How do you stand up to authoritarianism? And what does it mean to be "fearless"? In this powerful talk, housewife-turned-politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya describes her unlikely bid to defeat Belarus's long-time autocratic leader in...

What do you think when you look at this speaker? Well, think again. (And then again.) In this funny, honest, empathetic talk, Yassmin Abdel-Magied challenges us to look beyond our initial perceptions, and to open doors to new ways of...

What exactly is culture? This week we’re going to try to answer that, and explain the difference between material and non-material culture. We’ll look at three things that make up culture: symbols, values and beliefs, and norms. We’ll...

How can technology help improve our quality of life? How can we navigate the world without using the sense of vision? Inventor and IBM Fellow Chieko Asakawa, who's been blind since the age of fourteen, is working on answering these...

Usually when it's snowing outside, it's really calm, pretty, and fun to play in! But there are certain types of big snowstorms, called blizzards, that can get really windy, wild, and even dangerous!

(NOTE: This talk was given in 2009, and this field of science has developed quickly since then. Read "Criticisms & updates" below for more details.) Drug-resistant bacteria kills, even in top hospitals. But now tough infections like...

Aris Venetikidis is fascinated by the maps we draw in our minds as we move around a city -- less like street maps, more like schematics or wiring diagrams, abstract images of relationships between places. How can we learn from these...

Our biases can be dangerous, even deadly — as we've seen in the cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, in Staten Island, New York. Diversity advocate Vernā Myers looks closely at some of the subconscious attitudes...

Wael Ghonim is the Google executive who helped jumpstart Egypt's democratic revolution ... with a Facebook page memorializing a victim of the regime's violence. Speaking at TEDxCairo, he tells the inside story of the past two months,...

Things Other Countries Do Totally Differently!

Since 1950, the official language of China has been Mandarin, called Putonghua or “common speech.” All schools in China teach Mandarin, also called Standard Chinese, and it’s used on television, radio, and in most day-to-day business....

Located on a lovely bay named after the city, Naples is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city in Italy after Rome and Milan. The city has the stunning backdrop of Mount Vesuvius, the still-active volcano that...

Although women represent a sizeable percentage of Singapore’s workforce, relationships between men and women on the island tend to be fairly traditional. Learn more about gender roles and the male-female dynamic.

In Poem

The Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous avenues in the world, stretching through the heart of Paris from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde. Known for its wide sidewalks, luxury shops, and tree-lined beauty, this...

This video tutorial provides a step-by-step guide on how to use the Google Maps app on a smartphone to get turn-by-turn directions. The presenter, Bill from gcflearnfree.org, highlights the convenience of using Google Maps when...

In the words of Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Music is the universal language of all mankind." For Tenor Saxophonist Dusty Rhodes, this is the anthem that he lives by.



Prior to embracing the magic of...

Howcast - Learn how to stretch and warm up before parkour in this Howcast parkour video with expert Ann Kaczka.

Howcast - Learn fun things to do on the Las Vegas strip from Sin City expert Mike Myers in this Howcast video.

Howcast - Learn how to prevent sun spots from dermatologist Elissa Lunder in this Howcast skin care video.

Howcast - Check out part 4 of this walkthrough for the first person shooter, Battlefield 3, made by DICE, and find out how to beat "Operation Swordbreaker".

Howcast - Learn about jazz funk dance from jazz dance expert Liz Piccoli in this Howcast dance video.

Howcast - Check out part 14 of this inFamous 2 walkthrough and beat "Torn" with this online demo.

Howcast - Check out part 47 of this L.A. Noire walkthrough and beat "The Silk Stocking Murder" with this online demo.