Onelargeprawn
Filmmaker and forever optimist Jason Silva loves ideas. It amazes him how a tiny spark in an excitable neuron gives life to an idea and how that idea can spread through the vector of language.
Inspired by other forward thinkers of past and present, Silva’s rather psychedelic, inspirational short film RADICAL OPENNESS pays homage to the imaginable and unimaginable power of the idea.
[via Holy Kaw!]
The interactive Scale of the Universe shows us how minuscule and gargantuan elements in our universe can be. We know that atoms, the basic unit of matter, are small but just how small are we talking about?
Scientist and teacher Jonathan Bergmann answers that question in this quick animated chemistry lesson using blueberries, grapefruits, and football stadiums as metaphors.
You can find many more educational videos at TED-Ed.
[via @blahsum]
Alexander Tsiaras is a whiz at scientific visualization. In his early days, he created lenses for microscopes, most notably for the one that captures the very first images of human eggs in an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) program.
In his presentation from a TED conference in 2010, the scientist talks about how the instruction sets used in creating a human being are so complex that they are beyond our comprehension. It’s mathemagical. He also shows a visualization of the development of the human fetus. See Conception to Birth, Visualized below. Be warned, there are some graphic images of the “expulsion” process.
[via Geeks are Sexy]
The Interwebs is a vast, intangible, untameable place. Kevin Kelly, Senior Maverick at Wired magazine, considers it “immense ghost land of disembodied places” that we are able to navigate through every day and return with our body parts intact. So he reckoned we must have a rough map of the Internet in our heads, and at a recent TED conference, he asked people to draw a map of the Internet as they see it, indicating their “home” on the map.
He has collected over 50 maps so far. Here’s a small gallery – click to embiggen.
See more maps at Kevin Kelly’s flickr set.
You can get involved in the Internet Mapping Project by downloading the blank PDF from Kelly’s website and submitting your own map.
[via picocool]
The Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra contains the best high school musicians from El Sistema, a publicly funded Venezuelan music-education program known for rescuing young people in impoverished circumstances.
Led by Gustavo Dudamel, a product of the El Sistema and new music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the orchestra plays Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, 2nd movement, and Arturo Márquez’ Danzón No. 2. Sit back, turn up the music, and enjoy.
Click play or go to TED.
– thanks Sam Wilson.