recommendations of great videos on TED.com
June 14, 2009 3:57 PM   Subscribe

What are your favorite videos on TED.com?

I am completely fascinated by these videos. Which ones do you recommend? All subject area/topics are welcome.

Thanks!
posted by dfriedman to Computers & Internet (26 answers total) 194 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: I really enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert's talk on nurturing creativity and what our culture expects from artists.
posted by you're a kitty! at 4:09 PM on June 14, 2009 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Jill Bolte Taylor's Stroke of Insight springs immediately to mind without me even having to look at the website to spark memory.

In fact, that's the video I use to turn non-TED watchers into TED watchers. So far, it has a 1.000 batting average.
posted by hippybear at 4:12 PM on June 14, 2009 [7 favorites]


Best answer: Mark Bittman's What's Wrong with What We Eat;

Steven Levitt on Sudhir Venkatesh's study of crack-house economics;

Bill Strickland's completely amazing slide show on the Manchester Bidwell vocational education project;

Cliff Stoll being Cliff Stoll;

PW Singer on robotics in warfare and other stuff from his book Wired for War;

Gever Tulley on five dangerous things kids should be encouraged to do (I don't even have kids and I fully appreciated this one);

John Maeda on the simple life;

Majora Carter's talk on reclaiming the South Bronx, which is unexpectedly completely heartbreaking.

These are just a few of a bunch I watched at work on render breaks. Really, if you search on something or someone you know you like-- the Long Now, msybe, or you're into James Nachtwey's biological research, or you listen to Regina Spektor-- you'll find something you'll enjoy, and the related links will generally be pretty good too.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 4:16 PM on June 14, 2009 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Malcolm Gladwell on Spaghetti Sauce is one of my favorites.

Be sure also to watch a mycologist discuss Saving the Earth with Fungi.
posted by prunes at 4:16 PM on June 14, 2009 [4 favorites]


Best answer: For some reason I really like "Adam Savage's obsessions".
posted by Memo at 4:20 PM on June 14, 2009 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Kevin Kelly on the next 5000 days of the web for daydreaming about what might be.

Jonathon Haidt on the moral roots of liberals and conservatives for a brilliant discussion.

Joachim de Posada says, Don't eat the marshmallow yet for a quick and funny presentation of a very important idea, complete with charming videos of little kids.
posted by Houstonian at 4:22 PM on June 14, 2009 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I really like Sir Ken Robinson's talk on how schools kill creativity.
posted by estherbester at 4:44 PM on June 14, 2009 [4 favorites]


Best answer: Kaki King rocks out to "Pink Noise"
posted by whiskeyspider at 4:46 PM on June 14, 2009 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I enjoyed The Raspyni Brothers.
posted by DanW at 5:06 PM on June 14, 2009 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Mike Rowe on the value of working with your hands
posted by mjcon at 5:41 PM on June 14, 2009 [2 favorites]




Best answer: Doris Kearns Goodwin on learning from past presidents

Concise, funny, insightful and, like most TED Talks, unintentionally motivational.
posted by tenaciousd at 6:38 PM on June 14, 2009 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Benjamin Zander on Music and Passion is phenomenal.
posted by PFL at 6:41 PM on June 14, 2009 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Amy Tan's was fantastic.
posted by mewithoutyou at 8:12 PM on June 14, 2009 [1 favorite]




Best answer: John Hodgman was in fine form for his talk.
posted by consummate dilettante at 8:34 PM on June 14, 2009 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Barry Shwartz on our loss of wisdom. Inspiring.
posted by jeffxl at 9:08 PM on June 14, 2009 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Isaac Mizrahi on fashion and creativity also comes to mind.
posted by mewithoutyou at 9:11 PM on June 14, 2009 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Mary Roach and the things you didn't know about orgasms.
posted by ijsbrand at 11:43 PM on June 14, 2009 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Previously on the blue: Ted Top Ten.
posted by allkindsoftime at 12:45 AM on June 15, 2009 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Willie Smits restores a rainforest
posted by Elysum at 2:11 AM on June 15, 2009 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Thanks for all the responses!
posted by dfriedman at 6:46 AM on June 15, 2009


Can't be sure of the link, but I was very moved by Aimee Mullens talk on her legs.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 10:28 AM on June 15, 2009


Isn't it clear that the more appropriate question is which TED Talks to avoid?

(are there any?)
posted by silsurf at 2:11 PM on June 15, 2009




I like Dan Gilbert's talk on "Why are we happy" - not why we intuitively think we are he would argue.
posted by rongorongo at 8:25 AM on July 13, 2009 [1 favorite]


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