Ask HN: What's your favorite TED Talk?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1447418

by biggitybones • 16 years ago

195 87 16 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I've been going through the thread from about a year and a half ago that has a myriad of great TED talks, watching one or two of them every few nights. (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=442022)

I'm starting to run out on that thread, and I'd love to get a good compilation going that includes some from the past 2 conferences.

So, HN - what are you favorite TED talks? I'll get it started with these: Sir Ken's Robinson's talk on nurturing creativity in education (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html) and Inspiring Action through leadership (http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html)

mikecane• 16 years ago

Gary Flake: is Pivot a turning point for web exploration? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT_x9s67yWA

Because it illustrates why metadata is important, necessary, and its power.

samdk• 16 years ago

I don't know if they're my favorite, but Rory Sutherland's two are excellent, and I think well worth watching especially if you ever think you might be trying to sell something to someone.

Life lessons from an ad man: (http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_a...)

Sweat the small stuff: (http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_sweat_the_small_stu...)

RyanMcGreal• 16 years ago

It seems to me that the word for the fourth quadrant in his latter talk is: "hacking".

grandalf• 16 years ago

I like Mark Roth's talk on suspended animation.

trickjarrett• 16 years ago

For those who want to see it: http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_roth_suspended_animation.html

bmac• 16 years ago

The intelligence of crows has always been my favorite. Joshua Klein talks about a cleaver way to create a mutually beneficial relationship with a species usually considered to be a pest.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intel...

cmelbye• 16 years ago

Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke...

A neuroscientist that suffered from a stroke talked about the experience and the interesting conclusion that came from it.

biggitybones• 16 years ago

I just watched this one a few days ago... probably one of the best TED talks I've seen. It's amazing the way she could remember and understand what she was going through and explain it as she does in this talk.

barmstrong• 16 years ago

This is one of those talks you either love or hate. I was surprised to see it was one of the highest rated TED talks (on another site) because for some reason I found it rather irritating.

hegemonicon• 16 years ago

What I find irritating is that a neuroscientist would be so easily drawn into mysterious, magical thinking about what was going on in her head.

Of course, I suppose I might see things differently if a blood clot turned half of my brain off for a while.

Oxryly• 16 years ago

She's actually describing the archetypal enlightenment experience that many world religions (Buddhism in particular) attempt to convey.

As such trying to put the experience into words is going to be unsatisfying and even absurd. It's vaguely akin to describing the taste of a hamburger to someone who's never eaten beef or bread (or pickles, cheese, etc...). Words cannot suffice.

nirmal• 16 years ago

Matthieu Ricard - Habits of Happiness http://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_ha...

"What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard says we can train our minds in habits of well-being, to generate a true sense of serenity and fulfillment."

adriand• 16 years ago

The only TED talk that has ever brought tears to my eyes - Jamie Oliver's: http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html

bdickason• 16 years ago

I love Jamie Oliver and highly recommend his show Food Revolution. It's 100x more moving than his talk.

(just tried to find it on Hulu and it's not there, wish I could provide a DL)

covercash2• 16 years ago

It's on ABC's website:

http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution

Radix• 16 years ago

Wow, that's a very good talk. He's a bit of a bleeding heart, but in such a way, that it's clear to me he couldn't be as effective as he is if he wasn't. There is also a lot of implication on what makes a good talk here. Thanks.

RevRal2• 16 years ago

Paul Stamets on 6 ways mushrooms can save the world: http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_ca...

This talk is not about hallucinogenic mushrooms. It really opened my eyes to the awesome potential of fungi, and how this potential is largely ignored because of the connotation to "hippy" and "drugs." Fungi is just generally misunderstood. I was absolutely amazed at how thorough these clean-up jobs were, at how well the fungi consumed, not only the waste, but the toxins in the waste.

Stamets recently wrote his fungi take to cleaning oil spills: http://www.fungi.com/mycotech/petroleum_problem.html

itistoday• 16 years ago

It's too bad he didn't discuss as well the potentials of hallucinogenic mushrooms, but thank you for this fascinating link! I suppose that would have taken an entire talk of its own though.

marknutter• 16 years ago

I have to concur in a comment here because this TED talk was so mind blowing for me I feel I need to write down my opinions about it somewhere. The way this guy talks about mushrooms is extremely earnest and its clear he's both incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about his field. It's almost as though he can't get the information out of his mouth and into the crowd fast enough, and what's more is that he speaks like he has discovered and is revealing for the first time the world's most incredible secrets - which in a way he is. It's not over dramatic, just genuine and awesome. Watch this video!

klous• 16 years ago

Results of and a link to Google spreadsheet of TED talks in order of "engagement". http://blog.postrank.com/2010/05/and-the-most-engaging-ted-t...

seancron• 16 years ago

The code that was used to create the spreadsheet: http://gist.github.com/391312

jerf• 16 years ago

Mike Rowe celebrates dirty jobs: http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_rowe_celebrates_dirty_jobs.htm...

A surprisingly powerful ode to people who just do the work. Our jobs may not be dirty but the lessons are still interesting and applicable; connecting to startups isn't that hard.

I like many of the other linked talks too, but as of my writing this one was not posted.

masterj• 16 years ago

That was fantastic, and I don't think I would have ever come across it otherwise.

Thank you.

ju2tin2• 16 years ago

I didn't like it. Rowe has a disingenuously self-deprecating speaking style, where he says again and again how much he "got wrong", but the subtext is how smart he is for realizing certain things that the rest of us supposedly haven't. And his big insight is that for every Steve Jobs, we need a bunch of workers to actually build the iPods? Wow, golly.

I also hate the verbal tic he demonstrates, which is becoming depressingly common, of saying "right" after every few sentences in a story. For example: "I was working on a crab boat, right? And this big wave comes over the side, right?" Etc. It's a lazy way of trying to psychologically condition the audience into agreeing with you without actually doing the hard rhetorical work of convincing them. Drives me nuts.

ajtaylor• 16 years ago

That was a fabulous talk! Today there are far too many people (myself sometimes included) who think that some jobs are "beneath" them. Maybe the are, but someone still has to do them.

Hats off to all the folks out there who do dirty jobs!

malbiniak• 16 years ago

This talk can't be watched enough. I introduced it to a number of my past professors who are still using it in their undergrad and grad classes.

clayrab• 16 years ago

There are a couple the deal with choice and happiness that I found very enlightening. Matthieu Ricard's may be one of them, and was already mentioned. There is at least one other and maybe more on that general subject though.

joejohnson• 16 years ago

http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_...

Kevin Kelly on the next 5,000 days of the web

linhir• 16 years ago

I really like Sherwin Nuland's talk on electroshock therapy: http://www.ted.com/talks/sherwin_nuland_on_electroshock_ther...

I've never seen anyone write about this talk, but it is intensely personal story of his depression and recovery through electroshock therapy.

mgrouchy• 16 years ago

My Favorite Ted Talk is Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation. http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html

jbellis2• 16 years ago

It's a good talk, but if you go read the research he's citing, he took a great deal of liberties. :-|

Maven911• 16 years ago

Where can I find the research and the liberties he used?

I really liked the RSA drawed-up version of the talk, and I thought it was based on real hard science..

slillibri• 16 years ago

Personally, my favorite TED talk is David Eggers' TED wish http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_eggers_makes_his_ted_prize_wis...

gkoberger• 16 years ago

Easily my favorite is Dean Kamen's "The emotion behind invention." He has at least two TED talks, this is his longer, more complete one.

http://blog.ted.com/2010/04/the_emotion_beh.php

rje• 16 years ago

I've always found the talk "Adam Savage's Obsessions" to be inspiring. His eye for detail and relentless obsession for getting things right are contagious.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/adam_savage_s_obsessions....

trafficlight• 16 years ago

For me, it's a toss up between Adam's talk and Mike Rowe's talk.

The best part about Adam is his amazing energy and enthusiasm for everything he does.

plinkplonk• 16 years ago

http://www.ted.com/talks/vilayanur_ramachandran_on_your_mind... ("Vilayanur Ramachandran tells us what brain damage can reveal about the connection between celebral tissue and the mind, using three startling delusions as examples. .. Dr Ramachandran is the author of the author of Phantoms in the Brain (the basis for a Nova special), A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness and The Man with the Phantom Twin: Adventures in the Neuroscience of the Human Brain")

Very hacker like, brilliant, work.

chroma• 16 years ago

This is also my favorite TED talk. Ramachandran has come up with some clever ways to study and heal the brain. His mirror box therapy is not only simple and effective, but his prerequisite theory was accurate yet initially based on a tiny amount of evidence.

Here's a short talk by Ramachandran on mirror neurons: http://www.ted.com/talks/vs_ramachandran_the_neurons_that_sh...

tunaslut• 16 years ago

The mirror neurons talk is awesome - I saw it several months ago - thanks for reminding me about it!

avinashv• 16 years ago

I highly recommend reading his book Phantoms in the Brain. Fascinating and approachable introduction to the kind of neuroscience--some of the talk's examples come from this book--that he talks about.

dgulledge• 16 years ago

There are a lot of good ones, but my favorite is still Erin McKean's talk about dictionaries:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/erin_mckean_redefines_the_...

mikeleeorg• 16 years ago

Great question. It's tough for me to single out just one favorite, though this one has had a large impact on me. It's from Dan Buettner on his study of Blue Zones and why inhabitants regularly live long lives:

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_buettner_how_to_live_to_be_100....

This talk from Robert Full also had an impact, because it reminded me to look at unrelated fields for inspiration & solutions, like as the field of biology:

http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_full_learning_from_the_gecko...

On a side note, an exercise I've had fun doing with friends lately is to ask them who among our own social circles we would like to see speak, if we held our own TED talk. And what topics we would like to speak about ourselves. It has spurned a lot of interesting discussions amongst ourselves.

davidedicillo• 16 years ago

Derek Sivers: Weird, or just different http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_differen...

I just think this is the way we should look at the world

ojbyrne2• 16 years ago

Clifford Stoll is mine.

Dav3xor• 16 years ago

"And then there's this thing! ... but I don't want to talk about that today..."

ojbyrne2• 16 years ago

"Those of you who are physicists, I hear you rolling your eyes..."

transatlantic• 16 years ago

Ben Dunlap talks about a passionate life: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ben_dunlap_talks_about_a_...

"This is what I'm passionate about. It is precisely this. It is this inextinguishable, undaunted appetite for learning and experience, no matter how risible, no matter how esoteric, no matter how seditious it might seem."

allend• 16 years ago

Brian Cox http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdwOlk6HIVc&feature=playe...

Anon84• 16 years ago

Hans Rosling with the best stats you've ever seen:

http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_y...

carbon8• 16 years ago

My most recent favorite:

Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors: http://www.ted.com/talks/itay_talgam_lead_like_the_great_con...

irons• 16 years ago

I enjoyed Daniel Kahneman on "The riddle of experience vs memory", which is about the ways people structure their lives for experiences they think they will enjoy remembering, rather than things they'd necessarily enjoy doing at the time. There's also a good anecdote about how making a colonoscopy slightly more unpleasant cam leave the patient with a more favorable recollection.

http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_riddle_of_exper...

dave_lo• 16 years ago

Always liked Thomas Barnett's talk on the Pentagon's new map for peace. Interesting ideas. Delivers with some humor.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/thomas_barnett_draws_a_new...

dimarco• 16 years ago

That was great, thanks.

Asides from being very funny, I have never heard of a force like the two-sided, Leviathian / SysAdmin one that he describes.

Attributing some of the failure in Iraq, namely the persistent Leviathian force and the non-existant SysAdmin force is very compelling, to say the least.

tessro• 16 years ago

Larry Lessig on laws that choke creativity:

http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strang...

metamemetics• 16 years ago

Hands down the all time best, Richard Dawkins on our "queer" universe:

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_dawkins_on_our_queer_univer...

Aubrey de Grey on aging is also pretty good:

http://www.ted.com/talks/aubrey_de_grey_says_we_can_avoid_ag...

mgh22• 16 years ago

Fascinating, this post acts as an aggregator for the best TED talks from the point of view of my favorite community of intelectuals: hackernews =)

xiaoma• 16 years ago

I enjoyed all three of Juan Enriquez's talks, Kevin Kelly on how technology evolves and Ray Kurzweil on how technology will transform us. Together, those 5 talks greatly changed the way I view the world.

http://www.ted.com/talks/juan_enriquez_wants_to_grow_energy.... http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_how_technology_evolv... http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ray_kurzweil_on_how_techno...

defdac• 16 years ago

Sheila Patek on the fastest animal on Earth. One thing a particularily like about this talk is that it seems she doesn't realize how captivating she is: http://www.ted.com/talks/sheila_patek_clocks_the_fastest_ani...

mzl• 16 years ago

I really like Elisabeth Pisani's talk on HIV prevention and rationality. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=442022

OoTheNigerian• 16 years ago

My best is The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Adichie.

She was able to articulate the feeling that stereotyped people have. Unfortunately, we are all guilty in some way knowingly or unknowingly. It is a must watch.

http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_...

pathik• 16 years ago

I have liked many of the TED talks, can't point out a single favorite.

This is one I saw recently - It's good. And quite relevant to entrepreneurs - http://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_herold_let_s_raise_kids_to_...

scotty79• 16 years ago

I like talks by scientists who talk about their jobs. This one is especially captivating for me:

http://www.ted.com/talks/rebecca_saxe_how_brains_make_moral_...

I also like answers to questions after this talk.

Emouri• 16 years ago

Daniel Gilbert asks, Why are we happy? in this TED talk. http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.h...

He also did a great interview on the Colbert Report that never fails to crack me up.

getonit• 16 years ago

Dan Gilbert on happiness - it changed my life.

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.h...

brianwillis• 16 years ago

Liz Gilbert's talk on Creative Genius (http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html) is really underrated. Not only does it cover a fascinating subject, it's also a beautifully done speech. Gilbert skims across the surface of many subjects, and in the final few minutes ties it all together into one cohesive whole. Poignant, thoughtful, and entertaining - as all speeches should aspire to be.

ugh• 16 years ago

Carolyn Porco about the Cassini–Huygens mission to Saturn: http://www.ted.com/talks/carolyn_porco_flies_us_to_saturn.ht...

Really passionate.

convel• 16 years ago

this one indeed http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/663

blahpro• 16 years ago

My favourite is probably Barry Schwartz on the paradox of choice: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/barry_schwartz_on_the_para...

nrbafna2• 16 years ago

Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology.Pranav Mistry demos several tools that help the physical world interact with the world of data -- including a deep look at his SixthSense device and a new, paradigm-shifting paper "laptop." In an onstage Q&A, Mistry says he'll open-source the software behind SixthSense, to open its possibilities to all. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/pranav_mistry_the_thrillin...

RevRal2• 16 years ago

SixthSense is the most promising system of augmenting reality I have seen.

covercash2• 16 years ago

I used to keep a txt file of my favorite TED Talks. A while ago my mom was having issues with iWeb so I used my TED list as test content in order to trouble shoot. It's just links with some notes about why I liked it or what made it memorable for me but I still reference it every now and then when I'm in need of inspiration.

http://chrisovercash.com

jedc• 16 years ago

I can't believe no one has mentioned Ken Robinson's talk yet!

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_...

Brilliant (and funny) talk about how schools suck the creativity out of students, but also how this doesn't have to be the case. My favorite TED Talk of all time.

iamdave• 16 years ago

I'll second this, wholeheartedly.

nrbafna2• 16 years ago

Well. The author had mentioned it himself.

wowik• 16 years ago

Benjamin Zander on classical music and shining eyes :) http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_...

And a rather controversial but spectacular idea by Wubbo Ockels on time as a creation of human mind as a response to gravity http://www.tedxamsterdam.com/2009/video-wubbo-ockels-on-time...

Sukotto• 16 years ago

I liked (in the order they show up in my del.icio.us stream):

* Dan Buettner How to live to be 100 http://blog.ted.com/2010/01/how_to_live_to.php

* Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html

* Kamal Meattle on how to grow fresh air http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/kamal_meattle_on_how_to_g...

* Ian Dunbar on dog-friendly dog training http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ian_dunbar_on_dog_friendl...

* Mark Bittman on what's wrong with what we eat http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wr...

* Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_be...

* Sugata Mitra shows how kids teach themselves http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_ki...

* Alan Russell on regenerating our bodies http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/alan_russell_on_regenerat...

* Robert Lang folds way-new origami http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new...

* John Maeda: Simplicity patterns http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/172/

Somehow I never bookmarked

* Dan Gilbert's talks http://www.ted.com/speakers/dan_gilbert.html

* Dan Ariely's talks http://www.ted.com/speakers/dan_ariely.html

Which I've now remedied

There was also one about regenerating local ecosystems that I somehow can't seem to find right now.

mgh22• 16 years ago

My favorite one is definitely Simon Sinek's talk on 'How great leaders inspire action'.

If you want to see a collection of inspiring videos on social entrepreneurship you can visit this site:

http://trendguardian.blogspot.com/search/label/Social%20Entr...

dnsworks• 16 years ago

Erin Mckean speaking about the dictionary http://www.ted.com/talks/erin_mckean_redefines_the_dictionar... .. watching Erin make the dictionary seem so excited and passionate about something I had never quite considered, that helped pulled me out of a deep funk and get excited about problems I was solving again.

Miru Kim speaking about her Urban Exploration Photograpy: http://blog.ted.com/2009/02/making_art_of_n.php

skotzko• 16 years ago

Ben Zander (conductor of the Boston Philharmonic) gives an amazing presentation on "Music and Passion." It is my favorite TED talk besides Simon Sinek's, which you mentioned.

http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passio...

Ask HN: What's your favorite TED Talk?

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