2 October 2008

Pinto’s point

Short video talks by significant people

By Jim Pinto

TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) started as a conference in Monterey, Calif., bringing together the world’s brightest minds, the thinkers and doers, challenged to give the talk of their lives—in just 18 minutes. Two years ago, these talks became available with dazzling video player technology on the TED web site.

Go visit TED to review ideas worth spreading. They are 20-minute inspired video talks by some of the world’s greatest thinkers.

Here are some of my own favorites (links below):

• Genomics pioneer Craig Venter talks about the millions of genes his team has discovered in their quest to map the ocean’s hidden biodiversity. He has a vision for engineered species that can replace the petrochemical industry by creating clean energy.
• Hod Lipson demonstrates a few of his cool little robots, which have the ability to learn, “understand” themselves, and self-replicate. An inquiry into the nature of how humans and living beings learn and evolve, and the very nature of consciousness.
• Richard Branson talks about the ups and the downs of his career, from his multibillionaire success to his near-death experiences.
• Stephen Petranek lays out the challenges that face us in the drive to preserve the human race forever. Will we be wiped out by an asteroid? Eco-collapse? Pandemic disease?

TED just passed an important milestone: 50 million TED talks have now been viewed worldwide, nearly half of them outside the U.S. To keep pace with demand, a new talk is released every weekday.

Review the list of the Top 10 TED talks (link below). The most popular, viewed over 2,500,000 times and counting, features neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor, who observed her own stroke while it was happening. This relates to a recent Pinto’s Point column (www.isa.org/link/pinto0821) on left/right brain dominance.

My personal favorite is Boston Philharmonic conductor Benjamin Zander, who was a huge hit at this year’s conference. He will convince you that you like classical music. You wanna bet?

Related links:

• Highlights from the Top 10 TED Talks:
  http://www.ted.com/talks/top10
• Craig Venter: A voyage of DNA, genes and the sea
  http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/craig_venter_on_dna_and_the_sea.html
• Hod Lipson: Robots that are “self-aware”:
  http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/hod_lipson_builds_self_aware_robots.html
• Stephen Petranek: 10 Ways the World Could End
  http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/stephen_petranek_counts_down_to_armageddon.html
• My personal favorite – Benjamin Zander: Classical music with shining eyes
  http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html
• TED Prize Winners:
  http://www.ted.com/index.php/themes/ted_prize_winners.html

Behind the byline

Jim Pinto is an industry analyst and founder of Action Instruments. You can e-mail him at jim@jimpinto.com or view his writings at www.JimPinto.com. Read the Table of Contents of his book, Pinto’s Points, at www.jimpinto.com/writings/points.html.