

"Stumbling on Happiness" author Dan Gilbert demonstrates just how poor we humans are at predicting (or understanding) what will make us happy. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 22:02)
Arctic explorer Ben Saunders recounts his harrowing solo journey to the North Pole, complete with gorgeous images, amusing anecdotes and previously unseen video footage from the Pole.
Software developer Anand Agarawala presents BumpTop, a fresh user interface that takes the usual desktop metaphor to a glorious, 3D extreme.
Hacker and writer Joshua Klein is fascinated by crows. (Notice the gleam of intelligence in their little black eyes?) After a long amateur study of corvid behavior, he's come up with an elegant machine that may form a new bond between animal and human.
MIT engineer Amy Smith explains the vision behind her inventions: low-cost devices that tackle tough problems in developing countries.
"Freakonomics" author Steven Levitt examines the economic principles at work in an inner-city gang.
Even when a Canadian cheats the system, they do it in a way that benefits society. I love it! TEDster Allison Hunt's five-minute talk finds humor and marketing strategy in the most unlikely of places -- her own hip-replacement surgery. As the world scrutinizes broken healthcare systems, this particularly timely clip shows how sneaking to the front of a 2-year waiting list can have an altruistic effect.
Jeff Skoll made his fortune as the first president of eBay. Now he's spending it at the movies. His company, Participant Productions, makes entertaining, issues-driven films that inspire real change -- Murderball, Syriana, An Inconvenient Truth ...
This grab-you-by-the-throat speech by Ghanaian economist George Ayittey unleashes an almost breathtaking torrent of controlled anger toward corrupt leaders and the complacency that allows them to thrive...
Larry Lessig gets TEDsters to their feet, whooping and whistling, following this elegant presentation of "three stories and an argument." The Net's most adored lawyer brings together John Philip Sousa, celestial copyrights, and the "ASCAP cartel"
Jamie Lerner re-invented urban space in his native Curitiba, Brazil. Along the way he changed the way city planners worldwide conceive what's possible in the metropolitan landscape.
In a lively show, "mathemagician" Arthur Benjamin races a team of calculators to figure out 3-digit squares, performs a massive mental calculation, and guesses a few birth days. How does he do it? He'll tell you.
New York Times tech columnist David Pogue is back with a satirical mini-medley that explains the legal and social history of music and media on the Internet in 4 minutes.
Inside every tank there is a human being. See the world through someone else's eyes. Pangea Day - May 10, 2008.
Illustrious jugglers the Raspyni Brothers show off their uncanny balance, agility, coordination and willingness to sacrifice (others). Now, if you'll just stand completely still...
Nicholas Negroponte outlines the vision behind the $100 laptop OLPC and the challenges in getting it produced.
Johnny Lee demos his amazing Wii Remote hacks, which transform the $40 game piece into a digital whiteboard, a touchscreen and a head-mounted 3-D viewer. A multi-ovation demo from TED2008.
Chris Jordan pictures some shocking stats