As collegiates, it is our responsibility to be knowledgeable about groundbreaking ideas involving technology, entertainment, and design. The internet is a great source for news, but sometimes it leaves us uninformed and confused about what is really going on today. This is where TED Talks comes in. TED was founded in 1984 as a conference to honor innovators of technology. An annual conference in held in New York City for presenters to duke it out for the TED Prize, which is a $100,000 prize so they can change the world.
Their mission statement reads “We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we’re building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.” If you have ever been on TED.com, you know that they have lived up to their motto. These people are amazingly inspiring and motivating as well as the pioneers of technological inventions. Some presenters include Bill Gates, Al Gore, Steve Jobs, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and various Nobel Prize winners. The talks at the annual conference have been streaming since 2006 and today have over one thousand talks to “stir our curiosity”. I find these talks particularly helpful when I’m studying or doing homework. When I have hit the wall, I take a ten minute break and watch a TED talk. They always inspire me to keep working and to challenge the everyday world I live in. If you ever have ten free minutes of your day, go to TED.com and watch these incredible presentations!