TED Blog

AJ Jacobs ROCKS

His book The Know-it-all is a current TED bookclub choice.... and if that isn't enough for you, try this great article on outsourced assistants. I had tears rolling down my face, by the end...

A Sundance for TV Pilots

TV shows will appear on big screens around Manhattan this week, en route to small screens across the country. The first New York Television Festival channels the Sundance spirit, letting independent producers screen finished pilots, in hopes of landing network deals. Amid the sea of sit-coms and reality shows, watch for the premiere of TEDster Steve Rosenbaum's Inside the Bubble, a controversial documentary chronicling the self-destruction of the Kerry campaign. Advance coverage on Wonkette has the Beltway talking.

Video: Kerry staffer demands a pony
Video: Kerry staffer blames The New York Times

Someone who WON'T be coming to TED

Apparently Katrina was God's punishment on a sinful New Orleans.

I guess that would explain all those tsunami deaths among those sinful people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India too...

Eva Vertes told us first: Stem cells may cause brain cancer

Princeton Sophomore Eva Vertes told us her theory at TED2005: That stem cells -- seeking to initiate repairs in the body -- may actually be the root of cancer. So cancer may, in fact, be the body’s own repair system gone awry. Well, research increasingly is backing her up. Cancer Cell journal reported recently that certain types of brain cancer may start with stems cells: a finding with vast implications for research and treatment. But you already knew that.

Burt Rutan, space cowboy, to speak at TED2006

TEDsters: Prepare to be transported. Burt Rutan, the legendary aircraft designer, will thrill us this February in Monterey, with his plans to make space travel a reality. Rutan, who won the $10M X-Prize for SpaceShipOne -- the first private craft to reach space -- has now partnered with Virgin Galactic (an offshoot of Virgin Atlantic) and committed to taking tourists to space in 2008, with his new SpaceShipTwo.

BuzzWordWatch: “Epigenome”

Perhaps I didn't spend enough time chatting with Craig Venter in Oxford, because this morning was my first encounter with the word "Epigenome," defined by Wired News as the layer of biochemical reactions that turns genes on or off. Obviously.

TED Book Club: Everything Bad is Good For You

Steven Johnson (TED '03) has wowed us at TED in the past, and his books never fail to intrigue and delight. His latest, Everything Bad is Good for You offers a provocative new lens through which to ponder the impact of modern culture. General assumptions among the cognoscenti has been: (1) Mass culture is dumbing us down (2) Modern TV is a sad waste of time (3) Video games may turning our kids into zombie-like, joystick twitchers.

Steve begs to differ, and he does this so eloquently, you may just decide to toss the book half way through and go switch on the PlayStation.

Design Mystery #347: Clock-free airports

Every so often, in the course of spotlighting great ideas, we ponderously turn our attention to great mysteries in design. Like: Why aren’t there clocks in airports? Seriously. Every other time-dependent location -- train stations, schools, gyms -- features prominent clockage. Yet airports, like casinos and spas, are conspicuously clock-free. Think about that, next time you're racing for the gate.

On a related note, frequent fliers will appreciate Outside Magazine’s delightful survey of new airport amenities, from complementary napping beds in Dubai to a $10/day lap pool in Munich. But still, no clocks.

Robot Gets Knocked Down (but it gets up again)

Researchers in Japan have invented a nimble humanoid robot that can regain its own footing after taking a tumble. Its secret lies in letting go of control: Rather than follow a strict set of predetermined rules, it makes on-the-fly adjustments based on body trajectory and momentum.

This approach may sound familiar ... it applies the same type of biomimicry we’ve seen in the work of Torsten Reil (03, TEDGlobal), whose NaturalMotion software allows computer-based characters to respond ‘naturally’ to unpredicted obstacles in a digital environment, and Robert Full (O3, 05), who applies his knowledge of animal feet, legs & motion to make scrambling, climbing, rolling many-legged robots well-suited to exploring new environments.

Web comics? NYT says "Ick." TED says "Slick!"

The New York Times may be cranky about the new trend in web comics. (They question the distinction between web comics and animation, and bemoan the “added headaches.”) But those of us who recognize that emerging media are, by definition, works in progress, find the new form fascinating. Our favorite: The Right Number by Scott McCloud (TED2005).

Getting Your Jill Sobule Fix

Long-time TEDsters may find themselves pining for our resident pixie chick, Jill Sobule. New Yorkers can get their Jill Fix this Thursday and Friday at Joes Pub (TEDsters will be in the house). Can’t make it? Satisfy the craving with the "Vid-Lit" (Think smart, low-tech music video) for her bittersweet single, Underdog Victorious.

Inspired solution: Fast-drying Laundry

File this under: Solutions we didn't know we needed. Researchers in Florida -- funded by P&G -- have developed a detergent that leaves clothes 20% drier, reducing tumble time and thus saving electricity. (Dryers account for 5.8% of US residential electrical use.) The science? During the wash, cloth fibers act like tiny capillaries, holding on to water, even through the vigorous spin cycle. But when surface tension is lowered in the liquid detergent, capillaries release liquid more easily, and extra water is forced from clothes. To achieve the effect, scientists simply mix common ingredients in different proportion