Pollan asks a provocative question: Do we force plants to do our bidding when we breed them, or are we being manipulated by them?
Pollan is the author of Botany of Desire, a great book. There is a PBS production based on the book.
Michael Pollan at TEDS: What do potatoes think of us?
December 29, 2011
2 Comments | 
Biology, Botany, Evolution, Science | Tagged: Biology, Botany, Evolution, Michael Pollan, Potatoes, Science, TEDS | 
Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Paul Stamets at TEDS – fungus to save the world
December 29, 2011Don’t laugh. Listen and learn. (Greg Marley, is your TEDS talk coming soon?)
Entrepreneurial mycologist Paul Stamets seeks to rescue the study of mushrooms from forest gourmets and psychedelic warlords. The focus of Stamets’ research is the Northwest’s native fungal genome, mycelium, but along the way he has filed 22 patents for mushroom-related technologies, including pesticidal fungi that trick insects into eating them, and mushrooms that can break down the neurotoxins used in nerve gas.
There are cosmic implications as well. Stamets believes we could terraform other worlds in our galaxy by sowing a mix of fungal spores and other seeds to create an ecological footprint on a new planet.
“Once you’ve heard ‘renaissance mycologist’ Paul Stamets talk about mushrooms, you’ll never look at the world — not to mention your backyard — in the same way again.” — Linda Baker, Salon.com
Leave a Comment » | Environment, Gardening, Science | Tagged: environment, Gardening, Mushrooms, Paul Stamets, Science, TEDS | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Louie Schwartzberg’s “Gratitude” at TEDS
November 26, 2011Kathryn sent me the link and said I had to watch it. One learns to listen to one’s Trophy Wife™ if one has any sense.
Louie Schwartzberg’s TEDS appearances are greater than one (“(Louie at TEDS)>1”). When you watch his films, you can understand why he’s popular among the secular wooists, and even among the thinkers and scientists. One might rationally wonder why he’s not invited to speak at a lot of church services, but that would be a rational response. Schwartzberg’s earlier appearance at the Bathtub covered his TEDS presentation on his film, “Pollination.”
This one is more ephemeral, but a lot more human. I hope to see his work in theaters, soon.
What does this film make you feel, and what does it make you think?
How many of the locations on that film did you identify?
1 Comment | Geography - Physical, Life, photography, Video and film | Tagged: geography, Gratitude, Life, Louie Schwartzberg, photography, TEDS, Video and film | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
True or false? Deception, with iPhones, to tell the truth
September 11, 2011Magician Marco Tempest pushes the boundaries on use of iPhones in magic tricks — is it magic, pure electronics, or what we want to see?
Tell us in comments how you could use this shorter-than-usual TEDS video as a bell-ringer, teachers — or as an ice-breaker, meeting facilitators and corporate trainers:
Tip of the old scrub brush to Michelle Gardiner, who suffered my bass playing with quiet equanimity.
Leave a Comment » | Bell Ringers, Brain learning, Technology, Warm-up exercises | Tagged: Bell Ringers, Ice Breakers, Illusions, iPhones, Magic, Marco Tempest, Meetings, Technology, TEDS, Warmups | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
You’re not using this technology in your classroom?
April 12, 2010Here’s another opportunity to put real, cutting edge technology in your classroom. In fact, your kids could probably invent all sorts of new uses for it.
Have you even heard of this stuff? Can you use it, live, with the equipment you’ve got?
Blaise Aguera y Arcas of MicroSoft demonstrated augmented-reality maps using the power of Bing maps, Flickr, Worldwide Telescope, Video overlays and Photosynth, to an appreciative and wowed audience at TEDS:
My prediction: One more advance in computer technology that classrooms will not see in a timely or useful manner.
But have you figured out how to use this stuff in your geography, history, economics or government classes? Please tell us about it in comments. Give examples and links, please.
1 Comment | Classroom technology, Economics, Education, Geography - Economic, Geography - Physical, Geography - Political, geology, History, Science, Social Studies, Teaching, Technology, Technology in the classroom | Tagged: Blaise Aguera y Arcas, Classroom technology, Economics, Education, geography, Government, History, Lesson plans, Photosynth, Technology, TEDS | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 