T.E.D talks, ideas to change our world

I know what you mean, what a strange title… I have got a question for you: can you name videos, apart from Gangnam Style, cup songs or cats doing funny things, that have more than one billion of views on the web? The answer is basically one of the very best things of the internet: TED.

These three mysterous letters mean « Technology, Entertainment and Design » and it began about 30 years ago as a conference in Silicon Valley. Many engineers or scientists bought tickets to be able to hear experts talking about a lot of different fields. The main idea was to share their knowledge and luckily, try to make the world change. Those talks had only one rule to respect, which is that they must not spend more than 18 minutes. It means that the experts had to keep it simple and understandable for everyone, but also intellectually stimulating. You can now find plenty of these speaches on Youtube by example, or also in audio, if you have time to listen to them. I would have never thought that someone could possibly share worth-spreading ideas in 18 minutes, but they definitely do it brillantly! Some messages are very profound, such as Bill Gates’ talk of 2010, « The kill decision shouldn’t belong to a robot » by Daniel Suarez or the inspiring « My philosophy for a happy life » by Sam Berns. Others are original and entertaining such as « The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain » by Sarah-Jayne Blackmore or « Gaming can make a better world by Jane McGonigal, which you should both tell your parents to watch…

You must be thinking: « why would I watch such intellectual videos, moreover in English? Isn’t it too serious? » Let me tell you, you have just read this whole article written in a foreign language. Aren’t you the perfect person for it?

taylor wilsonHere are some great TED talks, such as:

  • « Yup, I built a nuclear fusion reactor », Taylor Wilson For those who think that teenagers cannot do much, here is the talk of a 13-year-old boy who built a nuclear fusion reactor in his parents’ garage. And it’s not all…

 

  • « Strange answers to the psychopath test », Jon Ronson. Or why there are many, many more psychopaths that you thought, maybe even very close to you…
  • « Your body language shapes who you are », Amy Cuddy.A simple method to change the way others see you
  • « The family I lost in North Korea. And the family I gained », Joseph Kim . A very touching and real story that makes us become aware of inhabitants’ lives in a strong dictatorship.
  • « Looks aren’t everything. Believe me, I’m a model », Cameron Russell
  • « What Islam really says about women », Alaa Murabit
  • « How to spot a liar » Pamela Meyer
  • « The good news on poverty. (Yes, there’s good news) », Bono

Tell me if you’ve watched any of these videos 😉

joseph kim

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