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  • Talks 602
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1 - 30 of 1275 results

James Burchfield: Playing invisible turntables

Human beatbox James "AudioPoet" Burchfield performs an intricate three-minute breakdown -- sexy, propulsive hip-hop rhythms and turntable textures -- all using only his voice.
https://www.ted.com/talks/james_burchfield_playing_invisible_turntables

Kaki King: Playing "Pink Noise" on guitar

Kaki King, the first female on Rolling Stone's "guitar god" list, rocks out to a full live set at TED2008, including her breakout single, "Playing with Pink Noise." Jaw-dropping virtuosity meets a guitar technique that truly stands out.
https://www.ted.com/talks/kaki_king_playing_pink_noise_on_guitar

Olafur Eliasson: Playing with space and light

In the spectacular large-scale projects he's famous for (such as "Waterfalls" in New York harbor), Olafur Eliasson creates art from a palette of space, distance, color and light. This idea-packed talk begins with an experiment in the nature of perception.
https://www.ted.com/talks/olafur_eliasson_playing_with_space_and_light

Paul Rothemund: Playing with DNA that self-assembles

Paul Rothemund writes code that causes DNA to arrange itself into a star, a smiley face and more. Sure, it's a stunt, but it's also a demonstration of self-assembly at the smallest of scales -- with vast implications for the future of making things.
https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_rothemund_playing_with_dna_that_self_assembles

Leah Lagos and Jaspal Ricky Singh: How playing sports benefits your body... and your brain

The victory of the underdog. The last minute penalty shot that wins the tournament. The training montage. Many people love to glorify victory on the field, cheer for teams, and play sports. But should we be obsessed with sports? Are sports as good for us as we make them out to be, or are they just a fun and entertaining pastime? Leah Lagos and J...
https://www.ted.com/talks/leah_lagos_and_jaspal_ricky_singh_how_playing_sports_benefits_your_body_and_your_brain

Anita Collins: How playing an instrument benefits your brain

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in musicians' brains when they play, and examines some of the long-term positive effects of this m...
https://www.ted.com/talks/anita_collins_how_playing_an_instrument_benefits_your_brain

Adam Carroll: What playing Monopoly with real money taught me about my kids--and humanity

Playing Monopoly with his children one night, Adam Carroll noticed they were bending the rules. He wondered, "What if they're playing this way because the money isn't real?" In this talk, Carroll explains the concept of financial abstraction, and how our human perception of spending changes when the idea of money becomes more or less real. His c...
https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_carroll_what_playing_monopoly_with_real_money_taught_me_about_my_kids_and_humanity

Playlist: Fascinating TED-Ed Lessons about the brain (5 talks)

A fantastic set of primers (with incredibly fun animations) all about what goes on in the brain.
Curated by TED · 5 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/fascinating_ted_ed_lessons_about_the_brain

Playlist: Things that build themselves (4 talks)

If you build it, they will come... But what happens when robots, buildings and other marvels can build themselves? These talks explore this (increasingly real) reality.
Curated by TED · 4 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/things_that_build_themselves

Playlist: Code: The next universal language (7 talks)

Dive into the digital world with these talks on coding and the importance of teaching code to future generations.
Curated by TED · 7 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/code_the_next_universal_langu

Vusi Mahlasela: "Woza"

After Vusi Mahlasela's 3-song set at TEDGlobal, the audience wouldn't let him go. His encore, "Woza," showcases his brilliant guitar playing and multilingual lyrics.
https://www.ted.com/talks/vusi_mahlasela_woza

Julian Treasure: The 4 ways sound affects us

Playing sound effects both pleasant and awful, Julian Treasure shows how sound affects us in four significant ways. Listen carefully for a shocking fact about noisy open-plan offices.
https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_the_4_ways_sound_affects_us

Gabe Zichermann: How games make kids smarter

Can playing video games make you more productive? Gabe Zichermann shows how games are making kids better problem-solvers, and will make us better at everything from driving to multi-tasking.
https://www.ted.com/talks/gabe_zichermann_how_games_make_kids_smarter

Boy Girl Banjo: "Dead Romance"

Acoustic duo Anielle Reid and Matthew Brookshire (playing together as Boy Girl Banjo) take the TED stage to perform their original song "Dead Romance," weaving together the sounds of Americana folk music and modern pop.
https://www.ted.com/talks/boy_girl_banjo_dead_romance

Playlist: Live music, onstage at TED (10 talks)

We've cued up two hours of live music straight from the TED stage. Listen for a wide range of virtuoso musicians -- on some very surprising instruments ...
Curated by TED · 10 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/virtuosos

David Byrne: How architecture helped music evolve

As his career grew, David Byrne went from playing CBGB to Carnegie Hall. He asks: Does the venue make the music? From outdoor drumming to Wagnerian operas to arena rock, he explores how context has pushed musical innovation.
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_byrne_how_architecture_helped_music_evolve

Rachelle Garniez: "La Vie en Rose"

Featuring the vocals and mischievous bell-playing of accordionist and singer Rachelle Garniez, the TED House Band -- led by Thomas Dolby on keyboard -- delivers this delightful rendition of the Edith Piaf standard "La Vie en Rose."
https://www.ted.com/talks/rachelle_garniez_la_vie_en_rose

They Might Be Giants: Wake up! It's They Might Be Giants!

In a very, very early-morning set, They Might Be Giants rock TED2007, playing "Older," "Bee of the Bird of the Moth," "Asbury Park," "Fingertips," and "The Alphabet of Nations." Plus they take phone calls from the dead.
https://www.ted.com/talks/they_might_be_giants_wake_up_it_s_they_might_be_giants

Young-ha Kim: Be an artist, right now!

Why do we ever stop playing and creating? With charm and humor, celebrated Korean author Young-ha Kim invokes the world's greatest artists to urge you to unleash your inner child -- the artist who wanted to play forever.
https://www.ted.com/talks/young_ha_kim_be_an_artist_right_now

Playlist: Talks for band geeks (11 talks)

If you were in the marching band, jazz ensemble or choir, music is a part of you — whether you still play or not. Let these talks tap into that.
Curated by TED · 11 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/talks_for_former_band_geeks

Caleb Chung: Playtime with Pleo, your robotic dinosaur friend

Pleo the robot dinosaur acts like a living pet -- exploring, cuddling, playing, reacting and learning. Inventor Caleb Chung talks about Pleo and his wild toy career at EG07, on the week that Pleo shipped to stores for the first time.
https://www.ted.com/talks/caleb_chung_playtime_with_pleo_your_robotic_dinosaur_friend

Thomas Suarez: A 12-year-old app developer

Most 12-year-olds love playing videogames -- but Thomas Suarez taught himself how to create them. After developing iPhone apps like "Bustin Jeiber," a whack-a-mole game, he is now using his skills to help other kids become developers.
https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_suarez_a_12_year_old_app_developer

Abigail Washburn: Building US-China relations ... by banjo

Abigail Washburn wanted to be a lawyer improving US-China relations -- until she picked up a banjo. The TED Fellow tells a moving story of the connections she's formed touring across the US and China while playing that banjo and singing in Chinese.
https://www.ted.com/talks/abigail_washburn_building_us_china_relations_by_banjo

Morley: "Follow the Sound"

Playing "Follow the Sound" from her album "Borderless Lullabies" -- which was created in support of immigrant and refugee children entering the US -- Morley weaves jazz, soul and resonant vocals. She's joined onstage by cellist Dave Eggar and multi-instrumentalist Chris Bruce.
https://www.ted.com/talks/morley_follow_the_sound

Dennis Hong: My seven species of robot -- and how we created them

Meet seven all-terrain robots -- like the humanoid, soccer-playing DARwIn and the cliff-gripping CLIMBeR -- built by Dennis Hong's robotics team at RoMeLa, based at Virginia Tech. Watch to the end for the five creative secrets to his lab's success.
https://www.ted.com/talks/dennis_hong_my_seven_species_of_robot_and_how_we_created_them

Thandie Newton: Embracing otherness, embracing myself

Actor Thandie Newton tells the story of finding her "otherness" -- first, as a child growing up in two distinct cultures, and then as an actor playing with many different selves. A warm, wise talk, fresh from the stage at TEDGlobal 2011.
https://www.ted.com/talks/thandie_newton_embracing_otherness_embracing_myself

Bruce McCall: What is retro-futurism?

Bruce McCall paints a retro-future that never happened -- full of flying cars, polo-playing tanks and the RMS Tyrannic, "The Biggest Thing in All the World." At Serious Play '08, he narrates a brisk and funny slideshow of his faux-nostalgic art.
https://www.ted.com/talks/bruce_mccall_what_is_retro_futurism

Ariel Garten: Know thyself, with a brain scanner

Imagine playing a video game controlled by your mind. Now imagine that game also teaches you about your own patterns of stress, relaxation and focus. Ariel Garten shows how looking at our own brain activity gives new meaning to the ancient dictum "know thyself."
https://www.ted.com/talks/ariel_garten_know_thyself_with_a_brain_scanner

David Chalmers: How do you explain consciousness?

Our consciousness is a fundamental aspect of our existence, says philosopher David Chalmers: “There’s nothing we know about more directly…. but at the same time it’s the most mysterious phenomenon in the universe.” He shares some ways to think about the movie playing in our heads.
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_chalmers_how_do_you_explain_consciousness

Yusuf Nurbhai: What if we traded employees like football players?

What would happen if new companies hired, fired, and managed in the same way as football clubs? What if new employers "bought" their new hires, and paid old employers a fee, à la Cristiano Ronaldo? In this short talk, Yusuf contemplates the consequence of playing the old corporate game by new rules.
https://www.ted.com/talks/yusuf_nurbhai_what_if_we_traded_employees_like_football_players
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