Latest news with #TEDTalk
Bloomberg
3 hours ago
- General
- Bloomberg
How to Conquer Your Public Speaking Fears
Public speaking — and I'm going to say something radical here — is just talking. It's something everyone is doing all the time, they just worry about it when they're put in front of an audience. Whenever there's a survey done about phobias, public speaking is often listed higher than death. What we actually fear is exposure. We view public speaking, particularly in a professional sense, as a testament to our ability and we have very binary mindsets about it. Either we do this business update brilliantly and it goes down the same way a TED Talk would, or it's a complete disaster.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Viral TikTok shows toddler melting hearts with train greetings
In a world where train rides are often quiet, with strangers avoiding eye contact and scrolling through phones, one little boy in Cape Town gave everyone a much-needed moment of pure, joyful connection. A TikTok video posted by @othembelepumane has gone beautifully viral—earning over 23 million views and 4.3 million likes—for the most heart-melting reason: a toddler walking through the aisle enthusiastically greeting every passenger with a cheery 'hello guys!' What followed wasn't just a smile-worthy moment—it was a reminder of how contagious children's joy can be. In the viral TikTok, which was shared from a train in Cape Town, South Africa, the toddler energetically waved and spoke to every rider he passed, leaving no row untouched by his genuine goodwill. His mom, Othembele, later shared that this is simply who he is. 'He even asks how are they doing, I'd be standing next to him like his bodyguard,' she laughs. Related: Toddler gives viral crumpet order—and mom's calm response wins the internet And if you scroll through the comments, you'll find a beautiful chorus of reactions from viewers—ranging from laughter to deep emotional resonance. @S I S I P H O M A Q H U L A joked, 'Social anxiety is scared of him ,' while others shared more heartfelt takes like @AccordingtoPuse, who said, 'He changed the atmosphere .' Even brands joined in. PRASA, the local rail authority, called it the 'best train mood ever,' and Lipton Ice Tea quipped, 'He's got better social skills than me.' But perhaps the most touching part of this story is what it reveals about children. Their emotional instinct to connect, to spread joy without expectation, is something many adults forget along the way. Little ones like this remind us what unfiltered kindness looks like—free of performance, purely rooted in empathy and joy. Related: 'This could have been an email': Toddler's priceless reaction to meeting baby sister goes viral As parents, moments like these give us the opportunity to nurture this kind of emotional generosity. Not by pressuring our kids to 'perform' socially, but by making space for their confidence to grow naturally. According to child development experts, greeting rituals and warm social exchanges can support a child's sense of belonging and emotional security. So whether he's a future TED Talk speaker or just someone who makes a room warmer by being in it, one thing is clear—this tiny greeter left a big impression.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Fire Signs in Relationships: The Unofficial Rom-Com Directed by Cosmos
Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius — these are your classic Fire Signs. If dating them feels exactly like starring in a super dramatic Netflix series with no "skip intro" button, that's because, well, it pretty much is. They're bold, they can be hot-headed, and they absolutely cannot stand anything that's just "lukewarm." Love with them isn't some slow-burn romance... it's an inferno that often starts with a casual "Hey" and quickly ends with someone asking, "Where's the fire extinguisher?!" Here's what makes these literal flame-throwers so impossible to ignore in love: Aries: Love Like It's a Championship Fight An Aries in love is a lot like a boxer in round one—they're ready to win, fast, furious, and full of those red flags that, for some reason, just end up looking like red carpets. Arguments? Oh, they'll be spicy. Make-ups? Even spicier. Commitment? Only if they genuinely feel like they're choosing it, not like they're being dragged into it by some astrology meme they saw. What to expect: Expect sudden, spontaneous weekend trips, incredibly bold declarations of affection, and probably a competitive game night that somehow ends with someone yelling, 'WE WERE ON A BREAK!' Leo: The Main Character in a Love Story That's Also About Them A Leo doesn't just "fall" in love; they basically cast you into their own ongoing, Oscar-worthy romantic epic. They'll love you fiercely, brag about you even louder, and honestly, they expect to be adored like a heartthrob from a '90s boy band. Their love language? Grand gestures, perfect camera angles for every moment, and lots and lots of applause. What to expect: Be prepared for endless selfies, unwavering passionate loyalty, and at least one dramatic exit that's inevitably followed by a comeback worthy of a slow-motion movie montage. Sagittarius: Emotionally Unavailable But Philosophically Yours A Sagittarius in love is kind of like attending a TED Talk that occasionally throws in a kiss. They'll charm you with deep, thought-provoking questions, whisk you away on spontaneous getaways, and tell jokes that hit harder than Cupid's arrow. Commitment? Only if it's written in invisible ink and definitely comes with a passport stamp. What to expect: Look forward to epic conversations, tons of inside jokes, and maybe even a mini-identity crisis of your own—but through it all, it'll absolutely be a blast. Just try not to mention "labels" unless you're talking about luggage. Dating a Fire Sign? Get ready for a whirlwind romance, plenty of emotional cliffhangers, and a constant stream of unexpected plot twists—all set to a killer soundtrack. Will it be chaotic? Oh, definitely. But boring? Absolutely no chance. Fire burns bright, but it also illuminates everything around it. Want even more drama? Try dating two Fire signs at once. Just don't say astrology didn't warn you. Discover everything about astrology at the Times of India , including daily horoscopes for Aries , Taurus , Gemini , Cancer , Leo , Virgo , Libra , Scorpio , Sagittarius , Capricorn , Aquarius , and Pisces .
The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Platform introduces a new dimension to African sexuality through storytelling
HOLAAfrica, a digital platform fiercely dedicated to exploring contemporary narratives of African sexuality , has launched a new collection of albums titled Kivuli & Nuru: The Afrodisiacs Collection . This digital platform, renowned for its commitment to engaging with African narratives surrounding sex and pleasure, aims to foster community and create safe spaces through the power of storytelling. It is explained that the albums, available on various digital platforms, feature a rich tapestry of erotic stories that explore the intricate world of desire, intimacy, and identity. Founders Tiffany Kagure Mugo and Siphumeze Khundayi have taken their voices far beyond South Africa, sharing their vision on global TED Talk stages and garnering international attention. Mugo and Khundayi describe the essence of the albums as a celebration of LGBTQ+ intimacies, presented in the storytellers' own words, allowing for authentic connections and engagement with listeners. The pair highlight that each narrative uniquely reflects the diverse contexts and living conditions across the continent, making the collection a holistic representation of African eroticism. ' The stories were sourced from around the continent to make sure we caught a bunch of different contexts and ways of living and loving. The stories are as diverse as the countries they are from. From Cape to Cairo and Lagos to Nairobi, the stories show a spectrum of sexual experiences. People should listen to the stories because they are sensual, hot, intimate and gorgeous. Another reason people should listen is because we adore knowing about the fantasies, desires and sex lives of others. We are fascinated by it, ' Khundayi explained. Khundayi explains the titles of the albums, Kivuli and Nuru , translate to ' shadow ' and ' light ' in Kiswahili, aptly illustrating the duality of human sexuality. Many stories explore both the hidden aspects, the ' shadows ' of sexuality where many feel unable to express themselves, and the ' light ' that signifies empowerment and the acceptance of desire. Mugo elaborated on the inspiration driving this collection, citing a ' need for more sexiness, more sensuality, more deliciousness when it comes to African sexuality ' . ' The idea for this collection of stories came from a need for more sexiness, more sensuality, more deliciousness when it comes to African sexuality. There is something so sexy about having erotica read to you, and we wanted to harness that – the feeling of a lover whispering in your ear. The collection also wanted to collate and bring together African sexual stories, literally in their own words (most people voiced their work), and add African voices to the erotic landscape. We wanted to expand the way people saw and understood African sexuality in a way that was tempting and engaging. ' Emphasising the importance of audio storytelling, she likened the experience to that of a lover whispering intimate secrets in one's ear. ' We aimed to expand the understanding of African sexuality in a way that is tempting and engaging, ' she added. The pair further explains how these stories educate, stating, ' Stories have always been the biggest way to teach people about things, and in terms of sex and sexuality, these will do that. The stories will bring you into a world of sexuality that informs you through storytelling. ' [email protected] Saturday Star
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Science
- Int'l Business Times
Speeding up mechanical simulations with AI
Photo of Chinmay-Shrivastava For five years, a single idea dominated Chinmay Shrivastava's thoughts: humans didn't have enough hours in the day to build the designs of the future. An avid lover of science fiction, Chinmay struggled to see how current mechanical engineering methods could build the starships that he dreamed would take him throughout the galaxy. While studying computational mechanics during his undergrad at IIT Roorkee, he watched a TED Talk in which Maurice Conti used AI to optimize a car chassis through millions of iterations. The resulting design outperformed what any human could have created alone. But real-world engineering doesn't work that way, yet. High-fidelity simulations take days, cost thousands, and require hours of expert setup. Engineers are limited in how often they can test and improve their designs. Immediately after watching that TED talk 5 years ago, Shrivastava began working on AI models to accelerate simulation, but the early approaches, CNNs and LSTMs, couldn't properly model nonlinear physics or generalize beyond their training data. He dreamed of a general model that could actually understand how physics affected 3D geometries. In 2024, Shrivastava met Noah Evers while working on early LLM reasoning research. They began combining recent breakthroughs in physics-based learning with the paradigm of large-scale pretraining proven by ChatGPT. Their goal: to build a foundation model that could run complex mechanical simulations in seconds and extrapolate to new geometries, materials, and physical conditions. Today, CompLabs is developing this model with leading aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing companies. These organizations regularly run simulations that take days and cost thousands of dollars. CompLabs' model replicates the performance of an organization's existing simulation software, but in a version that runs in seconds, enabling engineers to explore broader design spaces faster and find better designs. These companies plan to use our model to test thousands of design permutations, like optimizing material and geometry combinations for thermal performance, compressing months of work into hours. A technical and personal mission Shrivastava's path to this problem was shaped by both expertise and personal pain. At 14, he suffered a severe reaction to carbon soot during Diwali. "I was coughing up blood," he recalls. "My hands and feet were covered in ulcers. I couldn't eat solid food for two weeks." He learned that carbon soot was a byproduct of design and manufacturing inefficiency and resolved to do something about it. This led him to study mechanical engineering. "We waste energy everywhere," he explains. "Airplanes and cars burn more fuel than they need. Industrial systems—from HVAC to manufacturing equipment—are overdesigned and underoptimized. Everything is energy. And every bit of excess—fuel, material, or heat— translates into carbon. That carbon harms the planet." After his carbon soot incident, he left home to become an engineer, studying in isolation for two years and attending IIT Roorkee and later Brown, where he worked on finite-element solvers, soft materials, and AI systems. From speeding up simulation to intelligent design CompLabs raised $2.65 million in pre-seed funding from Alt Capital, Cory Levy, and Joris Poort (Founder of Rescale). It's focused on building a new infrastructure layer for mechanical designs: one that uses foundation models to speed up simulations and reason about design trade-offs. "We're not replacing solvers. Solvers serve the essential role of structurally approximating physics. We're just approximating these solvers in a more computationally efficient form." But a model that understands geometries and how they're affected by physics has implications beyond simulation. It can autonomously improve designs and understand high-level concepts like manufacturability without relying on low-level heuristics. It can serve as a bridge between experimental results and numerical solvers, calibrating models to real-world data and even predicting system-level behavior (like force-response curves or failure modes) directly from shapes. CompLabs hopes to use AI to supercharge the capabilities of mechanical engineers. As Shrivastava puts it, "Mechanical engineering used to be glorious: steam engines, railways, airplanes, putting a man on the moon. Engineers were national heroes. But then software ate the world, and we lost that. The times are changing. From SpaceX to Anduril, hardware is cool again. We're going to put datacenters in space, robots in the home, and fly on supersonic jets. AI is going to help us do that. We want to usher in a new golden age of mechanical engineering."
