Best of the Web – TED Talks

TED Talks – The concept of TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design) is genius all by itself.  From their website (talking about the original concept, TED conferences):

TED conferences bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less).

But a couple of annual conferences wasn’t enough if you are dedicated to the concept of “Ideas Worth Spreading” so we arrived at the idea of Ted talks.  Take those brilliant presentations on a wide, no make that WIDE, range of topics and put them up for easy access on the web.  Suddenly the kinds of thinking that was once the province of only the big wheels and the big bank accounts is available for all of us.  As of today there are over 1,600 talks available for use.

Take a look at the titles of the 11 classic talks they recommend for first timers to the web site:

1. Ken Robinson – How School Kills Creativity
2. David Gallo: Underwater astonishments
3. Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter …
4. Hans Rosling: The best stats you’ve ever seen
5. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story
6. Johnny Lee: Free or cheap Wii Remote hacks
7. Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability
8. Bryan Stevenson: We need to talk about an injustice
9. Bjarke Ingels: 3 warp-speed architecture tales
10. Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are
11. David Christian: The history of our world in 18 minutes

There ought to be at least one thing on that list to pique your interest.  Maybe you choose to just skim the list of talks at random, maybe you search for specific topics.  Or try the new playlists function.  You’ll find lists created by the folks at TED along with guest curated lists done by names you’ll know and maybe you don’t.  There’s one playlist for people under the age of 20, The World of Tiny Things and The Big Picture.  Talks that will inspire you, amaze you, or just blow you away.

The Ted talks site is exactly the kind of thing that I identify as the best of the web.  A site that challenges you, offers you something new and takes advanage of the technology to offer you something that would have been nearly impossible in any other age.