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This week on TED.com
May 10, 2014
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Randall Munroe: Comics that ask "what if?"
09:29 minutes ·
Filmed Mar 2014 ·
Posted May 2014 ·
TED2014
Web cartoonist Randall Munroe answers simple what-if questions ("what if you hit a baseball moving at the speed of light?") using math, physics, logic and deadpan humor. In this charming talk, a reader’s question about Google's data warehouse leads Munroe down a circuitous path to a hilariously over-detailed answer — in which, shhh, you might actually learn something.
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Playlist of the week
Cross old music with new, and you've made a remix. Mix old ideas and new ones, and you might come up with something great. Watch »
Total run time 1:25:49
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Marco Tempest uses charming stagecraft to demo EDI, the multi-purpose robot designed to work very closely with humans. Less a magic trick than an intricately choreographed performance, Tempest shows off the robot’s sensing technology, safety features and strength, and makes the case for a closer human-robot relationship. (Okay, there’s a little magic, too.)
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When General Stanley McChrystal started fighting al Qaeda in 2003, information and secrets were the lifeblood of his operations. But as the unconventional battle waged on, he began to think that the culture of keeping important information classified was misguided and actually counterproductive. In a short but powerful talk McChrystal makes the case for actively sharing knowledge.
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Quote of the Week
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Journalists coin silly nicknames for twentysomethings like ‘twixters’ and ‘kidults.’ … As a culture, we have trivialized what is actually the defining decade of adulthood."
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Join the Conversation
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Deadline to apply to speak at TED@NYC: Thursday, May 29, at midnight Eastern. |
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brand over brain?
Brands help us assign value to the things we buy. But is it real or created value? TED speakers explore the seductive power of branding in the new TED Radio Hour »
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