TED and TEDx (1 Viewer)

[FlavioJuve]

I am not sure where to open this thread, but I was wondering if any others of you are as enthousiastic about TED and TEDx events and talks as me.

My favourite talks are these:
http://www.ted.com/talks/george_smoot_on_the_design_of_the_universe.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_hodgman_s_brief_digression.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/shea_hembrey_how_i_became_100_artists.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_tammet_different_ways_of_knowing.html

If there was already a thread, or it is in the wrong part of the forum please forward!

 

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[acmilan]

Imagine my surprise at finding this thread in the first place ... and then my lack of surprise in the lack of replies in it

here is some magic (not really, just simple science) for any "spooky action at a distance" aficionados out there

http://www.ted.com/talks/boaz_almog_levitates_a_superconductor.html

 

[Martin]

@swag is making sure this thread stays buried

TEDx

 

[Raz]

swag why you not like TED?

 

[icemaη]

According to swag, TED is like the infographics in video.

 

[Kate]

According to swag, TED is like the infographics in video.

I can't stand the things.

 

[JCK]

I am totally with swag on this, TED and infographics are just

 

[swag]

swag why you not like TED?

TED/TEDx is infographics set to video. It's the idea that people want to be entertained more than informed, and there's a false portrayal that their presentation slight-of-hand actually has made you more informed than the minuscule level you actually are.

Then there's the worse criticisms, where I agree with the likes of Nassim Nicholas Taleb who ripped them a new one -- calling them a stage for self-congratulating, faux intellectuals to make scientists dance for their amusement like trained monkeys.

 

[JuveJay]

They made a sequel already?

 

[Martin]

Btw @swag the non-English TEDx's are not all as cringeworthy and lame as TED itself, some are nice.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Gotta disagree with you swag. I find some quite informative.

 

[swag]

Gotta disagree with you swag. I find some quite informative.

Like infographics, that's the human perception of being informed when you really haven't been. Quiz yourself afterwards on anything practical, and you've learned jack compared to what you'd get out of a 20-minute college lecture.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Like infographics, that's the human perception of being informed. Quiz yourself afterwards on anything practical, and you've learned jack compared to what you'd get out of a 20-minute college lecture.

I'll do it next time

 

[swag]

Btw @swag the non-English TEDx's are not all as cringeworthy and lame as TED itself, some are nice.

Maybe because the non-English TEDders tend not to be the self-congratulating sort who charge $3000 for conference attendance to support the self-delusion that they're elites and "oh, what a smart boy am I".

 

[FlavioJuve]

I believe most TED talks are not about learning something but to inspire and to create some sort of awareness. Some are even funny.
It depends mostly on who does the talk.

I have no experience with info graphics (at least I think)

 

[Ford Prefect]

Like infographics, that's the human perception of being informed when you really haven't been. Quiz yourself afterwards on anything practical, and you've learned jack compared to what you'd get out of a 20-minute college lecture.

I find them useful as an abstract to a topic I might enjoy further research in, but a lot of it is shite.

Did you hate ben goldacres ted talk?