The BEST episodes of TED Talks season 2006
Every episode of TED Talks season 2006, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of TED Talks season 2006!
TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. TEDTalks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at TED with the world. Under the moniker "ideas worth spreading," talks were released online. They rapidly attracted a global audience in the millions. Indeed, the reaction was so enthusiastic that the entire TED website has been reengineered around TEDTalks, with the goal of giving everyone on-demand access to the world's most inspiring voices. [TED-Ed and TEDx are separate TVDB series and should NOT be listed here.]
#1 - Tony Robbins - Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better
Season 2006 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/27/2006
Tony Robbins discusses the "invisible forces" that motivate everyone's actions -- and high-fives Al Gore in the front row.
Watch Now:Amazon
#2 - Sir Ken Robinson - How schools kill creativity
Season 2006 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/27/2006
Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
Watch Now:Amazon#3 - Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen
Season 2006 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/27/2006
You've never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, statistics guru Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called "developing world." In Hans Rosling’s hands, data sings. Global trends in health and economics come to vivid life. And the big picture of global development—with some surprisingly good news—snaps into sharp focus.
Watch Now:Amazon#4 - Richard Baraniuk - Goodbye, textbooks; hello, open-source learning
Season 2006 - Episode 20 - Aired 8/21/2006
Rice University professor Richard Baraniuk explains the vision behind Connexions, his open-source, online education system. It cuts out the textbook, allowing teachers to share and modify course materials freely, anywhere in the world.
Watch Now:Amazon#5 - Jimmy Wales - How a ragtag band created Wikipedia
Season 2006 - Episode 21 - Aired 8/21/2006
Jimmy Wales recalls how he assembled "a ragtag band of volunteers," gave them tools for collaborating and created Wikipedia, the self-organizing, self-correcting, never-finished online encyclopedia.
#6 - Rick Warren - Living a life of purpose
Season 2006 - Episode 10 - Aired 7/18/2006
Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, reflects on his own crisis of purpose in the wake of his book's wild success. He explains his belief that God's intention is for each of us to use our talents and influence to do good.
#7 - Dr. Dean Ornish - The world now eats (and dies) like Americans
Season 2006 - Episode 50 - Aired 12/14/2006
Stop wringing your hands over AIDS, cancer and the avian flu. Cardiovascular disease kills more people than everything else combined -- and it's mostly preventable. Dr. Dean Ornish explains how changing our eating habits will save lives.
#8 - Cameron Sinclair - Open-source architecture to house the world
Season 2006 - Episode 12 - Aired 7/25/2006
Accepting his 2006 TED Prize, Cameron Sinclair demonstrates how passionate designers and architects can respond to world housing crises. He unveils his TED Prize wish for a network to improve global living standards through collaborative design.
#9 - Jehane Noujaim - Unite the world on Pangea Day
Season 2006 - Episode 13 - Aired 7/25/2006
In this hopeful talk, Jehane Noujaim unveils her 2006 TED Prize wish: to bring the world together for one day a year through the power of film.
#10 - Nicholas Negroponte - The vision behind One Laptop Per Child
Season 2006 - Episode 14 - Aired 8/1/2006
Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the MIT Media Laboratory, describes how the One Laptop Per Child project will build and distribute the "$100 laptop."
#11 - Jeff Han - Unveiling the genius of multi-touch interface design
Season 2006 - Episode 15 - Aired 8/1/2006
Jeff Han shows off a cheap, scalable multi-touch and pressure-sensitive computer screen interface that may spell the end of point-and-click.
#12 - Sirena Huang - Dazzling set by 11-year-old violinist
Season 2006 - Episode 16 - Aired 8/8/2006
Violinist Sirena Huang gives a technically brilliant and emotionally nuanced performance. In a charming interlude, the 11-year-old praises the timeless design of her instrument.
#13 - Jennifer Lin - Magical improv from 14-year-old pianist
Season 2006 - Episode 17 - Aired 8/8/2006
Pianist and composer Jennifer Lin gives a magical performance, talks about the process of creativity and improvises a moving solo piece based on a random sequence of notes.
#14 - Ross Lovegrove - The power and beauty of organic design
Season 2006 - Episode 19 - Aired 8/15/2006
Designer Ross Lovegrove expounds his philosophy of "fat-free" design and offers insight into several of his extraordinary products, including the Ty Nant water bottle and the Go chair.
#15 - Barry Schwartz - The paradox of choice
Season 2006 - Episode 30 - Aired 9/26/2006
Psychologist Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central tenet of western societies: freedom of choice. In Schwartz's estimation, choice has made us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more dissatisfied.
#16 - Sasa Vucinic - Why a free press is the best investment
Season 2006 - Episode 37 - Aired 10/18/2006
A free press -- papers, magazines, radio, TV, blogs -- is the backbone of any true democracy (and a vital watchdog on business). Sasa Vucinic, a journalist from Belgrade, talks about his new fund, which supports media by selling "free press bonds."
#17 - Ben Saunders - Three things to know before you ski to the North Pole
Season 2006 - Episode 39 - Aired 10/25/2006
Arctic explorer Ben Saunders recounts his harrowing solo ski trek to the North Pole, complete with engaging anecdotes, gorgeous photos and never-before-seen video.
#18 - Robert Fischell - Finding new cures for migraine, depression, malpractice
Season 2006 - Episode 40 - Aired 10/31/2006
Accepting his 2005 TED Prize, inventor Robert Fischell makes three wishes: redesigning a portable device that treats migraines, finding new cures for clinical depression and reforming the medical malpractice system.
#19 - Bono - Join my call to action on Africa
Season 2006 - Episode 41 - Aired 10/31/2006
Musician and activist Bono accepts the 2005 TED Prize with a riveting talk, arguing that aid to Africa isn't just another celebrity cause; it's a global emergency.
#20 - Edward Burtynsky - Share the story of Earth's manufactured landscapes
Season 2006 - Episode 42 - Aired 10/31/2006
Accepting his 2005 TED Prize, photographer Edward Burtynsky makes a wish: that his images -- stunning landscapes that document humanity's impact on the world -- help persuade millions to join a global conversation on sustainability.
#21 - Peter Donnelly - How juries are fooled by statistics
Season 2006 - Episode 43 - Aired 11/8/2006
Oxford mathematician Peter Donnelly reveals the common mistakes humans make in interpreting statistics -- and the devastating impact these errors can have on the outcome of criminal trials.
#22 - Michael Shermer - Why people believe strange things
Season 2006 - Episode 44 - Aired 11/8/2006
Why do people see the Virgin Mary on a cheese sandwich or hear demonic lyrics in "Stairway to Heaven"? Using video and music, skeptic Michael Shermer shows how we convince ourselves to believe -- and overlook the facts.
#23 - Kevin Kelly - How does technology evolve? Like we did
Season 2006 - Episode 45 - Aired 11/14/2006
Tech enthusiast Kevin Kelly asks "What does technology want?" and discovers that its movement toward ubiquity and complexity is much like the evolution of life.
#24 - Ray Kurzweil - How technology's accelerating power will transform us
Season 2006 - Episode 46 - Aired 11/14/2006
Inventor, entrepreneur and visionary Ray Kurzweil explains in abundant, grounded detail why, by the 2020s, we will have reverse-engineered the human brain and nanobots will be operating your consciousness.
#25 - Peter Gabriel - Fighting injustice with a videocamera
Season 2006 - Episode 47 - Aired 12/6/2006
Musician and activist Peter Gabriel shares his very personal motivation for standing up for human rights with the watchdog group WITNESS -- and tells stories of citizen journalists in action.