Just in case you have not noticed yet, there is a link to “TED Talks” under Blogroll. I’m an avid follower of their presentations and podcasts (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks), and I really don’t know of a better way to keep a pulse on cutting-edge ideas being developed right now.

In many ways, I really miss being part of the Institute of Ecology at UGA and being part of the Scientific community.  Keeping up with TED helps me fill this void, while getting the full benefit of keeping abreast on the latest ideas in Technology, Entertainment, and Design (TED). For instance, I first heard about the touch-screen interface — now synonymous with the iPhone — in a “TED Talk” presented by Jeff Han, three years prior the overwhelming success of the iPhone launch.

In my very humble opinion, here are a couple of technology presentations which will, no doubt, be as influential in their own industries:

1. Tim Berners-Lee: The next Web of open, linked data
(http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/tim_berners_lee_on_the_next_web.html)

About this talk

20 years ago, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. For his next project, he’s building a web for open, linked data that could do for numbers what the Web did for words, pictures, video: unlock our data and reframe the way we use it together.

My comments:

Being the “Data Manager” for the Institute of Ecology for over 9 years, I can easily get excited about the potential here.  I also understand the “resistance” of many scientists of releasing “their” data. I did live it every day at UGA. I was right in between NSF (National Science Foundation) wanting the data to be made public, and the Principal Investigator requesting time to analyze and publish the data BEFORE making it public. Connecting all these databases will have a massive impact on the way science is done, and the kind of questions that can be asked/answered.

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2. Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry: Unveiling the “Sixth Sense,” game-changing wearable tech (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html)

About this talk

This demo — from Pattie Maes’ lab at MIT, spearheaded by Pranav Mistry — was the buzz of TED. It’s a wearable device with a projector that paves the way for profound interaction with our environment. Imagine “Minority Report” and then some.

My comments:

I still can’t get used to seeing folks wearing their BlueTooth headsets.  This technology will push the “mobile” industry to a whole new ball game.

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3. Ed Ulbrich: How Benjamin Button got his face
(http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ed_ulbrich_shows_how_benjamin_button_got_his_face.html)

About this talk

Ed Ulbrich, the digital-effects guru from Digital Domain, explains the Oscar-winning technology that allowed his team to digitally create the older versions of Brad Pitt‘s face for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

My Comments:

Computer visualization takes massive computational resources.  After watching this amazing presentation, I can’t help but wonder about the systems architecture behind it. The technology is obviously already impacting the movie industry — but still at a very high cost.

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4. Willie Smits: A 20-year tale of hope: How we re-grew a rainforest (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/willie_smits_restores_a_rainforest.html)

About this talk

By piecing together a complex ecological puzzle, biologist Willie Smits has found a way to re-grow clearcut rainforest in Borneo, saving local orangutans — and creating a thrilling blueprint for restoring fragile ecosystems.

My comments:

No more excuses…here is the “recipe” to getting it done.

Enjoy!