TED.com

[evilbau]

I am absolutely crazy about the TEDTalks at TED.com. I had no idea about this site or the organization until my brother sent me a link for a talk with Larry Lessig which he thought was very interesting, particularly how he views the future of intellectual property and puts it into context with appropriate background. I have heard of him but didn't realize he was such a polished speaker.

Blurb from their website:

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

Our mission: Spreading ideas.

The TED Conference, held annually in Monterey, is still the heart of TED. More than a thousand people now attend — indeed, the event sells out a year in advance — and the content has expanded to include science, business, the arts and the global issues facing our world. Over four days, 50 speakers each take an 18-minute slot, and there are many shorter pieces of content, including music, performance and comedy. There are no breakout groups. Everyone shares the same experience. It shouldn't work, but it does. It works because all of knowledge is connected. Every so often it makes sense to emerge from the trenches we dig for a living, and ascend to a 30,000-foot view, where we see, to our astonishment, an intricately interconnected whole.

The TED Prize is designed to leverage the TED Community's exceptional array of talent and resources. It is awarded annually to three exceptional individuals who each receive $100,000 and, much more important, the granting of "One Wish to Change the World." After several months of preparation, they unveil their wish at an award ceremony held during the TED Conference. These wishes have led to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact.

Topics are so far reaching: from the mysteries of our brain, to the future of american war, the history of DNA, or possibly changing our view of cancer by a 19 year old.

The idea of the TED Prize is pretty cool and after reading more about it, it is amazing what they have done so far.

I tell my friends about the site and the intellectually curious ones appreciate it. I find it as a source of inspiration and optimism in the face of a society that is increasingly cynical (me especially). I hope some people will like it but I'm already expecting replies that consist of 'this sucks lol'. I leave you with the one I just finished watching, with some of the most powerful photography I have ever seen. Enjoy 8)

Frans Lanting: A lyrical view of life on Earth - http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/40

[Blarg]

I'm subscribed to their youtube channel (link below). Lots of the vids are really interesting.

http://youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector

[guartz]

Holy shit, this is awesome.

[evilbau]

Holy shit, this is awesome.

Thats great that you like it. Maybe it'll knock some sense into you

[guartz]

Holy shit, this is awesome.

Thats great that you like it. Maybe it'll knock some sense into you

I learned a lot about the cancer, and even more about the brain. However, that American War thing... that guy was proposing a imperial international infrastructure, ... and people laughed and cheered. That was some creepy shit.

[evilbau]

Aubrey de Grey: Why we age and how we can avoid it - http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/39

Pretty good one imo