Here is a thought provoking talk on the political system of China.

Here is a very nice presentation on making tools to help us think.

The speaker claims writing was the first such tool, as it allowed to put thought processes down and study thought itself.

The mathematical notation we use today is another such tool, and is considered the beginning of modern mathematics. It is amazing to think that the birth of modern mathematics is not attributed to a concept but a user interphase.

He presented such tools running on a computer. They basically try to combine three ways of thinking:

Interactive - like playing with models of molecules to understand the structure of complex organic molecules

Visual - like statistical visualisation

Symbolic - writing, raw thought.

Very interesting and well presented.

Media for Thinking the Unthinkable from Bret Victor on Vimeo.

One of the most famous, and I think best TED talks, now shortened and with RSA animation.

Public education was designed for different times. Schools still operate like factories. People are still thought in an academic/non-academic dichotomy.

Worth to see again.

Here is a talk that suggests that success does not come from avoiding conflict, but from seeing it as a creative force.

Here is a talk on apathy about things that should be important but most people do not engage in: political parties, elections and leaders.

The speaker argues that the reason behind people's apathy to these is not that people are too selfish or too lazy to care. Instead it is because the world actively discourages engagement. He calls to redefine apathy as due to cultural barriers to engagement, instead of an internal property of people.

For example putting a price on public space discourages messages that cannot generate a profit to the messenger, even though such messages can be important.

Or the stereotype of heroes, as seen on the media, is that they are chosen and predicted to be heroic. Instead heroic effort is voluntary, comes by following your own dreams without invitation and is collective.

Great ideas all around. I particularly enjoyed the comparison between a product commercial and a public engagement announcement.

Here is a 3 minute video suggesting human activity is of such scale and magnitude as to mark the beginning of a new geological period.