Acclaimed film director Ridley Scott’s upcoming film Prometheus features an antagonist named Peter Weyland, a powerful man with a vision to change the world. Amongst a number of teasers for the film includes a talk by Weyland at TED2023. The video gives a glimpse at this intriguing character, as well as the possible future of the TED conference itself. For another teaser for the film, a commercial for the human-like robots that Weyland’s corporation produces, click here.
TEDx in a Box from IDEO.org
TEDxStellenbosch 2011 speaker Marika Shioiri-Clark has been working on the “TEDx in a Box” system as an IDEO.org Fellow. Here’s a short video that shows what they have come up with. Click here to see Marika’s talk from CityAfrica.
Metropolis II
Artist Chris Burden spent millions of dollars building Metropolis II, a bustling scale model of a future city. Over 1000 cars fly through the city continuously, giving one a sense of energy experienced in the world’s real metropolises.
Bill Ford on A Future Beyond Traffic Gridlock
Bill Ford, great-grandson of Henry Ford, talks about the future of mobility and how we need a giant leap to solve the current transportation problem in cities around the world. He calls for a diverse range of solutions, and emphasizes that “emission-free traffic is still traffic”.
The Internet in 2015
Digital Life: Today & Tomorrow from Neo Labels on Vimeo.
How much will the way we use the internet change by 2015? A lot. This infographic video should give you an idea of where we’re going. Even the facts of internet use in 2010 are mind blowing. If you hadn’t guessed it yet, we’re going mobile.
Al Gore’s ‘Our Choice’ Gives Us a Glimpse Into the Future of Reading
Pushpop Press has developed a revolutionary platform for the way we read on mobile devices. They have used their technology to make Al Gore’s 2009 book Our Choice an interactive reading experience, changing the way readers navigate books and interact with content while blurring the lines between media. The book has around an hour of video content embedded throughout. Even if you’re not a fan of Uncle Al (shame on you), it is worth having a look at. Watch the video below, have a look at the webpage for more comprehensive info, watch Pushpop Press co-founder Mike Matas’ recent TED Talk, and if you have an iPad it is well worth getting your hands on the real thing.
Al Gore’s Our Choice Guided Tour from Push Pop Press on Vimeo.
Carlo Ratti on Architecture That Senses & Responds
Carlo Ratti’s talk from TED 2011 provides a fascinating view of the technologies he has been developing. He talks about creating environments that sense activity and speak back to us. He shows how tracking trash across the U.S. can help us identify inefficiencies in our systems. The part on the movement of trash is fascinating just to see how waste moves between cities. He talks a lot about some of his architectural projects, where he uses interesting media to create flexible, interactive structures and visuals. All of his work provides an interesting perspective on the kinds of sensory technologies we’ll see in the smart cities of the (near) future.
Marcin Jakubowski Shares the Tools for Building a Modern Civilisation
If you’re thinking of building a modern civilisation from scratch, not to worry, all you need are 50 tools that you can build yourself. Through Open Ecology, Marcin Jakubowski has developed the blueprints for these 50 tools and made them available for anyone wanting to build and sustain a small village.
Mxit VS Facebook VS Twitter in South Africa
You may have thought nothing was as popular as Facebook and Twitter in the social network world. Well, think again. Mxit has almost three times as many users than Facebook in South Africa. Check out Afrographique for the full infographic and more African data visuals.
Salman Khan: Let’s use video to reinvent education
At TED 2011, Salman Khan talks about how the Khan Academy is flipping and humanising the classroom. What started out as simple YouTube tutorials for his cousins, has now become an online schooling phenomenon used by millions. This is the future of education.
Amazing Water Visualisation
Two Harvard GSD students developed this incredible visualisation of water supply and usage around the world. It ended up winning visualizing.org’s World Water Day Challenge. Click on the image to open the infographic in full screen and play around.
Float - Mesmerising Free Flight Duration Aeronautics
Float Documentary Trailer from Phil Kibbe on Vimeo.
Float, an upcoming documentary, delves into the world of competitive free flight duration aeronautics. The trailer alone will mesmerize anyone who is new to this niche hobby. These hobbyists build super lightweight flying craft propelled only by rubber bands, some of them staying in flight for over half an hour.
‘Up’ Just Got Real
If you ever thought the flying house in Pixar’s Up was just slightly unrealistic, think again. A team from a new Mythbusters-like show called How Hard Can It Be tried to recreate the balloon house. Astonishingly, they pulled it off.