TEDxCairo Blog

Price of Happiness – سعر السعادة

TEDxCairo — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 07:37:10 +0000

In this TED talk (best of the web from the TASTE 3 conference)- Does Happiness Have a Price tag? -- author Benjamin Wallace recites his experimentation with the finer things in life from expensive wine to the fastest car in the world to $800 dollar jeans. This experiment was meant to serve his curiosity regarding the question of whether more expensive things really do make people happier. He notes a fascinating result of a study conducted by researchers from Sanford and Cal-tech about the deception of a higher price tag on our pleasure levels.

يتحدث الكاتب بنيامين والاس في مؤتمر (TASTE 3 -- عرضه موجود على موقع تد) عن تجربته حيث حاول ان يكتشف سر المبالغ الطائلة التي يدفعها الناس لاقتناء الاشياء المادية زاهد ة الثمن. كان يريد ان يكتشف والاس ماإذا كان المال يقدر فعلا على ان يشتري السعادة للناس. في آخر عرضه يكشف والاس عن نتاج مثيرة للإهتمام تابعة لبحث قام به بعد الباحثون في جامعات ستانفورد وكاليفورنيا تك بخصوص تأثير وهم السعر الزاهد على مؤشرات السعادة لدى الناس.

Watch this talk -- which is quite entertaining -- and join the debate: Does Happiness Have a Price Tag?

إذًا شاهد بنيامين والاس في مؤتمر TATSTE3 وشارك في الحوار: هل هناك سعر للسعادة؟

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_XAMm_TBJk

Internet Monitoring and Personalization – رصد نشاط الإنترنت والتخصيص

TEDxCairo — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:55:31 +0000

Is the monitoring of internet activity and personalization according to interests a breach of privacy?

هل يعتبر رصد نشاط الإنترنت والتخصيص بناءا على الإهتمامات خرق للخصوصية؟

Success of International Organizations – نجاح المنظمات الدولية

TEDxCairo — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 07:00:21 +0000

Should international organizations – such as the UN and the World Bank – be considered a success or a failure?

هل تعتبر المنظمات الدولية – مثل الأمم المتحدة والبنك الدولي – ناجحة ام فاشلة؟

Democracy – الديمقراطية

TEDxCairo — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:14:26 +0000

Is democracy, as is so often assumed, really the best form of government?

هل الديمقراطية فعلا, كما هو مفترض, أفضل نموذج للحكومة؟

#SaveSomalia Awareness Week

TEDxCairo — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:40:15 +0000

As many of you probably already know by now, the situation for millions living in Somalia and the horn of Africa is dire and grave. According to recent World Food Programme statistics, “13 million people in the Horn of Africa are facing a hunger crisis”. Drought, civil war and a weak economy have forced millions to travel miles on foot to seek medical help for their children, some under 12 lbs in weight at the age of 7 months and under 20 lbs at the age of 3. The data and information provided by NGOs and organizations monitoring the situation in the region is shocking and heartbreaking. Women and children are the most affected by the crisis, due to their sudden inability to make their own food. Sometimes 50% of the aid sent to the region by organizations like the UN and the WFP is stolen and sold in the black market for amounts those in need simply cannot afford.

We’re living in a time where everyone is so enthralled by the situation in the nation, understandably. We’ve received comments so far about how the timing is not right to raise awareness about a nation faraway while Egypt is going through so much. The fact of the matter is Egypt really is going through a lot, much of which requires our attention, because the future of a nation is being formed. But while we are forming our future, there are millions of children who are on the verge of death due to starvation to the extent that those who visit the region say that sometimes they were not sure if the children mothers were caressing were alive or dead, some of them looked like they were just “skin and bones” they said.

You do not have to dedicate a fortune or even the greatest portion of your time to the cause, we have started the #SaveSomalia campaign on our social media channels yesterday and it’s running for a week on facebook and twitter. We’re posting facts, videos, and photo essays, everything we find valuable and credible about the issue to draw people’s attention towards it coupled with resources and information about how to help; it can be as minor as making a donation of 20LE. But those 20EGP can make all the difference in the life of one child who’s so ill, who can feel nothing, see nothing, smell nothing, and taste nothing but hunger and starvation.

Follow us on Twitter, check our posts on facebook and if you can, why not help save even if just one precious life of a mother or a child in the Horn of Africa where people really need all the help they can get. The situation is one that cannot wait.

N.B. In efforts to abide by the dedication of this week to the Somalia and Horn of Africa crisis, this week’s debate is about the causes of famine. Share your opinion and help us raise awareness!

Thank you for your support!

Shereef Abd El Azeem – Volunteerism

TEDxCairo — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:30:38 +0000

Dr. Shereef Abd El Azeem, founder of NGO Resala gave an inspirational talk at the TEDxCairo 2011: Resurrection event coupled with stories that touch the heart about how volunteerism can be a very successful tool towards strengthening the community bond in Egypt and leading it forward.

Watch the talk Dr. Abd El Azeem gave at our event and share your feedback with us here, on our wall or @ us on Twitter

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvFBBc7iRWg

Fadel Soliman – Bread and Salt

TEDxCairo — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:23:47 +0000

One of the most well received talks at our TEDxCairo 2011: Resurrection event was Fadel Soliman‘s. Mr. Soliman talked about how the diverse communities in Egypt should embrace each other rather than battle over differences and gave practical examples of how two different communities in Egypt can unite to bring about a better future for their nation.

Watch Fadel Soliman’s talk below and do not hesitate to share your feedback with us either here in the comments section, on our wall or via Twitter

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzAVLMdeLoU

Haytham Elfadeel – When Machines Think!

TEDxCairo — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:14:55 +0000

During the TEDxCairo 2011:Resurrection event, one of our speakers was Hayhtam Elfadeel the developer of Kngine.com , a smart search engine. Haytham started his talk by demonstrating the abilities of his developed work to read human motion, which impressed the crowd immensely.

Watch Haytham ElFadeel talk about Kngine and about he invisions technology and smarter machinery can change our lives for the better

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcBdx-zlTRM

Your comments and feedback are welcome and desired, so leave a comment here, write on our wall or @ us on Twitter!

Causes of Famine – أسباب المجاعات

TEDxCairo — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:04:56 +0000

Are famines caused more by human actions (or inactions) or by environmental forces?

هل يتسبب الانسان بأفعاله في المجاعات اكثر من الظروف البيئيه ؟

Limits of Debate – حدود النقاش

TEDxCairo — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 07:00:35 +0000

UPDATE

Seeing that this week’s debate topic is discussing the nature and limits of debate, we thought we would take on more step further:

If you believe that certain topics are taboo and inappropriate for debate, what are they? And the key question here is: What are the most debatable topics in your point of view? What do you think is a topic where contradicting opinions need to shared and discussed in order to bring things into light and – perhaps – reach a consensus?

بما أن موضوع النقاش هذا الأسبوع هو مناقشة طبيعة وحدود النقاش، فكرنا أن نأخذ خطوة أخرى:

إذا كنت تعتقد أن بعض المواضيع هي من المحرمات وغير مناسب للنقاش، ما هي؟ والسؤال الرئيسي هنا هو : ما هي أكثر المواضيع قابلة للنقاش في وجهة نظرك؟ في رأيك ما هو الموضوع الذي تختلف فيه الآراء فتولد الحاجة إلى مناقشتها من أجل تسليط الضوء عليها و– ربما – التوصل إلى توافق في الآراء؟