http://www.ted.com - In a preview of his next book, Steven Pinker takes on violence. We live in violent times, an era of heightened warfare, genocide and senseless crime. Or so we've come to believe. Pinker charts a history of violence from Biblical times through the present, and says modern society has a little less to feel guilty about.

Internationl security strategist Thomas Barnett outlines a solution to transform the military into a more successful organization for peacetime, as well as war.Another great TED lecture.

Ray Kurzweil describes technology trends, including nanotechnology, AI, and genomics. From 2005 TED conference.