Sunday 11 March 2018

A Mixed Bag of TED Talks

It's been a long slog that began at the end of 2014, but I've finally completed a longer goal from The List!
062. Watch 100 TED/TEDx Talks
I started off picking them at random, moved into watching selections on similar themes, and these final ten are once again a mixed bag!


Johanna Blakley: Social media and the end of gender
Media researcher Johanna Blakley discusses how traditional demographics are still being used by media companies to understand their audiences, when online, with the ever-growing use of social media, women are outnumbering men--and these means changes are afoot.
Didn't know what to expect from this talk (because I never read the info section) but this was really enlightening!



Courtney Martin: Reinventing feminism
In this talk, blogger Courtney Martin talks about her upbringing by radical parents, and discusses how loaded the word 'feminism' is, presenting three paradoxes in attempting to define it.
I found this talk really interesting, as feminism is a word so muddied by negativity (on both sides).




Thandie Newton: Embracing otherness, embracing myself
Growing up in different cultures, Thandie Newton went on to play different 'selves' as an actor. In this talk she tells of finding her 'self', her 'otherness', first as a child and then as an actor and an adult.
This was really thought-provoking!



Daniel Goldstein: The battle between your present and future self
Daniel Goldstein discusses how the choices we make every day affect our future selves, and tools to help us make better decisions for our future selves.
This talk was really easy to follow!



The game that can give you 10 extra years of life | Jane McGonigal
An entertaining talk in which game designer Jane McGonigal talks about her experiences being bedridden and suicidal following a serious concussion, and how it led her to create SuperBetter, her research-based healing game that can help you get better and increase lifespan.
Honestly I didn't expect this talk to be as it was, but it's utterly fascinating. Hooray for science!



Martin Hanczyc: The line between life and non-life
Martin Hanczyc discusses the way life on Earth may have begun, demonstrating this by showing examples from his lab, where he makes experimental blobs of chemicals called protocells, which behave in the same way as living cells.
I have to admit that some of this talk was a little lost on me, but the basic concept behind the science was really interesting.



How to spot a liar | Pamela Meyer
A talk with a title that is pretty self-explanatory! Pamela Meyer discusses the clues for detecting when lies are being told, some of which are pretty counter-intuitive!



Eve Ensler: Embrace your inner girl
Eve Ensler believes we all have a 'girl' cell which we are taught to suppress and undermine. She goes on to demonstrate the strength of girls by presenting stories of girls she has met, who have overcome both violence and adversity.



On being wrong | Kathryn Schulz
An entertaining talk in which Kathyrn Schulz talks about how we tend to do anything to avoid being wrong, and why actually, we should embrace it!
As someone who hates being wrong, I really enjoyed this talk!



Finding my calling: Fadekemi Akinfaderin-Agarau at TEDxEuston Fadekei Akinfaderin-Agarau talks about how, after an experience working with an HIV researcher in South Africa, she quit her medical career in the USA and went to Nigeria, where she set up a non-profit organisation Education as a Vaccine (EVA), which works to improve quality of life for vulnerable children and young people, and challenge the factors that contribute to the HIV epidemic and poor sexual health of those people.
A revealing talk, and a nice one to finish off my watching goal with!


Bonus talk:


Marco Tempest: The augmented reality of techno-magic
Illusionist Marco Tempest brings a stick figure to life
An entertaining little demonstration of 'techno-magic'!


So that's the goal done! You can see all the TED talks I watched for this goal on my Goal 62 tag, or watch them on my Youtube Playlist for Goal 62.

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