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Join GOOD Magazine's Project 012: Once Upon a School

2008-09-04T18:00:00Z

As part of its new Education Issue, GOOD Magazine is holding an open call for new projects that answer the question: How can you help local public-school children? You can browse some project ideas on GOOD's website, and submit your own great idea for helping local schools.

Then take the next step with your project idea and start it up at your local public school -- and you could win a free pass to TED2009. (Deadline to win a pass is October 31, 2008.) Project 012 is a partnership with Dave Eggers' Once Upon a School initiative, a result of his inspiring 2008 TED Prize wish.

Check out GOOD's new issue >>
Learn more about Once Upon a School >>

Concept: LED light bulb from frog design

2008-09-04T17:00:00Z

We all know we should be replacing our energy-sucking incandescent light bulbs with CFLs -- but, ugh. As part of its green design program, frog design has conceptualized this lovely light bulb around a high-output LED. The frogLight bulb fits in a standard socket and can be dimmed -- an important ability for both energy-saving and mood-setting that CFLs can't yet manage. And it's projected to last for 30 years.

It's a potential game-changer. Yanko Design, in a blog post this week, calls the frogLight a Trojan horse, "ready to make the transition to LED bulbs invisible and a reality." Frog design says, "We are currently in talks about how to bring it to market and make it available to consumers."

Learn more about the frogLight >>

In other green lighting news, Greentech Media reports on a revolutionary dimmer switch for sports stadiums, big-box stores and other megabuildings that use ultrabright high-intensity discharge (HID) lights. The new digital ballast from HID Laboratories allows building managers to dim their HID lights by an unnoticeable-to-the-human-eye 10 percent -- a move that could save megawatts of power, writer Michael Kanellos suggests:

Lighting consumes 22 percent of the power generated in the U.S., and the majority of the juice of that total goes to more than 100 million HID sockets in the country. Thus, if used universally, you’re talking a big whack in electricity consumption.

Get more details on the big-box dimmer >>

Image: aphasiafilms

The sibling rivalry between TV and the web: Peter Hirshberg on TED.com

2008-09-04T13:00:00Z

Speaking at the 2007 EG conference, Peter Hirshberg offers an absorbing look at emerging media and tech history. He shares some crucial lessons from Silicon Valley and explains why the web is so much more than "better TV." (Recorded December 2007 in Los Angeles, California. Duration: 31:39.)

Watch Peter Hirshberg's 2007 talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 285+ TEDTalks -- including many more talks about media.

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"RISD is MIT for the right brain," says John Maeda

2008-09-03T19:40:00Z

On the eve of his inauguration as president of the Rhode Island School of Design, John Maeda gave a wide-ranging interview to Dominique Browning in yesterday's Wall Street Journal. Among the Maeda-isms:

"I want to reform technology. All the tools are the same; people make the same things with them. Everyone asks me, 'Are you bringing technology to RISD?' I tell them, no, I'm bringing RISD to technology."

"Companies know that they can't get any further with their left-brain processing; they are dying to engage the right brain. Artists change how we see the world -- and that can have value in the way people do business."

"A designer is someone who constructs while he thinks, someone for whom planning and making go together."

Check out the new RISD blog ... or follow John Maeda on Twitter >>

Illustration: Ismael Roldan

Taking the next giant leap into space: Peter Diamandis on TED.com

2008-09-03T13:00:00Z

X Prize founder Peter Diamandis lays out several very good reasons to keep exploring space -- and he talks about how, with the help of the X Prize and other incentives, we're going to do just that. He also talks about the next phase of the X Prize, driving radical breakthroughs in many technologies that benefit humanity. (And listen for the frank and funny story of exactly how the first X Prize was funded.) (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 15:31.)

Watch Peter Diamandis' 2005 talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 285+ TEDTalks -- including many more talks about space.

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The immense promise of DNA folding: Paul Rothemund on TED.com

2008-09-02T13:00:00Z

At TED2007, Paul Rothemund gave TED a short summary of DNA folding (calling it a process akin to magic). Now, he lays out in clear, adundant detail the immense promise of this field -- to create tiny machines that assemble themselves from a set of instructions. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 16:24.)

Watch Paul Rothemund's 2008 talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 285 TEDTalks -- including many more talks from MacArthur "genius" grant winners.

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Squawking at TED2006: Einstein the parrot on TED.com

2008-08-29T17:30:06Z

This whimsical wrap-up of TED2006 -- presented by Einstein, the African grey parrot, and her trainer, Stephanie White -- simply tickles. Watch for the moment when Einstein, like many other distinguished TED speakers, has a moment with Al Gore. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, California. Duration: 05:48.)

Watch Einstein the parrot's talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 280+ TEDTalks -- including many more talks about animals of all kinds.

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To do this weekend: Vote for Architecture for Humanity

2008-08-29T13:00:07Z

Via Treehugger: The Members Project, from American Express, is a contest to support worthy projects from a $2.5 million fund. 2006 TED Prize winner Cameron Sinclair, of Architecture for Humanity, has submitted a project to help build sustainable livelihoods for artisans in Southeast Asia:

a locally driven social venture that creates an alliance of textile designers and gifted artisans in Southeast Asia to produce luxurious hand-woven fabrics. By providing economic opportunity, we help preserve hand-weaving in Asia while creating environmentally sustainable fabrics. Collections include fabric-by-the-yard as well as home and fashion accessories that are marketed through select retailers. We are ready to hire thousands of weavers and build innovative weaving centers.

You can nominate Cameron's project for consideration in this fund -- or nominate any of the 1,190 projects submitted -- until September 1, and you don't need to be an American Express cardholder to nominate and discuss the projects.

Learn more about the Members Project >>

The making of an activist: Ory Okolloh on TED.com

2008-08-28T14:00:00Z

In a moving, personal talk, blogger and activist Ory Okolloh tells the story of her life and her family -- and how she came to do her heroic work reporting on the doings of Kenya's parliament. (Recorded June 2007 in Arucha, Tanzania. Duration: 16:37.)

Watch Ory Okolloh's talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 280+ TEDTalks -- including many more talks on Africa's next chapter.

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How kids teach themselves: Sugata Mitra on TED.com

2008-08-27T13:00:00Z

At the LIFT Conference, in Geneva, Sugata Mitra discusses his "Hole in the Wall" project in India, which proved that kids, without education or instruction, can figure out how to use a PC on their own -- and then teach other kids. Given this, he asks, what else can children teach themselves? (Recorded January 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland. Duration: 20:59.)

(Note: We first posted this talk in November '07, then took it offline for some necessary, and complicated, audio repairs. The sound quality is still not perfect, but the talk is so powerful, we're thrilled to be able to share it.)

Watch Sugata Mitra's talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 275+ TEDTalks -- including many more talks on education.

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Replaying great piano performances: John Q. Walker on TED.com

2008-08-26T13:00:00Z

Imagine hearing great, departed pianists play again today, just as they would in person. At the 2007 EG conference, John Q. Walker shows how recordings from the likes of Glenn Gould and Art Tatum can be analyzed for precise keystrokes and pedal motions, then played back on computer-controlled grand pianos. (Recorded December 2007 in Los Angeles, California. Duration: 13:41)

Watch John Q. Walker's talk and performance on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 275+ TEDTalks -- including many more talks on music.

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Prototype: Scope, a camera for kids

2008-08-25T22:00:00Z

Inspired by James Nachtwey's TED Prize wish, designer Bas Groenendaal shares this prototype camera with TED. The Scope camera has a fresh look and a singular purpose, he says:

to be used as a therapeutic instrument for underprivileged children, e.g. children living in (former) warzones. Children can take photographs and self-portraits in order to rediscover their environment and identity, and share their point of view with others.

With its open-steering-wheel design (you click the shutter by squeezing the sides), Scope invites a new perspective on picture-taking, removing the distance between the photographer and her subject. As Groenendaal writes,

I wanted to emphasize the importance of looking and framing. In my design there is no screen ... It places the photographer in the spotlight: while looking through the camera, the world looks at you. You cannot hide behind the camera.

Groenendaal took the Scope prototype to an asylum-seekers center in the Netherlands, where the kids quickly figured it out: "A funny observation was that the children used Scope to frame their own heads: hold the camera really close to their face and -- while talking -- look at everybody around them. The children seemed very conscious of themselves, their position, what they were seeing." It's an illustration of the power of photography to frame a very personal story. When Groenendaal watched James Nachtwey's TED Prize wish, he felt a deep resonance:

I was triggered in particular by the question posed as part of the wish: "What are creative ways to make the biggest impact in a way that others could use in future?" I believe that photography from within, made by the people/children themselves, can make a powerful impact on not only the outside world, but also on the people themselves.

Visit Bas Groenendaal's website >>

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TED is hiring a new video editor

2008-08-25T20:20:29Z

TED.com is looking for an experienced Final Cut Studio editor to work in our Manhattan offices for 3 months. Details below:

FILM + VIDEO EDITOR, TEDTalks

SoHo-based media company seeks an experienced Final Cut Studio editor to fill a 3-month contract position in-house.

Since TEDTalks launched two summers ago, the videos in this critically acclaimed series have been viewed more than 60 million times, demonstrating that an unknown speaker with a powerful idea can reach -- and move -- a global audience. Speakers include architects, physicists, rock stars, authors, anthropologists, evangelists, atheists, inventors, and more, all with great ideas worth spreading.

Watch the Top 10 most popular TEDTalks here >>

The ideal candidate should demonstrate meticulous attention to detail and a diverse professional editing background, including a working familiarity with narrative, documentary, live concert/performance, and animation.

Creative problem-solving and time management skills are a must.

Experience with any or all of the following is preferred: ProTools, Soundtrack, Color, Photoshop, Illustrator, AfterEffects, Shake, Motion, Magic Bullet, and XSAN.

Familiarity with basic sound design, as well as graphic and motion-graphic design, also a plus.

Must be fluent in Final Cut Studio -- for web and broadcast.

Must share our passion for TEDTalks and the art of spreading great ideas through well-edited video.

Interviews the first week of September 2008. (We realize many editors are working to meet the upcoming Sundance deadline, if so, please let us know your availability when you apply.)

Resumes accepted via email ONLY. Please, no phone calls. Please include links to your reel. Email edit at ted dot com

The search for dark matter and dark energy: Patricia Burchat on TED.com

2008-08-25T15:01:30Z

Physicist Patricia Burchat sheds light on two basic ingredients of our universe: dark matter and dark energy. Comprising 96% of the universe between them, they can't be directly measured, but their influence is immense. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 16:09)

Watch Patricia Burchat's 2008 talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 275+ TEDTalks -- including many more talks on physics.

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Psychology's final frontier: Staying sane in space

2008-08-25T00:00:00Z

Astrobiology Magazine posts an intriguing report today: The American Psychological Association is looking seriously at the question of astronauts' mental health. It's an issue that has sometimes been swept under the rug, says the APA's press release:

Historically, astronauts have been reluctant to admit to mental or behavioral health problems for fear of being grounded.

But as missions get longer and astronauts are asked to do more, psychologists are looking at ways to help them cope with loneliness and interpersonal conflicts. At Beth Israel Deaconess in Boston, psychologist James Carter (who also studies teamwork in space) and his group are building a tool to help astronauts deal with depression:

... a suite of interactive computer programs, dubbed the Virtual Space Station, using input from 13 veteran long-duration NASA astronauts who have flown on the International Space Station, Mir and Skylab. ... This interactive program will help astronauts prevent, detect, assess and manage their own psychosocial problems. They will learn how to cope with depression and how to resolve conflicts with other astronauts.

Read more about Carter's project >>

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