Author: tedstaff

At TEDxWhitechapel on January 13, 2013, Rupert Sheldrake gave a provocative talk in which he suggests that modern science is based on ten dogmas, and makes the case that none of them hold up to scrutiny. According to him, these dogmas — including, for example, that nature is mechanical and purposeless, that the laws and constants of nature are fixed, and that psychic phenomena like telepathy are impossible — have held back the pursuit of knowledge.

TED’s scientific advisors have questioned whether his list is a fair description of scientific assumptions — indeed, several of the dogmas are actually active areas of science inquiry (including whether physical ‘constants’ are really unchanging) — and believe there is little evidence for some of Sheldrake’s more radical claims, such as his theory of morphic resonance, and claim that the speed of light has been changing. They recommended that the talk be should not be distributed without being framed with caution. Accordingly, we have reposted his talk here, with the above cautionary introduction. We invite scientists, skeptics, knowledge-seekers and supporters — and Sheldrake himself, if he’s willing — to join in a conversation over this talk.

Is this an idea worth spreading, or misinformation? Does Sheldrake accurately describe scientists’ beliefs and are his theories credible? What’s the evidence for either position?

There’s only one rule for the conversation. Comments need to be phrased in respectful terms. Those that are intemperate or unnecessarily insulting will be removed.

Join the conversation here, where it’s possible to upvote comments, sort by recency or rating, and see all comments in one page. We look forward to the discussion.

We’ve been reviewing the response this past weekend to our decision to move two TEDx talks off the TEDx YouTube channel and over here onto the main TED Blog. We’d like to recap here what happened and suggest a way forward.

Four years ago, TED began an experiment in which we granted free licenses to people who wanted to organize their own local events in which ideas could be exchanged, with talks captured on film and uploaded to YouTube. These events use the brand name TEDx, where x stands for “self-organized.” Organizers pledge to work within a set of rules, but then they have freedom to run the event themselves. Speakers are invited without our pre-approval. Requests to hold TEDx events poured in from all over the world, and to date, more than 5,000 have been held, with around 8 more every day. There’s been TEDxBoston, TEDxAmsterdam, TEDxBaghdad, TEDxKabul, TEDxSoweto, and so forth, a thrilling explosion of idea sharing that has spawned more than 25,000 recorded talks on YouTube (uploaded there by the organizers themselves, without our prescreening). We have selected more than 200 TEDx talks to appear on ourmain TED.com homepage, where they have attracted millions of views. This growth is made possible by our deliberately open approach.

The obvious question is “how do you ensure the quality of these events”?

Our approach is to empower organizers to achieve greatness, by providing detailed guidelines – and guidance – on what works and what doesn’t. And we’re constantly amazed at how good most of these events are. But we also count on the community to help when things go wrong. Occasionally a TEDx event will include a speaker who causes controversy or upset. When that happens, someone in the community will flag the talk, and we have to decide how to respond.

One option would be to have an “anything goes” policy. We could just say that these events are the responsibility of the local organizer and wash our hands of it. The problem with that stance is that we would soon find the TEDx brand and platform being hijacked by those with dangerous or fringe ideas. And eventually credible speakers would not want to be associated with it. TED’s mission is not “any old idea” but “ideas worth spreading.” We’ve taken a deliberately broad interpretation of that phrase, but it still has to mean something.

The hardest line to draw is science versus pseudoscience. TED is committed to science. But we think of it as a process, not as a locked-in body of truth. The scientific method is a means of advancing understanding. Of asking for evidence. Of testing ideas to see which stack up and which should be abandoned. Over time that process has led to a rich understanding of the world, but one that is constantly being refined and upgraded. There’s a sense in which all scientific truth is provisional, and open to revision if new facts arise. And that is why it’s often hard to make a judgement on what is a valuable contribution to science, and what is misleading, or worthless.

Some speakers use the language of science to promote views that are simply incompatible with all reasonable understanding of the world. Giving them a platform is counterproductive. But there are also instances where scientific assumptions get turned upside down. How do we separate between these two? We have done two things as a tentative answer to this question:

– we’ve issued a set of guidelines to TEDx organizers.

– and we’ve appointed a board of scientific advisers. They are (deliberately) anonymous, for obvious reasons, but they are respected working scientists, and writers about science, from a range of fields, with no brief other than to help us make these judgements. If a talk gets flagged they will advise on whether we should act or not.

When Sheldrake and Hancock’s talks were flagged, the majority of the board recommended we remove them from circulation, pointing out questionable suggestions and arguments in both talks. But there was a counter view that removing talks that had already been posted would lead to accusations of censorship. It’s also the case that both speakers explicitly take on mainstream scientific opinion. This gives them a stronger reason to be listened to than those who simply use scientific sounding language to make nonsensical claims. So we decided we would not remove the talks from the web altogether, but simply transfer them to our own site where they could be framed in a way which included the critique of our board, but still allow for an open conversation about them.

What happened next was unfortunate. We wrote to the TEDx organizer indicating our intention and asking her to take the talks off Youtube so that we could repost. She informed the speakers of what was coming, but somehow the part about the talks staying online got lost in translation. Graham Hancock put out an immediate alert that he was about to be “censored”, his army of passionate supporters deluged us with outraged messages, and we then felt compelled to accelerate our blog post and used language that in retrospect was clumsy. We suggested that we were flagging the talks because of “factual errors” but some of the specific examples we gave were less than convincing. Instead of the thoughtful conversation we had hoped for, we stirred up angry responses from the speakers and their supporters.

We would like to try again.

We plan to repost both talks in individual posts on our blog tomorrow, Tuesday; note a couple of areas where scientists or the community have raised questions or concerns about the talks; and invite a reasoned discussion from the community. And there will be a simple rule regarding responses. Reason only. No insults, no intemperate language. From either side. Comments that violate this will be removed. The goal here is to have an open conversation about:

– the line between science and pseudoscience

– how far TED and TEDx should go in giving exposure to unorthodox ideas

We will use the reasoned comments in this conversation to help frame both our guidelines going forward, and our process for managing talks that are called into question.

Both Sheldrake and Hancock are compelling speakers, and some of the questions they raise are absolutely worth raising. For example, most thoughtful scientists and philosophers of science will agree it’s true that science has not moved very far yet in solving the riddle of consciousness. But the specific answers to that riddle proposed by Sheldrake and Hancock are so radical and far-removed from mainstream scientific thinking that we think it’s right for us to give these talks a clear health warning and to ask further questions of the speakers. TED and TEDx are brands that are trusted in schools and in homes. We don’t want to hear from a parent whose kid went off to South America to drink ayahuasca because TED said it was OK. But we do think a calmer, reasoned conversation around these talks would be interesting, if only to help us define how far you can push an idea before it is no longer “worth spreading.”

After due diligence, including a survey of published scientific research and recommendations from our Science Board and our community, we have decided that Graham Hancock’s and Rupert Sheldrake’s talks from TEDxWhiteChapel should be removed from distribution on the TEDx YouTube channel.

Both talks have been flagged as containing serious factual errors that undermine TED’s commitment to good science. The critiques of these talks need much clearer highlighting.

We’re not censoring the talks. Instead we’re placing them here, where they can be framed to highlight both their provocative ideas and the factual problems with their arguments. See both talks after the jump.

All talks on the TEDxTalks channel represent the opinion of the speaker, not of TED or TEDx, but we feel a responsibility not to provide a platform for talks which appear to have crossed the line into pseudoscience.

SHELDRAKE
According to our science board, Rupert Sheldrake bases his argument on several major factual errors, which undermine the arguments of talk. For example, he suggests that scientists reject the notion that animals have consciousness, despite the fact that it’s generally accepted that animals have some form of consciousness, and there’s much research and literature exploring the idea.

He also argues that scientists have ignored variations in the measurements of natural constants, using as his primary example the dogmatic assumption that a constant must be constant and uses the speed of light as example. But, in truth, there has been a great deal of inquiry into the nature of scientific constants, including published, peer-reviewed research investigating whether certain constants – including the speed of light – might actually vary over time or distance. Scientists are constantly questioning these assumptions. For example, just this year Scientific American published a feature on the state of research into exactly this question. (“Are physical constants really constant?: Do the inner workings of nature change over time?”) Physicist Sean Carroll wrote a careful rebuttal of this point.

In addition, Sheldrake claims to have “evidence” of morphic resonance in crystal formation and rat behavior. The research has never appeared in a peer-reviewed journal, despite attempts by other scientists eager to replicate the work.

HANCOCK
Graham Hancock’s talk, again, shares a compelling and unorthodox worldview, but one that strays well beyond the realm of reasonable science. While attempting to critique the scientific worldview, he misrepresents what scientists actually think. He suggests, for example, that no scientists are working on the problem of consciousness.

In addition, Hancock makes statements about psychotropic drugs that seem both nonscientific and reckless. He states as fact that psychotropic drug use is essential for an “emergence into consciousness,” and that one can use psychotropic plants to connect directly with an ancient mother culture. He seems to offer a one-note explanation for how culture arises (drugs), it’s no surprise his work has often been characterized as pseudo-archeology.

TED respects and supports the exploration of unorthodox ideas, but the many misleading statements in both Sheldrake’s and Hancock’s talks, whether made deliberately or in error, have led our scientific advisors to conclude that our name and platform should not be associated with these talks.

Can’t make it to the TED2013 conference next week? Join an online community of TEDsters from around the world who will tune in to watch live from their homes, schools or offices. What’s new with a TED Live membership?

We have a new home

As an online community, TED Live members have a great new place to engage and interact all in one place. Even if you just need more information on how to subscribe to TED Live, the new website is worth checking out.

We’ve gone mobile

When you’re logged in as a registered TED Live member, you can stream the conference from any mobile device and take TED with you all day.

We’re on Instagram

We love to see how TED Live members watch — and we love to show you insider-only photos from backstage at TED and TEDActive. Follow us @TEDLiveHQ and check out our interactive community! Hashtag #TEDLiveHQ at any time, and you’ll be pulled into our live feed.

The archive page

If you’re a first-time user or a TED Live veteran, you will be able to access all of the TED talks from any conference you’ve been registered to, as long as you’re logged in. That’s a whole lot of TED!

As TED Live watches TED2013 in style, we urge you to check out our updates. Plus, there’s a new giveaway: Anyone registered for TED Live before TED2013 (February 25, 2013) will be automatically entered to win one more Live membership, free!

For more information on how to get involved, visit us at the TED Live website »

In his State of the Union address, US President Barack Obama teased the importance of mapping the human brain, hinting that it could be a good investment in the future. According to The New York Times, the president will soon announce a decade-long plan to support the comprehensive rendering of the brain as part of his budget proposal. The project, which is being called the Brain Activity Map, will reportedly involve federal agencies, private foundations and scores of neuroscientists. The plan could cost in the upwards of billions of dollars.

Mapping the human brain is an endeavor several TED speakers have already begun embarking on. Here, a look at talks about how this mapping can take place — and why it’s a scientific priority.

Sebastian Seung: I am my connectome
Sebastian Seung has proposed an incredibly ambitious goal: mapping all the connections between neurons in the brain, a map he calls the “connectome.” There are questions about whether we have the technology to accomplish his goal, but it is clearly a dream that would have enormous repercussions if it becomes real.

Allan Jones: A map of the brain
Allan Jones is approaching the mapping from a different perspective: which genes are turned on in which part of the brain. They mapped which of 25,000 genes are active in each of a multitude of tiny regions of the brain, producing an extraordinary data set that scientists are only beginning to delve into.

Henry Markram: A brain in a supercomputer
Henry Markram talked in 2009 about an idea to simulate a brain in a supercomputer. He previously ran the “Blue Brain” project to simulate about a million neurons. His new initiative, the Human Brain Project is far more ambitious — it will attempt to simulate a brain capable of learning, and just received a commitment of half a billion Euros to complete.

Erin Schuman: How neurons reach out to each other
If we’re going to understand how our brains create us, we will need to know how our brains build themselves at the smallest levels. It’s no easy feat: each neuron can have 100,000 synapses. But using some of the same methods you could use to count the number of fish in a pond, Erin Schuman shows how neurons distribute the assembly work in a decentralized way — and how understanding those decentralized systems could further our understanding of all kinds of successful networks.

Gero Miesenbach reengineers a brain
In the quest to map the brain, many scientists have attempted the incredibly daunting task of recording the activity of each neuron. Gero Miesenboeck works backward — manipulating specific neurons to figure out exactly what they do, through a series of stunning experiments that reengineer the way fruit flies percieve light.

Ralph Adolphs: The social brain
We humans can’t help but attribute our social qualities our non-human companions. Anyone who’s yelled at their computer can attest to that. Ralph Adolphs studies that kind of social behavior, both when it’s normal and when it’s not. In this fascinating talk, he shares how we know which regions of our brains are essential to social interactions and sheds light on the behavioral loop in which our actions and feelings affect our perceptions of social situations as much as the realities of those situations.

Andres Lozano: Turning dials in the brain
Sometimes, when you want to learn how something works, you need poke it with an electrode. Andres Lozano does that to living brains, albeit with far more precision and control than you may think is possible — and he’s alleviated symptoms of crippling neurological disorders, like dystonia and Parkinson’s, along the way. Telling uplifting success stories, he shows you how he does it and previews his promising next steps — attempting to “turn the lights back on” in Alzheimer’s patients.

Welcome our new Ideas Editor, Helen Walters. We’re excited to have her around all the time; she’s been writing for TED.com, off and on, since 2007. Last year she was part of our marathon, can’t-stop-won’t-stop coverage of TED2012 and TEDGlobal 2012, where she wrote, in four days, 39,000 words. She’s nuts.

Formerly the editor of innovation and design at Bloomberg Businessweek, Helen blogs, tweets, writes, and talks about design at events around the world.

At TED, she’ll be working to connect our TED Talks videos with the wider world of ideas in print, on video and online — building an online context that lets ideas ping and prod each other with maximum effect.

Every year, as registration for the TED conference begins, a myth floats in the ether: many people think that you have to be invited to attend. Not true! To show your interest in attending TED, all you have to do is apply. It’s open to anyone — from inventors to directors, philanthropists to painters, chemists to computer scientists, the long-established to the up-and-comers, the people who’ve been a part of the community for years to newcomers filled with enthusiasm.

Don’t let the invitation myth deter you from applying for TEDGlobal 2013 in Edinburgh, TED2014 in Vancouver or TEDActive 2014 in Whistler. We want new voices in the audiences of each of these incredible events.

In the spirit of radical openness, here are some frequently asked questions about our conference application process.

Q: Why do you have to apply? Can’t you just let people register on a first come, first served basis?

We have a limited number of spaces, and people across the globe interested in attending — so we don’t just want to favor the first people to hear that registration is open. So we think of it like a dinner party. It’s about curating a well-balanced group — people who work in different disciplines, who live in different parts of the world and who are of different ages. TED events are all about the audience. If the audience is amazing, the experience becomes so much richer and more interactive — a loop of digging deeper into ideas, inspiring each other in new directions and teaming up for unexpected collaborations. As TED speaker Matt Ridley put it, every TED conference should be a place where ideas have sex.

Q: How long does it take to apply?

The application is six short essay questions that touch on your goals, accomplishments and how you’d like to be a part of the TED community, plus some basics like your address, email and references. How long the questions take to complete is up to you. We recommend taking around two hours to polish your application and make it really reflect who you are — both as a professional and as a person.

Q: Can you give me tips on how to apply to come to TED?

Find lots on this tips page. But here are some easy dos and don’t:

• Do take the application seriously. Give thoughtful, meaningful answers to the six questions that are, in general, longer than Tweets.
• Don’t simply paste your bio from your website.
• Do list websites that relate to your work, your side projects, your hobbies and your life. Your links should reflect the spaces where you are actively involved.
• Don’t just send us to Facebook, LinkedIn or Google Plus. Show us more about who you are.
• Do choose references who know you well. Bonus points if they’re a member of the TED community already or work in your field. However, if you don’t know a TEDster, don’t let that stop you.
• Don’t list your spouse or family members as references either. We know they’ll have glowing things to say about you.
• Do tell us a great anecdote about yourself. It helps to bring you alive. Surprising or funny are good, but not required.
• Don’t ask an assistant or intern to write these short questions for you. We want the real, awesome and authentic you.

Q: How do you evaluate applications and select attendees?

We read each and every application with an eye toward creating a great, diverse and balanced audience so that inspiration becomes a two-way street. The focus is on finding remarkable individuals who combine combine significant achievement and great character. Sound like you? Apply and tell us about yourself. Not sure if you’d qualify? Apply anyway. You might be surprised.

Q: $7500 is expensive! What about the people who can’t afford it?

TED has lots of options, from free to those who can donate $15,000.

1. Free. A large number of the talks from any TED conference will appear later in the year on TED.com. All videos on the site are absolutely free.
2. $1,000. A membership to TED Live gives you remote access to the live webstream of both TED and TEDGlobal. You also get an iPad mini — which becomes the centerpiece of your viewing experience — and become a member of the TED Live global community.
3. $3,750. TEDActive 2014 in Whistler, B.C., is the younger, hipper version of the TED conference with original speakers, a live simulcast of TED2014 and a fun social program which, of course, includes skiing. For Americans, $1,250 of the cost is tax-deductible.
4. $7,500. A regular pass at TED2014 in Vancouver. For Americans, $5,000 is tax-deductible.
5. $15,000. A VIP pass at TED2014 with early seating access and other benefits. For Americans, $12,500 is tax-deductible.

The tax-deductible portion of conference attendance goes towards supporting TED’s incredible philanthropic programs including the TED Prize, TED Fellows and TEDx.

Q: Are there any options for reduced price tickets?

Yes, we offer a reduced rate program for leaders of innovative small NGOs. And for young innovators, apply to the TED Fellows program, which funds 40 trailblazers in a wide range of disciplines from across the globe to attend one TED or TEDGlobal conference, all expenses paid.

Now that you know applying is the key, we hope you’ll join us for the upcoming conferences. Here are easy links to get you started on your application.

• Apply for TEDGlobal 2013, “Think Again” »
• Apply for TED2014, “The Next Chapter” »
• Apply for TEDActive 2014, “The Next Chapter” »
• Register for TED Live »
• Apply for TED Fellows class of 2014, opening late May 2013 »

We’re thrilled to announce the opening of registration for TED2014: The Next Chapter. It’s TED’s 30th anniversary, and we’ll be seeking to understand the most significant developments of the past 30 years … and applying that knowledge to understand what’s ahead. The theme makes it easy for us to reach out to the world’s greatest minds and challenge them to help shape a program better than any in our history — in an unforgettable custom theater designed for talks. Come to Vancouver to help celebrate “The Next Chapter.”

TED2014 happens March 17-21, 2014, in Vancouver, Canada, with TEDActive at the same time in nearby Whistler, BC, Canada. A pass to TED2014 is $7,500, and TEDActive is $3,750. Learn more about additional membership levels.

How do you attend a TED? It starts here: Apply to attend. For both TED in Vancouver and TEDActive in Whistler, we’re assembling an audience that is engaged, passionate and diverse. All applications to attend received by March 1, 2013, will be evaluated with equal consideration. (We expect to be oversubscribed for Standard registrations for Vancouver.)

Learn more about TED2014: The Next Chapter »

The TED Prize’s Charter for Compassion reached Pope Benedict XVII this week. A plaque engraved with the Charter was presented to the Pope on Wednesday in Vatican City by TED’s European director, Bruno Giussani. The meeting, pictured above, took place on the margins of the weekly General Audience, when Giussani could inform the catholic Pontiff of the Charter’s origin, development and aims.

Karen Armstrong makes her TED Prize wish: the Charter for CompassionThe document was imagined by 2008 TED Prize winner, religion scholar Karen Armstrong. (Watch her talk). It was written by the Council of Conscience — a multi-faith, multi-national group made of personalities representing six religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism) with input from thousands of people through an online platform. The Charter is an attempt to define in clear terms the common ground among these religions, the principle they all share: that of Compassion and the “Golden Rule.”

The Charter was unveiled in November 2009 and, with the support of the nonprofit Fetzer Institute, it has been translated into more than 30 languages. The charter is distributed online — and hundreds of events, public readings and discussions have taken place around the Charter with many more planned. Tens of thousands of people have affirmed the charter, and wooden plaques of the text are affixed on many religious buildings around the world. One of these plaques is now at the Vatican.

The experience of watching TED Talks on your iPhone or iPad is about to get even better. Version 2.0 of our iOS app is out and, once you download it, expect faster buffering and downloads for videos, not to mention more self-adjusting profiles for different connection speeds. But the real star of the show: the subtitles. With this release, TED is the largest content provider to use iOS6′s new subtitle feature on its streaming video service. Meaning that subtitles are now available in 90 languages, directly in the video player. And, should you want to watch via Apple TV, when you scoot over to AirPlay, the subtitles will travel with you. Each language also now has its own catalog of available talks.

“This release is a very important one to us. Our talks are translated by a team of volunteer translators worldwide. For the first time ever, their work is now available on iOS, our largest mobile platform right now,” says TED’s Thaniya Keereepart, who led the update. “The subtitle piece utilizes iOS6′s new HLS services. Our engineers have been working very closely with Apple to make it possible.”

Reviewers for the app seem to be loving these new features.

Filip Truta writes on Softpedia.com, “The official TED application for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch now features subtitles in over 90 different languages and faster buffering, just to name a couple of the enhancements delivered in version 2.0 … The app is snappier now.”

And Federico Viticciof MacStories.net writes, “I’ve been watching a few videos with it and it’s been a solid update so far. The app is generally faster on 3G and videos load faster than the previous version. Living in a town where 3G is actually faster than my home DSL connection, I can confirm video buffering starts quickly. I’m a fan of TED’s video player controls that sport the same metallic elements of Apple’s Music app. The big new feature in this update is the addition of subtitles and translations. Subtitles are available in over 90 languages and they can be enabled from the video player and they persist over AirPlay — useful if you’re going to stream TED to an Apple TV or Mac running Reflector.”

The app is available here »
And download the Android version of the app from the Google Play store »

In 2014, TED will celebrate our 30th anniversary. And to mark this spectacular event, we’re planning something very special. We are moving our annual West Coast conference from Long Beach, California, to Vancouver, Canada. From March 17 to March 21, 2014, TED will be held in this great city, which boasts a thriving spirit of innovation as well as stunning views — the harbor and mountains in the same scenic vistas.

TED2014 will be held at the world’s most eco-friendly meeting venue — a convention center positioned directly on Burrard Inlet, which took our breath away upon first seeing it. The Vancouver Convention Centre is connected to three incredible hotels and features a sprawling, six-acre living roof. Inside this center, we’ll be building a new kind of TED theater — one designed to maximize the impact of talks while also taking advantage of the panoramic views of the North Shore Mountains. Our stage designers are dreaming up what this new space will look like as we speak.

If you look hard enough from the theater, you may be able to see the new home of TEDActive 2014 — the gorgeous ski resort of Whistler. Just 90 minutes outside Vancouver, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler will host this conference for movers and shakers, which features a full simulcast of TED, its own unique programming and a slew of field trips for adults, all designed to inspire conversation.

TED2014 will be a time to look forward as well as back. We have decided to hold our base-level pricing to the same as it’s been the past three years. Meanwhile, we’ve opted to scale back our audience size from 1400 to 1200 paid attendees, to strike the right balance of scale and intimacy and allow for more in-depth human connection. Alongside attendees, we’ll also be inviting one hundred of the best TED speakers of all time — to be selected by you. Some will speak on the main stage again, while others will mingle in break-out groups, lunches and dinners. It’s a chance to reflect on the most significant developments of the last 30 years, and to inspire innovation in the next 30.

Registration for both TED2014 and TEDActive 2014 will open on Monday, February 11, 2013. The theme: “The Next Chapter.” We want you to be a part of it »

Will this be a next chapter for TED? Quite possibly. From 1984 to 2008, TED was based in Monterey, Calif., before moving to Long Beach with TEDActive nearby in Palm Springs. While we have absolutely loved the past five years there, but as TED has crossed major milestones — our billionth video view last fall and our 6,000th TEDx event last month — we feel ready for a new adventure. Our staff is pumped for TED2013, our grand finale year in Long Beach, and are thrilled to be able to go exploring in 2014.

Each week, TEDx chooses four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the great speakers from the TEDx community and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Below, give this week’s talks a listen.

Let’s find the strength to change our slums: Boniface Mwangi at TEDxKibera
While working as a photographer for a Kenyan news service, Boniface Mwangi bore witness to some of the most horrible atrocities in the country’s recent history. Overcoming self-doubt and thoughts of suicide, Mwangi decided to use photography to inspire change within Kenya’s toxic political structure. (Filmed at TEDxKibera)

Born into a prison camp: Blaine Harden at TEDxRanier
Shin Dong-Hyuk, raised by guards to be an informant in a North Korean prison camp, escaped and found freedom in the outside world, but soon realized living with freedom wasn’t easy. At TEDxRainier, Blaine Harden shares Shin’s story to explain the effect of totalitarian governments on their citizens’ mental health, and to raise awareness that — someday — integrating millions of North Koreans into free society might not be as easy as we think. (Filmed at TEDxRainier)

The first school for Maasai girls: Kakenya Ntaiya at TEDxMidAtlantic
Growing up in the Maasai culture, Kakenya Ntaiya faced genital mutilation and forced marriage; her education might have ended at age 13. Against the odds, Ntaiya convinced the men of her village to allow her to attend college, and in this talk at TEDxMidAtlantic, she explains how she returned to her village to start its very first all-girls school. (Filmed at TEDxMidAtlantic)

The three sides of corruption: Afra Raymond at TEDxPortofSpain
From pork-laden congressional bills to revolving-door lobbying jobs, corruption is an all-too-familiar aspect of political behavior. Afra Raymond insists on eliminating it. In this passionate talk from TEDxPortofSpain, he lays bare the rampant corruption in his nation of Trinidad and Tobago, and shares important lessons for every concerned global citizen. (Filmed at TEDxPortofSpain)

And here, some of the week’s highlights from the TEDx blog this week:

• TEDxChicuque, the first TEDx event in Mozambique, shines a light on Mozambiquan stories
• Introducing TEDx ice cream
• Say cheese. Portraits from Benjamin Borley’s photo series “The faces of TEDxExeter”
• TEDx speaker running for president in the Czech Republic
• Pixels rule at TEDxRiodelaPlata

Enjoy a sampling of the stories from around the internet that captured our interest this week:

He’s already the creative force between Star Trek. Now it’s been confirmed that J.J. Abrams will also direct the next episode of Star Wars. [New York Times] See how Abrams’ mind works in his TED Talk, “The mystery box,” above. And for bonus points, watch this recent talk about the messages encoded in Star Wars for children.

A great article called “Making sense of Mali: The real stakes of the war rocking West Africa.” [ForeignAffairs.com]

Elizabeth Murchison: Fighting a contagious cancerScience writer Carl Zimmer gives a depressing update on the contagious cancer decimating the Tasmanian Devil population. [New York Times] In the piece, he talks about the work of Elizabeth Murchison, who gave the TED Talk “Fighting a contagious cancer.”

19-year-old Zack Kopplin may consider himself a quiet kid. But he’s become one of the loudest critics of the Louisiana Science Education Act, which allows teachers to bring creationist textbooks into the classroom. [io9]

How did dogs evolve? A theory that the carbs found in table scraps helped domesticate them. [Los Angeles Times]

Dan Dennett: The illusion of consciousnessThe Edge has a conversation with philosopher and cognitive scientist Dan Dennett. [The Edge] Check out any of his four TED Talks, including the classic “The illusion of consciousness.”

Werner Herzog’s newest movie, Happy People, zooms in on the Siberian wilderness. It arrives in theaters in the U.S. today and the trailer is simply thrilling. [iTunes Movie Trailers] Maybe it will get you in the mood for the TED playlist “Natural Wonder” » 

Tim Carmody has written an amazing profile of internet activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life this month. [The Verge]

Henry Markram: A brain in a supercomputerHenry Markram’s Human Brain Project has been awarded a major research grant, to the tune of half a billion Euros. [Nature.com] He gave a talk at TEDGlobal 2009 called “A brain in a supercomputer.”

A business idea we like: chain restaurants opening up stores without cash registers, where the economically disadvantaged can pay what they can. Good call, Panera Bread. [Boston.com]

The world got its first clip of Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs this week. [Indiewire] How does he stack up to the real thing?

Not sci-fi: Scientists are storing audio data on DNA. [Wall Street Journal]

Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of successAlain de Botton, whose book How to Think More About Sex was released earlier this month, reveals the last tome that made him cry. [New York Times] Watch his TED talk, “A kinder, gentler philosophy of success.”

New research suggests that dung beetles navigate by using the starlight from the Milky Way as their guide. [Science] Watch our playlist of 7 talks about beetles »

Musician Zoe Keating breaks down where her income comes from. Spoiler alert: It’s mostly iTunes, and barely anything from Spotify and Pandora. [The Atlantic]

Zach Weiner, creator of the Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic strip, is Kickstarting his new book, tentatively titled Science: Ruining Everything Since 1543. [Kickstarter] The book includes stories from TED Speakers Phil Plait and Sean Carroll.

Each week, TEDx chooses four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Below, give this week’s talks a listen.

Fighting Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Dr. Benjy Seckler at TEDxBerkshires
Potential medicines, especially for rare genetic diseases, take years to develop and test. Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy — who rarely live past the age of 25 — don’t have that time. Benjy Seckler took action, creating a foundation that raises money for a cure to save not only his son’s life, but the lives of all children affected by DMD. (Filmed at TEDxBerkshires)

Rocket science that could restore voices: Effie Gutmark and Sid Khosla at TEDxCincy
Believe it or not, we still don’t fully understand the mechanics behind the human voice — but rocket science can help. In this fascinating talk from TEDxCincy, vocal cord specialist Sid Khosla teams up with rocket scientist Effie Gutmark to explain how the basic dynamics of airflow could lead to new techniques for treating voice and swallowing disorders. (Filmed at TEDxCincy)

Hope for epilepsy patients: Mark Cook at TEDxUWollongong
Imagine living with the knowledge that at any moment — perhaps at work, or while driving — you might become incapacitated. This is the reality for many who live with epilepsy. At TEDxUWollongong, Mark Cook talks through a promising treatment, in development now, that may stop seizures in their tracks. (Filmed at TEDxUWollongong)

Medicine from milk: Harry Meade at TEDxBoston
Synthesizing essential proteins for those who lack them is very expensive and time-consuming in a laboratory setting. What if we could get nature to do the work for us? Harry Meade shares an incredible and surprisingly simple idea — specially bred animals that cultivate essential drugs in their milk. (Filmed at TEDxBoston)

And here, some of the week’s highlights from the TEDx blog this week:

• Aw Crikey Mates! It’s Australia Day
• 14 talks to understand the next 4 years of American and (global) politics
• TEDx tweeters tells us #whyITEDx
• Dung beetles: Poo collectors. Land cleaners. Stargazers?
• TEDxTalks roundup: 4 fascinating talks on education

What is a TEDx in a Box, you ask? It’s a suitcase stuffed with everything an economically marginalized community needs to host their very own TEDx event — a projector, an iPod preloaded with subtitled TED Talks, a sound system, camcorders to capture fresh talks, and a how-to guide. TEDx in a Box was an idea that originated at TEDxKibera, a vibrant event held in the slums of Nairobi. With TEDx in a Box, individuals in the developing world and other underserved areas are delivered all the resources they need for an event, packaged into a portable box designed by IDEO. So far, boxes have been shipped to organizers in Ecuador, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, India and Pakistan — and counting.

In a new twist, members of the TED community can now donate a TEDx in a Box, which costs $2,000 USD, including shipping. It’s a great outlet for anyone who wants to inspire learning in an underserved community. It’s also a fantastic way for TEDx organizers who find themselves with leftover funds to pass the baton. Find out how to donate a TEDx in a Box » 

Do you live in a economically marginalized community where a TEDx in a Box would help you host an event? We’d love to match you with a donor. Read the requirements for receiving a TEDx in a Box here and then apply for a license through the TEDx website »