Program Speakers A-Z
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Karen Armstrong Religious scholar |
Karen Armstrong -- winner of the 2008 TED Prize -- is a provocative, original thinker on the role of religion in the modern world. |
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Session 10: Worldview Rethink Thurs Jul 23, 2009 4:30 – 6:00 |
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Rachel Armstrong Applied scientist, innovator |
TED Fellow Rachel Armstrong is a sustainability innovator who creates new materials that possess some of the properties of living systems, and can be manipulated to "grow" architecture. |
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TED University, Session 2 Tues Jul 21, 2009 10:45 – 12:15 |
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James Balog Photographer |
James Balog's latest work, the Extreme Ice Survey, captures the twisting, soaring forms of threatened wild ice. |
Bonus Session Thurs Jul 23, 2009 7:00 – 8:00 |
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Janine Benyus Science writer, innovation consultant, conservationist |
A self-proclaimed nature nerd, Janine Benyus' concept of biomimicry has galvanized scientists, architects, designers and engineers into exploring new ways in which nature's successes can inspire humanity. |
Session 4: Nature's Challenge Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Daniel Birnbaum Curator |
Daniel Birnbaum works to reveal the nature of contemporary art -- and to explore the way art and philosophy underlie one another. |
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Session 12: Enquire Within Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Becky Blanton Writer |
Becky Blanton is a writer, photographer and former journalist who found herself homeless, but bounced back to tell her story and inspire others. |
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TED University, Session 2 Tues Jul 21, 2009 10:45 – 12:15 |
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Michelle Borkin Physicist |
Michelle Borkin is a PhD candidate in applied physics. She works with the Astronomical Medicine Project and interdisciplinary 3D visualization techniques. |
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Session 10: Worldview Rethink Thurs Jul 23, 2009 4:30 – 6:00 |
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Rory Bremner Comedian |
One of the UK's sharpest funny men, Rory Bremner exposes the lunacies of modern politics with devilishly clever political satire and spot-on impressions of leaders from around the world. |
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Session 10: Worldview Rethink Thurs Jul 23, 2009 4:30 – 6:00 |
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Stefana Broadbent Tech anthropologist |
Stefana Broadbent watches us while we communicate, work and go about our daily lives. She is one of a new class of ethnographers who study the way our social habits and relationships function and mutate in the digital age. |
Session 3: Connected Consequences Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Gordon Brown British Prime Minister |
Britain's former prime minister Gordon Brown played a key role in shaping the G20 nations' response to the world's financial crisis, and was a powerful advocate for a coordinated global response to problems such as climate change, poverty and social justice. |
Session 1: What We Know Tues Jul 21, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Tim Brown Designer |
Tim Brown is the CEO of the "innovation and design" firm IDEO -- taking an approach to design that digs deeper than the surface. |
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Session 7: Radical Development Thurs Jul 23, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Edward Burtynsky Photographer |
2005 TED Prize winner Edward Burtynsky has made it his life's work to document humanity's impact on the planet. His riveting photographs, as beautiful as they are horrifying, capture views of the Earth altered by mankind. |
Session 8: In the Shadows Thurs Jul 23, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Constanza Ceruti High-altitude archeologist, TEDGlobal 2009 Fellow |
Constanza Ceruti is a high-altitude archeologist. She specializes in exploring and excavating Inca Empire ceremonial centers and cities on the summits of sacred Andean mountains. |
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Session 11: Cities Past and Future Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Candy Chang Artist, designer, urban planner |
Candy Chang creates art that prompts people to think about their secrets, wishes and hopes -- and then share them. She is a TED Senior Fellow. |
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Session 6: Curious and Curiouser Wed Jul 22, 2009 4:45 – 6:15 |
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Steven Cowley Physicist |
Steven Cowley directs the UK's leading fusion research center. Soon he'll helm new experiments that may make cheap fusion energy real on a commercial scale. |
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Session 9: Revealing Energy Thurs Jul 23, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Alain de Botton Philosopher |
Through his witty and literate books -- and his new School of Life -- Alain de Botton helps others find fulfillment in the everyday. |
Session 1: What We Know Tues Jul 21, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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David Deutsch Physicist, author |
A pioneer in quantum computation and quantum information theory, David Deutsch now seeks to define the boundaries between the possible and the impossible. |
Session 5: Hidden Algorithm Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Marcus du Sautoy Mathematician |
Oxford's newest science ambassador Marcus du Sautoy is also author of The Times' Sexy Maths column. He'll take you footballing with prime numbers, whopping symmetry groups, higher dimensions and other brow-furrowers. |
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Session 6: Curious and Curiouser Wed Jul 22, 2009 4:45 – 6:15 |
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Shereen El Feki Arab sexuality expert |
Shereen El Feki works and writes on sexuality and social change in the Arab world. |
TED University, Session 1 Tues Jul 21, 2009 8:45 – 10:00 |
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Cary Fowler Biodiversity archivist |
Biodiversity warrior Cary Fowler wants to save the world from agricultural collapse, one seed at a time. |
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Session 4: Nature's Challenge Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Stephen Fry Actor and author |
Stephen Fry follows his passions -- and they've led him to create brilliant characters, films, books and tweets. In his new documentary series Last Chance to See, he explores the shocking notion of species extinction. |
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Session 1: What We Know Tues Jul 21, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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James Geary Aphorist |
Lost jobs, wayward lovers, wars and famine -- come to think of it, just about any of life's curveballs -- there's an aphorism for it, and James Geary's got it. |
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Session 2: Seeing Is Believing? Tues Jul 21, 2009 4:45 – 6:30 |
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James Geary Aphorist |
Lost jobs, wayward lovers, wars and famine -- come to think of it, just about any of life's curveballs -- there's an aphorism for it, and James Geary's got it. |
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Session 2: Seeing Is Believing? Tues Jul 21, 2009 4:45 – 6:30 |
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Andrea Ghez Astronomer |
Andrea Ghez is a stargazing detective, tracking the visible and invisible forces lurking in the vastness of interstellar space. |
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Session 2: Seeing Is Believing? Tues Jul 21, 2009 4:45 – 6:30 |
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Eric Giler Wireless electrician |
As the CEO of MIT-inspired WiTricity, Eric Giler has a plan to beam electric power through the air to wirelessly power your laptop or recharge your car. You may never plug in again. |
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Session 9: Revealing Energy Thurs Jul 23, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Misha Glenny Underworld investigator |
Journalist Misha Glenny leaves no stone unturned (and no failed state unexamined) in his excavation of criminal globalization. |
Session 8: In the Shadows Thurs Jul 23, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Ian Goldin Economist, development visionary |
Ian Goldin is director of the Oxford Martin School. Through the school's program of research, collaboration and education, he's powering new, cross-disciplinary thinking about global problems from the near and far future. |
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TED University, Session 1 Tues Jul 21, 2009 8:45 – 10:00 |
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Evan Grant Creative technologist |
Evan Grant works with cymatics, the art of visualizing sound, and is the founder of the arts and technology collective seeper. |
Session 2: Seeing Is Believing? Tues Jul 21, 2009 4:45 – 6:30 |
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Imogen Heap Musician |
Imogen Heap's aching voice and surprising electronics infuse countless videos and iPods with bone-chilling atmospherics. |
Session 3: Connected Consequences Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Imogen Heap Musician |
Imogen Heap's aching voice and surprising electronics infuse countless videos and iPods with bone-chilling atmospherics. |
Session 3: Connected Consequences Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Rob Hopkins Resilience leader |
Rob Hopkins is the founder of the Transition movement, a radically hopeful and community-driven approach to creating societies independent of fossil fuel. |
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Session 7: Radical Development Thurs Jul 23, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Sophie Hunger Singer |
Indie newcomer Sophie Hunger's haunting vocals -- at once fragile and soulful -- carried her wistful, blues-dappled acoustic folk from intimate cafe appearances to extraordinary word-of-mouth success and cross-Europe tours. |
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Session 6: Curious and Curiouser Wed Jul 22, 2009 4:45 – 6:15 |
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Bjarke Ingels Architect |
Bjarke Ingels believes that architecture is the art and science of making sure our cities and buildings fit with the way we want to live our lives. |
Session 11: Cities Past and Future Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Garik Israelian Astrophysicist |
Garik Israelian's stargazing on the Canary Islands has led to high-profile discoveries about space's big disasters -- including the first evidence that supernova explosions make black holes. |
Session 6: Curious and Curiouser Wed Jul 22, 2009 4:45 – 6:15 |
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Emmanuel Jal Hip-hop artist |
Emmanuel Jal's hypnotic voice rises from hellish origins as a beacon of hope for those caught in seemingly endless cycles of war and despair. |
Session 8: In the Shadows Thurs Jul 23, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Mark Johnson Change producer |
Mark Johnson has a vision to bring the world together, despite distance and difference, to play one song. |
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Session 2: Seeing Is Believing? Tues Jul 21, 2009 4:45 – 6:30 |
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William Kamkwamba Inventor |
To power his family's home, young William Kamkwamba built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap -- starting him on a journey detailed in the book and film "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind." |
Session 7: Radical Development Thurs Jul 23, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Parag Khanna Global strategist |
Geopolitical futurist Parag Khanna foresees a world in which megacities, supply chains and connective technologies redraw the map away from states and borders. |
Session 10: Worldview Rethink Thurs Jul 23, 2009 4:30 – 6:00 |
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Marc Koska Inventor |
Marc Koska wants to improve health care in the developing world by re-designing dangerous medical tools -- and offering education to practitioners in under-funded clinics. |
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Session 7: Radical Development Thurs Jul 23, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Magnus Larsson Dune architect |
Magnus Larsson hopes to build new structures in the desert -- by using bacteria to turn shifting sand into a solid mass. |
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Session 11: Cities Past and Future Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Mathieu Lehanneur Designer |
Kitchen-sized fish farms, living air purifiers and devices that turn old water bottles into martini shakers all spring from the form-and-function-fusing mind of designer Mathieu Lehanneur. |
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Session 4: Nature's Challenge Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Eric Lewis Pianist, DJ |
Eric Lewis (aka ELEW) fuses a highly intricate style of jazz improvisation with physical, rocking grooves in a musical cocktail he calls "Rockjazz." |
Late Nights Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:00 – 11:30 |
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Manuel Lima Data visualization researcher |
Manuel Lima studies how information can be organized -- into elegant and beautiful diagrams that illustrate the many unexpected twists of big data. |
Session 5: Hidden Algorithm Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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John Lloyd Producer |
John Lloyd helps make some of the cleverest television in the UK. |
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Bonus Session Thurs Jul 23, 2009 7:00 – 8:00 |
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Beau Lotto Neuroscientist |
Beau Lotto seeks to pull aside the curtain of why we see what we do in order to create the possibility and agency in deciding what to perceive next. |
Session 5: Hidden Algorithm Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Ross Lovegrove Industrial designer |
Known as "Captain Organic," Ross Lovegrove embraces nature as the inspiration for his "fat-free" design. Each object he creates -- be it bottle, chair, staircase or car -- is reduced to its essential elements. His pieces offer minimal forms of maximum beauty. |
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Session 9: Revealing Energy Thurs Jul 23, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Felix's Machines Musical sculpture |
Felix's Machines could be the rubble of an abandoned antiques shop, until they come to life, pulsating with eerie, rhythmic melodies and peppered with the twinkles of LEDs. |
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Bonus Session Thurs Jul 23, 2009 7:00 – 8:00 |
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Henry Markram Neuroscientist |
Henry Markram is director of Blue Brain, a supercomputing project that can model components of the mammalian brain to precise cellular detail -- and simulate their activity in 3D. Soon he'll simulate a whole rat brain in real time. |
Session 5: Hidden Algorithm Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Sam Martin Writer |
Sam Martin is the director of digital strategy at Texas Monthly magazine, and the author of "Manspace: A Primal Guide to Marking Your Territory." |
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TED University, Session 2 Tues Jul 21, 2009 10:45 – 12:15 |
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Elaine Morgan Aquatic ape theorist |
Elaine Morgan, armed with an arsenal of television writing credits and feminist credentials, spent her life on a mission to prove humans evolved in water. |
Session 6: Curious and Curiouser Wed Jul 22, 2009 4:45 – 6:15 |
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Evgeny Morozov Internet scientist |
Evgeny Morozov wants to know how the Internet has changed the conduct of global affairs, because it certainly has ... but perhaps not in all the ways we think. |
Session 3: Connected Consequences Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Geoff Mulgan Social commentator |
Geoff Mulgan is director of the Young Foundation, a center for social innovation, social enterprise and public policy that pioneers ideas in fields such as aging, education and poverty reduction. He’s the founder of the think-tank Demos, and the author of "The Art of Public Strategy." |
Session 10: Worldview Rethink Thurs Jul 23, 2009 4:30 – 6:00 |
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Loretta Napoleoni Macroeconomist |
She made her name following the dollars in terrorist networks, but now Loretta Napoleoni is on the trail of something far more sinister -- the gray zone where crime and unregulated credit meet. |
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Session 8: In the Shadows Thurs Jul 23, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Novelist |
Inspired by Nigerian history and tragedies all but forgotten by recent generations of westerners, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novels and stories are jewels in the crown of diasporan literature. |
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Bonus Session Thurs Jul 23, 2009 7:00 – 8:00 |
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Radio Science Orchestra Multimedia performers |
A space-age pop ensemble inspired by the birth of electronic music, the Radio Science Orchestra offers exotica from the birth of radio through the atomic age and beyond. |
Session 9: Revealing Energy Thurs Jul 23, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Bertrand Piccard Solar adventurer |
Bertrand Piccard circumnavigated the Earth in a hot-air balloon. Now he wants to circle it in an airplane powered only by solar energy. |
Session 9: Revealing Energy Thurs Jul 23, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Rachel Pike Atmospheric chemist |
Rachel Pike studies climate change at the molecular level -- tracking how emissions from biofuel crops react with the air to shape weather trends globally. |
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TED University, Session 1 Tues Jul 21, 2009 8:45 – 10:00 |
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Dan Pink Career analyst |
Bidding adieu to his last "real job" as Al Gore's speechwriter, Dan Pink went freelance to spark a right-brain revolution in the career marketplace. |
Session 12: Enquire Within Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Michael Pritchard Inventor |
With cutting-edge nanotech, Michael Pritchard's Lifesaver water-purification bottle could revolutionize water-delivery systems in disaster-stricken areas around the globe. |
Session 7: Radical Development Thurs Jul 23, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Lewis Pugh Coldwater swimmer |
Pushing his body through epic cold-water swims, Lewis Gordon Pugh wants to draw attention to our global climate. He's just back from swimming in a meltwater lake on the slopes of Mount Everest. |
Session 4: Nature's Challenge Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Aza Raskin Interface wizard |
Aza Raskin is the head of user experience for Mozilla Labs -- the makers of the Firefox browser -- where he's helping chart the future of the open Web. |
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Session 3: Connected Consequences Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Tom Rielly Satirist |
Traditionally, Tom Rielly closes the TED Conference with a merciless 18-minute monologue, skewering all the speakers with his deadpan delivery, spot-on satire and boundary-less performance (complete with PowerPoint, pratfalls and partial nudity). |
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Session 12: Enquire Within Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Rives Performance poet, multimedia artist |
Performance artist and storyteller Rives has been called "the first 2.0 poet," using images, video and technology to bring his words to life. |
Session 11: Cities Past and Future Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Paul Romer Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, World Bank |
Paul Romer's research on catch-up growth in low- and middle-income countries has emphasized the importance of government policies that encourage orderly urban expansion. |
Session 7: Radical Development Thurs Jul 23, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Stefan Sagmeister Graphic designer |
Renowned for album covers, posters and his recent book of life lessons, designer Stefan Sagmeister invariably has a slightly different way of looking at things. |
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Session 1: What We Know Tues Jul 21, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Eric Sanderson Landscape ecologist |
Armed with an 18th-century map, a GPS and reams of data, Eric Sanderson has re-plotted the Manhattan of 1609, just in time for New York's quadricentennial. |
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Session 11: Cities Past and Future Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Rebecca Saxe Cognitive neuroscientist |
Rebecca Saxe studies how we think about other people's thoughts. At the Saxelab at MIT, she uses fMRI to identify what happens in our brains when we consider the motives, passions and beliefs of others. |
Session 5: Hidden Algorithm Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Cynthia Schneider Cultural diplomacy expert |
Cynthia Schneider studies culture and politics -- watching how novels, TV shows and cultural engagement around the globe (and especially within the Muslim world) might lead to political change. She was the US ambassador to the Netherlands from 1998 to 2001. |
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TED University, Session 1 Tues Jul 21, 2009 8:45 – 10:00 |
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Joshua Silver Optical innovator |
Atomic physicist Joshua Silver invented liquid-filled optical lenses to produce low-cost, adjustable glasses, giving sight to millions without access to an optometrist. |
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Session 2: Seeing Is Believing? Tues Jul 21, 2009 4:45 – 6:30 |
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Taryn Simon Artist |
With a large-format camera and a knack for talking her way into forbidden zones, Taryn Simon photographs portions of the American infrastructure inaccessible to its inhabitants. |
Session 8: In the Shadows Thurs Jul 23, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Cameron Sinclair Co-founder, Architecture for Humanity |
2006 TED Prize winner Cameron Sinclair is co-founder of Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit that seeks architecture solutions to global crises -- and acts as a conduit between the design community and the world's humanitarian needs. |
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TED University, Session 1 Tues Jul 21, 2009 8:45 – 10:00 |
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Carolyn Steel Food urbanist |
Food is a shared necessity -- but also a shared way of thinking, argues Carolyn Steel. Looking at food networks offers an unusual and illuminating way to explore how cities evolved. |
Session 11: Cities Past and Future Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Rory Sutherland Advertising guru |
Rory Sutherland stands at the center of an advertising revolution in brand identities, designing cutting-edge, interactive campaigns that blur the line between ad and entertainment. |
Session 3: Connected Consequences Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Itay Talgam Conductor and leadership expert |
After a decade-long conducting career in his native Israel, Itay Talgam has reinvented himself as a "conductor of people" -- in government, academia, business and education. He is the author of The Ignorant Maestro. |
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Session 12: Enquire Within Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Paulus Terwitte Capuchin monk |
In a world laden with distractions and complications, Brother Paulus Terwitte is leading a new generation into a simple, contemplative spiritual life. |
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Session 12: Enquire Within Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:00 – 12:30 |
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Julian Treasure Sound consultant |
Julian Treasure studies sound and advises businesses on how best to use it. |
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TED University, Session 1 Tues Jul 21, 2009 8:45 – 10:00 |
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Steve Truglia Stuntman |
Stuntman and record-setter Steve Truglia was a stunt coordinator, performer and action unit director in the UK. |
Session 2: Seeing Is Believing? Tues Jul 21, 2009 4:45 – 6:30 |
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Carlos Ulloa Papervision 3D founder |
Carlos Ulloa is the founder of Papervision3D, a popular open-source tool to create real-time 3D environments based on Flash technology. He works as Interactive Director at HelloEnjoy, his own studio in London. |
Session 3: Connected Consequences Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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Nick Veasey X-ray visionary |
Logging countless hours behind an X-ray machine, Nick Veasey illuminates the labyrinthine secrets hidden beneath the exteriors of everyday objects. |
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Session 9: Revealing Energy Thurs Jul 23, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Matthew White Brass virtuoso |
Matthew White is a young master of the euphonium, an instrument in the brass family with an ineffably lovely tone. |
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Session 1: What We Know Tues Jul 21, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Matthew White Brass virtuoso |
Matthew White is a young master of the euphonium, an instrument in the brass family with an ineffably lovely tone. |
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Session 1: What We Know Tues Jul 21, 2009 2:00 – 3:45 |
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Willard Wigan Micro-sculptor |
Willard Wigan sculpts figures small enough to fit on the head of a pin. To create these microscopic masterpieces, he works diligently through the stillest hours of the night, between his own heartbeats. |
Session 2: Seeing Is Believing? Tues Jul 21, 2009 4:45 – 6:30 |
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Tom Wujec Designer |
Tom Wujec studies how we share and absorb information. He's an innovative practitioner of business visualization -- using design and technology to help groups solve problems and understand ideas. He is a Fellow at Autodesk. |
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TED University, Session 1 Tues Jul 21, 2009 8:45 – 10:00 |
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Jonathan Zittrain Net watchdog |
Jonathan Zittrain wants to make sure the electronic frontier stays open -- and he's looking to the Internet's millions of users for its salvation. |
Session 3: Connected Consequences Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:30 – 10:00 |
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