TED playlists are collections of talks around a topic, built for you in a thoughtful sequence to illuminate ideas in context. This weekend, two new playlists are available: “Design of useful things” and “Maestros, if you please … !”
Maestros, if you please … !
These 7 extraordinary maestros bring you into the world of writing and conducting music.
Design of useful things
Seven quirky, fascinating talks about the design of practical things we all need, whether we know it or not.
Here, some staff picks of smart, funny, bizarre and cool stuff on the interwebs from this (and last) week:
The true story of Kid President: Watch this behind-the-scenes video of everyone’s favorite new politician. [YouTube] And make sure to watch his pep talk, posted on TED last week.
Michael Specter: The danger of science denialAn absolute must-read by Michael Specter, on the cult of Dr. Oz and the dangers of unverified “health benefits.” [The New Yorker] Don’t miss Specter’s talk on science denial.
Alice Dreger, who gave a talk at TEDxNorthwesternU about her work with people on the “edge of anatomy,” interviews Joe Schwartz, 17-year-old son of New York Times writer John Schwartz, about his father’s new book, Oddly Normal. The book is about Schwartz Sr.’s struggle to raise Joe, who is gay. [The Atlantic]
A gorgeous photo of a man feeding swans in Krakow. [This is colossal]
Clay Shirky: Institutions vs. collaborationClay Shirky gives his rebuttal to Aaron Bady, in defense of MOOCs. [The Awl]. Watch Shirky’s talk on institutions vs. collaboration.
The Scared is scared: A short film that resulted when the director asked a six-year-old what her film should be about. [Vimeo]
Silence, wonderful silence. A blissfully curmudgeon-y piece on the last bastion of quietness in public life: The Amtrak Quiet Car. [The New York Times.] Also check out Julian Treasure’s 5 ways to listen better. (Start with … silence.)
Sheryl Sandberg deems a 3-year-old slideshow from Netflix on office culture and hiring practices “the most important document ever to come out of the valley.” [SF Gate] 
Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leadersWatch Sandberg’s talk, “Why we have too few women leaders.”
You can use a 3D printer to print a tiny version of yourself, or you can use it for something useful: like visualizing geometric proofs. Check out some equations turned into objects. [New Scientist] And check out our playlist of talks on the wonder of 3D printing.
Ridiculous but beautiful photos of pigeons, aka “rats of the sky,” accompanying Carl Zimmer’s article on sequencing the pigeon genome. [The New York Times] Also check out Carl Zimmer’s TED-Ed lesson, sure to gross out your child, and probably you.
Neil Harbisson: I listen to colorGE Focus Forward announced the winners of its Filmmaker Competition, and the Grand Jury Prize Winner is about Neil Harbisson, a familiar face at TED. [Focus Forward Films]
For the first time, MIT chemists are able to map the location of proteins inside cells to get a sense of what’s going on. [Web.MIT.edu]
Watch Hello Kitty get launched into space by a 7th-grader. [Scientific American]
“In the 21st century, it may be that no home will be complete without a computerized communications console.” Walter Cronkite predicts the future in 1967. [Kottke]
Ascend and experience London from the top of the Shard with an interactive tool made by the Guardian UK. Look for legendary sculptor Antony Gormley’s flyover about the British Museum. [Guardian UK]
TED playlists are collections of talks around a topic, built for you in a thoughtful sequence to illuminate ideas in context. This weekend, two new playlists are available: “What’s wrong with what we eat?” and “Our brains: predictably irrational” — and a bonus! A TED primer of 11 classic TED Talks. Think of it as “TED 101.”
Our brains: predictably irrational
We humans are amazing specimens of reason, but our brains are also remarkably buggy. We make absurd choices, behave inconsistently, and are constantly irrational. Watch 11 talks on just how fallible we can be.
What’s wrong with what we eat?
Are you eating the wrong stuff? What exactly is the junk you’re putting in your body? What about people who don’t even have enough to eat? 5 talks on our problematic eating habits.
TED playlists are collections of talks around a topic, built for you in a thoughtful sequence to illuminate ideas in context. This weekend, three new playlists are available: “Close up and personal,” “The global power shift” and “Climate change: Oh, it’s real.”
Close up and personal
Talks from seven photographers, with stunning images from the world’s dark and marginalized corners.
Climate change: Oh, it’s real.
We still have a lot to learn about climate change’s causes and implications. But make no doubt about it: It’s real, alright. Stay informed with these eight talks on this essential topic that affects us all.
The global power shift
Economic power is shifting across the world, and we’re moving away from a mono-polar model to a multi-polar one. These 9 talks from economists, politicians and activists look at the big picture.
