April 2010

Matt Bittman

The Future of Food

Matt Bittman says that obesity is a massive and growing problem in America, and suggests that we must teach people how to choose healthy foods, how to buy and cook them, and especially how to appreciate them. In this lecture at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale.

Adora Svitak

Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids

Adora Svitak, child prodigy and author, says that maybe adults should stop demonizing the term “childish” and start embracing its positive aspects. Adora says children dream of perfection without boundaries, while adults often halt themselves from embracing grand schemes because of their cynical “adult” outlooks.

David Garvin

David Garvin: Rethinking the MBA

MBA programs have received a lot of flack due to their inability to produce students that not only have knowledge, but understand how to apply that knowledge in the real world. David Garvin, a professor at the Harvard Business School, does not deny this. In fact, his research supports this.

Matthieu Ricard

Matthieu Ricard on The Habits of Happiness

Do you admire those who can keep their serenity, inner strength and confidence in tough times? Do you wonder why you can’t attain that same happiness while others can? Buddhist monk, photographer and author, Matthieu Ricard, argues that this can be obtained by anyone through mind training.

Christopher Hitchens

The God Debate: Dinesh D’Souza & Christopher Hitchens on the existence of God

Is there a God? Of course, there is no provable answer to the God debate. But that doesn’t stop esteemed Catholic apologetic Dinesh D’Souza Dinesh d’souza and famed atheist Christopher Hitchens debating the existence of God.

Michael Sandel Moral Side of Murder

The Moral Side of Murder &
the Case for Cannibalism

Harvard University Justice’s Michael Sandel awakens our conscious to new ways of looking at difficult moral dilemmas involving life and death situations. Not our own, but choices we might someday make about the life or death of friends or complete strangers.

Keith Winstein

4-Lecture Course: Introduction to Copyright Law

The internet has spawned new interest on copyright laws and issues, by people who in the pre-web days would have never had an interest. But now with tens of millions of blogs, images, electronic music, e-books, and all other things digital, the common person needs to understand how to protect of their work, and how to not step on the copyrights of others.

Edith Widder

Fish with Headlights? Incredible Underwater Bioluminescence Phenomena

We know so little about what is undersea on our planet, and we promise this lecture, and the accompanying photos and videos, by bioluminescence expert Edith Widder will underscore this point and fill you with amazement.

Aubrey de Grey

In Pursuit of Longevity

Dr. Aubrey de Grey, Chief Science Officer, SENS Foundation, speaks at the Singularity University about human longevity and the future of regenerative medicine. He makes clear what he and his foundation are not about immortality, but about stopping people from getting sick–ending the diseases of aging.

Paul Cohen

Next: Really Smart Computers

Computers today are smart…at performing specific tasks. They still cannot match the adaptive and flexible mind of a human being, not even that of an infant. Faster computers alone will not get us there. Artificial Intelligence is required.