersen, designer David Rockwell discusses the process of building a viewing platform at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11. - Pilobolus: A performance merging dance and biologyE100
Pilobolus: A performance merging dance and biologyTwo Pilobolus dancers perform "Symbiosis." Does it trace the birth of a relationship? Or the co-evolution of symbiotic species? Music: "God Music," George Crumb; "Fratres," Arvo Part; "MorangoAlmost a Tango," Thomas Oboe Lee. - Stephen Lawler: Look! Up in the sky! It's Virtual Earth!E101
Stephen Lawler: Look! Up in the sky! It's Virtual Earth!Microsoft's Stephen Lawler gives a whirlwind tour of Virtual Earth, moving up, down and through its hyper-real cityscapes with dazzlingly fluidity, a remarkable feat that requires staggering amounts of data to bring into focus. - Blaise Aguera y Arcas: Jaw-dropping Photosynth demoE102
Blaise Aguera y Arcas: Jaw-dropping Photosynth demoBlaise Aguera y Arcas leads a dazzling demo of Photosynth, software that could transform the way we look at digital images. Using still photos culled from the Web, Photosynth builds breathtaking dreamscapes and lets us navigate them. - Hans Rosling: New insights on povertyE103
Hans Rosling: New insights on povertyResearcher Hans Rosling uses his cool data tools to show how countries are pulling themselves out of poverty. He demos Dollar Street, comparing households of varying income levels worldwide. Then he does something really amazing. - Emily Oster: What do we really know about the spread of AIDS?E107
Emily Oster: What do we really know about the spread of AIDS?Emily Oster re-examines the stats on AIDS in Africa from an economic perspective and reaches a stunning conclusion: Everything we know about the spread of HIV on the continent is wrong. - Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Let's have a deeper discussion on aidE114
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Let's have a deeper discussion on aidNgozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former finance minister of Nigeria, sums up four days of intense discussion on aid versus trade on the closing day of TEDGlobal 2007, and shares a personal story explaining her own commitment to this cause. - Chris Abani on the stories of AfricaE117
Chris Abani on the stories of AfricaChris Abani tells stories of people: People standing up to soldiers. People being compassionate. People being human and reclaiming their humanity. It's "ubuntu," he says: the only way for me to be human is for you to reflect my humanity back at me. - Jacqueline Novogratz: Tackling poverty with “patient capita"E118
Jacqueline Novogratz: Tackling poverty with “patient capita"Jacqueline Novogratz is pioneering new ways of tackling poverty. In her view, traditional charity rarely delivers lasting results. Her solution, outlined here through a series of revealing personal stories, is "patient capital": support for "bottom of the pyramid" businesses which the commercial market alone couldn't provide. The result: sustainable jobs, goods, services -- and dignity -- for the world's poorest. - Dean Kamen: New prosthetic arm for veteransE122
Dean Kamen: New prosthetic arm for veteransInventor Dean Kamen previews the prosthetic arm hes developing at the request of the US Department of Defense. His quiet commitment to using technology to solve problems -- while honoring the human spirit -- has never been more clear. - Andrew Mwenda: Let's take a new look at African aidE124
Andrew Mwenda: Let's take a new look at African aidIn this provocative talk, journalist Andrew Mwenda asks us to reframe the "African question" -- to look beyond the media's stories of poverty, civil war and helplessness and see the opportunities for creating wealth and happiness throughout the continent. - Steven Pinker: The surprising decline in violenceE126
Steven Pinker: The surprising decline in violenceSteven Pinker charts the decline of violence from Biblical times to the present, and argues that, though it may seem illogical and even obscene, given Iraq and Darfur, we are living in the most peaceful time in our species' existence. - Steven Pinker: What our language habits reveal
E127Steven Pinker: What our language habits revealIn an exclusive preview of his book The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker looks at language and how it expresses what goes on in our minds -- and how the words we choose communicate much more than we realize. - Zeresenay Alemseged: Finding the origins of humanityE129
Zeresenay Alemseged: Finding the origins of humanityPaleoanthropologist Zeresenay Alemseged looks for the roots of humanity in Ethiopia's badlands. Here he talks about finding the oldest skeleton of a humanoid child -- and how Africa holds the clues to our humanity. - Stephen Petranek: 10 ways the world could endE131
Stephen Petranek: 10 ways the world could endHow might the world end? Stephen Petranek lays out the challenges that face us in the drive to preserve the human race. Will we be wiped out by an asteroid? Eco-collapse? How about a particle collider gone wild? - Kenichi Ebina: Hip-hop dance and a little magicE134
Kenichi Ebina: Hip-hop dance and a little magicKenichi Ebina moves his body in a manner that appears to defy the limits imposed by the human skeleton. He combines breakdancing and hip-hop with mime using movements that are simultaneously precise and fluid. - Maira Kalman: The illustrated womanE137
Maira Kalman: The illustrated womanAuthor and illustrator Maira Kalman talks about her life and work, from her covers for The New Yorker to her books for children and grown-ups. She is as wonderful, as wise and as deliciously off-kilter in person as she is on paper. - Paul Rothemund: Casting spells with DNAE138
Paul Rothemund: Casting spells with DNAPaul Rothemund writes code that causes DNA to arrange itself into a star, a smiley face and more. Sure, it's a stunt, but it's also a demonstration of self-assembly at the smallest of scales -- with vast implications for the future of making things. - Eleni Gabre-Madhin: Building a commodities market in EthiopiaE140
Eleni Gabre-Madhin: Building a commodities market in EthiopiaEconomist Eleni Gabre-Madhin outlines her ambitious vision to found the first commodities market in Ethiopia. Her plan would create wealth, minimize risk for farmers and turn the world's largest recipient of food aid into a regional food basket. - Sherwin Nuland: How electroshock therapy changed me
E141Sherwin Nuland: How electroshock therapy changed meSurgeon and author Sherwin Nuland discusses the development of electroshock therapy as a cure for severe, life-threatening depression -- including his own. It’s a moving and heartfelt talk about relief, redemption and second chances. - David Keith: A surprising idea for solving "climate change"E142
David Keith: A surprising idea for solving "climate change"Environmental scientist David Keith proposes a cheap, effective, shocking means to address climate change: What if we injected a huge cloud of ash into the atmosphere to deflect sunlight and heat? - Juan Enriquez: Using biology to rethink the energy challengeE143
Juan Enriquez: Using biology to rethink the energy challengeJuan Enriquez challenges our definition of bioenergy. Oil, coal, gas and other hydrocarbons are not chemical but biological products, based on plant matter -- and thus, growable. Our whole approach to fuel, he argues, needs to change. - Robert Full: Secrets of movement, from geckos and roachesE145
Robert Full: Secrets of movement, from geckos and roachesBiologist Robert Full shares slo-mo video of some captivating critters. Take a closer look at the spiny legs that allow cockroaches to scuttle across mesh and the nanobristle-packed feet that let geckos to run straight up walls. - Ron Eglash: The fractals at the heart of African designsE148
Ron Eglash: The fractals at the heart of African designs"I am a mathematician, and I would like to stand on your roof." That is how Ron Eglash greeted many African families he met while researching the fractal patterns hed noticed in villages across the continent. - Murray Gell-Mann: Beauty and truth in physicsE149
Murray Gell-Mann: Beauty and truth in physicsArmed with a sense of humor and laypeople's terms, Nobel winner Murray Gell-Mann drops some knowledge on TEDsters about particle physics, asking questions like, Are elegant equations more likely to be right than inelegant ones?
