TED Talks NEWS-Reviews
12 Ridiculous TED Talks We'll Never Forget
 
Nov. 1, 2013, 2:37 PM
Screenshot from YouTube

In the nearly 30 years since TED was founded as an innovative conference, its talks have become incredibly famous and — in some cases — pretty ridiculous.

From the more than 1,500 short lectures on all sorts of quirky and fascinating topics that are available online, you can find experts discussing everything from dancing cockroaches to beatboxing and the science of levitation.

We combed through the TED offerings to find some of the most ridiculous talks out there. Often, they're jaw-dropping, funny, and inspiring. Without a doubt, they're unforgettable.

Neuroscientist Greg Gage experiments on a cockroach leg.
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This is probably one of the weirdest science experiments featured on TED: a severed cockroach leg waving back and forth to the bass notes of rock music. In "The Cockroach Beatbox," a November 2011 talk, Gage uses the insect to demonstrate how brains receive and deliver electrical signals. And don't worry about the leg the cockroach loses — Gage assures us that it'll grow back.

Artist Neil Harbisson describes how he hears, not sees, color.
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Harbisson was born with achromatopsia, a rare visual condition that causes total color blindness. In the early 2000s, however, he teamed up with scientists to acquire an "electronic eye" that senses color frequencies and turns them into sounds.

"Life has changed dramatically since I hear color, because color is almost everywhere," Harbisson explains in his June 2012 talk, "I Listen To Color." "So the biggest change, for example, is going to an art gallery, I can listen to a Picasso."



Scientist Boaz Almog levitates a three-inch disk.
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Ever seen levitation in real life? Watch Almog's talk, "The Levitating Superconductor," and you will have. The researcher makes objects float in midair like a magician, but he does it with science — specifically, quantum physics.

"We can use them to produce strong magnetic fields, such as needed in MRI machines, particle accelerators, and so on," Almog explains in his June 2012 talk. "But we can also store energy using superconductors, because we have no dissipation."

Child-genius Taylor Wilson describes the nuclear fusion reactor he built at age 14.
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Yes, you read that right. Wilson constructed a fusion reactor in his garage when he was just 14 years old. The reactor is now housed in facilities at the University of Nevada-Reno. Wilson, now age 18, is using a $100,000 Thiel Fellowship to revolutionize energy production, cancer treatment, and homeland security with nuclear technology. He discusses his belief that "kids can really change the world" in this March 2012 talk, "Yup, I Built A Nuclear Fusion Reactor."



Artist Alexa Meade uses people as her painting canvas.
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At first glance, Meade's paintings look like just that — paintings. But they're not. In "Your Body Is My Canvas," a talk filmed this June, Meade describes her entry into the world of 3-D paintings, where people are her canvases and the final image is a photo of her work.

"What I do in my art is I skip the canvas altogether, and if I want to paint your portrait, I'm painting it on you, physically on you," she says. "That also means you're probably going to end up with an earful of paint, because I need to paint on your ear."

Foundation director Terry Moore teaches the right way to tie your shoes.
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What if someone told you that all your life, you'd been tying your shoes the wrong way? That's exactly what happened to Radius Foundation director Moore when he complained to a shoe store owner that his round nylon laces wouldn't stay knotted.

In "How To Tie Your Shoes," a three-minute talk filmed in February 2005, Moore demonstrates the correct way to tie the knot. It's easiest to understand by watching yourself, but it's all about the direction you wrap one lace around the other. He says it's not only stronger, but also looks better.



Beatboxer Tom Thum mimics a jazz ensemble with his astounding vocals.
Screenshot from TED

In "The Orchestra In My Mouth," a talk filmed this May at TEDxSydney, Thum shows off his ability to imitate everything from traditional Chinese music to dubstep using just his voice. "Ladies and gentlemen," Thum says, "I would like to take you on a journey throughout the continents and throughout sound itself."

Close your eyes when he does his final number at the end — a "smokey downtown jazz bar" — and see if you can tell it's a cappella.

An Oregon activist demonstrates how to dry your hands with just one paper towel.
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Americans use 13 billion pounds of paper towels every year. That's the striking statistic Oregon activist Joe Smith uses to open his March 2012 talk, "How To Use A Paper Towel." If the country reduced its usage by one paper towel per person, per day, Smith argues, that would save 571,230,000 pounds of paper a year.

His trick? "Shake, and fold." Shake your hands after washing, and fold your towel before using — a two-step process Smith enthusiastically demos for his audience with a variety of paper towels. "The fold is important because it allows interstitial suspension," he explains. "You don't have to remember that part, but trust me."



A poet explains the insidious hour of 4 a.m.
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Performance artist and poet John Rives traces the use of 4 a.m. as a symbol of dread through everything from the film "The Godfather" to works by artist Alberto Giacometti in his hilarious March 2007 talk, "The 4 a.m. mystery." "Did you ever notice that four in the morning has become some sort of meme or shorthand?" Rives asks. "It means something like you are awake at the worst possible hour."

Drawing loose connections between famous authors, singers, artists, and politicians, Rives explains why, exactly, 4 a.m. is so often depicted as the worst of all hours. Part conspiracy theory, part cultural lecture, and mostly pure entertainment, this talk will forever change how you think of 4 o'clock in the morning.

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock explains how to be a sell out.
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In "The Greatest TED Talk Ever Sold," Spurlock describes his attempt to make a film about product placement, marketing, and advertising while funding the entire project through those means. His working title: "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold."

Oh, and he also sold the rights to his March 2011 TED Talk for $7,100 on eBay.



Improv expert Charlie Todd details his New York City pranks that demonstrate the absurdity of life.
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If these talks are all starting to feel a little absurd, then find someone to share them with. In his May 2011 talk "The Shared Experience Of Absurdity," Improv Everywhere creator Charlie Todd explains his mission to bring the silly and absurd to everyday life in New York by pulling fun pranks around the city. To date, they've ridden the subway with no pants on (now an annual event), gotten people to go to Best Buy dressed like the employees (the store managers called the cops, who had to explain that it wasn't illegal to wear a blue polo shirt and khaki pants), and run through the New York Public Library dressed as a ghostbuster.

Sebastian Wernicke condenses 1,000 TED Talks into six words.
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Want more TED Talks but don't have time to watch them all? Consulting firm Oliver Wyman's Wernicke has you covered. With the help of crowdsourcing and inspired by the famous six-word story attributed to Ernest Hemingway (For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn), he managed to condense the lessons of 1,000 TED Talks into just six words.

In his November 2011 talk, "1,000 TED Talks, 6 Words," Wernicke reveals the final solution of his project: "Why the worry? I'd rather wonder." The phrase nicely sums up the curiosity and desire to learn that underscores all TED Talks.



More: Features TED Online Courses Learning 
TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design is now owned by the Sapling Foundation, a non profit organisation set up by Chris Anderson, and produces or inspires conferences across the world. While each conference has its own unique theme, all TED conferences have a goal to foster the spread of great ideas.

If watching amazing presenters giving Awesome presentations fascinates you, then no doubt you've already checked out some of the brilliant videos on TED.com. As I am a Communication skills coach I feel I can safely admit to having a moderate to heavy obsession with watching TED videos and I'll often try starting conversations about my favorite talks with friends, family and colleagues - in fact anyone who'll listen really. This is mainly because I am a sad fan of TED and I've done what sad fans do - deconstruction the talks in great detail - and guess what? I've decoded the formulas of my Favorite presentations.

In teaching the art of Relational Presence to those who want to become masterful speakers, I've been struck by how participants effortlessly spin out content that has the same impact as a masterful TED Talk. Whether or not you think you have a TED Talk in you, the exercise of accessing and transmitting your wisdom in an effortless way is highly beneficial for your professional confidence. Like Michelangelo who said "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free," imagine seeing the TED Talk in you and setting it free. I've seen enough TED Talks to understand what makes the good ones work so well. The key can be boiled down to segments within the talk that flow from a strong emotion to a teaching in 2-3 minutes.

The road to a TEDx talk-whether it's seen by millions or just dozens-is a long one. At this point, of course, I don't know whether my talk will hit millions of views, dozens, or somewhere in between.

This article will help you create your own TED Talk platform for free and in a quick manner. These tips are given with a lot of experience and thought.

TED talks have silently changed the way we think, behave and believe. Most people think this is only for the erudite and upper echelons of Academia and intelligentsia.

Talk about great speeches! I'm going to assume that you already know about The world famous TED talks: it's where people are invited to come and give an 18 minute speech about something that has to do with Technology, Entertainment, or Design (i.e. TED). TED conferences remind us about the Importance of public speaking.

Sometimes one has the unbelievable luck to find a true gem on the internet. This particular gem that I recently was introduced to is called TED and the website is plain ted.com. For anybody with a smidgen of intellect, which is all of you out there, this is a site to visit for a wow experience.

Thandie Newton starts her talk about otherness with the notion of the self. She argues that the self is separate; there is separateness instead of oneness. She bases her argument on the fact that newborn babies believe themselves to be part of everything.
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About TED

TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 110 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.


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In many societies, it is normal for people to cultivate myths about different things. Successful persons sometimes discover - to their alarm and distaste - that untrue or imaginary stories have been told in social circles about their personal lives, and/or the source of their wealth or success. This human tendency to exaggerate, prevaricate or mythify is unlikely to abate - and so, for those who wish to avoid being misled, it is important to actively "test" what one "hears" before acting based on it. For instance, on the subject of pursuing and achieving success, various myths are propagated in different cultures about how to go about it. This article was written to debunk some of them.

Who among us does not have a closet or cabinet full of corporate calendars, pens, mugs, chocolates, etc. Etc. given to us by firms to whom we've given business or want some from us? What advantage is a humorous corporate gift over the more serious traditional one? Remember, good guys do finish first... If they have and show they have a sense of humor. Ask any newspaper publisher. They've known for centuries.

If you are a big fan of the TV show Criminal Minds, you would know that the characters in the show are experts in criminal profiling of an unknown subject, or unsub, as they call it. What are the characteristics that make up a profile of an offender? What are the categories used to describe these offenders?

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Every New Business WILL Startup With Zero Customers! Does not sound nice to the ears BUT that is A FACT of life. Even the great Bill Gates, difficult as it is to imagine today, at the point when he had just started out must have had to find a FIRST paying customer or client. This article suggests other "indicators" you can use(aside from evidence of past clients patronage) to decide whether or not to hire a startup to do a job for you - pointing out how doing this can get you MORE value than you pay for!

My Mock draft, 11 through 20 on the 2007 NFL entry Draft. With the draft less than two weeks away, it is really heating up!

I have always been a movie fanatic for as far back as I can remember and although I have enjoyed all genres, I especially gravitated to comedy movies for the most part. My father and I would sit watching comedy movies and laugh until it hurt and on Fridays in the summer, it was always a given that my parents would take my sister and I to the Drive-In Theater (Does anyone remember them?). If it was a comedy, that was a double plus for us. So, for me to say that I love comedy movies would be a vast understatement and for me to make a Favorite Top 10 list is literally next to impossible. In fact, making a Top 20 would be hard enough as it is, but I am going to try anyway. I will cover groups of movies and some solo movies and then try to accomplish my feat for the evening. And although this will be my most difficult task to date, I will most definitely enjoy the memories that these movies bring to me and hopefully for you also.

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Even if you think you know what the Unique Selling Proposition is, read this. Most people, even those with marketing degrees, "think" they know and understand this concept. I was taught by the men who invented it in their own ad agency. This is the very crux, the holy grail of marketing. Understand it and you will always be successful. Ignore it at your peril.

The idea that people need to see your ad 6-12 times before they'll remember you is a fallacy. Having them remember you later is far less important than having them take action and do business with you, or at the very least identify themselves to you, now! The real purpose of writing a sales letter is to generate sales. This article shows you the seven biggest mistakes people make when writing sale letters.

Have you ever seen a celebrity on an airplane? Here are some amusing stories from a flight attendant about meeting celebrities while working.

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