I've recently fallen in love with TED.

TED is amazing! TED is entertaining, thought provoking, inspiring, stylish, and funny.

TED is a website. You can get the nitty gritty details of TED (Technology Entertainment Design) here. But the basic concept is that it is an "annual conference [that] now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes)." Those talks are then posted online so they can be viewed free of charge. To me it seems a sort of free "Life University" via the Internet (which is great because I get to go to "class" in my pajamas).

Just when I think I've seen the video that can't be topped, or that I'm running out of talks that look interesting I discover yet another amazing lecture by some genius I've never previously heard of but now am on the verge of worshiping. The talent and intelligence of TED presenters is enough to make anybody feel small, but in a really good way, the way seeing a mountain, or the night sky, or some amazing marvel of engineering or design makes one feel.

This is learning at it's most entertaining!

So it is with great excitement and pleasure that I present some of my favorite talks:

Johnathon Harris: the Web's secret stories Harris has created an amalgamation of art, information, and interactivity that explores the human condition in a creative, and entertaining way. He presents several of his amazing projects in this talk including "We Feel Fine." I feel inspired!

Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry: Unveiling the "Sixth Sense," game-changing wearable tech Oh boy! I want one of these when they leave the prototype stage! This piece of technology, at the price point at which they're presenting it makes me feel like the world is about to make a great leap into "the future" science fiction has been referencing for years.

Johnny Lee: Creating tech marvels out of a $40 Wii Remote I love a good hack (Ikea Hacks have piqued my interest for some time now). But as an aspiring digital artist these Wii Remote hacks absolutely floored me (and the hacked glasses definitely got video-gaming Adam excited). The doors this opens to starving artists (or wannabes in my case) are numerous considering a tablet can cost hundreds of dollars and limits an artist's gesture room enormously.

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? Sir Ken Robinson's answer is "yes."

Adam Savage: My quest for the dodo bird, and other obsessions You may know Adam from MythBusters. If this talk is any indication, he's at least as ADHD as I am. He provides an interesting glimpse into the way his (and my) mind often works.

David Merrill: Siftables, the toy blocks that think The educational and therapeutic potential for this invention is immense. I also look forward to seeing this used for purposes other than play.

Anand Agarawala: Bumptop desktop is a beautiful mess This is one of many TED presentations that give an indication of the direction that computer user interfaces are headed. Intuitive, organic movements will likely replace point and click systems within my lifetime.

Adam Grosser: A new vision for refrigeration Here's a TED presenter putting his genius towards making the world a better place for everybody. The product may be simple but the implications are far reaching.

Dean Kamen: New prosthetic arm for veterans This talk is inspiring while also forcing us to consider to what other problems are we not applying our full creative and innovative abilities?

You should know that there were even more I wanted to include. But it seemed prudent to keep this list smaller than other lists I've mentioned. And while this list is definitely heavy on geek innovations TED is certainly not limited to technological topics. Religion, philosophy, even musical performances can be found in abundance. I promise, there is something there that will interest you. And I think regular visits to TED will do you good. A little inspiration now and again keeps the serotonin flowing. And, as "they" say "knowledge is power."

And I'll leave you with this because it's how TED makes me feel.