TED Blog

10 Reasons to Hate Your iPod

Everyone raves about the iPod's design. Call me cranky, but I think it could be massively improved. Here are my top peeves:

1)  Battery life.  On every iPod mini, Shuffle and Nano that I've owned, it has been atrocious. Less than 4 hours.  My five-year-old 6-gig PJB-100 MP3 player comfortably delivered 10.  Apple advertises 14 hours. Maybe my stressed life is sucking the energy out of the damn thing.  But Googling around a little, I don't think I'm alone.

2) The click wheel is prone to (possibly dangerous) unintended effects. eg. I'm out jogging with the nano in my pocket. The side of my pocket brushes against the wheel suddenly... BOOM... I'm being blasted. You do not want this to happen while crossing a busy street.

3) So to fix that problem you have to put on the lock. So now what was supposed to be a simple one-handed operation becomes... "need to change track... remove ipod from pocket... release lock (probably takes both hands)...  change track... reset lock... reinsert in pocket."  On my old PJB-100, it's "reach into pocket, press FF."

4) Another problem with the wheel is its dual function as volume control and menu selector. If you're working on a menu, then want to adjust volume on a song you have to WAIT five seconds to get your volume control back. Someone will tell me there's a shortcut or setting to fix this, but if there is, it's well hidden.

5) The vaunted UI requires numerous clicks to adjust the single most common function. I'm referring to Shuffle. As Apple well knows, most users listen in Shuffle mode much of the time.   To switch between Shuffle on and off, you have to back through FIVE menu levels, then hit Shuffle. But it's not a toggle. To get OUT of Shuffle mode you have to back through all those menu levels, THEN click on Settings, and set Shuffle to off...  about 8 clicks. Not nice.  Especially when you first have to pull the damn thing out of your pocket, and switch off the lock. While jogging.

6) The EQ controls are unintuitive. You have a Bass Boost and Treble Boost. But there's no visual feedback to indicate whether it's a toggle, whether you can use it repeatedly, whether you're close to maximum or minimum.  Result: lots of random presses to try to find the right sound.  There was a lot to be said for an old-fashioned analog slider.

7) On the Nano, the USB connector and the ear-buds connector are right next to each other. You have to squeeze the sides of the USB connector to remove it. This can't physically be done when the ear-buds are plugged in.  Hardly a big deal, but it's not slick.

8) And speaking of the ear-buds, does anyone else find that the foam-covers stay in your ears every other time you remove them? 

9) I swear I get significant bass distortion on my iPod nano. The same file sounds different coming off the Mac and certainly   Same ear-buds, same volume.  Maybe this is just a psychosomatic reaction driven by 1-8 above...

10) And I didn't even mention the notorious scratches.

Even though it's beautiful and tiny and sexy (provided you cover up those scratches), I find myself leaving my Nano at home in favor of my clunky old PJB-100, literally 12 times the size. It treats me nicely, and unlike all those iPods I've contributed to the universe, this one will never be stolen, lost or get me mugged.

(Conflict alert: I own shares in Apple. Ooops.)
(OK, smart TEDsters, explain to me why I have it all wrong!)

Playing the name game

Despite multiple readings of Pinker and Lakoff, I've yet to find hard linguistic evidence to back my favorite theory: That the urge to name things is hardwired into our cognition. We are, as a species, obsessed with names. We name everything: our pets, our cars, our conference sessions ... and attach great significance to those chosen. Perhaps this accounts for the fascination with NameVoyager, a delightful web app that visualizes the rise and fall of names over time. ("June," for example, was very popular in the 20s, but has since gone out of circulation.) It also lets you test your favorite theories: Was the 1984 movie Splash responsible for the rise of Madison, now the 3rd most popular girl's name? Possibly. According to NameVoyager, Madison was virtually unused before the 80s. So go ahead, graph your own favorite names. But be warned: It's addicting. Women who are pregnant and people who are on deadline should not follow this link.

Another Brilliant article

Dr. Larry Brilliant, the self-proclaimed "luckiest man in the world," has a great write-up in this week's Pacific Sun, talking about his TED Prize wish. He says he's open to ideas on how best to use it, and has set up a new email address – larryswish@seva.org – for suggestions.

A TV commercial to wake up with

Sleepy? Sluggish? Having a hard time focusing after four days of food? This 60-second spot – which begins with modern art making a break for it – is the triple venti latte of TV commercials.

Madonna goes a-krumpin'

TEDster Stuart Watson points out that there's a familiar TED face in the Madonna video Hung-Up currently all over MTV. Marquisa Gardner,( 'Miss Prissy') was one of the dancers who rocked TED last year showing off their new, ultra-exciting, ultra-aggressive form of dancing known as 'krumping'.  I'm pleased - tho' not surprised - to see it get picked up by the queen of pop.

Julia Sweeney: Sold out. But coming to TED

Is it bad blogging protocol to blurb a sold-out show? That's the question we've been asking ourselves these past few weeks — knowing that TEDster Julia Sweeney's extraordinary one-woman show has come to New York, and also knowing that you can't get tickets.

Set in a cozy living room, brimming with books, Letting Go of God traces a spiritual journey that takes an unexpected turn toward science (a turn, which, incidentally, also led her to TED). Sweeney — who's well-known for both her 4-year run on Saturday Night Live (where she invented the character "Pat") and her powerful one-woman shows (Her first was "God said Ha!") — projects a warmth and sincerity on stage that's unmatched in today's theater; you immediately feel you're chatting with an old friend. This gift of intimacy allows her to achieve the impossible: An utterly disarming show that honestly confronts the most controversial topic of our times.

Following a triumphant run in Los Angeles last spring, Letting Go of God is playing the Ars Nova Theater through Nov. 26. The run is sold-out, but same-day tickets may be available at the theater. If you miss it, take heart: Julia will perform an excerpt at TED2006.

LA Times: Hollywood is losing race with zeitgeist

You don't have to be an industry insider to know that media habits are changing. But in case you missed the warning signs, today's Los Angeles Times gives it to you straight. Hollywood, the headline declares, is "in a losing race with the zeitgeist." Box office sales are down; DVD sales are down. "The era of moviegoing as a mass audience ritual is slowly but inexorably drawing to a close."

It's hardly a new story, of course; we've been talking about it at TED for years. But it's now playing out in real-time: Digital technologies — from Tivo to the iPod to always-on internet connections — are causing a sea change in Hollywood, as people individualize their entertainment experiences. And this trend will only accelerate once Tivo users can download programs to their iPods (a plan announced yesterday). As the L.A. Times points out, "Hollywood needs a new mindset, one that sees a movie as something that comes in all shapes and sizes, not something that is wedded to the big screen." The same could be said for all media, from newspapers to record labels. You can't fight the zeitgeist.

Steven Pinker on Jews and genetics

What to make of recent research positing that 'selective breeding' over the last two milennia has resulted in superior intelligence (and rare genetic diseases) among Ashkenazi — or Eastern European — Jews? The unpublished study has been backed up, shot down and certainly hyped. If you're looking for insight — and you're in New York — you're in luck. Steven Pinker (who shies not from controversy) will give his take in a Dec. 1st lecture titled Jews, Genes and Intelligence. Another TED veteran, Noah Feldman, will moderate. And we'll report back.

Go ahead: Judge them by their cover

For those of us who worship books for both their content and their covers, Penguin released a line of gorgeous little paperbacks celebrating Great Ideas. The slim volumes range from iconic classics, like Thomas Paine's Common Sense to relative obscurities like Seneca's On the Shortness of Life. The series includes delightful pairings (Michel de Montaigne's On Friendship and William Hazlitt's The Pleasure of Hating) and revives some lesser-known essays by great thinkers (Nietzsche's Why I Am So Wise and Orwell's Why I Write). Released last year in the UK, the books are just making their way into thoughtful US stores (including New York's Three Lives & Co, where we discovered them).

Occasionally, you have to tip your hat...

...to masters of dark humor. There I was innocently surfing the web, when I came across this site, purveyors of profoundly demotivating posters such as the one below... (or, even better, this one.)

Naturally sunny, upbeat person that I am, I tut tutted for several minutes, before buying a dozen of their desktop plaques as Xmas gifts for people who are almost my friends.  Here's the order confirmation email I received. Pure genius.

Thank you for your recent order from Despair, Inc.

I'd like to personally welcome you to our growing body of Dissatisfied Customers(tm), but to do so might evidence some actual concern for service and protocol.  This might then lead to customer satisfaction, which would defeat the purpose altogether.  That is why you have received this generic, form-generated email, written by some nameless lackey in our marketing department.

Having established that any pretense of consideration for *your* needs would be counter-productive to our raison d'etre at Despair Inc, let us now ponder a subject of greater interest to those among us who are worthy of both of our collective attentions - that person being me.

While you sit there wincing in disbelief at these bons mots of authentic insincerity and vexed by the intrinsic contradictions, I find I am beside myselfwith awe at the specimen of unparalleled angst that is our most recent Despair Catalog.  Hardly a man given to superlatives, I must nevertheless assert with David-Lee-Rothian boldness that we are demonstrably without peer in the Art of Demotivation®.

If any of the information shown below is inaccurate, please notify us immediately using our new Troubled Ticketing system.  We will rectify your error immediately, and on some occasions,
without snickering.

It is the least we can do, which, as a matter of policy, is the most we can do.

Sincerely not really writing you this email,
E.L.

Someone's thinking big...

Due to open Jan 1, the Grand Canyon Skywalk juts out about 70 feet into the canyon, 4000 ft above the Colorado River.  One helluva view...

More here.

Museum Watch: Darwin in NY, Comics in LA

A good weekend for museum-going TEDsters: Darwin opens Saturday at New York's Museum of Natural History: the most in-depth exhibit every mounted on the icon of modern science. And on Sunday, Masters of American Comics opens simultaneously at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art and the Hammer Museum, tracing the history of the genre through 15 masters, ranging from Charles M. Schultz to R. Crumb.

$100 (lime green) laptop unveiled

MIT Media Lab Director Nicholas Negroponte unveiled the first working prototype of his famed $100 laptop yesterday at the UN Net Summit in Tunisia. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called it an "expression of global solidarity," and the Linux-based, lime-green machine by all accounts stole the show. (Though it's not without detractors.) Other than the color — which was a surprise — it seems to match closely with the bold concept Negroponte's been pitching since the World Economic Forum in Davos last January: a simple, durable, cheap laptop, which can be placed in the hands of every child in the developing world. Electricity is supplied through a hand crank, and scarce Internet access can be shared through 'mesh networking'. Negroponte has created a new non-profit, One Laptop per Child, to manage the program, which plans to have millions of the laptops in production next year. [Full reports from the BBC and Wired News.]

Earth to America

When you think of global warming, what words comes to mind? Melting glaciers? Carbon emissions? Hurricanes? Mosquitoes? How about ... comedy. No? That didn't make your short list? Well, think again. This Sunday, the comedy event Earth to America airs on TBS, featuring flat-out funniness from the likes of Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Larry David and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Produced by Laurie David, who will attend TED2006, the special raises awareness about the threat of global warming and urges viewers to join David's non-partisan virtual march on Washington.

The roots of green design

Following the thread of green design ... today's New York Times profiles Sim Van der Ryn, the Bay Area-based pioneer in sustainable architecture, whose work includes the solar-powered Guitar House, a 15,000 sq. foot "rammed earth" mansion, believed to be the world's largest green residence.

Great Entertainment ... in a 60-second spot

If you attended TEDGlobal, you'll likely remember this mesmerizing Adidas commercial, directed by Spike Jonze for Adidas. Dreamy and original ... entertaining in its own right. This new Nike spot, by Italian designer/video artist Lorenzo Fonda, reminds me of it somehow. Stylistically, they couldn't be more different — herky-jerky pen-and-ink vs. photorealistic fantasy — but they seem to share the same DNA.

Georgia O'Keefe: Software muse?

Was Georgia O'Keefe the unnamed inspiration behind the (rather beautiful) icon for open-source web browser FireFox? ArtsJournal supplied the evidence: Goat Horn with Red (left) v. Firefox logo (right). You make the call. [Hat tipped to Boing Boing for the link]

An astonishing sentence...

...is the lead in today's Wall Street Journal online (as of 8am).  Few who experienced the melt-down of online advertising-based business models 5 years ago would have imagined that on this day in 2005 they would read the following at the top of the WSJ's news agenda:

YAHOO, AOL, MSN and other leading Web sites are selling out ad space far in advance, allowing for big rate increases...

Despite the exhilarating turnaround of web advertising in the last three years, logic says we've only just started. The ultimate asset in the media business is "attention" and on the simplest measure of attention -- eyeball hours --  the Internet's share is a significant multiple of its dollar-share. For example nationally, the Internet attracts around one sixth as many ad dollars as TV... Do YOU spend six times as much of your time and attention watching Tivo-free television? 

Over time, dollars will adjust to mindshare. The flow of money into Internet advertising is only going to accelerate.

How green is your roof?

William McDonough (TED04, 05) regularly drops jaws with imagery from the world's largest "living roof," which he designed for the Ford Motor Company plant in Dearborn, MI. Green roofs also feature strongly in the cities he's designing for China. Their benefits are obvious: They improve air quality, restore migratory patterns for birds, and look a lot better than black tar. So when will your roof go green? WorldChanging this week assesses the state of the art in eco-roof technology, explaining the barriers to entry (cost, bureaucratic red tape) and pointing out the visionaries (including the city of Chicago, which offers $5K grants for green roof projects). Stay tuned for: Majora Carter at TED2006. She's bringing green roofs and more to the South Bronx.

Quantum genius

Our congratulations to David Deutsch, who's just won the $100,000 Edge of Computation Prize. The physicist credited as the inspiration behind today's quantum computing pioneers, he gave a stunning talk at TEDGLOBAL in Oxford this year, which included two minutes in complete darkness... his vivid description of a "typical" place in the universe where the human eye would not be able to detect a single star or galaxy.  His book The Fabric of Reality is a mind-bending read that may just convince you that we are part of a 'multiverse' made up countless parallel universes.

btw, if you don't know about Edge, you should. John Brockman's site is home to many great TED speakers and some of the best intellectual conversation on the internet.

Life is an illusion ...

For your Tuesday morning procrastinating pleasure: A delightful diversion. And a reminder that you can't always trust your eyes ...

Changing the World One Cookie at a Time

Speaking of Malcolm Gladwell, I bumped into him at a story-telling fundraiser last night, and reminded him of the brilliant talk he gave at TED2004 about Howard Moskowitz and the search for perfect pasta sauces.  Turns out that at the same conference he bumped into another TEDster who wanted to talk to him about cookies.  The result: another great story  that the New Yorker just released to the Internet, starring Steve Gundrum of Mattson (and his colleague Barb Stuckey, who joins in February for the first time).

You might think that a five-year obsession to create a new cookie is a little strange... except this is no ordinary cookie. It had to be both mass-market... and healthy: A hard problem; and one solved not so much by the wisdom of crowds, but a little individual inspiration.

If you have an interesting tale that sparked from a recent TED, please let me know... 

Oh, Woody!

You may have seen last week's startling story that an attack by pirates on a cruise ship was thwarted by blasting them with a directed soundwave.

And who was the genius inventor behind this novel defence system? Step forward, Woody Norris, who demonstrated a (thankfully) much cuter version of his HyperSonic sound technology at TED2004.  I suspect that whatever sound the pirates heard, it wasn't the relaxing waterfall that was directed selectively at individual members of the TED audience.

He warned us back then that there might be military applications of his technology. And there I was hoping he'd come out first with the TV that only its intended viewer could hear.

Blink: The Movie

Here's something we learned last week in LA: Blink, the best-seller from TED favorite Malcolm Gladwell, will be made into a feature film, adapted/directed by Stephen Gaghan ("Traffic"), and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Gladwell will stay involved as executive producer. We're great fans of Blink — and, let's face it, just about anything Gladwell writes — so we were curious to hear what he had in mind for the movie. He tells us, "It takes a single character from Blink -- Silvan Tompkins -- and fashions an entirely new story around him, about what it means to be someone who can read other people's thoughts." Our snap judgment says: Success.

Raed tihs... yuor mnid rokcs!

Cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Tahnks, Rob Reid for frowradnig tihs one...  I'm ipmesrsed. Good lcuk wrtiing a comupter prorgam to do taht!

Raiders: A tribute

Our trio of cross-country TED salons wrapped up this week with a screening at the gorgeous vintage Silent Movie Theater in Hollywood. TED has always celebrated creativity, innovation, and the passionate pursuit of a vision that others might have written of as ... crazy. So when we heard that three teenagers in Mississippi had re-created the Lucas/Spielberg classic, Raiders of the Lost Ark -- shot-by-shot and stunt-by-stunt (rolling boulder and all) -- we had to see it for ourselves. So we arranged the first LA screening of Raiders: Adaptation.

We're told that Steven Spielberg himself loved the movie (calling it a "loving and detailed tribute"), and we could definitely see why. The deliciously campy (and sweetly sincere) fan film was wildly impressive at times -- both in its faithful execution of sets, stunts and special effects (all funded with teenage allowances) and its clever substitutions (a motorboat for a seaplane; a well-trained puppy for a monkey). But perhaps most inspiring was their commitment to actually finishing the movie, which took them four years. Filmmakers Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb -- now in their 30s, of course -- delighted us with tales of what it took to see it through: fires lit in parents' basements, props bought with allowance money, snakes borrowed from a local pet store, and a 6-foot rolling boulder created 4 times in different ways, before they got it right. Producer Scott Rudin has acquired the rights to their story, and a movie about their experiences making the film is in production at Paramount. So you can expect to hear a lot more from them in the years to come...

Outside of the film itself, you couldn't help but be struck by the extraordinary level of Raiders knowledge among the TED in LA audience. It's a testament to the enduring legacy and emotional resonance of the film that the entire audience anticipated plot twists, mouthed classic lines ("Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?") and roared in recognition of iconic moments, like Indy's narrow escapes and understated gestures. The evening was a real tribute to our love affair with Indiana Jones. Of course, it was also a fantastic reason to simply reconnect with TEDsters in LA. We're going to have to make a habit of it...

Brilliant, Larry

A wonderful evening in Woodside last night with TED Prize Winner Dr Larry Brilliant and 100 TEDsters. He shared a little of his story, his involvement in the eradication of smallpox, and his current desire to do something about the risk of an avian flu pandemic.

He was simultaneously terrifying and inspiring, and provoked a remarkable conversation around his WISH TO CHANGE THE WORLD that the TED Prize has granted him.  He's pondering ideas that could address the avian flu risk and/or other global public health issues.  If you have a suggestion -- one that can tap powerfully into what the TED community can offer --  please email TED Prize Director Amy Novogratz, amy@ted.com, and she will forward to Larry. The conversation that began last night will continue until TED06 in Monterey, when Larry will unveil his wish.

Thanks to Arch and Shelly Meredith, Matt Venuti, Kleiner Perkins, June Cohen, all who came out on a wet night, and especially to Larry for giving us an exciting preview of February...

Perils of URLs

An email this morning from TEDster Julian Treasure gave me huge pleasure. Unbelievably, these are all real sites.
------------
A few salutary examples that should make us all think twice...

Firstly there is Who Represents?, a database for agencies to the rich and famous:  http://www.whorepresents.com

Second is the Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views:  http://www.expertsexchange.com

Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island:  http://www.penisland.net

Need a therapist? Try:  http://www.therapistfinder.com

And there is an Italian Power company:  http://www.powergenitalia.com

Finally we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales:  http://www.molestationnursery.com

Olivia Judson on evolution in progress

Olivia Judson (TED2005) has a provocative piece in the Sunday New York Times, tying together two timely topics in the TED community: Avian flu and the evolution "debate." Judson, the evolutionary biologist who wrote Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation, explains how the nail-biting progression of Avian Flu (Will it jump from birds to humans? Will it mutate? Will it become more lethal?) is an opportunity to watch evolution in progress. She concludes with words of caution -- not on bird flu, but on the politics of science:

But the most important point is this: viruses and other pathogens evolve in ways that we can understand and, to some extent, predict. Whether it's preventing a flu pandemic or tackling malaria, we can use our knowledge of evolutionary processes in powerful and practical ways, potentially saving the lives of tens of millions of people. So let's not strip evolution from the textbooks, or banish it from the class, or replace it with ideologies born of wishful thinking. If we do, we might find ourselves facing the consequences of natural selection.

In search of 250 souls with knowledge to share

So, the quirky competition I launched last week relating to Pledgebank.com has a winner.  It is TEDster Lucy Hooberman.  She's looking to re-ignite an idea that was floated at TED in February (literally... it came from the World-Changing Ideas Cruise). The idea is to set up a Global Mentoring Allicance...  the sharing of knowledge from those who have it, to those who need it.  Here's her pledge.   Looks like Lucy (and the other TEDsters who are behind this idea) will be spending a lot more than the prize money if her pledge is matched. I really urge everyone to support this...  250 mouseclicks could start something really big. 

There were several other really interesting pledges.  I liked the idea to 'flip the fifth', the notion of a group effort to fund a Buckminster Fuller film, the bike ride across America...  and who could resist the offer of a couple of masseuses from Australia to help out in New Orleans if only someone would pay their way. In all more than 50 suggestions.  Thanks to everyone who came up with something.

Last night's TED Salon at Joe's Pub

Boy, what a magical night. Here's Thomas Dolby's review...
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Joe's Pub was the perfect venue to meet TED friends and enjoy three excellent bands. It's been a while since I enjoyed an evening of music so much. Joe's booker Bill Bragin is known as one of New York's greatest champions of new talent, and it was his recommendation that brought Ethel, Vishal Vaid, and Stew to TED's attention.

First up was Ethel, a modern string quartet that's been attracting a lot of attention from the likes of Steve Reich and Joe Jackson. All superb players, they have an intuitive rapport and plenty of resonance, effortlessly trading melodies between the two violins while 'cello and viola lay down a surprisingly groovy backdrop. A dark and unsettling composition by the impressive composer and TEDster Michael Montes was followed by a new piece composed by Ethel cellist Dorthy Lawson; this showed just how well the quartet are able to blend rock'n'roll rhythms with classical phrasing and harmonies.

Vishal Vaid is a master of the remarkable Indian ghazal folk style. A gifted vocalist, he improvised using just the syllables of notes of the ghazal scale, interlocked with his harmonium chords; layered over the accompanying six-string electric bass, acoustic guitar, and Rahis Khan's fine tabla, effect was truly mesmerizing.

Originally from L.A., Stew is a great performer that somehow funnels his varied skills as a standup comedian, political satirist and protest singer into short catchy songs with titles like "Rehab", "Kingdom of Drink", and "When Black Men Ski." Peering over his glasses, it's a bit like having your favorite college professor sing to you. I'm sure he'll be a smash hit in Monterey--though I couldn't help thinking that Tom Reilly will have a hard time spoofing Stew, because he's already so outrageous and hilarious.

A fun night, and what a joy to meet three fascinating new additions to TED's musical roster. The New York connection is going to turn out to be a fabulous source of new faces and inspiration!

Check out Imogen Heap's new CD...

Imogen ("Immi") made a splash at TED2004 as the female half of Frou Frou. Her new CD "Speak for Yourself" launched this week, the title being an apt description of how the CD was produced - she did the whole thing from her own studio, writing all the songs, and playing every instrument. The result is dreamy, upscale, hi-tech pop, that feels as if it's drifting gently out of the future. Immi's voice has become (even) better known than her name.  Her songs were chosen for the soundtracks of Shrek 2 and Garden State, among other films... and the beautiful song "Goodnight and Go" provided (according to my daughter who knows about these things) a tearjerking moment in the hip TV soap The OC.

Last night, Immi charmed a crowd at the Tribeca Grand, where the buzz was that one of her songs has been selected for the upcoming Disney blockbuster The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe.

You go girl!

Lisa Randall to bring extra dimensions to TED2006

The work of the theoretical physicist dangles just beyond easy comprehension: A world of multiple dimensions, vibrating strings and conceptual leaps, through which only an expert guide can lead you. Enter Lisa Randall, Harvard professor and pioneering string theorist, who'll take us on a tour of the world's extra dimensions at TED2006.

Randall's work centers on the existence of these extra dimensions (beyond the three we perceive) a topic she explores in her book, Warped Passages. There's a great piece on her research in The Times today, including this fascinating factoid: Randall was in the same high school class as fellow string theorist Brian Greene (TED2005), author of The Elegant Universe. It begs the question: Who taught that high school physics class?

New meets old: Wikipedia may go to print

At TEDGlobal this summer, Jimmy Wales outlined his vision for Wikipedia, his online storehouse of knowledge, collaboratively written by unpaid volunteers worldwide. His goal: to provide everyone in the world access to a free encyclopedia. But not just through the web. Eventually, he told us, he'd like to create a print version, as well. He went public with that plan today, confirming that a book project is underway, and may be finished as early as mid-2006, for distribution throughout the developing world.