TED talks you may have missed
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. TED is an annual conference that started in 1984 to unite the opinion leader of these fields and has expanded to numerous TEDx talks, spun off around the nation. The caliber of the speakers is what distinguishes this conference from others. In the past, speakers have included: Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, Stephen Hawking, and Bono, as well as the founders of companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Virgin.
While these individuals have a variety of interests, they have all made a significant impact in their respective fields. Many of the speakers have utilized their fame or success to fund and pursue humanitarian projects. This is important because by and large, the speakers are invited to TED based on their humanitarian goals, rather than their business successes.
If you are not familiar with the TED talks, here are nine recent talks that will leave you inspired (and believe me, you will want to watch more):
1. “The Curly Fry Conundrum…” presented by Jennifer Golbeck
“Do you like curly fries? Have you Liked them on Facebook? Watch this talk to find out the surprising things Facebook (and others) can guess about you from your random Likes and Shares. Computer scientist Jennifer Golbeck explains how this came about, how some applications of the technology are not so cute — and why she thinks we should return the control of information to its rightful owners.”
2. “The Strangeness of Scale at Twitter” presented by Del Harvey
“When hundreds of thousands of Tweets are fired every second, a one-in-a-million chance — including unlikely sounding scenarios that could harm users — happens about 500 times a day. For Del Harvey, who heads Twitter’s Trust and Safety Team, these odds aren’t good. The security maven spends her days thinking about how to prevent worst-case scenarios while giving voice to people around the globe. With deadpan humor, she offers a window into how she keeps 240 million users safe.”
3. “Where’s Google Going Next?” presented by Larry Page
“Onstage at TED2014, Charlie Rose interviews Google CEO Larry Page about his far-off vision for the company. It includes aerial bikeways and internet balloons … and then it gets even more interesting, as Page talks through the company’s recent acquisition of Deep Mind, an AI that is learning some surprising things.”
4. “My Wish: To Launch a New Era of Openness in Business” by Charmian Gooch
“Anonymous companies protect corrupt individuals – from notorious drug cartel leaders to nefarious arms dealers – behind a shroud of mystery that makes it almost impossible to find and hold them responsible. But anti-corruption activist Charmian Gooch hopes to change all that. At TED2014, she shares her brave TED Prize wish: to know who owns and controls companies, to change the law, and to launch a new era of openness in business.”
5. “You Don’t Need an App for That” presented by Toby Shapshak
“Are the simplest phones the smartest? While the rest of the world is updating statuses and playing games on smartphones, Africa is developing useful SMS-based solutions to everyday needs, says journalist Toby Shapshak. In this eye-opening talk, Shapshak explores the frontiers of mobile invention in Africa as he asks us to reconsider our preconceived notions of innovation.”
6. “How Data Will Transform Business” presented by Philip Evans
“What does the future of business look like? In an informative talk, Philip Evans gives a quick primer on two long-standing theories in strategy — and explains why he thinks they are essentially invalid.”
7. “Could Future Devices Read Images from Our Brains?” by Mary Lou Jepsen
“As an expert on cutting-edge digital displays, Mary Lou Jepsen studies how to show our most creative ideas on screens. And as a brain surgery patient herself, she is driven to know more about the neural activity that underlies invention, creativity, thought. She meshes these two passions in a rather mind-blowing talk on two cutting-edge brain studies that might point to a new frontier in understanding how (and what) we think.”
8. “The 3 Agencies with the Power to Make or Break Economies” by Annette Heuser
“The way we rate national economies is all wrong, says rating agency reformer Annette Heuser. With mysterious and obscure methods, three private US-based credit rating agencies wield immense power over national economies across the globe, and the outcomes can be catastrophic. But what if there was another way? In this bold talk, Heuser shares her vision for a nonprofit agency that would bring more equality and justice into the mix.”
9. “What it Takes to be a Great Leader” presented by Roselinde Torres
“There are many leadership programs available today, from 1-day workshops to corporate training programs. But chances are, these won’t really help. In this clear, candid talk, Roselinde Torres describes 25 years observing truly great leaders at work, and shares the three simple but crucial questions would-be company chiefs need to ask to thrive in the future.”
