          
Website Feedback
Closed Threads
IRC Updated
irc.quakenet.org #teamliquid
IRC Web Client | | New to Team Liquid? Register here! | | | | |
|
 Bill307  Canada. August 02 2008 08:09. Posts 8583 | Profile Blog |
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/list/page/1
I recently discovered this website, ted.com . It has a collection of talks from prominent academics and professionals. They have the potential to be very informative, insightful, and inspiring.
Below I'll briefly review the videos that I've seen so far, so that others can decide whether they are worth watching. I'll use the following rating system:
3 - Not worth watching. You'd might as well read TLnet forums. 
4 - Good, if not necessarily worth watching. (Still much better than TLnet forums, though!)
5 - Definitely worth watching.
6 - Highly recommended.
Chances are, anyone reading this list will enjoy watching anything rated 4 or above. Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed watching ALL of these videos. The rating system is there to separate the good ones from the outstanding ones.
In order of increasing rating, here are the videos I have seen so far:
Talks - Carolyn Porco: Fly me to the moons of Saturn
4.25 / 6
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/carolyn_porco_flies_us_to_saturn.html
If you're interested in space exploration, then you'll probably enjoy this video. She briefly talks about two of Saturn's moons: Titan and Enceladus. She shows some pictures of them and tells us some facts about them. The information is a little bit outdated, unfortunately, e.g. liquid has now been confirmed on Titan. Also, it's not super-informative: you could learn a lot more from those moons' Wikipedia pages.
Talks - Chris Jordan: Picturing excess
4.5 / 6
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/chris_jordan_pictures_some_shocking_stats.html
The first half is a series of scary statistics about the US, with pictures that are intended to help us visualize and understand the enormous numbers we are talking about. The second half is more about effecting change in our (well, in the American) culture. Overall, some of the stats are pretty interesting. It's not particularly great but I still think you'll enjoy it.
Talks - Helen Fisher: The brain in love
4.5 / 6
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/helen_fisher_studies_the_brain_in_love.html
Starts off slow with a bunch of quotes from poems and such. Then talks briefly about brain activity in people who have recently broken up. Talks about how romantic love is similar to an addiction. Next, some stuff I don't remember. Finally, she concludes with an interesting fact: women gain intimacy from looking at each other and talking together, whereas men gain intimacy from doing things side-by-side. I think this last fact was the most intriguing thing I took away from the video... but since you've heard it now, I'm not sure if the rest of the video is worth your time to watch. Up to you.
Talks - Mark Bittman: What's wrong with what we eat
4.75 / 6
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html
At first you might think this is going to be about becoming a vegetarian, or trying to reduce global warming. But actually, its primary focus is looking at how unhealthy the average American diet has become. There's a part where he talks about what the American diet used to be like in the 1900s, and how it has degraded to the state it's in today. He talks about the causes of the current state of poor eating, such as the influence of big businesses and the convenience of not having to cook. He mentions how "organic" foods like "organic salmon" can fail to be any better. Lastly, he talks about how we should change our diets to eat healthier. Overall, I'd say it's worth watching if you're not already very concerned with how you eat.
Talks - A.J. Jacobs: My year of living biblically
5.25 / 6
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/a_j_jacobs_year_of_living_biblically.html
He starts by talking about some of his earlier projects. Then he talks about his recent project where he tried to spend one year living by the rules and laws of the Bible, interpreted literally. Example: the Bible says "be fruitful and multiply" and he actually had twins during this time period! The most educational part is the last half, where he talks about 5 or 6 things that he learned during this experiment. I think they are important for Catholics and Christians to hear, but also equally important for atheists and agnostics to hear as well. It's far from a Bible-bashing video: he talks about both the benefits and the drawbacks of living in this manner. Overall, a very educational and insightful video. 
Talks - Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?
5.75 / 6
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
The only downside to this video is that this guy goes off on a lot of anecdotal tangents and, though they're amusing, they can sometimes be distracting. Other than that, it's full of information and insight. Among other things, he talks about how education systems around the world place most emphasis on math and language, and least emphasis on the arts, especially drama and dance. He points out how children are initially not afraid of making mistakes, but over time we teach them to be afraid of making mistakes. This reminded me of the current state of the games industry, where very few companies are willing to take risks, and as a result our games become much less creative. There was so much content in this video that I cannot summarize it all. I definitely recommend it. 
  |
|
|
 Kwidowmaker Canada. August 02 2008 08:31. Posts 456 | Profile Blog |
I love TED. I watched through most of them about a year ago I think, and I'm glad your reminded me about it
Will say more once I have an opinion. |
| |
|
 XCetron United States. August 02 2008 08:36. Posts 4999 | Profile Blog |
| that biblical life for a year thing was interesting. I watched through all of it while being very sleepy. |
| | I salute thee, Emperor of Terran |
|
|
 frozenclaw Canada. August 02 2008 08:37. Posts 254 | Profile Blog |
| I'll watch these, if you find any more good videos, please post! :D |
|
|
 Elric Korea (South). August 02 2008 08:47. Posts 1239 | Profile Blog |
On August 02 2008 08:37 frozenclaw wrote:
I'll watch these, if you find any more good videos, please post! :D
What he said. I love TED too. A nice filler at the moment when my normal SC VOD supply has dried up. |
| | Really reallllly bored? check out my blog about my stay in Korea~ |
|
|
 Carnac Germany. August 02 2008 08:55. Posts 14145 | Profile Blog |
| Yeah, TED has been mentioned a couple of times on TL, it's just awesome <3 |
| |
|
| SonuvBob Aiur. August 02 2008 09:47. Posts 13623 | Profile Blog |
| Always nice to see reviews of these. |
| |
|
 thedeadhaji August 02 2008 09:58. Posts 26538 | Profile Blog |
| there were a bunch of google talks coralreefer linked me last year, those were quite nice |
| Sleep is for the weak... and i am weak (-108 | 177)
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=85377 |
|
|
| Kwidowmaker Canada. August 02 2008 10:14. Posts 456 | Profile Blog |
I just started watching Dan Dennett: Ants, terrorism, and the awesome power of memes. It looks incredibly promising.
A third through now. This is totally worth watching.
Two thirds in. This man deserves your attention.
Done now. This 15:39 video was well worth the hour it took me to watch (starts, stops, pauses, and rewinds are wonderful things).
"Many Darwinians are anxious - a little uneasy - about how far Darwinism goes. Spider Webs? Sure, they are products of evolution. The World Wide Web? Not so sure. Beaver Dams - yes; Hoover Dam - no... ..And yet, people are interestingly resistant to the idea of applying evolutionary thinking to thinking - to our thinking."
You must watch (otherwise this post won't be a vector for this meme!) |
| |
|
| Bill307 Canada. August 02 2008 11:56. Posts 8583 | Profile Blog |
Thanks for the recommendation of Dan Dennett's talk. I just saw it and yes, it was quite good.
Although, I have to admit I was disappointed that he did not mention teaching people to think critically as a way to help improve their immunity to bad ideas, so to speak. |
|
|
| Carnac Germany. August 02 2008 12:20. Posts 14145 | Profile Blog | |
| |
|
 Motiva United States. August 02 2008 12:35. Posts 1024 | Profile |
mmmm Excellent
I've been thinking about doing a blog similar to this as I've seen just about every video on TED and watch the new ones every week...
|
|
|
| Kwidowmaker Canada. August 02 2008 13:12. Posts 456 | Profile Blog |
On August 02 2008 11:56 Bill307 wrote:
Thanks for the recommendation of Dan Dennett's talk. I just saw it and yes, it was quite good.
Although, I have to admit I was disappointed that he did not mention teaching people to think critically as a way to help improve their immunity to bad ideas, so to speak.
Good point. Possibly it was assumed to be common sense given the audience, and seeing as it is certainly required when watching any TED talk. The time constraints may have had something to do with it as well. I've noticed some dilution of ideas to fit in the twenty minutish time frame, and although it keeps the talks from dragging, it also prevents a deeper look into it.Last edit: 2008-08-02 13:13:20 |
| |
|
 mel_ee August 02 2008 19:37. Posts 2035 | Profile Blog |
| TED is absolutely fascinating. Coming as an artist myself, the creativity talk was brilliant, however there are things that werent fully adressed probably because of time issues. |
| | Showing off is the fools idea of glory. |
|
|
| lakrismamma Sweden. October 30 2008 08:28. Posts 344 | Profile | |
| | I hear thunder but theres no rain. This type of thunder breaks walls and window panes. |
|
|
| | |
|
|
|
 |
|
      
|