
Ask HN: What's your favorite TED Talk? - biggitybones
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)<p>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.<p>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)
======
RevRal
Paul Stamets on 6 ways mushrooms can save the world:
[http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_ca...](http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html)

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>

~~~
marknutter
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!

------
jerf
Mike Rowe celebrates dirty jobs:
[http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_rowe_celebrates_dirty_jobs.htm...](http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_rowe_celebrates_dirty_jobs.html)

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

Thank you.

~~~
ju2tin
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.

~~~
jamesbritt
Wow. I'm almost done watching iti right now, and didn't catch him saying
'right?' at all; maybe it happens in the earlier part, but in the last few
minutes, none at all. If he's saying it, I hardly think it's meant as some
subtle pysch trick.

Nor did I get the feeling that his claims of being wrong was in any way
disingenuous. At worst it's a ploy to structure his talk.

Every TED talk works off the assumption that the speaker has some insight
worth sharing with the audience, presumably non-obvious or non-trivial
realizations, so _of course_ he's going to try say something worth thinking
about. There's nothing subtext about it; it's the whole point of being on
stage.

My takeaway was not simply "for every Steve Jobs, we need a bunch of workers
to actually build the iPods", but that there are a lot of seemingly oddball
jobs done by happy people who did not bother to "follow their bliss", that
conventional wisdom on what work might make you happy or how work should be
approached might very well be wrong, and that plain old labor should not be
looked down on.

~~~
ju2tin
I thought the notion that plain old labor can be a more fulfilling path than
following your dreams was a tacked-on message designed to help him wrap up his
talk. But in fact, it's a naive, perhaps even willfully misleading suggestion.

The examples Rowe used to back up this idea were unlikely mavericks who
managed to turn undesirable or unremarkable jobs into fantastically successful
businesses. Those people are just as rare, if not more so, as those who find
success by "following their dreams".

Ordinary workers aren't millionaire entrepreneurs; they're janitors, or sewer
workers, or Foxconn assembly line drones. Yet that's what "real work" looks
like. And I notice Rowe isn't quitting his job as a TV show personality in
favor of joining the road crews who "whistle while they work."

The best thing I can say about Rowe is that he ranks up there with Malcolm
Gladwell in his ability to throw around a bunch of unrelated contentions and
anecdotes and pretend to tie them all together with a facile and
unsubstantiated thesis.

~~~
alex_c
>The best thing I can say about Rowe is that he ranks up there with Malcolm
Gladwell in his ability to throw around a bunch of unrelated contentions and
anecdotes and pretend to tie them all together with a facile and
unsubstantiated thesis.

I think that's unfair to Rowe. He seems quite genuinely to believe two things:

1) The manual and/or menial labor required to keep society working is unfairly
maligned, and this can become a problem if no one is willing to do it because
it's not respected,

and

2) During his show he has met people who are perfectly happy doing these jobs,
so it IS entirely possible to be happy doing them.

I agree that the message felt a bit tacked on in that talk, but it is genuine.
He seems to be dedicating himself to spreading that message (see
<http://www.mikeroweworks.com/>) - I think he tried to pick the most
interesting examples he could find for this talk, which turned out to be
atypical, but most of the people he meets on his show are far from millionaire
entrepreneurs.

I say it's unfair to Rowe because Malcolm Gladwell's theses are more pop
science for entertainment. I don't think Rowe ever claims any kind of
scientific method or results - he is more campaigning for his beliefs and
trying to cause what he sees as necessary change in society.

------
Anon84
Hans Rosling with the best stats you've ever seen:

[http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_y...](http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html)

------
cmelbye
Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight
[http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke...](http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html)

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

~~~
barmstrong
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
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.

~~~
andrewl
It seems likely that most people would see things differently were they to
have her experience. I like the talk, but I understand why some people do not.
But I would not say she was "so easily" drawn into mysterious or magical
thinking. She was drawn into it by a massive, life-changing medical event that
attacked and damaged the organ which creates her mind. I think she's using the
only words, metaphors, and ideas she has available to describe what is
probably indescribable at base.

------
plinkplonk
[http://www.ted.com/talks/vilayanur_ramachandran_on_your_mind...](http://www.ted.com/talks/vilayanur_ramachandran_on_your_mind.html)
("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
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...](http://www.ted.com/talks/vs_ramachandran_the_neurons_that_shaped_civilization.html)

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

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

[http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_...](http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html)

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.

~~~
nrbafna
Well. The author had mentioned it himself.

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

~~~
bdickason
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)

~~~
covercash
It's on ABC's website:

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

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

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

~~~
Maven911
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..

~~~
jbellis
scholar.google, search for the authors names he cites

------
samdk
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...](http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man.html))

Sweat the small stuff:
([http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_sweat_the_small_stu...](http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_sweat_the_small_stuff.html))

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

------
mikeleeorg
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....](http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_buettner_how_to_live_to_be_100.html)

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...](http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_full_learning_from_the_gecko_s_tail.html)

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.

------
irons
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...](http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_riddle_of_experience_vs_memory.html)

------
brianwillis
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.

------
bmac
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...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html)

------
prosa
Larry Lessig on laws that choke creativity:

[http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strang...](http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strangling_creativity.html)

------
Sukotto
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...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/kamal_meattle_on_how_to_grow_your_own_fresh_air.html)

* Ian Dunbar on dog-friendly dog training [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ian_dunbar_on_dog_friendl...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ian_dunbar_on_dog_friendly_dog_training.html)

* Mark Bittman on what's wrong with what we eat [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wr...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html)

* Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_be...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html)

* Sugata Mitra shows how kids teach themselves [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_ki...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves.html)

* Alan Russell on regenerating our bodies [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/alan_russell_on_regenerat...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/alan_russell_on_regenerating_our_bodies.html)

* Robert Lang folds way-new origami [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new_origami.html)

* 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.

------
OoTheNigerian
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_...](http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html)

------
defdac
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...](http://www.ted.com/talks/sheila_patek_clocks_the_fastest_animals.html)

------
dave_lo
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...](http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/thomas_barnett_draws_a_new_map_for_peace.html)

~~~
dimarco
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.

------
linhir
I really like Sherwin Nuland's talk on electroshock therapy:
[http://www.ted.com/talks/sherwin_nuland_on_electroshock_ther...](http://www.ted.com/talks/sherwin_nuland_on_electroshock_therapy.html)

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

------
nrbafna
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...](http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html)

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

------
pathik
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_...](http://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_herold_let_s_raise_kids_to_be_entrepreneurs.html)

------
rje
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....](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/adam_savage_s_obsessions.html)

~~~
trafficlight
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.

------
klous
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...](http://blog.postrank.com/2010/05/and-the-most-engaging-ted-talk-is/)

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

------
mikecane
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.

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

[http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_dawkins_on_our_queer_univer...](http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_dawkins_on_our_queer_universe.html)

Aubrey de Grey on aging is also pretty good:

[http://www.ted.com/talks/aubrey_de_grey_says_we_can_avoid_ag...](http://www.ted.com/talks/aubrey_de_grey_says_we_can_avoid_aging.html)

------
xiaoma
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/juan_enriquez_wants_to_grow_energy.html)
[http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_how_technology_evolv...](http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_how_technology_evolves.html)
[http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ray_kurzweil_on_how_techno...](http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ray_kurzweil_on_how_technology_will_transform_us.html)

------
blahpro
My favourite is probably Barry Schwartz on the paradox of choice:
[http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/barry_schwartz_on_the_para...](http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html)

------
davidedicillo
Derek Sivers: Weird, or just different
[http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_differen...](http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_different.html)

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

------
wowik
Benjamin Zander on classical music and shining eyes :)
[http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html)

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...](http://www.tedxamsterdam.com/2009/video-wubbo-ockels-on-time-and-
gravity/)

------
allend
Brian Cox
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdwOlk6HIVc&feature=playe...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdwOlk6HIVc&feature=player_embedded)

------
mgh2
Fascinating, this post acts as an aggregator for the best TED talks from the
point of view of my favorite community of intelectuals: hackernews =)

------
covercash
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>

------
Emouri
Daniel Gilbert asks, Why are we happy? in this TED talk.
[http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.h...](http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html)

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

------
joejohnson
[http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_...](http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html)

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

------
transatlantic
Ben Dunlap talks about a passionate life:
[http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ben_dunlap_talks_about_a_...](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ben_dunlap_talks_about_a_passionate_life.html)

"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."

------
nirmal
Matthieu Ricard - Habits of Happiness
[http://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_ha...](http://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_happiness.html)

"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."

------
mgh2
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...](http://trendguardian.blogspot.com/search/label/Social%20Entrepreneurship)

------
skotzko
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...](http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html)

------
ojbyrne
Clifford Stoll is mine.

~~~
Dav3xor
"And then there's this thing! ... but I don't want to talk about that
today..."

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

------
scotty79
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_...](http://www.ted.com/talks/rebecca_saxe_how_brains_make_moral_judgments.html)

I also like answers to questions after this talk.

------
dgulledge
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_...](http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/erin_mckean_redefines_the_dictionary.html)

------
gkoberger
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>

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slillibri
Personally, my favorite TED talk is David Eggers' TED wish
[http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_eggers_makes_his_ted_prize_wis...](http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_eggers_makes_his_ted_prize_wish_once_upon_a_school.html)

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clayrab
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.

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carbon8
My most recent favorite:

Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors:
[http://www.ted.com/talks/itay_talgam_lead_like_the_great_con...](http://www.ted.com/talks/itay_talgam_lead_like_the_great_conductors.html)

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ugh
Carolyn Porco about the Cassini–Huygens mission to Saturn:
[http://www.ted.com/talks/carolyn_porco_flies_us_to_saturn.ht...](http://www.ted.com/talks/carolyn_porco_flies_us_to_saturn.html)

Really passionate.

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

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grandalf
I like Mark Roth's talk on suspended animation.

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

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

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dnsworks
Erin Mckean speaking about the dictionary
[http://www.ted.com/talks/erin_mckean_redefines_the_dictionar...](http://www.ted.com/talks/erin_mckean_redefines_the_dictionary.html)
.. 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>

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getonit
Dan Gilbert on happiness - it changed my life.

[http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.h...](http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html)

