They are called TED Talks, and they are like intellectual crack. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and basically TED conferences bring together some of the smartest and most fascinating people from these fields. Each gives an 18-minute talk about the work that he or she does, and to tell you that some of this is stuff is amazing does nto do it justice.
Hundreds of these speeches are archived on the TED website, where you can watch them for free. I can’t stop. Here a few of my favorites so far, to get you started:
Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity– This is my favorite, but education is very important to me, so I may be biased. Robinson is very funny, a talented storyteller, and also has a powerful message about schools.
Malcolm Gladwell on Spaghetti Sauce– This talk convinced me to read Gladwell’s books, Blink and The Tipping Point, which were both fairly interesting. He has a real knack for finding anecdotes that convey a powerful message and articulating a common theme across seemingly disparate subjects.
Cameron Sinclair on Open Source Architecture– Sinclair started a non-profit organization that solicits designs from architects around the world to address problems in impoverished ares or in the wake of natural disasters. Some of the resulting innovations include an edible AIDS clinic and flowers that grow red in the presence of land mines.
Will Wright Makes Toys That Make Worlds– Wright, designer of The Sims, demonstrates his next project, in which players create their own species of life and guide it from its time as a single-celled organism all the way up to its colonization of other planets. He also has some interesting things to say about the education value of such a game.
Steven Levitt on Why Crack Dealers Still Live With Their Moms- If you’ve read Freakonomics, you’ll be familiar with the content of this presentation. However, there is some new information here, and it is presented in a funny and engaging way.