TED Talks
Season 2008
TV-PG
Series of talks about technology, entertainment, and design.
Where to Watch Season 2008
43 Episodes
- Garrett Lisi on his theory of everythingE4
Episode 4Garrett Lisi on his 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. - A surprising parable of foie gras - Dan BarberE7
Episode 7A surprising parable of foie gras - Dan BarberAt 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. - Stephen Hawking asks big questions about the universeE9
Episode 9Stephen Hawking asks big questions about 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. - Negroponte takes OLPC to ColombiaE10
Episode 10Negroponte takes OLPC to ColombiaTED follows Nicholas Negroponte to Colombia as he delivers laptops inside territory once controlled by guerrillas. His partner? Colombia's Defense Department, who see One Laptop per Child as an investment in the region. (And you too can get involved.) - Richard Preston on the giant treesE11
Episode 11Richard Preston on the giant 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. - Benjamin Wallace on the price of happinessE13
Episode 13Benjamin Wallace on 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. - Irwin Redlener on surviving a nuclear attackE15
Episode 15Irwin Redlener on surviving 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. - David Hoffman on losing everythingE16
Episode 16David Hoffman on losing everythingNine 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. - John Francis walks the EarthE17
Episode 17John Francis walks the EarthFor 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. - Doris Kearns Goodwin on learning from past presidentsE19
Episode 19Doris Kearns Goodwin on learning 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. - John Maeda on his journey in designE20
Episode 20John Maeda on his journey in designDesigner John Maeda talks about his path from a Seattle tofu factory to the Rhode Island School of Design, where he became president in 2008. Maeda, a tireless experimenter and a witty observer, explores the crucial moment when design met computers. - Samantha Power on a complicated heroE22
Episode 22Samantha Power on a complicated heroSamantha 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. - Peter Diamandis on Stephen Hawking in zero gE23
Episode 23Peter Diamandis on Stephen Hawking in zero gX Prize founder Peter Diamandis talks about how he helped Stephen Hawking fulfill his dream of going to space -- by flying together into the upper atmosphere and experiencing weightlessness at zero g. - Gregory Petsko on the coming neurological epidemicE26
Episode 26Gregory Petsko on 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. - George Smoot on the design of the universeE27
Episode 27George Smoot on 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. - Laura Trice suggests we all say thank youE28
Episode 28Laura Trice suggests we all say 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. - Jonathan Haidt on the moral roots of liberals and conservativesE29
Episode 29Jonathan Haidt on 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 shows how people become monsters ... or heroeE35
Episode 35Philip Zimbardo shows how people become monsters ... or heroePhilip 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. - Dave Eggers' wish: Once Upon a SchoolE36
Episode 36Dave Eggers' wish: 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. - Patricia Burchat: The search for dark energy and dark matterE37
Episode 37Patricia Burchat: The search for dark energy and 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. - George Smoot: The design of the universeE38
Episode 38George 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. - Chris Jordan pictures some shocking statsE39
Episode 39Chris Jordan pictures some shocking statsArtist 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. - Benjamin Zander: The transformative power of classical musicE40
Episode 40Benjamin 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 - Helen Fisher: The brain in love
E41Episode 41Helen 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. - My stroke of insightE43
Episode 43My stroke of insightNeuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.
