October 22, 2010

By: Miranda T. from Philadelphia, PA
Comments: 24

Posted By: Miranda Thompson
On: 5/21/2008 2:37:46 PM

I have subscribed to TedTalks on iTunes for about a year, and recently came across a whole theme related to design. It's basicallyt he best and brightest talking about how design impacts our environment and social lives. Talks range from product design, environmental action, prostetics, and genetic engineering. The talks related to the theme of design can be found at: https://www.ted.com/themes/view/id/25

Posted By: Daarina Abdus-Samad
On: 5/23/2008 10:56:15 PM

Thanks Miranda, I'll check it out & spread the word. Daarina, Pasadena CA - Design is everywhere.

Posted By: Aisha Madhi
On: 5/27/2008 12:30:04 AM

Cool link, Miranda! I just looked at David Kelley's presentation, "The Future of Design is Human Centered" and it presented many innovations that could revolutionize every day experiences we take for granted. A few intriguing examples included efforts to redesign the work space cubicle to become less confining and more of a comfortable work environment and a deep well water pump product in Kenya that allows people to easily access water. I was somewhat unnerved by the design concept for the Prada New York store. Intended to provide a more customized personal shopping experience, the design is filled with RF technology that tracks which products you take off the shelves, what you've purchased in the past, what colors you select, etc. They've got a little scanner machine that easily stores every action/decision you make while shopping. I know that rf technology is becoming more ubiquitous daily, but it still seems a bit invasive/big brother for me...still the possibilities for design presented in this video are really exciting. Aisha Philadelphia, PA

Posted By: Karen Thomas
On: 5/27/2008 8:32:03 PM

Ted Talks is a great resource for many wonderful talks from experts in their respective fields. I've found discussions on everything from the origin of life on earth to how public schools kill creativity in kids to the idea of using micorhizae (fungi) to save the planet. A student even turned me on to a talk about the cosmos on Ted Talks. Everyone should check out this site!

Posted By: Elizabeth Fletcher
On: 5/28/2008 5:03:45 PM

Thanks! This sounds like a really cool site.

Posted By: Erin Jacobs
On: 6/1/2008 7:43:50 PM

Ted is such a great resource and I'm so glad they've made membership free for all. I recently heard a kinetic sculptor talk about his work and his experiences creating as a child. He offered such a unique perspective on what it is like to be an extremely creative, but introverted child. He described creating for others as a means of saying the things he couldn't communicate verbally. Just one of the ways Ted reminds us that fabulous designers are not just a bundle of good ideas, but human too!!

Posted By: Nick Britton
On: 10/21/2009 1:29:48 PM

Yes. Great website. And they now have a feature with captions available in multiple languages. I always making a viewing quiz for my students so that they have to fill in the answers as they watch. Turning on the captions helps them!