TED

Hey guys!

Did you have a nice weekend?

My weekend was a rather unspectacular one – for one reason because I had to study a lot for upcoming tests and for another reason because it just wouldn’t stop raining. I can stand the rain for a couple of hours or even a whole day, but three days in a row with the rain never really stopping? Seriously?! If it was not for the empty fridge, I probably wouldn’t have set a foot outside my flat all weekend.

Still, being home for several days with nothing to do but studying (well, at least in theory…) can become extremely boring and I’m not the kind of person who enjoys staying in bed and watching sitcoms and TV series all day long. There’s one thing which I find a really good time killer, though, and you cannot even say that it’s senseless: it’s the website TED.

TED – that’s the abbreviation for Technology, Entertainment, Design.  Sounds awfully boring?

Well, I have to admit, when a friend of mine first showed that page to me, I was like: Do you expect me to watch some far too elaborated scientists talk about their newest discoveries in molecular biology? Because that is what it sounded like to me. But then (reluctantly, but still) I started to click randomly on one of those talks listed on the introductory page of www.ted.com – and I was amazed!

TED actually keeps what it promises – it’s entertaining.

If you have a look at the About TED page of the website, you find that TED describes itself as  “a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading”. There is a TED Conference and a TED Global, there are TED Fellows and TED Conversations and the annual TED Prize. And – most important because it’s actually what I’m talking about – there are the TED Talks.

Basically, you can find any famous, important or innovative talk of recent times on ted.com. Even better, if you’re not searching for a specific talk, you can look for and have the page ordered by a topic you’re interested in – global issues, technology, business, science etc. Or you can look for talks in the categories Rated jaw-dropping inspiring, persuasive, informative, funny, courageous… just whatever you feel like. All the talks are given in English, but most times there are subtitles available in dozens of languages. If you select a talk, there is a short summary of what it’s about and even a bio of the person giving it.

All in all, it’s a perfect way to gather knowledge without the dreadful feeling of being forced to remember. It can be very recent scientific findings or just fun facts – for example, did you know that putting a pencil between your teeth so you are forced to fake a smile actually makes you feel happy because your body can’t distinguish between a fake smile and a real one? - I didn’t, until I watched a TED talk on body language...

By now, I'm a real TED addict. Whenever I'm bored, I just pick a random talk. If it sounds interesting, I'll watch it; if it doesn't, I'll just select another one. It's the most intelligent waste of time I have ever found on the Internet.

Go ahead, try it out! And don't forget to tell me whether you like it!

Bye-bye :)