TED Talks are Over-rated

[Ex-User (5841)]

Rather than parrot the article and attempt to claim the thoughts therein as my own (I've felt this way for some time, just haven't put it into words), I'll simply say that it's true: TED provides very few new ideas and serves mainly to entertain and manipulate the average Joe.

What determines “creativity,” in other words, is the very faction it’s supposedly rebelling against: established expertise.

Innovation, that is, exists only when the correctly credentialed hivemind agrees that it does.

 

[Hawkeye]

I've always found TED to be overrated. There are perhaps a small handful of talks I have found interesting and to some extent inspiring.

In fact, I can only think of 3

 

[redbaron]

Here I was thinking that I was one of the only people thinking that TED talks were majority garbage.

 

[Beat Mango]

It's generally for people who want to think they're thinkers, without actually doing any thinking.

There is some good stuff on there too though.

 

[doncarlzone]

There are too many self help- and motivational speeches on their for my taste. I do, however, like the idea of sharing perspectives that people do not normally engage in. Whether it's from a deaf person, cancer survivor or an animal rights advocate, I think there is some value in that. But I'd generally classify it as entertainment.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I agree, been thinking the same. Been shown some nice Ted talks by a pal which led me to think that they were good stuff, but after going on the Ted talks webpage to look for some on my own I quickly came to the realisation that most of em were garbage albeit nicely packed and wrapped.

 

[Brontosaurie]

it's things. of course it sucks.

 

[TimeAsylums]

no shit? Did you need to read an article to figure that out?

 

[TimeAsylums]

relevant enough:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yFhR1fKWG0&feature=player_embedded

 

[Cognisant]

The ranking system is based on what's popular.

Guess what's popular

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

Question: Is there actually an effective TED-like format?

I'm specifically thinking about tech-oriented crowd-funding sites.

"Here's a video explaining what it is, how it works, and how it relates to you. Now give me money."

 

[TimeAsylums]

"Give me money now, Here's a video explaining what it is, how it works, and how it relates to you. Now give me more money."

^the gist.

 

[Pyropyro]

True But shouldn't any thinker worth his salt be able to sort TED talk's gold from the dross? After all, any type of information or communication channel bombards us with different mixtures of useful and harmful data.

 

[Hawkeye]

relevant enough:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yFhR1fKWG0&feature=player_embedded

Apparently, he's a comedian.

 

[The Introvert]

Agreed. I always thought they were for:

- You're not a "scientist" so they explain their ideas in a way you can understand + jokes
- Explaining an overview of an idea to a large audience, like an intro class for ^^
- Tooting your own horn (if you're giving said talk)

 

[r4ch3l]

It's generally for people who want to think they're thinkers, without actually thinking.

Word.
Sometimes people I know will send me a clip and seem offended when I didn't watch it because they "want to know what I think" about said clip/topic. The times I've been guilted into watching so I can have the conversation I've felt frustrated that a single, simple idea with like three subpoints is drawn out for so long. It serves as entertainment that makes people feel intelligent and have shot to talk about at parties, etc.

relevant enough:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yFhR1fKWG0&feature=player_embedded

Hah. Sokhal's hoax for the Internet.

 

[Happy]

There's gems. There's garbage. Not much in between. It's not all bad.

Then there's Reggie Watts' talk. It's probably the least informative but most entertaining talk on there.

 

[Grayman]

Rather than parrot the article and attempt to claim the thoughts therein as my own (I've felt this way for some time, just haven't put it into words), I'll simply say that it's true: TED provides very few new ideas and serves mainly to entertain and manipulate the average Joe.

Talk shows and similar media are all entertainment first and academic second.

 

[Words]

Damn, there's a lot of bitterness here. I personally enjoy a bunch of tedtalks; I even used to watch it regularly. I learned and was informed about a lot of things. "Thinkers", "Intelligent", "Scientist" etc. I don"t know what these mean but I guess it says something about our value system, which is I guess favorable to human progress in general.

Btw, did anyone understand the points of the article? I didn't get it. The name "Ted talks" was only mentioned once.

 

[Analyzer]

Yeah when I think of Ted talks I picture an SFP listening and feeling like they are the smartest people around. It's made for the SFP and in general sensor audience. Te Infeior and tertiary loves that shit.

Don't get me wrong I've heard some good stuff at times but then they get banned. Kind of ionic.

It's sort of like the Nobel prize for economics/physics or other intellectual studies. It institutionalizes creativity and knowledge which is the exact opposite of its purpose.

 

[walfin]

Hey, I thought the talks weren't bad. Then again I haven't watched a lot.

But I don't like many of the social science talks which really seem to have no research at all and are just full of anecdotes.

 

[Minuend]

I haven't seen too many TEDs either, but I kinda considered it sort of inspirational maybe-I-should-research-this-topic-more

 

[TimeAsylums]

I haven't seen too many TEDs either, but I kinda considered it sort of inspirational maybe-I-should-research-this-topic-more

I won't deny they are "inspirational," but that is precisely what the link I shared was mocking. It almost seems like 80% of it is freaking just sharing your inspiration, which there is nothing wrong with, but they are monstrously overrated as being the sharing idea of the future etc etc, you can learn all of the information from the majority of talks from a fucking google. To be fair, some people do learn best that way, so to each his own or whatever really, but yeh.

 

[Words]

Inspiration..ideas...yeah that describes my impression of it. Pretentious, perhaps but I think short presentations require oversimplification which tends to come of a pretentiousness. What it is not is a thorough course or a detailed discussion on the subject it introduces. Maybe its intended for the general audience or those that don't care enough to go beyond their own field.

I can pretty much see it as being over hyped though. There was even this scene in a movie where this person spoke in a tedtalk about the direction or humanity or something. I also see a lot of online educators excited about being in a tedtalk.

SFP..manipulation..Now, I think that's just stretching it.

 

[DeltaForce]

I've found most to be a mixture of empty words,repetitive and overused ideas and the sort of personal stories that i frankly don't care about. It looks like what happens when your average news channel tries to be "scientific" or "philosophical". That article isn't the first, The Onion has made fun of them for quite some time now.

But still,it's ignorant to generalize on the whole event. It serves as a platform for people to speak out and it's a rather popular one too. There must be a few original or intellectual people who use it to their advantage.

I think some of the older and more popular ones are interesting. Especially the talks by Sir Ken Robinson and Hans Rosling.

 

[NormannTheDoorman]

I enjoyed a small...well.. at least 2 talks I found interesting. Everything else was basically hyped up trends.


Woman on attraction
Why we are lazy

Seems like a lot of empty words now. Rarely have I seen anything innovative or new.

 

[NormannTheDoorman]

I've found most to be a mixture of empty words,repetitive and overused ideas and the sort of personal stories that i frankly don't care about. It looks like what happens when your average news channel tries to be "scientific" or "philosophical". That article isn't the first, The Onion has made fun of them for quite some time now.

But still,it's ignorant to generalize on the whole event. It serves as a platform for people to speak out and it's a rather popular one too. There must be a few original or intellectual people who use it to their advantage.

I think some of the older and more popular ones are interesting. Especially the talks by Sir Ken Robinson and Hans Rosling.

The Ken Robinson talk was interesting.

 

[DeltaForce]

The Ken Robinson talk was interesting.

I agree. Although the point of view on education expressed here isn't particularly new,it still made for an interesting talk. TED seems to do a fair job of reaching out to the masses. Even if they do lose most of the real content in the process.

 

[AlisaD]

The posts here kinda reminded me of this:

Spoiler

Except the normal nerds say: "Some of it is interesting" while Alpha Nerds yell: "It is important that you know that I'm smarter than their intended audience!"

 

[scorpiomover]

Probably over-rated by the types that get all gushy over them.

Some of it is useful. In some of those TED talks, the speakers actually reveal some very interesting things that had little to do with the subject they were supposed to be speaking about.

 

[DeltaForce]

The posts here kinda reminded me of this:

Spoiler

Except the normal nerds say: "Some of it is interesting" while Alpha Nerds yell: "It is important that you know that I'm smarter than their intended audience!"

Accusing someone of being a "nerd' on an INTP forum with a close to 1000 post count?...oh...the irony of it all...

 

[AlisaD]

Accusing someone of being a "nerd' on an INTP forum with a close to 1000 post count?...oh...the irony of it all...

Dear child, by saying that I accuse people of being nerds you imply that there is something wrong with being a nerd, which I think is most intolerant of you.
I believe that being a nerd is quite cute, and very cool in most cases. I have great respect for normal nerds.
Being an alpha nerd, on the other hand, is just a bit funny really.

 

[DeltaForce]

Dear child, by saying that I accuse people of being nerds you imply that there is something wrong with being a nerd, which I think is most intolerant of you.
I believe that being a nerd is quite cute, and very cool in most cases. I have great respect for normal nerds.
Being an alpha nerd, on the other hand, is just a bit funny really.

I didn't imply anything. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a nerd,especially since i'd fit comfortably within most people's classification of that word.

I just thought you said it,on a website and along with circumstances that made the whole thing sort of ironic. Relax,it was a joke. And try not to call me a "child",unless you're actually as old as your profile picture suggests.

 

[AlisaD]

I didn't imply anything. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a nerd,especially since i'd fit comfortably within most people's classification of that word.

I just thought you said it,on a website and along with circumstances that made the whole thing sort of ironic. Relax,it was a joke. And try not to call me a "child",unless you're actually as old as your profile picture suggests.

Oh, it was a joke?
*relaxes*
Excuse silly old me, I never get those things. The sense of humor slowly deteriorates with years, you see. Much like teeth. And other things. Proven scientific fact that.
I call everyone here "child", even those who were never young. It's a privilege I decided I deserve because I wanted it. But if it bothers you, I won't do it again, Mr. DeltaForce.
Welcome to the forum. I hope you will enjoy your stay.

 

[DeltaForce]

Oh, it was a joke?
*relaxes*
Excuse silly old me, I never get those things. The sense of humor slowly deteriorates with years, you see. Much like teeth. And other things. Proven scientific fact that.
I call everyone here "child", even those who were never young. It's a privilege I decided I deserve because I wanted it. But if it bothers you, I won't do it again, Mr. DeltaForce.
Welcome to the forum. I hope you will enjoy your stay.

No,feel free to call me whatever you please. I objected because it's common for people to use similar words in a condescending manner.
Thanks,I've been lurking the tests subtopic for some time now and wanted to see if i could fit in and maybe learn something over here.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

The posts here kinda reminded me of this:

Spoiler

Except the normal nerds say: "Some of it is interesting" while Alpha Nerds yell: "It is important that you know that I'm smarter than their intended audience!"

1. *High five*
2.

Spoiler

You haven't seen many TED talks, have you?
[bimgx=500]http://p.twimg.com/Ax5ALqyCIAEoLmo.jpg:large[/bimgx]

 

[AlisaD]

1. *High five*
2.

Spoiler

You haven't seen many TED talks, have you?
[bimgx=500]http://p.twimg.com/Ax5ALqyCIAEoLmo.jpg:large[/bimgx]

Busted
I've only seen a couple. Some of them seemed kinda interesting, though

 

[Budthestud]

I discovered TED talks like 4 years ago. The first ones I watched were pretty good ones about physics, but after that it was just the stupid inspirational ones which suck after you seen like 2 of them. I do randomly discover some good ones in my adventures on the internet. Here are links to some good ones I watched recently (and by recently I mean within the past year or so).

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWLEvBg7jJU

Alain de Botton: Atheism 2.0 | Video on TED.com

Dan Dennett: Let's teach religion -- all religion -- in schools | Video on TED.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBx2Y5HhplI

 

[NormannTheDoorman]

I discovered TED talks like 4 years ago. The first ones I watched were pretty good ones about physics, but after that it was just the stupid inspirational ones which suck after you seen like 2 of them. I do randomly discover some good ones in my adventures on the internet. Here are links to some good ones I watched recently (and by recently I mean within the past year or so).

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWLEvBg7jJU

Alain de Botton: Atheism 2.0 | Video on TED.com

Dan Dennett: Let's teach religion -- all religion -- in schools | Video on TED.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBx2Y5HhplI

The reason why I rarely go out of my way to search for them.

 

[Windbag]

I think TED is excellent for opening up new areas about which to be curious, although the lectures themselves are a low-grade source of information.

I watched a TED talk on nuclear power that discussed the concept of a Waste Annihilating Molten Salt Reactor, presented by a couple of fresh-faced young nuclear engineers. The talk had very few technical details, so I read about molten salt reactors, and learned about the concept of the Liquid Flouride Thorium Reactor and so on and so forth, watched video lectures by Kirk Sorensen and followed that trail of breadcrumbs for a while.

They are a good pick-me-up if you're in a "Eff everything and everyone" mood, feeling burned out and bored.

Edit: Read the article, and yes, most talks are susceptible to the Malcom Gladwell syndrome: carefully simulated insight. But that nugget of half-truth can be a spring-board for more intense and fruitful investigation.

 

[Rook]

I recall a TED-talk featuring a weird haired musician, who utilises hilarious voices. I think he was British. There was minimal intellectual discourse, but it was highly entertaining and he had quite a wacky personality. Another talk clearly aimed at entertainment, but also interesting, was Einstein the African grey parrot. Cranky bugger.

 

[juansk]

Maybe they're good intentioned, but they never get to the roots. It takes courage and the ability to really think outside the box to do something different and valuable. TED talks are better than nothing, but still, a whole waste of resources that could be better spent.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Rather than parrot the article and attempt to claim the thoughts therein as my own (I've felt this way for some time, just haven't put it into words), I'll simply say that it's true: TED provides very few new ideas and serves mainly to entertain and manipulate the average Joe.

Glad i am not the only one who thinks this way.
I did a bit of research on the organizational and financial background concerning some key individuals, and to me it is pretty obvious from that, that TED is an edutainment franchise and caters to people from a very specific political background.
Basically, it gives them what they want to hear and knew all along.
Not stimulating enough for me.

 

[RobdoR]

I wonder if the feeling of intellectual superiority the masses get from watching TED Talks is the same feeling we all get by saying they are overrated...

Consider their benefits:
- They introduce me to new and sometimes exciting ideas (William Li: Can we eat to starve cancer? | Video on TED.com, Vijay Kumar: Robots that fly ... and cooperate | Video on TED.com, Allan Savory: How to fight desertification and reverse climate change | Video on TED.com).
- They are in a very accessible format that I can enjoy with more socially inclined people, like my lovely wife.
- They usually give decent links to the speakers website if you want to learn more.
- They are updated regularly.
- They are a good way to kill 20 minutes when you don't have time for lengthier endeavors.

Has anyone found a better place to find a quality stream of fresh well made presentations? If so, please do tell.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

- They are in a very accessible format that I can enjoy with more socially inclined people, like my lovely wife.
- They usually give decent links to the speakers website if you want to learn more.
- They are updated regularly.
- They are a good way to kill 20 minutes when you don't have time for lengthier endeavors.

Has anyone found a better place to find a quality stream of fresh well made presentations? If so, please do tell.

I agree with you completely in the sense that they make great examples of concepts that are already known, and are good for extending known concept applications. My issue is that they're structurally set up to weed out new concepts due to their reliance on ascribed authority.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Has anyone found a better place to find a quality stream of fresh well made presentations? If so, please do tell. ]

Try playing random wikipedia pages in a reading program.

Benefit:
-You don't waste time on 15 second long intro
-You are really open to new concepts if random was successful
-If not then you increase your general knowledge in a certain area you already know a bit
-Area of concepts is not selected to be consumable like pop-science is
-You don't listen to simplistic, pauper - biblical speech, just I feel like this
-You don't have to listen to personal comments from someones life

On the other hand with wiki:
- you can find very poor articles and/or biased
-If you are interested you may not find sources that are reliable, but this applies to TED as well

 

[RobdoR]

Initiating scientific test:

1.

Karima Delli

2.

James Bentley

3.

Ignatius Zhuwakiyi

4.

Jeremy Borseth

5.

Piretanide

6.

Freeden Bank

7.

Otto Stern School for Integrated Doctoral Education

8.

Služba za istraživanje i dokumentaciju

9.

Heongang of Silla

10.

Whitney Glacier

I have learned about the following:
4 people I don't care about
1 chemical compound
1 underwater bank
2 institutions that don't affect me
1 Korean king
1 large chuck of ice

Conclusion: Not as bad as I thought it would be. Now I only need to write a script to feed random wiki topics into wolfram alpha. Let the learning begin!

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

Conclusion: I only need to write a script to feed random wiki topics into wolfram alpha.

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5G4hZOJSng