the Dragons' Den

Here's a link to the dragons' den video we watched... how does it end.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBiUOw7rNps&feature=related

The awesomest TED talk ever !

The 3 A's of awesome

In this inspiring talk from TEDxToronto, Neil Pasricha , owner of the blog "1000 awesome things" (the best blog in the world in 2010), teaches us how to savor the simple pleasures from the free refills to clean sheets. He reveals three secrets (the 3'As) of leading a life that's truly awsome which are: Attitude, Awareness and Authenticity.

I liked the effective presentation technique based on telling stories and the closing thought that made me examine my perception of life.

Justin Hall-Tipping: Freeing energy from the grid

Here is the link to the TED talk I choosed :
Freeing energy from the grid

In this talk, we get an insight of what energy plants/grid could be in the future: no energy plants/grid. Instead, you would produce your very own energy and store any surplus for future use. Although some may have had this idea before, here Justin Hall-Tipping shows us materials and technology that could make it possible. Ultimately this would solve many energy-related issues, such as the production of freshwater from the sea.

I thought this talk was really interesting since it gives a bright outlook on energy issues. Moreover we get to know about awesome technology which could revolutionize the world. I really hope these devices will make it in our everyday lives.

TED talk : my mushroom burial suit

The TED talk i chose is: Jae Rhim Lee: My mushroom burial suit.The talk starts with a fact: our body contains numerous toxins the whole question is : Where did these detritus go when we die?The crematory method spreads these toxins in the atmosphere, so it constitutes a minor threat for the environment; the chemicals used in the burials harm the personnel.Then, the speaker decided to raise an army of mushrooms that will clean her up after her death.The infinity mushrooms will be built in a death suit to accelerate the decomposition of her body.The talk was interesting because it highlights the fact that there is a link between us and the environment: “We came from dust and we will return to dust”.
The second interesting idea is the new concept of environmental responsibility: what imprint are YOU going to let on the environment?
Believe it or not some people are ready to try that

SUIT UP!!!!!!

TED Talk : 3 things I learned while my plane crashed

Hi everyone!

Here is the link of the TED talk I chose :

http://www.ted.com/talks/ric_elias.html

In his talk, Ric Elias shares with us his plane crashing experience.
During the crash, when he thought that he was going to die, 3 things crossed his mind and changed him for the rest of his life.
First, he thought about all the experiences that he never had the chance to do and the people he never reached. After the crash, he decided to never postpone anything anymore and to enjoy every moment and every opportunity that is offered to him.
Then, he remembered all the time he wasted with all the people that matters to him. Now he chose to eliminate all negative energy from his life and decided being happy was more important that being right. For instance, he has not had a fight with his wife for two years.
However, the thing that mattered the most to him was that he would never have had a chance to watch his kids grow up. That is how he understood that the only thing that matters in his life was being a great dad.

I thought the speech was really moving and inspiring. It show how our life can change at any moment and that we absolutely have to make the most of it.

Jonathan Klein: Photos that changed the world

The TED talks I chose is 'Photos that changed the world':

http://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_klein_photos_that_changed_the_world.html

Jonathan Klein shows several photos that have provoked reactions in people who have been watching them. We can see iconic images such as the World Trade Center in flames or atomic bomb explosion and some others less violent such as the Earth from above. He exposes that these images compel us to encounter reality and to act. But he also says that some critics believe theses photos fuel resentment. So pictures may have different impacts depending on the public.

As a photograph myself, I understand this issue of delivering a message through photos and how we can testify and force people to react.

That is why I chose this talk, I wish you will be interested too.

TEDTalks - Lies, damned lies and statistics (about TEDTalks)

The video I chose is Lies, damned lies and statistics (about TEDTalks). Sebastian Wernicke presents a statistical study made on TEDTalks. This study aims at correlating the quality of the presentation (based up on user ratings) with its characteristics, in order to create the ultimate TEDTalk (or the worse ever).I found this presentation interesting because visuals are cleverly chosen, and humor is often used.

Another presentation, Doodlers, unite! caught my attention. Its not about the website doodle.com you may have used to plan events or create surveys as I firts thought. It presents doodling as an efficient way of processing a large amount of information.

TED Talk Design and the Elastic Mind

"Building things bottom up, atom by atom, has made them all into tinkerers, scientists are seeking designers and designers are seeking scientists." I found the talk given by Paola Antonelli, curator at MOMA, particularly interesting. She makes the audience get a grasp of some new beautiful concepts in design, brought to life by the current relationship between technology and design. The mix between large scale and nanotechnology opens the door to a whole new world (e.g. bees trained to detect one type of cancer or pregnancy, working with vitro-meat, grow hair on nails, grow bone tissue so that you can make a wedding ring).

Paola introduces the concept of "existence maximum" (or Existenzmaximum): the design of the ever-shrinking individual space. Designers and scientists are all working on enhancing our senses capabilities so that we can achieve more. They give us new means but does that imply that we actually see things more in-depth? Is new technology a way of escaping from reality and real-interaction? Can we get less from actually thinking we can get more (for example by social-telepresence)? How does technology mingle with emotions? To what extent can Man interfere with Nature?

Ted talk chosen (by Julien M.)

After watching a few ones ("how I got my new hip" by Allison Hunt, "why we know less than ever ?" by Alisa Miller), I've chosen "the demise of guys", by Philip Zimbardo. "Why?" would you say. Well, it is, among the talks suggested, one of the most topical ones, and the title sounded a little provocative to me; and indeed, for guys it is a little provocative... let's debate about it on Monday!

1000 TEDTalks as of 09.29.11, sorted by length

1000 TEDTalks as of 09.29.11, sorted by length

This spreadsheet might help you to choose a good (and not too long) TedTalk to listen to and share.

james


ps: Do you need to login to Google to see it?

Oprah Winfrey's 2008 Stanford Commencement Address - YouTube

Oprah Winfrey's 2008 Stanford Commencement Address - YouTube:

Here is the speech we began listening to today... Have a look at the rest. Leave a comment to say what you think.
What does she do that makes it a good talk?

Looking forward to seeing your Tedtalk selections here on the blog... There are now three admins! (yours truly, Bach and Ludivine) so any of us can help you if you have problems logging on. I also added a gadget: a slideshow using "politically correct" as a keyword and I'll add a link to our writeboard.

"Oprah Winfrey, global media leader and philanthropist, spoke to the Class of 2008 at Stanford's 117th Commencement on June 15, 2008. Winfrey drew on experiences from a career that began in 1976 when she co-anchored a television newscast, and she shared three lessons about feelings, failure and finding happiness."

Have a good week!

james

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address - YouTube

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address - YouTube

This is a must-watch if you haven't done so yet.

james