TED is like YouTube for smart people. Smart people who think and act big and make their mark in their world. The videos are usually less than 18 minutes long and cover just about every subject you can imagine from the greatest thinkers in the known universe.
If you really need some motivation to get your big ideas off the ground stop what you’re doing, go watch some TED videos and return to your work. It’s guaranteed to make you think bigger.
Here I handpicked 5 of my recent favorites to get you started. I promise you’ll find something amazing.
Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology
How forward thinking turned a simple mouse into a go-anywhere minority report. Then gives it away.
Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man
Hilariously entertaining. Rory Sutherland makes the daring assertion that a change in perceived value can be just as satisfying as what we consider “real” value — and his conclusion has interesting consequences for how we look at life.
David Logan on tribal leadership
At TEDxUSC, David Logan talks about the five kinds of tribes that humans naturally form — in schools, workplaces, even the driver’s license bureau. By understanding our shared tribal tendencies, we can help lead each other to become better individuals.
Michael Pritchard’s water filter turns filthy water drinkable
Too much of the world lacks access to clean drinking water. Engineer Michael Pritchard did something about it — inventing the portable Lifesaver filter, which can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds. An amazing demo from TEDGlobal 2009.
Robert Lang folds way-new origami
Robert Lang is a pioneer of the newest kind of origami — using math and engineering principles to fold mind-blowingly intricate designs that are beautiful and, sometimes, very useful.
