In Agbogbloshie, a community in Accra, Ghana, people descend on a scrapyard to mine electronic waste for recyclable materials. Without formal training, these urban miners often teach themselves the workings of electronics by taking them apart and putting them together again. Designer and TED Fellow DK Osseo-Asare wondered: What would happen if w...

DK Osseo-Asare creates architecture with and for the people that design overlooks.

For architect Ole Scheeren, the people who live and work inside a building are as much a part of that building as concrete, steel and glass. He asks: Can architecture be about collaboration and storytelling instead of the isolation and hierarchy of a typical skyscraper? Visit five of Scheeren's buildings -- from a twisted tower in China to a flo...

Vocal artist and creative technologist Reeps One fills the room with otherworldly, genre-transcending sounds and rhythms, delivering a one-of-a-kind performance that explores the past, present and future of vocal expression.

There's a common misconception that if you like to meticulously organize your things, keep your hands clean, or plan out your weekend to the last detail, you might be OCD. In fact, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is a serious psychiatric condition that is frequently misunderstood by society and mental health professionals alike. Natascha M. ...

Half of the world's poorest people have something in common: they're small farmers. In this eye-opening talk, social entrepreneur Andrew Youn shows how his group, One Acre Fund, is helping these farmers lift themselves out of poverty by delivering to them life-sustaining farm services that are already in use all over the world. Enter this talk b...

Ice cream has a unique role in our world’s history, culture, and cravings. The first accounts of cold desserts date back to the first century, in civilizations including ancient Rome, Mughal India, and Tang Dynasty China. Yet the cream-based delicacy we know today made a much later debut. So, how did the delicious sweet treat come to be? Vivian ...

These talks honor the selfless and overall wonderful human beings who help us every day.

One bag of apples, one apple, one slice of apple-- which of these is one unit? Explore the basic unit of math (explained by a trip to the grocery store!) and discover the many meanings of one. [Directed by Biljana Labovic, narrated by Christopher Danielson].

I wish for you to help build a social movement of more than 1 MILLION American activists for Africa. I wish to tell people ONE BILLION times about ONE, with as much of this as possible before the G8 Africa Summit in July 2005. I wish for you to show the power of information — its power to rewrite the rules and to transform lives — by connectin...

As Arctic ice melts, polar bears are being forced on land -- and they're hungry. With the apex predators frequently turning to human junkyards for a snack, northern towns have had to get creative in order to keep both their people and wildlife safe. Biologist and conservationist Alysa McCall shares lessons from the field on how to safely navigat...

Energetic and thriving, cities are the heartbeat of society. These talks offer viable ways to reinvigorate and strengthen the metropolises we love.

Mark Shaw demos Ultra-Ever Dry, a liquid-repellent coating that acts as an astonishingly powerful shield against water and water-based materials. At the nano level, the spray covers a surface with an umbrella of air so that water bounces right off. Watch for an exciting two-minute kicker.

Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the MIT Media Laboratory, describes how the One Laptop Per Child project will build and distribute the "$100 laptop."

Vocalist and composer Sarah Elizabeth Charles brings her signature, soulful jazz vocals to the TED stage, performing "Blank Canvas" and "One World" alongside guitarist Jordan Peters.

What is jealousy? What drives it, and why do we secretly love it? No study has ever been able to capture its "loneliness, longevity, grim thrill" -- that is, says Parul Sehgal, except for fiction. In an eloquent meditation she scours pages from literature to show how jealousy is not so different from a quest for knowledge.

There are so many tiny, beautiful, funny, tragic moments in your life -- how are you going to remember them all? Director Cesar Kuriyama shoots one second of video every day as part of an ongoing project to collect all the special bits of his life.

Here's a crazy idea: Persuade the world to try living in peace for just one day, every September 21. In this energetic, honest talk, Jeremy Gilley tells the story of how this crazy idea became real -- real enough to help millions of kids in war-torn regions.

Zombies eat brains. They are also like all of us driven by brain functions. What is happening in their brains to make them act as they do? In this intriguing dialogue Tim Verstynen and Bradley Voytek apply the various human medical possibilities that make zombies...zombies. [Directed by Franz Palomares, narrated by Tim Verstynen and Bradley Voyt...

With infectious energy, singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo ties together the threads of her legendary career as a creative force and global activist. In conversation with journalist Femi Oke, she discusses how joy powers her music (and sings an incredible impromptu song), details her work spreading educational opportunities to women and girls acr...

I wish that you — you personally and every creative individual and organization you know — will find a way to directly engage with a public school in your area, and that you’ll then tell the story of how you got involved, so that within a year we have 1,000 examples of innovative public-private partnerships. The plan Build a website that serves ...

Ole Scheeren designs buildings that generate both functional and social spaces.

Femi Oke is an international journalist, writer and moderator.

In this hilariously lively performance, actress Sarah Jones channels an opinionated elderly Jewish woman, a fast-talking Dominican college student and more, giving TED2009 just a sample of her spectacular character range.

Jacob Collier is a one-man band and force of nature. In a dynamic, colorful performance, he recreates the magical room at his home in London where he produces music, performing three songs in which he sings every part and plays every instrument -- accompanied by kaleidoscopic visuals that take cues from the music and grow in real time.

Diversity pragmatist Janet M. Stovall shares how we can foster a more diverse and inclusive work culture that empowers unique perspectives.

Explore the ingenious designs and intriguingly gorgeous places that people call home.

Photographer Camille Seaman shoots icebergs, showing the world the complex beauty of these massive, ancient chunks of ice. Dive in to her photo slideshow, "The Last Iceberg."

Scottish funnyman Rory Bremner convenes a historic council on the TEDGlobal stage -- as he lampoons Gordon Brown, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and a cast of other world leaders with his hilarious impressions and biting commentary. See if you can catch a few sharp TED in-jokes.

For those bleak moments when you need a reminder of how appreciated you are.