TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.
ByTED
Craig Costello uses mathematics to secure the digital world, both against the threats that exist today and those that may exist in the future. In this glimpse into our technological future, this cryptographer discusses the world-altering potential of quantum computers, which could shatter the limits set by today’s machines – and give code breakers a…
ByTED
Given a range of integers from 0 to 100, what would the whole number closest to 2/3 of the average of all numbers guessed be? For example, if the average of all guesses is 60, the correct guess will be 40. The game is played under conditions known to game theorists as “common knowledge:” every…
ByTED
The more we rely on technology to make us efficient, the fewer skills we have to confront the unexpected, says writer and entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan. She shares why we need less tech and more messy human skills — imagination, humility, bravery — to solve problems in business, government and life in an unpredictable age. “We…
ByTED
The host of this TED video is Heidi Grant, who researches, writes and speaks about the science of motivation, influence and decision-making. In this instance, this social psychologist means that asking for help is tough. But to get through life – she says – you have to do it all the time. So how does…
ByTED
Phil Plait was on a Hubble Space Telescope team of astronomers who thought they may have captured the first direct photo of an exoplanet ever taken. But did the evidence actually support that? Follow along as Plait shows how science progresses — through a robust amount of making and correcting errors. “The price of doing…
ByTED
Fact of the day about the US of A: The very same blood test can cost $19 at one clinic and $522 at another clinic just blocks away – and nobody knows the difference until they get a bill weeks later. Journalist Jeanne Pinder says it doesn’t have to be this way. She’s built a…
