The BEST episodes of TED Talks season 2009
Every episode of TED Talks season 2009, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of TED Talks season 2009!
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. Episode ordering and dates are sourced from YouTube.]
#2 - Elaine Morgan says we evolved from aquatic apes
Season 2009 - Episode 130 - Aired 7/31/2009
Elaine Morgan is a tenacious proponent of the aquatic ape hypothesis: the idea that humans evolved from primate ancestors who dwelt in watery habitats. Hear her spirited defense of the idea -- and her theory on why mainstream science doesn't take it seriously.
#3 - Jonathan Zittrain: The Web as random acts of kindness
Season 2009 - Episode 159 - Aired 9/22/2009
Feeling like the world is becoming less friendly? Social theorist Jonathan Zittrain begs to difffer. The Internet, he suggests, is made up of millions of disinterested acts of kindness, curiosity and trust.
#4 - Willard Wigan: Hold your breath for micro-sculpture
Season 2009 - Episode 131 - Aired 8/4/2009
Willard Wigan tells the story of how a difficult and lonely childhood drove him to discover his unique ability -- to create art so tiny that it can't be seen with the naked eye. His slideshow of figures, as seen through a microscope, can only be described as mind-boggling.
#5 - Michael Pritchard: How to make filthy water drinkable
Season 2009 - Episode 132 - Aired 8/4/2009
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.
#6 - Paul Romer: Why the world needs charter cities
Season 2009 - Episode 133 - Aired 8/5/2009
How can a struggling country break out of poverty if it's trapped in a system of bad rules? Economist Paul Romer unveils a bold idea: "charter cities," city-scale administrative zones governed by a coalition of nations. (Could Guantánamo Bay become the next Hong Kong?)
#7 - Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action
Season 2009 - Episode 134 - Aired 8/6/2009
Janine Benyus has a message for inventors: When solving a design problem, look to nature first. There you'll find inspired designs for making things waterproof, aerodynamic, solar-powered and more. Here she reveals dozens of new products that take their cue from nature with spectacular results.
#8 - Emmanuel Jal: The music of a war child
Season 2009 - Episode 135 - Aired 8/7/2009
For five years, young Emmanuel Jal fought as a child soldier in the Sudan. Rescued by an aid worker, he's become an international hip-hop star and an activist for kids in war zones. In words and lyrics, he tells the story of his amazing life.
#9 - Olafur Eliasson: Playing with space and light
Season 2009 - Episode 136 - Aired 8/7/2009
In the spectacular large-scale projects he's famous for (such as "Waterfalls" in New York harbor), Olafur Eliasson creates art from a palette of space, distance, color and light. This idea-packed talk begins with an experiment in the nature of perception.
#10 - Nina Jablonski breaks the illusion of skin color
Season 2009 - Episode 137 - Aired 8/7/2009
Nina Jablonski says that differing skin colors are simply our bodies' adaptation to varied climates and levels of UV exposure. Charles Darwin disagreed with this theory, but she explains, that's because he did not have access to NASA.
#11 - Joachim de Posada: Don’t eat the marshmallow!
Season 2009 - Episode 139 - Aired 8/10/2009
In this short talk from TED U, Joachim de Posada shares a landmark experiment on delayed gratification -- and how it can predict future success. With priceless video of kids trying their hardest not to eat the marshmallow.
#12 - Eric Giler demos wireless electricity
Season 2009 - Episode 141 - Aired 8/31/2009
Eric Giler wants to untangle our wired lives with cable-free electric power. Here, he covers what this sci-fi tech offers, and demos MIT's breakthrough version, WiTricity -- a near-to-market invention that may soon recharge your cell phone, car, pacemaker.
#13 - Hans Rosling: Let my dataset change your mindset
Season 2009 - Episode 142 - Aired 8/31/2009
Talking at the US State Department this summer, Hans Rosling uses his fascinating data-bubble software to burst myths about the developing world. Look for new analysis on China and the post-bailout world, mixed with classic data shows.
#14 - Natasha Tsakos' multimedia theatrical adventure
Season 2009 - Episode 143 - Aired 8/31/2009
Natasha Tsakos presents part of her one-woman, multimedia show, "Upwake." As the character Zero, she blends dream and reality with an inventive virtual world projected around her in 3D animation and electric sound.
#15 - Josh Silver demos adjustable liquid-filled eyeglasses
Season 2009 - Episode 145 - Aired 9/1/2009
Josh Silver delivers his brilliantly simple solution for correcting vision at the lowest cost possible -- adjustable, liquid-filled lenses. At TEDGlobal 2009, he demos his affordable eyeglasses and reveals his global plan to distribute them to a billion people in need by 2020.
#16 - Geoff Mulgan: Post-crash, investing in a better world
Season 2009 - Episode 146 - Aired 9/2/2009
As we reboot the world's economy, Geoff Mulgan poses a question: Instead of sending bailout money to doomed old industries, why not use stimulus funds to bootstrap some new, socially responsible companies -- and make the world a little bit better?
#17 - Hans Rosling's answers to the TED and Reddit community interview
Season 2009 - Episode 147 - Aired 9/8/2009
Here, Hans Rosling answers the top 10 questions asked and voted on by the TED community through Reddit. See the original blog post here: http://blog.ted.com/2009/09/reddit_and_ted.php And see all the questions here: http://www.reddit.com/comments/9ga2p/ask_hans_rosling_ted_rockstar_and_stats_guru/ Look for similar community interviews in the next weeks!
#18 - Evan Grant: Making sound visible through cymatics
Season 2009 - Episode 148 - Aired 9/9/2009
Evan Grant demonstrates the science and art of cymatics, a process for making soundwaves visible. Useful for analyzing complex sounds (like dolphin calls), it also makes complex and beautiful designs.
#19 - Steve Truglia: A leap from the edge of space
Season 2009 - Episode 149 - Aired 9/9/2009
At his day job, Steve Truglia flips cars, walks through fire and falls out of buildings -- pushing technology to make stunts bigger, safer, more awesome. He talks us through his next stunt: the highest jump ever attempted, from the very edge of space.
#20 - James Balog: Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss
Season 2009 - Episode 150 - Aired 9/9/2009
Photographer James Balog shares new image sequences from the Extreme Ice Survey, a network of time-lapse cameras recording glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change.
#21 - Lewis Pugh swims the North Pole
Season 2009 - Episode 151 - Aired 9/11/2009
Lewis Pugh talks about his record-breaking swim across the North Pole. He braved the icy waters (in a Speedo) to highlight the melting icecap. Watch for astonishing footage -- and some blunt commentary on the realities of supercold-water swims.
#22 - Rebecca Saxe: How we read each other's minds
Season 2009 - Episode 152 - Aired 9/11/2009
Sensing the motives and feelings of others is a natural talent for humans. But how do we do it? Here, Rebecca Saxe shares fascinating lab work that uncovers how the brain thinks about other peoples' thoughts -- and judges their actions.
#23 - Vishal Vaid's hypnotic song
Season 2009 - Episode 153 - Aired 9/11/2009
Vishal Vaid and his band explore a traditional South Asian musical form in this mesmerizing improv performance. Sit back and let his music transport you.
#24 - Misha Glenny investigates global crime networks
Season 2009 - Episode 154 - Aired 9/14/2009
Journalist Misha Glenny spent several years in a courageous investigation of organized crime networks worldwide, which have grown to an estimated 15% of the global economy. From the Russian mafia, to giant drug cartels, his sources include not just intelligence and law enforcement officials but criminal insiders.
#25 - Bjarke Ingels: 3 warp-speed architecture tales
Season 2009 - Episode 155 - Aired 9/15/2009
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels rockets through photo/video-mingled stories of his eco-flashy designs. His buildings not only look like nature -- they act like nature: blocking the wind, collecting solar energy -- and creating stunning views.