May 2013
31 posts
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What are wild animals up to?: Nick Whitney
If you want to study true animal behavior, you ultimately have to watch them where they live, which can difficult underwater. By strapping accelerometers to wild sharks, sturgeon, snakes — and even his own children — Zoologist Nick Whitney found a clever and inexpensive way to monitor the activities of these animals in the wild. At TEDxSarasota, he shows how we can discover amazing...
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Benvenuti nella prima playlist di TEDx in...
With over 6,000 events (in over 100 countries and over 1,000 cities) having taken place since the TEDx program’s start in 2009, the TEDx community is truly global. And with a community like this, we at the TEDx blog have decided to try something new — language playlists!
Do you speak Italian? Want to speak Italian? Curious about the language? Then you might enjoy this — our...
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African thumb piano jam: Hiroyuki
At TEDxTokyo, Japanese artist Hiroyuki plays a remarkable musical performance on the kalimba — also known as the thumb piano. A handheld plucking instrument still relatively obscure in Western music, the kalimba is an ancient part of the heritage of several cultures in sub-Saharan Africa. (Filmed at TEDxTokyo)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of...
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Detecting cancer before it spreads: Raj Krishnan
Curing cancer isn’t just about better treatment, says Raj Krishnan. If we can improve detection, patients will enjoy much better odds of survival and recovery. Krishnan demonstrates how doctors can use existing technology to scan for DNA markers of cancer cells — even before the patient is showing symptoms. (Filmed at TEDxSanDiego 2012)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks,...
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Potrait of a TEDx'er: Austin Kleon
Austin Kleon. Artist; writer; TEDx’er.
“I don’t have many words, but right there in front of me are millions of them—and they’re ripe for the taking,” said poet Austin Kleon during his talk, “Reimagining Poetry” at TEDxPennQuarter, describing the stack of newspapers piled by his desk that willed him out of writers’ block. The Ohio native and...
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Pain is all about perception: Silje Endersen Reme
Nearly all people will suffer from some form of back pain during their lifetime, often without a specific cause. At TEDxNHH, Silje Endersen Reme explains how our mental state can affect the way we perceive chronic and acute forms of back pain. (Filmed at TEDxNHH)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and...
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Democracy’s data revolution: Simon Jackman
At TEDxSydney, Stanford researcher Simon Jackman demonstrates some of the ways in which an increased availability of data gives us a more accurate picture of electoral trends, the political zeitgeist, and the serious implications this has on the shape of public conversation. (Filmed at TEDxSydney)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening...
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“It’s important that we acknowledge that the growing movement of men in the...”
– From Jackson Katz’s talk, “There are no women’s issues” at TEDxFiDiWomen. Watch the whole talk here.
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Teach both 007 and MacGyver: Marc Chun
“Why am I learning this?” It’s a question familiar to parents and teachers alike. Marc Chun and other researchers set out to discover how students actually use general knowledge, and recommend the use of curriculums that focus on enhancing both efficiency and creativity in solving problems. (Filmed at TEDxDenverTeachers)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a...
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In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week: 5 talks on...
May 6-10 is Teacher Appreciation Week in the United States (and education week at TED — with TED’s first-ever television special, TED Talks Education premiering on PBS this week.) However, the TEDx program, with its global reach, is privileged to have a unique perspective on education across the world — and we’d like to celebrate teachers and schools the world over. Below,...
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Language and the wealth gap: Phiwayinkosi Mbuyazi
In a passionate talk at TEDxSoweto, Phiwayinkosi Mbuyazi takes issue with the convention of teaching international students in English, claiming that this practice often hurts much more than it helps. (Filmed at TEDxSoweto)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas...
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Bosons, bicycles and big data: 7 things we learned...
There’s a place in Switzerland where scientists travel on bicycles through tunnels filled with atom-smashing tubes, where the first webpage was born, and where a giant wooden globe watches over researchers replicating the very beginnings of our universe. That place is CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and last Friday, it held its first TEDx event: TEDxCERN.
At the event, 23...
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Teach for tomorrow’s world: David Garner
With new technology, rapid changes in the global economy, and an evolving workforce, the need to improve the way we teach is becoming more and more urgent, says David Garner. In this talk at TEDxIndianapolis, Garner explains why going from outdated models like specialization and standardization to a more multidisciplinary approach is necessary to equip students for tomorrow’s challenges. (Filmed...
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Teaching math through movement: Erik Stern and...
Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer decided to take their love of dance and apply it to the classroom. Now, they promote the teaching of otherwise-complicated mathematics concepts to kids using the power of movement, as they demonstrate at TEDxManhattanBeach. (Filmed at TEDxManhattanBeach)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the...
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Bienvenidos al primer playlist de TEDx en español
¿Estás harto de ver talks en inglés? ¿O quizás estás aprendiendo castellano y quieres explorar sus variedades y las culturas que lo hablan?
Below we have lovingly compiled a selection of talks featuring both European and Latin American Spanish. Experience the Spanish language in its full glory. ¡Ándate!
TEACHERS: Have you considered making a lesson out of these talks? Check out these TED-Ed...
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Here’s to 60 years of trying to pronounce...
(Photo credit: Flickr user Saynine)
The world recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the complex cellular instructions known as DNA. Currently, scientists across the globe are doing a lot more than showing off computer-generated spinning double helix models — they are using DNA to do almost unbelievable things — like create tailor-made microbes and resurrected...
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Are video games art?: Maria Lujan Oulton
More and more, video games are being accepted and enjoyed as works of art in galleries around the globe. At TEDxRiodelaPlata, Maria Lujan Oulton takes a look at six designers who are using gaming to create powerful forms of interactive art. (Spanish with English subtitles) (Filmed at TEDxRiodelaPlata)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the...
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6 reasons to watch TEDxCERN tomorrow!
TEDxCERN will be held inside CERN’s world-famous Globe. Photo: TEDxCERN
You have probably heard of CERN — the European Organization for Nuclear Research and the home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator: longer than the island of Manhattan. CERN and the LHC are famous for their role in the recent discovery of what very likely is the Higgs...
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5 big talks about little things
(Video: IBM’s YouTube channel)
Scientists at IBM have beautifully blended science and art by making a film out of carbon atoms. The film, titled “A Boy and His Atom,” took two painstaking weeks to put together, but the effort was worth it: Guinness World Records has officially proclaimed it the “smallest stop-motion film” in the world.
To celebrate, 5 TEDx Talks that show that good things...
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Can music really make you smarter?: Jessica Grahn
New parents are awash in products claiming the power to turn their kids into geniuses with just a little bit of Mozart. Could any of these claims be true? At TEDxWesternU, Jessica Grahn examines the effects of music on the human brain, debunks common myths and highlights some of music’s real medical uses. (Filmed at TEDxWesternU)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting...
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How F1 racing saves babies: Peter van Manen
We can use the same technology that evaluates faults in Formula 1 race cars to solve problems off the racetrack, says data analyst Peter van Manen. From detecting warning signs of heart failure in infants to designing ambulances that monitor patients on the way to the hospital, F1 technology is for more than just cars. (Filmed at TEDxNijmegen )
Each week, we choose four of our favorite...
April 2013
50 posts
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Nanoscale fruit juice and other small things:...
From flame-retardant plastic to healthier chocolate, Stefan Bon shows us the extraordinary promise of the budding field of nanotechnology in this talk from TEDxWarwick. (Filmed at TEDxWarwick)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Browse all...
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“Young people are more curious about the outside world, they are looking for...”
– From the article “TED talks embraced as a learning platform in China“ on Al Jazeera English, in which writer Yunqian Wan argues that TEDx events can and are changing the face of education in China.
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Are flexible electronics in our future?: Stephanie...
At TEDxHelvetia, Stephanie Lacour and Jamie Paik share a novel new “soft” robotic material incorporating flexible electronic circuits. Based on the paper folding art of origami, these robotic sheets can fold into almost any shape imaginable, and might someday provide stretchable screens for smartphones, or muscle support for patients after facial surgery. (Filmed at TEDxHelvetia)
Each week,...
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Seeing beyond my suffering: Ali Taleb Almarrany
Growing up in Yemen under extreme poverty, Ali Taleb Almarrany lost an eye in a tragic firearm accident in the ninth grade. At TEDxSanaa, he tells the story of how this tragedy led him to his biggest success: becoming a TV journalist, despite the odds. (Filmed at TEDxSanaa)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx...
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A path to smarter sanitation: Mathew Lippincott
In an ever-changing world, the basic design of the toilet remains unchanged. Through a humorous critique of this “antique device”, Mathew Lippincott asks us to think a little harder about how society deals with the problems of sanitation. (Filmed at TEDxConcordiaUPortland)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx...
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In defense of whistleblowers: Margaret Heffernan
Bad things happen when good people fail to act, says Margaret Heffernan. At TEDxDanubia, she explores the crucial role of whistleblowers, despite the sometimes high costs paid for uncovering the truth. (Filmed at TEDxDanubia)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas...
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6 talks on the wonder of words
Language is a strange thing. We use it every day, but we often forget it’s there; it’s easy to learn as a child, but fiendishly difficult as an adult; and, for reasons that are hard to define, certain words can evoke strong emotions or even downright offend.
Below, 5 TEDx Talks (and one TED Talk!) on the wonders of language and linguistics, from the secret life of pronouns to why we’re so...
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When should we negotiate with terrorists?:...
It’s an old movie cliché: “Don’t negotiate with terrorists.” But in the real world, are there times when negotiation might actually be the best course of action? If you do it right, says Mitchell Reiss, it might be possible to save lives by sitting down to talk with terrorist leaders. (Filmed at TEDxColumbiaSIPA)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the...
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The moral questions of new warfare: Yves Daccord
We know what cybercrime looks like, but what about cyber war? At TEDxHelvetia, Yves Daccord gives us a glimpse into a future where citizens are unaware of the actions of governments, where war is possible without soldiers, and where humanity has an entirely different set of moral questions to ponder. (Filmed at TEDxHelvetia)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just...
“TEDx is a lot of work. So, I asked Ken point blank: is it worth it?
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“Yes....”
– From the Innovate Montana article on what it takes to put on a TEDx event — and how TEDx is spreading throughout Montana: “TEDx is making its way across the state. Who’s next?” 