I spent the afternoon yesterday browsing TED.com – I hope to make it an annual ritual. Such a high density of good stuff, thanks Chris (Anderson)! If you’ve never spent some time on the site, I highly recommend it. Instead of indulging your regular TV habit, spend the evening with some of the world’s great minds – it’s inspirational and entertaining!
Here were some of the ones that caught my eye – your mileage may vary:
- Theo Jansen creates new creatures http://luvogt.com/x.pl?k=33EB218 An oldie but goodie – uncanny how he brings plastic pipes to life.
- Jamie Oliver’s TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food http://luvogt.com/x.pl?k=373DF71 Jamie’s so passionate that he’s a bit all over the place, but his message is spot-on.
- Peter Molyneux demos Milo, the virtual boy http://luvogt.com/x.pl?k=2574DF0 One demo of how the Kinect can be used. I just tried it out for the first time yesterday at a store, and gotta say, this changes everything.
- Arthur Benjamin’s formula for changing math education http://luvogt.com/x.pl?k=30A01B3 A famous math prof from my alma mater (Harvey Mudd) says it best to forget calculus, we should be aiming towards stats and probability as the “apex” of the math curriculum. I’ve been saying this for years, so of course I agree.
- Dan Dennett on dangerous memes http://luvogt.com/x.pl?k=4A9CC00 Wow. Just. Wow. Leave it to a philosopher to blow your mind. (If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of memes, have a look at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme )
- Mark Roth: Suspended animation is within our grasp http://luvogt.com/x.pl?k=573007F Mark takes his time getting to the point, but the idea is pretty big, and I love how it demonstrates an “aha” moment.
- Jason Fried: Why work doesn’t happen at work http://luvogt.com/x.pl?k=1E3164F Jason has a hidden agenda, but I know a lot of people (at least in tech) that can relate to what he says. I can’t help but think he was inspired by Paul Graham’s Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule
And these are for the data geeks in the crowd:
- David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization http://luvogt.com/x.pl?k=45565A5
- Demo: Stunning data visualization in the AlloSphere http://luvogt.com/x.pl?k=584061
- Gary Flake: is Pivot a turning point for web exploration? http://luvogt.com/x.pl?k=420C7F7
Happy New Year!
