Immerse yourself in the weirdly wonderful world of art made from unconventional materials.

From World War I to the 2008 economic collapse and beyond, history shows that economists don't always see the future as clearly as they think they do, says economist David McWilliams. Using the words of W.B. Yeats, McWilliams makes the case for embracing unconventional thinkers – poets, artists and musicians – and offers a creative path towards ...

What's it like to be pals with a genius? Physicist Leonard Susskind spins a few stories about his friendship with the legendary Richard Feynman, discussing his unconventional approach to problems both serious and ... less so.

Sō Percussion creates adventurous compositions with new, unconventional instruments. Performing "Music for Wood and Strings" by Bryce Dessner of The National, the quartet plays custom-made dulcimer-like instruments that combine the sound of an electric guitar with the percussionist's toolkit to create a hypnotic effect.

In a complex and changing world, how can we make sure unconventional people and their ideas thrive? Business executive Ipsita Dasgupta introduces the concept of "co-conspirators" -- people willing to bend or break the rules to challenge the status quo -- and shows how they can help create new ways of thinking, acting and being.

When General Stanley McChrystal started fighting al Qaeda in 2003, information and secrets were the lifeblood of his operations. But as the unconventional battle waged on, he began to think that the culture of keeping important information classified was misguided and actually counterproductive. In a short but powerful talk McChrystal makes the ...

Across sub-Saharan Africa, small farmers are the bedrock of national and regional economies—unless the weather proves unpredictable and their crops fail. The solution is insurance, at a vast, continental scale, and at a very low, affordable cost. Rose Goslinga and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture pioneered an unconventional wa...

What would it take to reimagine the limits of architecture? Débora Mesa Molina offers some answers in this breathtaking, visual tour of her work, showing how structures can be made with overlooked materials and unconventional methods -- or even extracted from the guts of the earth. "The world around us is an infinite source of inspiration if we ...

What's the best way to get over heartbreak? Rapper and writer Dessa came up with an unconventional approach after a chance viewing of Helen Fisher's TED Talk about the brains of the lovestruck. In a wryly funny talk, she describes how she worked with a neuroscientist to try to get her brain to fall out of love with her ex -- and shares wisdom ab...

Nuclear power is one of the safest, cleanest forms of energy -- yet to most people, it might not feel that way. Why is that? Isabelle Boemeke, the world's first nuclear energy influencer and creator of the social media persona Isodope, deftly debunks the major objections to nuclear power and explains her unconventional way of educating people ab...

Will we do whatever it takes to fight climate change? Back in 2008, following the global financial crisis, governments across the world adopted a "whatever it takes" commitment to monetary recovery, issuing $250 billion worth of international currency to stem the collapse of the economy. In this delightfully wonky talk, financial expert Michael ...

Heading up HR at Netflix, Patty McCord experienced the unconventional start-up cultures of Silicon Valley up close. She explains what makes these new cultures work and offers some surprising insights into how deceptively traditional some of these eccentric new offices still are. McCord also introduces some challenging new ideas on how to motivat...

What do we really know about mosquitoes? Fredros Okumu catches and studies these disease-carrying insects for a living -- with the hope of crashing their populations. Join Okumu for a tour of the frontlines of mosquito research, as he details some of the unconventional methods his team at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania have developed t...

The world relies on manufacturing, and manufacturing relies on heat — a massive contributor to global carbon emissions, responsible for a quarter of the world's fossil fuel use. Energy entrepreneur John O'Donnell has figured out a better, cleaner way to generate the heat we need to make the stuff we want. Learn how his team turned simple bricks ...

Micah Eames is a communications professional, writer and public speaker who brings a touch of humor and compassion to difficult conversations.

Ethel is, perhaps, the first 21st-century realization of the classical string quartet.

(TED is on its annual two-week vacation. During the break, we’re posting playlists from the TEDTalks archive. We’ll be back with new talks on August 29th.) Art can be beautiful, inspirational, thought-provoking, and… funny? Here are four talks by artists across the spectrum. 1) How do you stage an international art show with work from 100 ...

Ashley M. Grice believes in the power of wonder and unconventional thinking to disrupt industries and the status quo.

Eythor Bender is the CEO of Berkeley Bionics, which augments humans with wearable, powered and artificially intelligent devices called exoskeletons or "wearable robots."

(TED's on its annual two-week vacation; during the break, we

Bertrand Piccard circumnavigated the Earth in a hot-air balloon. Now he wants to circle it in an airplane powered only by solar energy.

Often called a social poet, C.K. Williams was fascinated by the characters of modern civilization and their interactions.

Percussionist and composer Dame Evelyn Glennie lost nearly all of her hearing by age 12. Rather than isolating her, it has given her a unique connection to her music.

From the earliest days of human exploration we've made progressively more accurate and sophisticated maps. Maps help us find our way around the world we live in. Maps help us get to our destination. Maps keep us from becoming lost. But what if you have no destination? What if becoming lost is the point? Well, there's a map for that. Lots ...

Robert Sapolsky is one of the leading neuroscientists in the world, studying stress in primates (including humans).

Taking a cue from his own artistic journey, Phil Hansen challenges us to spark our creativity by thinking inside the box.

Today's volatile world demands that we do things differently -- that we pay attention to things most people don’t see. At TEDSalon: Unconventional, presented by TED and the Brightline Initiative and hosted by TED's Cloe Shasha and Alex Moura, six leaders and visionaries shared novel ideas that are driving the world’s most impactful organizat...

Ryan Pullen is a respected figure in the cybersecurity community, having charted an unconventional path into the field, characterized by impactful experiences — from working with government agencies to managing offensive global cyber operations.

About this event: Last Wednesday, February 26th, the CEO club at NYIT hosted a TEDx event in unconventional leadership with Lorna Kelly, Kevin O'Connell and Courtney O'Connell. The club will host another TEDx in the upcoming months so stay tuned for more details!