Photo: James Duncan Davidson Possibly the most meta speaker on the TED stage is Lior Zoref. He had a dream: to speak at TED. He shows a video of himself saying to his friend that he wanted to do that, and his best friend telling him it was impossible. But his Facebook and twitter friends encouraged him. He wanted to give a talk on the wis...

If you think democracy is broken, here's an idea: let's replace politicians with randomly selected people. Author and activist Brett Hennig presents a compelling case for sortition democracy, or random selection of government officials -- a system with roots in ancient Athens that taps into the wisdom of the crowd and entrusts ordinary people wi...

James Surowiecki argues that people, when we act en masse, are smarter than we think. He's the author of The Wisdom of Crowds and writes about finance for the New Yorker.

Artist Aaron Koblin takes vast amounts of data -- and at times vast numbers of people -- and weaves them into stunning visualizations. From elegant lines tracing airline flights to landscapes of cell phone data, from a Johnny Cash video assembled from crowd-sourced drawings to the "Wilderness Downtown" video that customizes for the user, his wor...

What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it's fame and money, you're not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you're mistaken. As the director of a 75-year-old study on adult development, Waldinger has unprecedented access to data on true happiness and satisfaction. In this talk, he shares three imp...

Earlier today, TED curator Chris Anderson sat down for an online Q&A with the readers of Gizmodo.com. They asked a wide variety of questions, from “What’s your favorite TEDTalk of all time?” to “What will TED look like in 10 years?” Here, some highlights pulled from the discussion. What's your favorite TED talk of all time? Chris: Hard...

It can be hard to remain hopeful during seemingly hopeless times. Sharing hard-won wisdom on how to not give up when the going gets tough, writer Wajahat Ali talks about the challenges he faced with his daughter's cancer diagnosis and the COVID-19 pandemic, detailing three actionable things we can all do to find the silver linings in our lives -...

About this event: SHAKE IT UP flips the script on conventional wisdom by enriching our community with unlikely conversation. As an audience of many gathered as one, we’ll explore new perspectives that transcend normal expectations – and kickstart the future by setting invigorated ideas into motion. - Challenge the status quo with Charleston’s leading thinkers who...

About this event: This event intends to demonstrate a plethora of enthralling ideas and novel efforts of each other to bring forward a much desirable change in our own perspectives. We believe IMAGINATION LEADS TO INDIVIDUALITY AND CREATIVITY LEADS TO INNOVATION. We aim to provide value and service to our community and take responsibility to create a better futur...

Collective wisdom might best be found when small groups of people are given a chance to discuss and deliberate, say social scientists Mariano Sigman, Joaquin Navajas, Gerry Garbulsky and Dan Ariely. Could this suggest a better way to vote? For many years, problems with democracy have been pushed under the carpet in the general belief that “demo...

Robby Novak seems like a regular ol’ 10-year-old boy with a big laugh and a tendency to fidget, if you ignore the fact that he’s also a YouTube superstar. The dynamo elementary student started making a series of motivational videos with his older brother-in-law when he was just 9. The videos went viral, and since then, he’s appeared on Today , i...

In Session 2, our speakers debunked received wisdom, looked critically at common knowledge -- and restarted conversations we thought were closed. Here, our report:  Antique lamps, new sound. Brothers Ryan and Hays Holladay opened Session 2 completely unseen. In near pitch-black darkness, broken antique lamps lit up one by one -- each perfectl...

Lara Stein acknowledges TEDx organizers during TEDGlobal 2011, July 11-15, 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED All week during TEDGlobal, some TEDx Organizers -- many attending a TED Conference for the first time -- have been sharing their experiences, and reflecting on the TEDx Organizer community, on the TED...

TED2019 opened in Vancouver on April 15 with the ambitious theme of "Bigger than us." For the next five days, attendees were treated to a lively buffet of topics and speakers, with more than 70 talks, Q&As, performances, workshops and discovery sessions. And that was just the official schedule. As any attendee can tell you, the conversati...

“What makes you think that you have 80 or 90 years to live?” Laura Rozo posed this serious and almost morbid question to the audience at TEDxUNC in February 2013. She walked onto the stage confidently and calmly, soaking in the applause as the final, surprise speaker of the day. She wore a red turtleneck with a patterned scarf, and her head w...

When Cole Plante starts to DJ, you'd never guess he's only 17. His hands move over the mixing board with the confidence of someone older, purposefully weaving over the knobs that adjust the sounds and beats. On some of the adjustments, his grip holds a few beats, while others are so fleeting his reflex gives the impression that the controls are ...

Stretch your mind and strengthen your relationships with this simple exercise borrowed from schoolkids. Education innovator Sugata Mitra shows how. It’s probably been a long time since you lay on your back in the grass, looked up and wondered, Why is the sky blue? Or since you took the time to consider a question as difficult as, Where does the...

About this event: Eternity 恒 超越时间和生命 值得留存 没有起点和终点 不求瞬间求永恒 TEDx武康路是什么？ About TEDxWukangRd： 武康路被誉为“浓缩了上海近代百年历史”的“名人路”，沿线有优秀历史建筑总计14处，保留历史建筑37处。 Wukang Road is known as the 'Celebrity Road' that 'condenses the recent century history of Shanghai'. There are 14 excellent historical buildings along the road, and 37 historical buildings are preserved. 2011年6月11...

Written by the educators who created Leading Wisely, a brief look at the key facts, tough questions and big ideas in their field. Begin this TED Study with a fascinating read that gives context and clarity to the material. Understanding management means understanding people. What motivates us to engage deeply and perform powerfully at work? How...

About this event: A day that took the minds and emotions of a sold-out crowd on a roller coaster thrill ride began with a literal bang. San Diego Taiko’s energized and energizing performance set the tone for a line-up of 28 speakers and performers to present interpretations of this year’s theme, The World in Our Grasp. For nearly 8 hours, they demonstrated with ...

About this event: Come join us for this TEDx viewing party at the Northbrook Public Library. Our theme for the night is "Can We Delay or End Aging?" Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome, but seating is limited to the first 100 attendees. Post Event Recap: After a brief introductory TEDx video, three TED Talks were screened: - Researcher Aubrey de Gr...

About this event: 融汇无间|首届TEDxWukangRd年度大会开启！ The topic of TEDxWukangRd 2020 conference is MIX. 融-中文意为融合,聚集。而今,融更是指中国与世界的融合，时尚与历史的融合，现代与未来的融合，守旧与创新的融合。 We understand MIX in two ways. Firstly, it means two or more substance combine in a way that cannot be seperated easily. Secondly, if two or more things, people, or activities do not mix, they are likely to ca...

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Tuesday morning in the former East Berlin, the midcentury Kosmos cinema hummed with new ideas on business, technology and self, at an event called TED@BCG. The event was produced by TED Institute, a project that embeds within organizations and companies to help employees develop their ideas. Six hundred TEDsters, BCG'ers and guests filled th...

Here's a huge list of TED speaker-recommended books, with all the diversity of titles and topics you might expect. No matter your mood, preference or occasion, we’ve got you covered. When you’re lying in the sun Any book by Isaac Asimov I have stacks of collections of science-fiction short stories. I grab these before getting on a long f...

About this event: Secrets of Successful Innovators: Entrepreneurship In A Down Economy At TEDxMillRiver, you will be inspired to pursue innovation inside your company or beyond. Eight speakers will share their personal stories of struggle and triumph in start-ups spanning industries from pet food to high-tech. You will discover invaluable best practices and ...

In a deeply moving letter to her grandmother, Xiye Bastida reflects on what led her to become a leading voice for global climate activism -- from mobilizing school climate strikes to speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit alongside Greta Thunberg -- and traces her resolve, resilience and profound love of the earth to the values passed dow...

Shereen El Feki shows how some Arab cultures are borrowing trademarks of Western pop culture -- music videos, comics, even Barbie -- and adding a culturally appropriate twist. The hybridized media shows how two civilizations, rather than dividing, can dovetail.

Can Twitter be saved? In a wide-ranging conversation with TED's Chris Anderson and Whitney Pennington Rodgers, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey discusses the future of the platform -- acknowledging problems with harassment and moderation and proposing some fundamental changes that he hopes will encourage healthy, respectful conversations. "Are we actuall...

Many of the world's biggest problems require asking questions of scientists -- but why should we believe what they say? Historian of science Naomi Oreskes thinks deeply about our relationship to belief and draws out three problems with common attitudes toward scientific inquiry -- and gives her own reasoning for why we ought to trust science.