The annual TED conference celebrates technology, entertainment and design by bringing together some of the most inspiring and revolutionary minds from across the globe.
We're kicking off TED2011, which started Monday, February 28, and lasts through the week, by looking back at the best TED talks on technology from previous years.
Check out our slideshow, featuring Wikileaks's Julian Assange, the Large Hadron Collider, Wii remote hacks, a robot standup comedian, and much more. Vote for the most revolutionary presentation, and upload your favorite TED talks on tech using the participation tool.
Julian Assange
Julian Assange, editor-in-chief for whistleblower site Wikileaks, took the stage in July 2010 for a <a href="http://blog.ted.com/2010/07/26/surprise_speake/" target="_hplink">surprise Q&A</a> with TED's Chris Anderson to discuss the aims of the site, how it operates and what it has accomplished.
Pattie Maes
MIT's Pattie Maes shows off a wearable device called '<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html" target="_hplink">Sixth Sense</a>,' which lets the user interact with digital information that is overlaid on the physical world.
Anthony Atala
In 2007, Anthony Atala explained the process and purpose of <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_growing_organs_engineering_tissue.html" target="_hplink">growing human organs</a> in a lab and introduced TED-goes to the gizmos that make this fascinating innovation possible.
Sheryl Sandberg
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg asks "<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html" target="_hplink">why we have too few women leaders</a>" and presents three creative solutions.
Blaise Aguera y Arcas
Blaise Aguera y Arcas demoed <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/blaise_aguera_y_arcas_demos_photosynth.html" target="_hplink">Photosynth</a> in 2007, showing audiences how 2D photos can be used to create stunning 3D worlds that users can explore digitally.
Heather Knight
Heather Knight was joined onstage in 2010 by a <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/heather_knight_silicon_based_comedy.html" target="_hplink">robot standup comic</a> named Data. The funny 'bot cracked jokes for the audience and adjusted its performance based on feedback from participants.
Jeff Han
In February 2006, Jeff Han <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_han_demos_his_breakthrough_touchscreen.html" target="_hplink">exhibited</a> his affordable high-res multi-touch display. The audience was blown away. The following year, Apple released its iPhone handsets, which featured a similarly equipped (though tinier) touch screen.
Shai Agassi
In 2009, Shai Agassi <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/shai_agassi_on_electric_cars.html" target="_hplink">explained</a> why all-electric cars are a must for cutting global emissions. Agassi is the founder of Better Place, a company working toward breaking the world's oil dependency.
Brian Cox
In 2008, Brian Cox spoke about his work on CERN's <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/brian_cox_on_cern_s_supercollider.html" target="_hplink">Large Hadron Collider</a>, which, he informed his audience, "is the largest scientific experiment ever attempted." During his presentation, Cox guided listeners through the project's challenges and goals.
Johnny Lee
Johnny Lee introduces his audience to <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/johnny_lee_demos_wii_remote_hacks.html" target="_hplink">Wii Remote hacks</a> and shows how to turn the relatively inexpensive controller into a variety of teaching tools, such as a whiteboard, a touch screen and a 3D viewer.
Aimee Mullins
Paralympic athlete Aimee Mullins trots out her 12 pairs of <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_prosthetic_aesthetics.html" target="_hplink">prosthetic legs</a> and demonstrates how their various qualities enhance her body.
Carter Emmart
Carter Emmart takes his audience on a tour of the <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/carter_emmart_demos_a_3d_atlas_of_the_universe.html" target="_hplink">known universe in 3D</a>, a 12-year project that combined the efforts of scientists, artists and computer programmers.
Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking's talk at TED2008 presented popular theories that attempt to answer some of humanity's most troublesome questions: "Where did we come from? How did the universe come into being? Are we alone in the universe? Is there alien life out there? What is the future of the human race?"
David Bismark
David Bismark demos a new method of <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/david_bismark_e_voting_without_fraud.html" target="_hplink">e-voting</a> that prevents fraud and protects the secrecy of votes.
David Pogue
In 2007, tech journalist David Pogue performed a delightful "<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/david_pogue_on_the_music_wars.html" target="_hplink">TED medley</a>" about the history of music and television on the Internet.
The annual TED conference celebrates technology, entertainment and design by bringing together some of the most inspiring and revolutionary minds from across the globe.
We're kicking off TED2011, w...
The annual TED conference celebrates technology, entertainment and design by bringing together some of the most inspiring and revolutionary minds from across the globe.
We're kicking off TED2011, w...
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Ten-time Grammy Award winner Bobby McFerrin is a renowned musician, singer, and conductor who has collaborated with music greats such as Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea,...
Some atheists may not object to practices of the believer, but at bottom atheists find it painful to admit that knowledge is limited. Yet science itself, supposedly the atheist's greatest ally, shows that it is.
When it was announced that the TED enterprise -- which features global conferences with idea innovators and change agents -- was gearing up to present a TEDwomen conference, there was immediate push back.
Um... best of? TED isn't really about performance value. It's about delivering rich insight.
Putting any above the others diminishes the value of each. And each and every talk should be viewed. I encourage anyone who hasn't spent time there to skip this list and proceed to TED.com immediately. And pack a lunch. You'll get lost there for hours. Brilliant, brilliant content.
Father2Three: Um... best of? TED isn't really about performance value. It's
These are the types of people we all need to run the government and possibly the world. It is this type of thinking and problem solving that if ever listened to could make the world a more verdant, productive, and peaceful place.
SNAP! Day dream over, but we should still strive for it.
Oh, I Love TED btw and thought it was one of the best sites I've ever come across! What a wonderful and inspiring site!
HuffGeist: These are the types of people we all need to
The best TED talk is Matthew Riccard, the laughing monk. Possibly the happiest man on earth. He exudes such a pure joy of life that, if you watch it only once, your life will be better. If you watch until you practice joy as he does everyone's lives would be better.
Chaos_Or_Zen: The best TED talk is Matthew Riccard, the laughing monk.
I agree it's ridiculous to identify 10 best. Recommend Janine Benyus talking about biomimicry.
Ingenious, hopeful method of looking to biology/nature for design inspiration. 3.8 billion years of r&d all around us.
DotCommnt: I agree it's ridiculous to identify 10 best. Recommend Janine
I expected to see Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor on this list. Her talk on her experience of suffering a stroke--from the point of view of a neuroscientist--has intrigued me to this day.
joshuaadamson: I expected to see Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor on this
You beat me to the same post and I'm glad I read down a ways first. Jill's telling of her frightening experience changed a lot of my thinking (pardon the pun).
Gavin_Saunders: You beat me to the same post and I'm glad
Contrary to what we might think about the freedom of ideas in the technological world of today, not all ideas are treated equally. As in the past, any idea that contradicts extablished and
accepted beliefs will not receive a fair hearing anywhere. If we are to program the human
mind in a computer and learn from what we've programmed, we'll have to overcome the
inertia of our beliefs. The is extremely important if we are to program the "survival" program of the human mind, which leading artificial intelligence say doesn't even exist.
For more, see: RevolutionOfReason.com and YouTube: RobertLBlackburn
Robert_Blackburn: Contrary to what we might think about the freedom of
Its good to promote TED - its the best site on the web - I don't agree with the 10 best though.
There are hundreds of great talks - its silly to reduce it to "best"
Moonwood: Its good to promote TED - its the best site
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The Huffington Post Catharine Smith First Posted: 03/01/11 09:37 AM ET Updated: 11/15/11 03:27 PM ET