Monday, May 23

TED Talk Picks

   Lately I've been watching a lot less television.  Instead I've been
   listening to various podcasts and watching stuff via the internet.  One
   particularly rich source of interesting and instructive content is TED:
   "Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world"
     <http://www.ted.com/pages/about>
   "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. Since then its scope has become ever
   broader."

   Here's a selection of TED talks I've enjoyed watching recently...

   1. "Benjamin Zander on music and passion"
     <http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html>
   "Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and
   helping us all realize our untapped love for it -- and by extension,
   our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new
   connections."
   BTW the piece featured is Chopin's Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28 No. 4.

   2. "Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation"
     <http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html>
   "Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with
   a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional
   rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating
   stories -- and maybe, a way forward."

   3. "Barry Schwartz: Using our practical wisdom"
     <http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_using_our_practical_wisdom.html>
   "In an intimate talk, Barry Schwartz dives into the question 'How do we
   do the right thing?' With help from collaborator Kenneth Sharpe, he
   shares stories that illustrate the difference between following the
   rules and truly choosing wisely."

   4. "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on flow"
     <http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html>
   "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi asks, 'What makes a life worth living?' Noting
   that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and
   lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of 'flow.'"

   5. "Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success"
     <http://www.ted.com/talks/alain_de_botton_a_kinder_gentler_philosophy_of_success.html>
   "Alain de Botton examines our ideas of success and failure -- and
   questions the assumptions underlying these two judgments. Is success
   always earned? Is failure? He makes an eloquent, witty case to move
   beyond snobbery to find true pleasure in our work."

   6. "Dan Gilbert asks, Why are we happy?"
     <http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html>
   "Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, challenges the idea that
   we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want. Our 'psychological
   immune system' lets us feel truly happy even when things don’t go as
   planned."

   7. "Clifford Stoll on ... everything"
     <http://www.ted.com/talks/clifford_stoll_on_everything.html>
   "Clifford Stoll captivates his audience with a wildly energetic
   sprinkling of anecdotes, observations, asides -- and even a science
   experiment. After all, by his own definition, he's a scientist: 'Once I
   do something, I want to do something else.'"