TED

[imoldernu]

Technology-Entertainment-Design
... is the way it started out, but today, TED covers most aspects of life.

Have you- Do you watchTED?

I started with it on Netflix, and am hooked. Not all the time, because it can be heavy, and sometimes ya just don't wanna have to think... but for interest in what's going on in the world, a great source.

The recent thread on Singularity, came from watching the Larry page interview with Charlie Rose, and now the NSA's response to the recent TED interview with Edward Snowden makes for interest in the news behind the news.

The breadth of topics is infinite, from business, art, music, health, to sex, to animal behavior, work rules, and yes, retirement.

It's not an all day thing... most talks ranges from about 5 minutes to a half hour. The hardest thing for me to handle was the humility of finding out how much I don't know... followed by the disheartening revelation that I'll never know.

So... do you or have you watched TED?
The newer website allows you to watch online. Give it a try... here:

https://www.ted.com/

Two brand new talks just posted today:

What will blow our minds in the *next* 30 years?

What will be the most important driver of change in the future?

Like you don't have enough to do.

 

[Midpack]

Have you- Do you watchTED?

Probably watch at least once/week if not more (usually on iPad), as do others here. High quality, sometimes unusual topics/presentations. I'd recommend it also...

 

[Meadbh]

Yes, I have watched several TED talks. My favourite one to date has been Jill Bolte Taylor's description of her stroke at age 38.

 

[Options]

Yep. Snowden was brilliant.

 

[DatumPoint5]

One of my favorite all time Ted Talks was the one delivered by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love). Although I did not care for the book, I did enjoy her musings on how "creative genius" has been handled by different cultures over the years. Not only was the content insightful, but, also, her delivery of the presentation was very engaging.

For anyone interested, here is the link...
Elizabeth Gilbert: Your elusive creative genius | Talk Video | TED

 

[Midpack]

Yep. Snowden was brilliant.

And the NSA didn't waste any time responding on TED a few days later.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I like to read the transcripts sometimes instead of watching them.
Here's a favorite to share:
John Francis: Walk the earth ... my 17-year vow of silence | Talk Video | TED

John Francis is a great writer--after I watched this, I picked up a couple of his books from the library. He was also the subject of some lively debate among friends about his ideas.

 

[ERD50]

I need to watch some more of them. I've seen a few that I think are fascinating and very thought-provoking, then I seemed to run in to a streak that I found 'self-absorbed' or 'self-congratulating', and it kind of turned me off. One might have been a documentary on TED itself (or TEDx?) - IIRC the attendees paid a pretty high admission fee, and I got the impression that the applause the presenters got was largely because the audience was all caught up in 'the thing' itself, rather than taking a critical analysis of the presentation. They get all kinda "ooooohhhh' and 'aaaawww' over everything, like every presenter is going to save the world.


But I really do need to watch more, and not let a few questionable ones spoil the good for me.

-ERD50

 

[LoneAspen]

I saw Ted. That nasty foul-mouthed teddy bear really had me cracking up!

 

[Walt34]

I've watched four or five, as I come across ones that interest me. Not all do of course. But the quality overall strikes me as excellent.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Makes for interesting viewing on a plane while traveling. The iPad app allows you to download for offline viewing.

One of my favorites is Susan Kaine's talk on the Power of Introverts. I really identified with the part about how interior designers are tearing down or truncating our cubicle walls - what's left of our offices - so we can all "collaborate." Like I need to listen to the idiot next door make every single phone call in his life on the speakerphone.

 

[JoeWras]

I'm not a fan. Maybe I hit a bunch of bad ones. I don't like some of the agendas being pushed in the background. I find some of the presentations pompous.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

I enjoy Hans Rosling's presentations. Some examples
Hans Rosling: Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen - YouTube
Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four - YouTube

 

[Elbata]

I enjoyed the TED videos talked about in the previous comments.

This is my all time favorite TED talk. Titled "Gratitude"

 

[ziggy29]

One of my favorites is Susan Kaine's talk on the Power of Introverts. I really identified with the part about how interior designers are tearing down or truncating our cubicle walls - what's left of our offices - so we can all "collaborate." Like I need to listen to the idiot next door make every single phone call in his life on the speakerphone.

I'm a bit more cynical about corporate motivations (surprise, surprise). I suspect they just don't want you to have any privacy. And I also suspect a lot of it is to make it harder for you to goof off or surf the Internet for personal use without being seen.

 

[donheff]

I have enjoyed many TED talks, particularly those from the early years and/or from the full TED conferences. TEDx, which are regional TED lite conferences, seem to be a mixed bag with a lot of lesser presentations IMO.

 

[kcowan]

I watched a speaker talk about the secret to a successful TED presentation:
- relating a personal experience
- ensuring its relevance to audience
- memorable
Length 18 minutes.

I know use this as a model to evaluate the videos.

 

[sengsational]

I have enjoyed many TED talks, particularly those from the early years and/or from the full TED conferences. TEDx, which are regional TED lite conferences, seem to be a mixed bag with a lot of lesser presentations IMO.

Agreed. I've watched maybe one hundred 'real' TED talks (subscribed to their channel years ago through 'Miro'). Can't say I made it to the end of a lot of them...I know it's laudable to help the poor in other countries, but after a few of those, I would sometimes bail after the intro. I do think TEDx waters-down the TED brand a bit. I've read quite a few books after hearing the author give a TED talk...great source for keeping ideas flowing!!

 

[clifp]

Agreed. I've watched maybe one hundred 'real' TED talks (subscribed to their channel years ago through 'Miro'). Can't say I made it to the end of a lot of them...I know it's laudable to help the poor in other countries, but after a few of those, I would sometimes bail after the intro. I do think TEDx waters-down the TED brand a bit. I've read quite a few books after hearing the author give a TED talk...great source for keeping ideas flowing!!

I started watching TED talks early, and still do. Just watched Sergei Brin's interviewed by Charlie Rose.

But I really think the regional TEDx have watered down the brand so much that I find myself back to watching TED talks almost exclusively by big name folks.

It used to be you can watch Bill Gate talk about 3rd world health problems,and then listen to some Doctor you never heard of describe some big breakthrough in AIDs, or Malaria and get two fascinating talks. Now days you can still hear Bill Gates talk, but the follow on talk is most often, some well intentioned college kid who thinks his windmill he made of recycle coke cans and put up in the Congo is the secret for solving world hunger.

 

[Nemo2]

Fair pay experiment:

https://youtu.be/meiU6TxysCg

 

[REWahoo]

Fair pay experiment:

https://youtu.be/meiU6TxysCg

How about more information so this won't be a blind link?

 

[Nemo2]

How about more information so this won't be a blind link?

Two Capuchin monkeys are 'paid' with cucumber (which is 'OK') or grapes (which are preferable)........watch the reaction of the monkey who realizes that cucumber is all she's going to get.

 

[REWahoo]

Thanks!

 

[CaptTom]

Today was my first day "off" after completing a few projects since Thanksgiving. I probably spent two hours this morning going down a "TED" rabbit hole on YouTube.

There's some great stuff out there. I especially like the physics stuff that's way beyond my own level. Sort of makes me feel smart for a few minutes, until I forget it all.

There's also some pretty squishy stuff. But that's what's great about it - something for everyone.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I've enjoyed many TED Talks, especially one relating to positive psychology for planning out our retirement.