Bored with the junk on TV these days? Check out TED.
What was said at TED stayed at TED… but now it doesn’t. The TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference may be “exclusive” but the rest of us can get a taste as well now, thanks to recordings made available via the web (thanks to BMW, apparently).
For those with a political bent, for example, Thomas Barnett is an interesting place to start. I’ve recommended his book The Pentagon’s New Map to some folks, and his talk at TED from back in ’05 is a good listen and summary as well.
And there are talks in plenty of other themes as well — invention, technology, art, Africa, predictions… — pick one and enjoy.