Ode to TED (Day 5): Laws that Choke Creativity

Welcome to "Ode to TED" day 5.

Larry Lessig is a professor at Harvard Law School and a champion for the rights of the little guy in today's digital world. For example, he is one of the founder of the Creative Commons, one of the best solutions to content management in the internet age. It is the Creative Commons with circumscribed "CC" logo that Lessig refrains from specifically discussing towards the end of his talk.

I was first introduce to Lessig and his views my sophomore year of college in Philosophy of Technology (Phil 343). Our text book was Lessig's Code: And Other Laws of Cyberspace, Version 2.0. Among other many other things, Lessig did a great job explaining why our digital age has created such tension among society, copyright holders, and the law.

TED2007: Larry Lessig on laws that choke creativity (TED link)

(The length of this video is 18:59.)

Ode to TED (Day 4): Institutions vs. Collaboration

Yay, day 4 is actually happening directly after day 3!

This video is about something about which I am very passionate. It is about how the internet is able to bring people together to work toward a common goal. So... watch, learn, and hopefully, join a group online and contribute to something bigger than yourself in a way that was not previously possible.

TEDGlobal 2005: Clay Shirky on institutions vs. collaboration (TED link)

(The length of this video is 20:49.)

Ode to TED (Day 3): Classical Music

Ok, so this is my blog and I decide when a day is an "Ode to TED" day. Well, today is "Ode to TED" day 3.

This video is the most enjoyable TED video that I have every seen. Sure, I still learned a lot from it, but I don't think that is the point. Watch for yourself and see what you think.

TED2008: Benjamin Zander on music and passion (TED link)

(The length of this video is 20:46.)

Ode to TED (Day 2): Choice

Oh, no. Yesterday, I completely forgot to continue my Ode to TED week. Well, today shall be "Day 2".

Today's TED video is also one of the most popular of all time. It is about the negative aspects of choice.

TEDGlobal 2005: Barry Schwartz on the paradox of choice (TED link)


**BOUNS**
I am making today a double feature! I just watched a new TED video that is also about the negative aspects of choice, but from a slightly different perspective.

TEDGlobal 2010: Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing (TED link)

(Sorry that the embedded video is too large. I had no "choice". FYI, the video length is 24:09. You can also watch this video from TED's site where it will not be cut off.)

P.S.
I was reading some of the comments about the second video. One person had this to say:

Apple limits choice because they know too many choices confuse buyers and increase chance for buyers remorse - thus, they only offer a few products in each line that are clearly distinguishable. Other tech companies like LG, Samsung, and HP produce so much variety that they have almost no solidified brand reputation.

~Ari Melman

Ode to TED (Day 1): Hans Rosling

TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) is a global set of conferences curated by the American private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading" (Wikipedia: TED (conference)). Basically, TED has some of the most fascinating videos on the web. This week-long "ode to TED" will introduce you to some of my favorite TED videos.

Hans Rosling is a Swedish professor of International Health at the Karolinska Institute, one of Europe's largest medical universities. In 2006, he gave one of the most popular TED talks of all time. The talk is about the misconception of "First World vs Developing World" and uses the most amazing data visualization that I have ever seen.

TED2006: Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen (TED link)

Software Recommendation: MobaXterm

If you are ever in Windows without install rights and need a Unix terminal with an X server, then I recommend MobaXterm.