As it says in my header, unless I change it, I am a frequent viewer and a big fan of the TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Conference website. Their motto is “Ideas worth spreading” and I tend to agree with their judgement on that point.

The basic idea is that interesting people from various fields are invited to speak for…well, I used to think it was 19 minutes, but I’ve seen some variation. So they are all fairly short-format talks, which is easy to forget when they are BLOWING YOUR MIND with a new concept that is about to change the world.

Disregard the opening music on their clips; it has always been obnoxiously loud but has mellowed recently.

Some topics covered at TED that spring to my mind:

• Industrial design that seeks to replicate clever ideas in nature, like gecko feet
• A large format computer display which allows two-handed manipulation of objects without an input device in the way (yes, this is Microsoft’s Surface, and yes, it’s obsolete now…see the new talks)
• A discussion about the intellectual concepts that may be represented by juggling
• Why muscle tissue doesn’t develop malignant cancer and how to exploit that property
• How the economy in third-world nations can be influenced by microloans from individuals

 Watching TED presentations regularly tends to change your perceptions of regular news; a year after someone presents an idea at TED I often hear reports about this “interesting new development” which is the result of investment and expansion of that person’s idea.

Check them out and enjoy. Let me know what your favorite talk is.