TED Talks
TED: The global power shift | Paddy Ashdown
Paddy Ashdown believes we are living in a moment in history where power is changing in ways it never has before. In a spellbinding talk he outlines the three major global shifts that he sees coming.
TED Talks
Bassam Tariq: The beauty and diversity of Muslim life
Bassam Tariq is a blogger, a filmmaker, and a halal butcher -- but one thread unites his work: His joy in the diversity, the humanness of our individual experiences. In this charming talk, he shares clips from his film "These Birds Walk"...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The terrors of sleep paralysis - Ami Angelowicz
Imagine you're fast asleep and then suddenly awake. You want to move but can't, as if someone is sitting on your chest. And you can't even scream! This is sleep paralysis, a creepy but common phenomenon caused by an overlap in REM sleep...
TED Talks
Timothy Bartik: The economic case for preschool
In this well-argued talk, Timothy Bartik makes the macro-economic case for preschool education -- and explains why you should be happy to invest in it, even if you don't have kids that age (or kids at all). The economic benefits of...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The movement that inspired the Holocaust | Alexandra Minna Stern and Natalie Lira
Since ancient Greece, humans have controlled populations via reproduction, retaining some traits and removing others. But in the 19th century, a new scientific movement dedicated to this endeavor emerged: eugenics. Scientists believed...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Schrodinger's cat: A thought experiment in quantum mechanics - Chad Orzel
Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, posed this famous question: If you put a cat in a sealed box with a device that has a 50% chance of killing the cat in the next hour, what will be the state...
TED Talks
Aparna Rao: Art that craves your attention
In this charming talk, artist Aparna Rao shows us her latest work: cool, cartoony sculptures (with neat robotic tricks underneath them) that play with your perception -- and crave your attention. Take a few minutes to simply be delighted.
TED Talks
TED: Whose land are you on? What to know about the Indigenous Land Back movement | Lindsey Schneider
Land thrives in Indigenous hands, and there are real, tangible ways you can help return what was stolen by colonizers from tribes across North America. Indigenous scholar Lindsey Schneider addresses the ill-gotten legacy of settler...
TED Talks
Justin Hall-Tipping: Freeing energy from the grid
What would happen if we could generate power from our windowpanes? In this moving talk, entrepreneur Justin Hall-Tipping shows the materials that could make that possible, and how questioning our notion of 'normal' can lead to...
SciShow
Video Games Hack Your Brain (In a Fun Way)
Most of us can probably think of a time when we were enjoying a video game and then suddenly...it's 2 am. And that may not be entirely your fault! Video games are designed with elements that suck you in and put you in a state of flow,...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Gerrymandering: How drawing jagged lines can impact an election - Christina Greer
District lines, and the groups of voters within them, may seem arbitrary, but a lot of thought (and political bickering) is put into these carefully drawn lines. From "packing" a district to "cracking" a district--learn how the shape of...
Crash Course
Age of Jackson Crash Course US History
In which John Green teaches you about the presidency of Andrew Jackson So how did a president with astoundingly bad fiscal policies end up on the $20 bill? That's a question we can't answer, but we can tell you how Jackson got to be...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What does the world's largest machine do? | Henry Richardson
In 1967, Homer Loutzenheuser flipped a switch and connected the power grids of the United States, forming one interconnected machine. Today, the US power grid is the world's largest machine, containing more than 7,300...
Crash Course
Gerrymandering: Crash Course Government and Politics
Today Craig is going to talk about a topic that makes voters and politicians alike ANGRY! We're going to talk about Gerrymandering - that is the process in which voting districts are redrawn in a way to favor one party during elections....
TED Talks
Edi Rama: Take back your city with paint
Make a city beautiful, curb corruption. Edi Rama took this deceptively simple path as mayor of Tirana, Albania, where he instilled pride in his citizens by transforming public spaces with colorful designs.
TED Talks
Boniface Mwangi: The day I stood up alone
Photographer Boniface Mwangi wanted to protest against corruption in his home country of Kenya. So he made a plan: He and some friends would stand up and heckle during a public mass meeting. But when the moment came ... he stood alone....
SciShow
The Truth About 'Truth Serum'
Sodium pentothal, the so-called "truth serum,' is real! But does it work? Find out what "truth serums' do, and how your brain lets you tell lies.
TED Talks
TED: Why joy is a state of mind | Angélique Kidjo and Femi Oke
With infectious energy, singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo ties together the threads of her legendary career as a creative force and global activist. In conversation with journalist Femi Oke, she discusses how joy powers her music (and...
TED Talks
TED: What does it mean to be a citizen of the world? | Hugh evans
Hugh evans started a movement that mobilizes "global citizens," people who self-identify first and foremost not as members of a state, nation or tribe but as members of the human race. In this uplifting and personal talk, learn more...
TED Talks
Claudia Miner: A new way to get every child ready for kindergarten
Early education is critical to children's success -- but millions of kids in the United States still don't have access to programs that prepare them to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. Enter the UPSTART Project, a plan to bring early...
TED-Ed
Debunking the myth of the Lost Cause: A lie embedded in American history | Karen L. Cox
In the 1860's, 11 southern states withdrew from the United States and formed the Confederacy. They seceded in response to the growing movement for the nationwide abolition of slavery. Yet barely a year after the Civil War ended, southern...
TED Talks
TED: 10 top time-saving tech tips | David Pogue
Tech columnist David Pogue shares 10 simple, clever tips for computer, web, smartphone and camera users. And yes, you may know a few of these already -- but there's probably at least one you don't.
Crash Course
War and Civilization: Crash Course World History 205
In which John Green investigates war, and what exactly it may or may not be good for. Was war a result of human beings organizing into larger and more complex agricultural social orders, or did war maybe create agriculture and...