TED Talks
Season 2008
TV-PG
Series of talks about technology, entertainment, and design.
Where to Watch Season 2008
195 Episodes
- Arthur Benjamin: Lightning calculation and other “mathemagic”
E2Arthur Benjamin: Lightning calculation and other “mathemagic”In a lively show, mathemagician Arthur Benjamin races a team of calculators to figure out 3-digit squares, solves another massive mental equation and guesses a few birthdays. How does he do it? He’ll tell you. - Deborah Gordon: The emergent genius of ant colonies
E8Deborah Gordon: The emergent genius of ant coloniesDeborah Gordon studies ant colonies in the Arizona desert to understand their complex social system. She asks: How do these chitinous creatures get down to business — and even multitask when they need to — with no language, memory or visible leadership? Her answers could lead to a better understanding of all complex systems, from the brain to the Web. Thanks, ants. - David Gallo: Underwater astonishmentsE9
David Gallo: Underwater astonishmentsDavid Gallo shows jaw-dropping footage of amazing sea creatures, including a color-shifting cuttlefish, a perfectly camouflaged octopus, and a Times Square's worth of neon light displays from fish who live in the blackest depths of the ocean. - Alison Jackson: A surprising look at celebrityE17
Alison Jackson: A surprising look at celebrityBy making photographs that seem to show our favorite celebs (Diana, Elton John) doing what we really, secretly, want to see them doing, Alison Jackson explores our desire to get personal with celebs. Contains graphic images. - Chris Anderson (TED): A vision for TEDE18
Chris Anderson (TED): A vision for TEDWhen Curator Chris Anderson gave this talk in 2002, TEDs future was hanging in the balance. Here, he attempts to persuade TEDsters that his vision for turning his for-profit conference into a nonprofit event would work. It did. - Robin Chase: Getting cars off the road and data into the skiesE19
Robin Chase: Getting cars off the road and data into the skiesRobin Chase founded Zipcar, the world’s biggest car-sharing business. That was one of her smaller ideas. Here she travels much farther, contemplating road-pricing schemes that will shake up our driving habits and a mesh network vast as the Interstate. - Howard Rheingold: Way-new collaborationE23
Howard Rheingold: Way-new collaborationHoward Rheingold talks about the coming world of collaboration, participatory media and collective action -- and how Wikipedia is really an outgrowth of our natural human instinct to work as a group. As he points out, humans have been banding together to work collectively since our days of hunting mastodons. - Pamelia Kurstin: Theremin, the untouchable musicE24
Pamelia Kurstin: Theremin, the untouchable musicVirtuoso Pamelia Kurstin plays and discusses her theremin, the not-just-for-sci-fi electronic instrument that is played without being touched. Songs include the classic "Autumn Leaves," Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" and a composition by David Mash, "Listen: the Words Are Gone." Piano: Makoto Ozone. - George Dyson: Let's take a nuclear-powered rocket to Saturn
E25George Dyson: Let's take a nuclear-powered rocket to SaturnAuthor George Dyson spins the story of Project Orion, a massive, nuclear-powered spacecraft that could have taken us to Saturn in five years. His insider’s perspective and a secret cache of documents bring an Atomic Age dream to life. - Moshe Safdie: What makes a building unique?E26
Moshe Safdie: What makes a building unique?Looking back over a long career, architect Moshe Safdie digs deep into four extraordinary projects to talk about the unique choices he made on each building -- choosing where to build, pulling information from the client, and balancing the needs and the vision behind each project. Sketches, plans and models show how these grand public buildings, museums and memorials, slowly take form. - Roy Gould: WorldWide TelescopeE31
Roy Gould: WorldWide TelescopeScience educator Roy Gould and Microsoft's Curtis Wong give an astonishing sneak preview of Microsoft's new WorldWide Telescope -- a technology that combines feeds from satellites and telescopes all over the world and the heavens, and weaves them together holistically to build a comprehensive view of our universe. (Yes, it's the technology that made Robert Scoble cry.) - Alan Kay: A powerful idea about teaching ideasE32
Alan Kay: A powerful idea about teaching ideasWith all the intensity and brilliance he is known for, Alan Kay gives TEDsters a lesson in lessons. Kay has spent years envisioning better techniques for teaching kids. In this talk, after reminding us that "the world is not what it seems," he shows us how good programming can sharpen our picture. His unique software lets children learn by doing, but also learn by computing and by creating lessons themselves. - Craig Venter: On the verge of creating synthetic lifeE33
Craig Venter: On the verge of creating synthetic life"Can we create new life out of our digital universe?" asks Craig Venter. And his answer is, yes, and pretty soon. He walks the TED2008 audience through his latest research into "fourth-generation fuels" -- biologically created fuels with CO2 as their feedstock. His talk covers the details of creating brand-new chromosomes using digital technology, the reasons why we would want to do this, and the bioethics of synthetic life. A fascinating Q&A with TED's Chris Anderson follows (two words: suicide genes). - Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insightE35
Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insightJill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An astonishing story. - Frank Gehry: From 1990, defending a vision for architectureE36
Frank Gehry: From 1990, defending a vision for architectureSpeaking at TED in 1990, the not-yet-legendary architect Frank Gehry takes a whistlestop tour of his work to date, from his own Venice Beach house to the under-construction American Center in Paris. In this 50-minute slideshow (before TED's 18-minute limit), Gehry explains the site-specific nature of his buildings -- context he felt was lost in the discussions of his then-controversial work. In this candid and funny talk, he exposes his own messy creative process ("I take pieces and bits, and look at it, and struggle with it, and cut it away...") and the way he struggles with problems ("This model on the left is pretty awful. I was ready to commit suicide when this was built ... If any of you have ideas on it, please contact me. I don't know what to do"). - Dave Eggers: Once Upon a SchoolE37
Dave Eggers: Once Upon a SchoolAccepting his 2008 TED Prize, author Dave Eggers asks the TED community to personally, creatively engage with local public schools. With spellbinding eagerness, he talks about how his 826 Valencia tutoring center inspired others around the world to open. - Karen Armstrong: Charter for CompassionE38
Karen Armstrong: Charter for CompassionAs she accepts her 2008 TED Prize, author and scholar Karen Armstrong talks about how the Abrahamic religions -- Islam, Judaism, Christianity -- have been diverted from the moral purpose they share to foster compassion. But Armstrong has seen a yearning to change this fact. People want to be religious, she says; we should act to help make religion a force for harmony. She asks the TED community to help her build a Charter for Compassion -- to help restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine. - Neil Turok: An African EinsteinE39
Neil Turok: An African EinsteinAccepting his 2008 TED Prize, physicist Neil Turok speaks out for talented young Africans starved of opportunity: by unlocking and nurturing the continent's creative potential, we can create a change in Africa's future. Turok asks the TED community to help him expand the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences by opening 15 new centers across Africa in five years. By adding resources for entrepreneurship to this proven model, he says, we can create a network for progress across the continent -- and perhaps discover an African Einstein. - Christopher deCharms: A look inside the brain in real timeE41
Christopher deCharms: A look inside the brain in real timeNeuroscientist and inventor Christopher deCharms demos an amazing new way to use fMRI to show brain activity while it is happening -- emotion, body movement, pain. (In other words, you can literally see how you feel.) The applications for real-time fMRIs start with chronic pain control and range into the realm of science fiction, but this technology is very real. - Clifford Stoll: The call to learnE42
Clifford Stoll: The call to learnClifford Stoll could talk about the atmosphere of Jupiter. Or hunting KGB hackers. Or Klein bottles, computers in classrooms, the future. But he's not going to. Which is fine, because it would be criminal to confine a man with interests as multifarious as Stoll's to give a talk on any one topic. Instead, he simply captivates his audience with a wildly energetic sprinkling of anecdotes, observations, asides -- and even a science experiment. After all, by his own definition, he's a scientist: "Once I do something, I want to do something else." - Siegfried Woldhek: The true face of Leonardo Da Vinci?E43
Siegfried Woldhek: The true face of Leonardo Da Vinci?Leonardo Da Vinci's life and work is well known -- but his own face is not. Illustrator and activist Siegfried Woldhek used some thoughtful image-analysis techniques to find what he believes is the true face of Leonardo. Here, he walks viewers through exactly how he did it. - David Hoffman: Catch Sputnik mania!E44
David Hoffman: Catch Sputnik mania!Filmmaker David Hoffman shares footage from his feature-length documentary Sputnik Mania, which shows how the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik in 1957 led to both the space race and the arms race -- and jump-started science and math education around the world. - Jakob Trollback: Rethinking the music videoE45
Jakob Trollback: Rethinking the music videoWhat would a music video look like if it were purely directed by the music? Not driven by a concept, nor by a desire to build an image, but purely as an expression of a great song? Designer Jakob Trollback shares the results of his experiment in the form. The song is "Moonlight in Glory," from David Byrne and Brian Eno's classic album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, remastered in 2006. - Stephen Hawking: Questioning the universeE46
Stephen Hawking: Questioning the universeIn keeping with the theme of TED2008, professor Stephen Hawking asks some Big Questions about our universe -- How did the universe begin? How did life begin? Are we alone? -- and discusses how we might go about answering them. - Alan Russell: The potential of regenerative medicineE49
Alan Russell: The potential of regenerative medicineAlan Russell studies regenerative medicine -- a breakthrough way of thinking about disease and injury by helping the body to rebuild itself. He shows how engineered tissue that "speaks the body's language" has helped a man regrow his lost fingertip, how stem cells can rebuild damaged heart muscle, and how cell therapy can regenerate the skin of burned soldiers. This new, low-impact medicine comes just in time, Russell says -- our aging population, with its steeply rising medical bills, will otherwise (and soon) cause a crisis in health care systems around the world. Some graphic medical imagery. - Charles Leadbeater: The era of open innovationE50
Charles Leadbeater: The era of open innovationIn this deceptively casual talk, Charles Leadbeater weaves a tight argument that innovation isn't just for professionals anymore. Passionate amateurs, using new tools, are creating products and paradigms that companies can't. He describes the rising role of serious amateurs ("Pro-Ams," as he calls them) through the story of the mountain bike. - Jan Chipchase: The anthropology of mobile phonesE51
Jan Chipchase: The anthropology of mobile phonesNokia researcher Jan Chipchase's investigation into the ways we interact with technology has led him from the villages of Uganda to the insides of our pockets. Along the way, he's made some unexpected discoveries: about the novel ways illiterate people interface with their cellphones, or the role the cellphone can sometimes play in commerce, or the deep emotional bonds we all seem to share with our phones. And watch for his surefire trick to keep you from misplacing your keys. - Matthieu Ricard: The habits of happinessE53
Matthieu Ricard: The habits of happinessWhat is happiness, and how can we all get some? Buddhist monk, photographer and author Matthieu Ricard has devoted his life to these questions, and his answer is influenced by his faith as well as by his scientific turn of mind: We can train our minds in habits of happiness. Interwoven with his talk are stunning photographs of the Himalayas and of his spiritual community. - Edward Burtynsky: Manufactured landscapesE54
Edward Burtynsky: Manufactured landscapesAccepting his 2005 TED Prize, photographer Edward Burtynsky makes a wish: that his images -- stunning landscapes that document humanity's impact on the world -- help persuade millions to join a global conversation on sustainability. - Michael Shermer: Why people believe weird things
E55Michael Shermer: Why people believe weird thingsWhy do people see the Virgin Mary on a cheese sandwich or hear demonic lyrics in "Stairway to Heaven"? Using video and music, skeptic Michael Shermer shows how we convince ourselves to believe -- and overlook the facts. - Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: How to help Africa? Do business thereE56
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: How to help Africa? Do business thereNegative images of Africa dominate the news: famine and disease, conflict and corruption. But Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Finance Minister of Nigeria and now a director of the World Bank, says there's a less-told story unfolding in many African nations: one of reform, economic growth and business opportunity. Cracking down on corruption -- and the perception of corruption -- will be the key to its success. She tells how high-ranking Nigerian officials taking money illicitly have been jailed, and how citizens and prospective business partners are getting at least a partial picture now of where money flows. - Robert Wright: The logic of non-zero-sum progressE57
Robert Wright: The logic of non-zero-sum progressAuthor Robert Wright explains "non-zero-sumness," a game-theory term describing how players with linked fortunes tend to cooperate for mutual benefit. This dynamic has guided our biological and cultural evolution, he says -- but our unwillingness to understand one another, as in the clash between the Muslim world and the West, will lead to all of us losing the "game." Once we recognize that life is a non-zero-sum game, in which we all must cooperate to succeed, it will force us to see that moral progress -- a move toward empathy -- is our only hope. - Rick Warren: A life of purposeE58
Rick Warren: A life of purposePastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, reflects on his own crisis of purpose in the wake of his book's wild success. He explains his belief that God's intention is for each of us to use our talents and influence to do good. - Stewart Brand: Why squatter cities are a good thingE60
Stewart Brand: Why squatter cities are a good thingRural villages worldwide are being deserted, as billions of people flock to cities, to live in teeming squatter camps and slums. And Stewart Brand says this is a good thing. Why? It'll take you 3 minutes to find out. Music: Brian Eno, "Just Another Day on Earth," from his 2005 album Another Day on Earth (Hannibal). - Sir Martin Rees: Earth in its final century?E61
Sir Martin Rees: Earth in its final century?In a taut soliloquy that takes us from the origins of the universe to the last days of a dying sun 6 billion years later, renowned cosmologist Sir Martin Rees explains why the 21st century is a pivotal moment in the history of humanity: the first time in history when we can materially change ourselves and our planet. Stunning imagery of cosmological wonders show us the universe as we know it now. Speaking as "a concerned member of the human race," Rees harkens to the wisdom of Einstein, calling for scientists to act as moral compasses, confronting the coming developments and ensuring our role in "the immense future." - Thomas Barnett: Rethinking America's military strategyE62
Thomas Barnett: Rethinking America's military strategyIn this bracingly honest and funny talk, international security strategist Thomas P.M. Barnett outlines a post-Cold War solution for the foundering US military: Break it in two. He suggests the military re-form into two groups: a Leviathan force, a small group of young and fierce soldiers capable of swift and immediate victories; and an internationally supported network of System Administrators, an older, wiser, more diverse organization that actually has the diplomacy and power it takes to build and maintain peace. - Tom Rielly: A comic send-up of TED2006E63
Tom Rielly: A comic send-up of TED2006Satirist Tom Rielly delivers a wicked parody of the 2006 TED conference, taking down the $100 laptop, the plight of the polar bear, and people who mention, one too many times, that they work at Harvard. Watch for a very special moment between Tom and Al Gore. Impossible to summarize, pointless to explain, ladies and gentlemen, Tom Rielly ... - Tod Machover & Dan Ellsey: Releasing the music in your headE64
Tod Machover & Dan Ellsey: Releasing the music in your headTod Machover of MIT's Media Lab is devoted to extending musical expression for everyone -- from virtuosi to amateurs, and in the most diverse forms -- from opera to videogames (Guitar Hero grew out of his group). At TED2008 he talks about what's coming next, from new tools for music creativity to the world's first robotic opera. Machover then introduces Dan Ellsey, a young man with cerebral palsy who has found his voice through music created and performed using Media Lab technologies. Ellsey plays his "My Eagle Song" in a soaring rendition that underscores music's power to heal, to communicate, and to inspire. - Yochai Benkler: Open-source economics
E65Yochai Benkler: Open-source economicsLaw professor Yochai Benkler explains how collaborative projects like Wikipedia and Linux represent the next stage of human organization. By disrupting traditional economic production, copyright law and established competition, they're paving the way for a new set of economic laws, where empowered individuals are put on a level playing field with industry giants. - Ernest Madu: Bringing world-class health care to the poorestE66
Ernest Madu: Bringing world-class health care to the poorestDr. Ernest Madu runs the Heart Institute of the Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica, where he proves that -- with careful design, smart technical choices, and a true desire to serve -- it's possible to offer world-class healthcare in the developing world. Listen for some eye-opening statistics on heart disease, which is as ruthless a killer in poorer nations as in richer ones. - Amy Tan: Where does creativity hide?E67
Amy Tan: Where does creativity hide?Novelist Amy Tan digs deep into the creative process, journeying through her childhood and family history and into the worlds of physics and chance, looking for hints of where her own creativity comes from. It's a wild ride with a surprise ending. - Brian Greene: Making sense of string theoryE68
Brian Greene: Making sense of string theoryIn clear, nontechnical language, string theorist Brian Greene explains how our understanding of the universe has evolved from Einstein's notions of gravity and space-time to superstring theory, where minuscule strands of energy vibrating in 11 dimensions create every particle and force in the universe. (This mind-bending theory may soon be put to the test at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva). - Brian Cox: CERN’s supercollider
E69Brian Cox: CERN’s supercollider"Rock star physicist" Brian Cox talks about his work on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Discussing the biggest of big science in an engaging, accessible way, Cox brings us along on a tour of the massive complex and describes his part in it -- and the vital role it's going to play in understanding our universe. - Hector Ruiz: The power to connect the worldE71
Hector Ruiz: The power to connect the worldAMD CEO Hector Ruiz talks about his dream of giving the whole world access to the Internet. AMD's 50x15 initiative hopes to connect 50 percent of the world to the Net by 2015. Sharing his own life story, Ruiz shows how access to ideas is life-changing. - Paul Ewald: Can we domesticate germs?E73
Paul Ewald: Can we domesticate germs?Evolutionary biologist Paul Ewald drags us into the sewer to discuss germs. Why are some more harmful than others? How could we make the harmful ones benign? Searching for answers, he examines a disgusting, fascinating case: diarrhea. - Joshua Klein: The intelligence of crowsE75
Joshua Klein: The intelligence of crowsHacker and writer Joshua Klein is fascinated by crows. (Notice the gleam of intelligence in their little black eyes?) After a long amateur study of corvid behavior, he's come up with an elegant machine that may form a new bond between animal and human. - Mark Bittman: What’s wrong with what we eatE76
Mark Bittman: What’s wrong with what we eatIn this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on what's wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home cooking), and why it's putting the entire planet at risk. - Robert Ballard: Exploring the ocean's hidden worldsE78
Robert Ballard: Exploring the ocean's hidden worldsOcean explorer Robert Ballard takes us on a mindbending trip to hidden worlds underwater, where he and other researchers are finding unexpected life, resources, even new mountains. He makes a case for serious exploration and mapping. Google Ocean, anyone? - Yves Behar: Designing objects that tell storiesE79
Yves Behar: Designing objects that tell storiesDesigner Yves Behar digs up his creative roots to discuss some of the iconic objects he's created (the Leaf lamp, the Jawbone headset). Then he turns to the witty, surprising, elegant objects he's working on now -- including the "$100 laptop." - Seyi Oyesola: Health care off the gridE81
Seyi Oyesola: Health care off the gridDr. Seyi Oyesola helped develop the "Hospital in a Box" to solve a few of the problems plaguing health care on the African continent -- distance between doctors, spotty power, lack of supplies. But solving the health crisis in Africa will take more. - Paul Collier: 4 ways to improve the lives of the "bottom billion"E82
Paul Collier: 4 ways to improve the lives of the "bottom billion"Around the world right now, one billion people are trapped in poor or failing countries. How can we help them? Economist Paul Collier lays out a bold, compassionate plan for closing the gap between rich and poor. - Susan Blackmore: Memes and "temes"E83
Susan Blackmore: Memes and "temes"Susan Blackmore studies memes: ideas that replicate themselves from brain to brain like a virus. She makes a bold new argument: Humanity has spawned a new kind of meme, the teme, which spreads itself via technology -- and invents ways to keep itself alive. - Nathan Myhrvold: A life of fascinationsE84
Nathan Myhrvold: A life of fascinationsNathan Myhrvold talks about a few of his latest fascinations -- animal photography, archeology, BBQ and generally being an eccentric genius multimillionaire. Listen for wild stories from the (somewhat raunchy) edge of the animal world. - Wade Davis: The worldwide web of belief and ritualE85
Wade Davis: The worldwide web of belief and ritualAnthropologist Wade Davis muses on the worldwide web of belief and ritual that makes us human. He shares breathtaking photos and stories of the Elder Brothers, a group of Sierra Nevada indians whose spiritual practice holds the world in balance. - Murray Gell-Mann: Do all languages have a common ancestor?E86
Murray Gell-Mann: Do all languages have a common ancestor?After speaking at TED2007 on elegance in physics, the amazing Murray Gell-Mann gives a quick overview of another passionate interest: finding the common ancestry of our modern languages. - Chris Jordan: Turning powerful stats into artE88
Chris Jordan: Turning powerful stats into artArtist Chris Jordan shows us an arresting view of what Western culture looks like. His supersized images picture some almost unimaginable statistics -- like the astonishing number of paper cups we use every single day. - Robert Full: Engineering and evolutionE89
Robert Full: Engineering and evolutionInsects and animals have evolved some amazing skills -- but, as Robert Full notes, many animals are actually over-engineered. The trick is to copy only what's necessary. He shows how human engineers can learn from animals' tricks. - Adam Grosser: A mobile fridge for vaccinesE90
Adam Grosser: A mobile fridge for vaccinesAdam Grosser talks about a project to build a refrigerator that works without electricity -- to bring the vital tool to villages and clinics worldwide. Tweaking some old technology, he's come up with a system that works. - Benjamin Zander: The transformative power of classical musicE92
Benjamin Zander: The transformative power of classical musicBenjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it -- and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections. Since 1979, Benjamin Zander has been the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic. He is known around the world as both a guest conductor and a speaker on leadership -- and he's been known to do both in a single performance. He uses music to help people open their minds and create joyful harmonies that bring out the best in themselves and their colleagues. His provocative ideas about leadership are rooted in a partnership with Rosamund Stone Zander, with whom he co-wrote The Art of Possibility. "Arguably the most accessible communicator about classical music since Leonard Bernstein, Zander moves audiences with his unbridled passion and enthusiasm." Sue Fox, London Sunday Times - Nicholas Negroponte: One Laptop per Child, two years onE93
Nicholas Negroponte: One Laptop per Child, two years onNicholas Negroponte talks about how One Laptop per Child is doing, two years in. Speaking at the EG conference while the first XO laptops roll off the production line, he recaps the controversies and recommits to the goals of this far-reaching project. - Torsten Reil: Using biology to make better animationE99
Torsten Reil: Using biology to make better animationTorsten Reil talks about how the study of biology can help make natural-looking animated people -- by building a human from the inside out, with bones, muscles and a nervous system. He spoke at TED in 2003; see his work now in GTA4. - David Hoffman: How would you feel if you lost everything?E100
David Hoffman: How would you feel if you lost everything?Nine days before TED2008, filmmaker David Hoffman lost almost everything he owned in a fire that destroyed his home, office and 30 years of passionate collecting. He looks back at a life that's been wiped clean in an instant -- and looks forward. - Freeman Dyson: Let's look for life in the outer solar system
E103Freeman Dyson: Let's look for life in the outer solar systemPhysicist Freeman Dyson suggests that we start looking for life on the moons of Jupiter and out past Neptune, in the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud. He talks about what such life would be like -- and how we might find it. - Helen Fisher: The brain in love
E104Helen Fisher: The brain in loveWhy do we crave love so much, even to the point that we would die for it? To learn more about our very real, very physical need for romantic love, Helen Fisher and her research team took MRIs of people in love — and people who had just been dumped. - Billy Graham: Technology, faith and human shortcomingsE105
Billy Graham: Technology, faith and human shortcomingsSpeaking at TED in 1998, Rev. Billy Graham marvels at technology's power to improve lives and change the world -- but says the end of evil, suffering and death will come only after the world accepts Christ. A legendary talk from TED's archives. - Martin Seligman: The new era of positive psychologyE108
Martin Seligman: The new era of positive psychologyMartin Seligman talks about psychology -- as a field of study and as it works one-on-one with each patient and each practitioner. As it moves beyond a focus on disease, what can modern psychology help us to become? - Chris Abani: On humanityE109
Chris Abani: On humanityChris 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. - Louise Leakey: Digging for humanity's originsE110
Louise Leakey: Digging for humanity's originsLouise Leakey asks, "Who are we?" The question takes her to the Rift Valley in Eastern Africa, where she digs for the evolutionary origins of humankind -- and suggests a stunning new vision of our competing ancestors. - Reed Kroloff: Architecture, modern and romanticE113
Reed Kroloff: Architecture, modern and romanticReed Kroloff gives us a new lens for judging new architecture: is it modern, or is it romantic? Look for glorious images from two leading practices -- and a blistering critique of the 9/11 planning process. - Kwabena Boahen: Making a computer that works like the brainE115
Kwabena Boahen: Making a computer that works like the brainResearcher Kwabena Boahen is looking for ways to mimic the brain's supercomputing powers in silicon -- because the messy, redundant processes inside our heads actually make for a small, light, superfast computer. - Bruno Bowden & Rufus Cappadocia: Origami, blindfoldedE117
Bruno Bowden & Rufus Cappadocia: Origami, blindfoldedAfter Robert Lang's talk on origami at TED2008, Bruno Bowden stepped onstage with a challenge -- he would fold one of Lang's astonishingly complicated origami figures, blindfolded, in under 2 minutes. He's accompanied by the cellist Rufus Cappadocia. - David Griffin: How photography connects usE118
David Griffin: How photography connects usThe 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. - Lennart Green: Close-up card magic with a twist
E119Lennart Green: Close-up card magic with a twistLike 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. - Ian Dunbar: Dog-friendly dog trainingE120
Ian Dunbar: Dog-friendly dog trainingSpeaking at the 2007 EG conference, trainer Ian Dunbar asks us to see the world through the eyes of our beloved dogs. By knowing our pets' perspective, we can build their love and trust. It's a message that resonates well beyond the animal world. - Patricia Burchat: Shedding light on dark matterE122
Patricia Burchat: Shedding light on dark matterPhysicist 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. - John Walker: Re-creating great performancesE123
John Walker: Re-creating great performancesImagine hearing great, departed pianists play again today, just as they would in person. John Q. Walker demonstrates how antique recordings can be analyzed for precise keystrokes and pedal motions, then played back on computer-controlled grand pianos. - Sugata Mitra: Can kids teach themselves?E124
Sugata Mitra: Can kids teach themselves?Speaking at LIFT 2007, Sugata Mitra talks about his Hole in the Wall project. Young kids in this project figured out how to use a PC on their own -- and then taught other kids. He asks, what else can children teach themselves? - Einstein the parrot and Stephanie White: Talking and squawkingE125
Einstein the parrot and Stephanie White: Talking and squawkingThis whimsical wrap-up of TED2006 -- presented by Einstein, the African grey parrot, and her trainer, Stephanie White -- simply tickles. Watch for Einstein's moment with Al Gore. - Paul Rothemund: The astonishing promise of DNA foldingE126
Paul Rothemund: The astonishing promise of DNA foldingIn 2007, Paul Rothemund gave TED a short summary of his specialty, DNA folding. Now he lays out in clear, abundant detail the immense promise of this field -- to create tiny machines that assemble themselves. - Jonathan Drori: Why we don't understand as much as we thinkE129
Jonathan Drori: Why we don't understand as much as we thinkStarting 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. - Irwin Redlener: How to survive a nuclear attackE131
Irwin Redlener: How to survive a nuclear attackThe 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. - Brewster Kahle: A digital library, free to the worldE133
Brewster Kahle: A digital library, free to the worldBrewster 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. - David Gallo: The deep oceans: a ribbon of life
E134David Gallo: The deep oceans: a ribbon of lifeWith 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. - Keith Bellows: Celebrating the camelE135
Keith Bellows: Celebrating the camelKeith 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. - Jonathan Haidt: The moral roots of liberals and conservativesE137
Jonathan Haidt: The moral roots of liberals and conservativesPsychologist 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. - Philip Zimbardo: The psychology of evilE139
Philip Zimbardo: The psychology of evilPhilip Zimbardo knows how easy it is for nice people to turn bad. In this talk, he shares insights and graphic unseen photos from the Abu Ghraib trials. Then he talks about the flip side: how easy it is to be a hero, and how we can rise to the challenge. - David S. Rose: 10 things to know before you pitch a VC forE140
David S. Rose: 10 things to know before you pitch a VC forThinking startup? David S. Rose's rapid-fire TED U talk on pitching to a venture capitalist tells you the 10 things you need to know about yourself -- and prove to a VC -- before you fire up your slideshow. - Marvin Minsky: Health, population and the human mindE141
Marvin Minsky: Health, population and the human mindListen 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. - Laura Trice: The power of saying thank youE142
Laura Trice: The power of saying thank youIn 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. - Caleb Chung: Come play with Pleo the dinosaurE144
Caleb Chung: Come play with Pleo the dinosaurPleo the robot dinosaur acts like a living pet -- exploring, cuddling, playing, reacting and learning. Inventor Caleb Chung talks about Pleo and his wild toy career at EG07, on the week that Pleo shipped to stores for the first time. - Steven Johnson: The Web and the cityE147
Steven Johnson: The Web and the cityOutside.in's Steven Johnson says the Web is like a city: built by many people, completely controlled by no one, intricately interconnected and yet functioning as many independent parts. While disaster strikes in one place, elsewhere, life goes on. - Liz Diller: Architecture is a special effects machineE148
Liz Diller: Architecture is a special effects machineIn this engrossing EG talk, architect Liz Diller shares her firm DS+R's more unusual work, including the Blur Building, whose walls are made of fog, and the revamped Alice Tully Hall, which is wrapped in glowing wooden skin. - David Perry: Will videogames become better than life?E149
David Perry: Will videogames become better than life?Game designer David Perry says tomorrow's videogames will be more than mere fun to the next generation of gamers. They'll be lush, complex, emotional experiences -- more involving and meaningful to some than real life. - Doris Kearns Goodwin: What we can learn from past presidentsE151
Doris Kearns Goodwin: What we can learn from past presidentsHistorian Doris Kearns Goodwin talks about what we can learn from American presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson. Then she shares a moving memory of her own father, and of their shared love of baseball. - James Nachtwey: Use my photographs to stop the worldwide XDRE152
James Nachtwey: Use my photographs to stop the worldwide XDRPhotojournalist James Nachtwey sees his TED Prize wish come true, as we share his powerful photographs of XDR-TB, a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis that's touching off a global medical crisis. Learn how to help at http://www.xdrtb.org - Garrett Lisi: A theory of everythingE154
Garrett Lisi: A theory of everythingPhysicist and surfer Garrett Lisi presents a controversial new model of the universe that -- just maybe -- answers all the big questions. If nothing else, it's the most beautiful 8-dimensional model of elementary particles and forces you've ever seen. - Dean Ornish: Healing through diet
E157Dean Ornish: Healing through dietDean Ornish talks about simple, low-tech and low-cost ways to take advantage of the body's natural desire to heal itself. Dean Ornish is a clinical professor at UCSF and founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute. He's a leading expert on fighting illness -- particularly heart disease with dietary and lifestyle changes. - Paul MacCready: Nature vs. humans, and what we can do about
E159Paul MacCready: Nature vs. humans, and what we can do aboutIn 1998, aircraft designer Paul MacCready looks at a planet on which humans have utterly dominated nature, and talks about what we all can do to preserve nature's balance. His contribution: solar planes, superefficient gliders and the electric car. - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness
E160Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happinessMihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks, "What makes a life worth living?" Noting that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of "flow." - Jared Diamond: Why societies collapse
E162Jared Diamond: Why societies collapseWhy do societies fail? With lessons from the Norse of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter Island and present-day Montana, Jared Diamond talks about the signs that collapse is near, and how -- if we see it in time -- we can prevent it. - Keith Schacht & Zach Kaplan: Products (and toys) from the future
E164Keith Schacht & Zach Kaplan: Products (and toys) from the futureThe Inventables guys, Zach Kaplan and Keith Schacht, demo some amazing new materials and how we might use them. Look for squishy magnets, odor-detecting ink, "dry" liquid and a very surprising 10-foot pole. - James Surowiecki: The power and the danger of online crowds
E167James Surowiecki: The power and the danger of online crowdsJames Surowiecki pinpoints the moment when social media became an equal player in the world of news-gathering: the 2005 tsunami, when YouTube video, blogs, IMs and txts carried the news -- and preserved moving personal stories from the tragedy. - John Francis: Walk the earth ... my 17-year vow of silenceE168
John Francis: Walk the earth ... my 17-year vow of silenceFor almost three decades, John Francis has been a planetwalker, traveling the globe by foot and sail with a message of environmental respect and responsibility (for 17 of those years without speaking). A funny, thoughtful talk with occasional banjo. - Lee Smolin: How science is like democracyE171
Lee Smolin: How science is like democracyPhysicist Lee Smolin talks about how the scientific community works: as he puts it, "we fight and argue as hard as we can," but everyone accepts that the next generation of scientists will decide who's right. And, he says, that's how democracy works, too. - Samantha Power: Shaking hands with the devilE172
Samantha Power: Shaking hands with the devilSamantha Power tells a story of a complicated hero, Sergio Vieira de Mello. This UN diplomat walked a thin moral line, negotiating with the world's worst dictators to help their people survive crisis. It's a compelling story told with a fiery passion. - Stewart Brand: Building a home for the Clock of the Long NowE175
Stewart Brand: Building a home for the Clock of the Long NowStewart Brand works on the Clock of the Long Now, a timepiece that counts down the next 10,000 years. It's a beautiful project that asks us to think about the far, far future. Here, he discusses a tricky side problem with the Clock: Where can we put it? - Isaac Mizrahi: Fashion, passion, and about a million other thingsE176
Isaac Mizrahi: Fashion, passion, and about a million other thingsFashion designer Isaac Mizrahi spins through a dizzying array of inspirations -- from '50s pinups to a fleeting glimpse of a hole in a shirt that makes him shout "Stop the cab!" Inside this rambling talk are real clues to living a happy, creative life. - Franco Sacchi: Welcome to NollywoodE177
Franco Sacchi: Welcome to NollywoodZambia-born filmmaker Franco Sacchi tours us through Nollywood, Nigeria's booming film industry (the world's 3rd largest). Guerrilla filmmaking and brilliance under pressure from crews that can shoot a full-length feature in a week. - George Smoot: The design of the universeE178
George Smoot: The design of the universeAt Serious Play 2008, astrophysicist George Smoot shows stunning new images from deep-space surveys, and prods us to ponder how the cosmos -- with its giant webs of dark matter and mysterious gaping voids -- got built this way. - Dan Barber: A surprising parable of foie grasE180
Dan Barber: A surprising parable of foie grasAt the Taste3 conference, chef Dan Barber tells the story of a small farm in Spain that has found a humane way to produce foie gras. Raising his geese in a natural environment, farmer Eduardo Sousa embodies the kind of food production Barber believes in. - Gregory Petsko: The coming neurological epidemicE182
Gregory Petsko: The coming neurological epidemicBiochemist Gregory Petsko makes a convincing argument that, in the next 50 years, we'll see an epidemic of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's, as the world population ages. His solution: more research into the brain and its functions. - Richard Preston: Climbing the world's biggest treesE183
Richard Preston: Climbing the world's biggest treesScience writer Richard Preston talks about some of the most enormous living beings on the planet, the giant trees of the US Pacific Northwest. Growing from a tiny seed, they support vast ecosystems -- and are still, largely, a mystery. - Philip Rosedale: Second Life, where anything is possibleE184
Philip Rosedale: Second Life, where anything is possibleWhy build a virtual world? Philip Rosedale talks about the virtual society he founded, Second Life, and its underpinnings in human creativity. It's a place so different that anything could happen. - David Holt: The stories and song of AppalachiaE187
David Holt: The stories and song of AppalachiaFolk musician and storyteller David Holt plays the banjo and shares photographs and old wisdom from the Appalachian Mountains. He also demonstrates some unusual instruments like the mouth bow -- and a surprising electric drum kit he calls "thunderwear." - Eva Zeisel: The playful search for beauty
E188Eva Zeisel: The playful search for beautyThe ceramics designer Eva Zeisel looks back on a 75-year career. What keeps her work as fresh today (her latest line debuted in 2008) as in 1926? Her sense of play and beauty, and her drive for adventure. Listen for stories from a rich, colorful life. - Dan Gilbert: Why we make bad decisions
E191Dan Gilbert: Why we make bad decisionsDan Gilbert presents research and data from his exploration of happiness -- sharing some surprising tests and experiments that you can also try on yourself. Watch through to the end for a sparkling Q&A with some familiar TED faces. - Benjamin Wallace: The price of happinessE192
Benjamin Wallace: The price of happinessCan happiness be bought? To find out, author Benjamin Wallace sampled the world's most expensive products, including a bottle of 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc, 8 ounces of Kobe beef and the fabled (notorious) Kopi Luwak coffee. His critique may surprise you. - Penelope Boston: Life on Mars? Let's look in the cavesE193
Penelope Boston: Life on Mars? Let's look in the cavesSo the Mars Rovers didn't scoop up any alien lifeforms. Scientist Penelope Boston thinks there's a good chance -- a 25 to 50 percent chance, in fact -- that life might exist on Mars, deep inside the planet's caves. She details how we should look and why. - Steven Strogatz: How things in nature tend to sync up
E194Steven Strogatz: How things in nature tend to sync upMathematician Steven Strogatz shows how flocks of creatures (like birds, fireflies and fish) manage to synchronize and act as a unit -- when no one's giving orders. The powerful tendency extends into the realm of objects, too.
