The best stats you've ever seen - Hans Rosling Rosling is a passionate advocate for “liberating” publicly-funded data on the Internet. Select one topic area for which country-specific data might be compared (e.g., education, health, food production, the environment, etc.), and identify what you think are the best sources of data in this area on the Internet. Create a guide that lists these sources, and provides a brief review of each. If the administrators of these data repositories are thinking about how users might engage with the data via mobile devices or social media, note this in the review. If the administrators currently aren’t doing anything in these areas, how could mobile devices and social media enhance the user’s experience? Here are a few resources to make learning statistics an interesting experience. Someone always asks the math teacher, "Am I going to use calculus in real life?"
Graduation…now what? | Playlist Now playing Clinical psychologist Meg Jay has a bold message for twentysomethings: Contrary to popular belief, your 20s are not a throwaway decade. In this provocative talk, Jay says that just because marriage, work and kids are happening later in life, doesn’t mean you can’t start planning now. She gives 3 pieces of advice for how twentysomethings can re-claim adulthood in the defining decade of their lives. “In your 20s, you may not get married or figure out exactly what career you want to pursue. Charming talks for a boost on a bad day | Playlist Now playing All under the age of 16, brothers Jonny, Robbie and Tommy Mizzone are from New Jersey, a US state that's better known for the rock of Bruce Springsteen than the bluegrass of Earl Scruggs. Nonetheless, the siblings began performing bluegrass covers, as well as their own compositions, at a young age.
Population pyramids: Powerful predictors of the future - Kim Preshoff If your selected country was not represented by a population pyramid in the lesson, you may wonder what it looks like. The U.S. Census Bureau has an International Data Base that can help you create one. Make the most of your 20s: Meg Jay at TED2013 In her 20s, Meg Jay saw her first psychotherapy client, Alex, who was there to talk about her guy problems. Jay didn’t take the sessions all too seriously at first. But then her supervisor gave her a wakeup call. While Jay said, “Sure she’s dating down and sleeping with a knucklehead. For Jay, it was an a-ha moment. There are 50 million 20-somethings in the US — that’s 15% of population. “Claiming your 20s is one of simplest things you can do for work, happiness, love, maybe even for the world,” says Jay. Jay worries that messages in the media about the changing timetable of adulthood, and the 20s being an “extended adolescence,” are trivializing this important decade. Jay also takes issue with the phrase “you can’t pick your family, but can pick your friends.” “Too many 30-somethings and 40-somethings look at themselves and say about their 20s, ‘What was I doing? So what can 20-somethings do? Meg Jay’s talk is now available for viewing.
How to turn small talk into smart conversation Imagine almost any situation where two or more people are gathered—a wedding reception, a job interview, two off-duty cops hanging out in a Jacuzzi. What do these situations have in common? Almost all of them involve people trying to talk with each other. But in these very moments where a conversation would enhance an encounter, we often fall short. We can’t think of a thing to say. Or worse, we do a passable job at talking. We stagger through our romantic, professional and social worlds with the goal merely of not crashing, never considering that we might soar. We at What to Talk About headquarters set out to change this. Ask for stories, not answers One way to get beyond small talk is to ask open-ended questions. Instead of . . . Try . . . Break the mirror When small talk stalls out, it’s often due to a phenomenon we call “mirroring.” Mirrored example: James: It’s a beautiful day! See? Non-mirrored example: James: It’s a beautiful day! See? Leapfrog over the expected response
The art of science: Stunning, psychedelic images from Fabian Oefner In his TEDGlobal 2013 talk, Fabian Oefner shares breathtaking images at the nexus of art and science, which beautifully capture unique moments of physical and chemical drama. Formally trained in art and design, Oefner says that he has always been interested in science. Though he can’t pinpoint the exact moment when he became interested in pairing his two loves, he views both pursuits as inextricably linked by a crucial bond: “The most important quality of science or art is curiosity,” Oefner tells TED. “That’s what keeps me going and always finding something new.” Marbelous No. 05 (2013) An unusual look at the properties of oil, as colorful marbles of oil paint float in a solution of water and methylated spirits. Grain of Scent (2013) Tiny individual droplets of a liquid mixed with spray paint hang in the air for a fraction of a second, forming a scent sculpture. Aurora No. 01 (2013) This image illustrates the combustion of alcohol. Vanishing Beauty (2012) Powders can behave like fluids.
25+ apps that the TED staff swears make their everyday lives easier At our small, fast-moving nonprofit company, everyone does a couple of jobs — and productivity apps help us manage roles that shift between coding, writing/designing and running a full-scale conference twice a year. We asked the TED staff what apps they can’t live without. And beyond the classics—Instagram, Google Maps, Spotify, Uber, Seamless—we found some great apps that might help you too. For random life stuff… Dark SkyA weather app with startling accuracy, its interface tells you things like: “Light rain starting in 22 minutes.” *SunriseLike your Google Calendar with key improvements, several staffers swear by this app. *KeyMeCommunications manager Samantha Kelly was excited to download this app, as she recently got locked out of her apartment. *Think DirtyThis app tells you exactly what’s in the personal care product you’re about to buy. Yoga StudioYoga Studio reminds us of the “Surprise Me” feature on the TED app. *Camera360This app has more than 200 photo filters and 10 modes.
Talks that just might save your relationship | Playlist Now playing Infidelity is the ultimate betrayal. But does it have to be? Relationship therapist Esther Perel examines why people cheat, and unpacks why affairs are so traumatic: because they threaten our emotional security. In infidelity, she sees something unexpected — an expression of longing and loss. A must-watch for anyone who has ever cheated or been cheated on, or who simply wants a new framework for understanding relationships. The funniest TED Talks | Playlist Now playing The New Yorker receives around 1,000 cartoons each week; it only publishes about 17 of them. In this hilarious, fast-paced, and insightful talk, the magazine's longstanding cartoon editor and self-proclaimed "humor analyst" Bob Mankoff dissects the comedy within just some of the "idea drawings" featured in the magazine, explaining what works, what doesn't, and why.