TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, is an annual forum event held with many influential speakers talking about the central theme of "ideas worth spreading". Each speaker has about 18 minutes to give his talk and present it in the most captivating way possible. Most of the talks center on universal human concerns and what we can do moving forward. Such a gathering of enlightened people definitely brings inspiration to anyone willing to spare a few minutes to watch and listen.
The videos shown below are among the most watched clips of TED in YouTube, which definitely says something about their appeal - both on the content of the talk itself, and the persona of the speaker.
1. Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
How can a noted and respected British author and educator bring up the idea that schools may be the very reason for inhibiting our natural creative talent? Could it be that the very institution which is supposed to educate us is instead preventing the full realization of our mind's potential?
I, for one, agree with Sir Ken Robinson. As mentioned in a previous post, my 3rd grade art teacher sort of quashed my artistic self-esteem at a very young age. It is also quite evident in school that subjects such as art and music are relegated to the sidelines. You see, our current educational system is still patterned over what was adopted for the Industrial Revolution, where the sciences are heavily favored over the arts to accommodate the surge in factories and mechanical work during that era. Up until today, society still does not provide any incentive, financial in particular, to those taking arts as a career. In fact, Vincent van Gogh was not able to sell any of his artwork during his lifetime.
Do you also think it's time to change our educational approach to creativity?
2. Daniel Pink: The surprising science of motivation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y
"There is a great difference between what science knows, and what business does." Daniel Pink, an American author and journalist who has written books regarding the changing workplace, tries to reverse our commonly accepted notion on work incentives. Despite the popular belief that bonuses, commissions, and what have you make employees work harder to produce better results, unfortunately, it doesn't make them work smarter. This is at least true for the more complex tasks at hand. Incentives actually narrow a person's line of thinking which is not exactly its desired outcome.
Given this knowledge, businesses nowadays have to think of new ways to get their employees up and running.
3. David Blaine: How I held my breath for 17 min
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFnGhrC_3Gs
Who doesn't know David Blaine? Street magician, illusionist, and performance artist extraordinaire. He has been buried alive, frozen in a block of ice, stood atop a 100-foot pillar, and sealed in a hanging glass cage - all acts requiring a number of days to be completed. He is our generation's Houdini. And in some ways, the man has already eclipsed his hero.
Yet, maybe his greatest achievement to date didn't take days to finish, it only took minutes. 17 minutes to be exact. Imagine holding your breath for that amount of time. I can't even think of holding mine for a minute.
This actually became a world record back then but it has since been broken. Nevertheless, we should all still applaud the man, who behind his nonchalant exterior, continues to push the boundaries of human performance forward.
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