This reminds me of Paul Graham's famous quote that ideas are free but execution is everything. The same applies to Ted talks. Sure, there are safe high-capacity

This reminds me of Paul Graham's famous quote that ideas are free but execution is everything. The same applies to Ted talks. Sure, there are safe high-capacity batteries that would change everything from mobile phones in the developing world to high tech in the developed world but there are millions of miles from A to B which are not usually brought up in the talks. I think we miss this fact because we often listen to people who might already be successful so we treat their ideas as unique or special but they are just as cheap. Bill Gates might have a special interest in pandemics but the truth is there are probably a million people who have the same fears as him but who wouldn't be on a Ted talk because they wouldn't be impressive. There is one thing that I think is great though about Ted talks (some of them) and that is they can encourage and inspire in general. William Kamkwamba's talk about building windmills from scrap in Malawi inspires people that you can have so little but with passion, you can change the world.