Jive Mathew's Band

A slick documentary on Jimmy Carter's new controversial book on Palestine.

 

Danny Boyle's genius! Now, what if he remakes this with the Slumdog kids? 

A neat documentary exposing the war crimes of Henry Kissinger.

A brilliant documentary which tells the story of the "Tipton Trio".

A screwball comedy on the issue of school bullying.

A leave your brains behind comedy, with a bunch of laughs.

Hahhaha! A totally 'high' movie. Must watch.

A superb documentary on the Apollo missions, with never seen footage. 

Paul McKenna's movie can be quite compelling for the smokers. (Though I am not one myself)

Its quite interesting to note that TED gives out these rules to all speakers. Nice!

This documentary is one of the best ever.

A Gothic revenge saga with irony written all over it.

A superb movie for poker players.

How did you come about the idea of IntraOz? India might be seen as a key place for wellness tourism; but for any person facing an emergency, even receiving basic care, is still pitiable. There is a large lacuna in emergency care and related medical technology in India. We are working on one of the medical devices for emergency care.

How does this new technology help patients? Can this device be used on kids? Are there any side effects? If we think of any trauma, cardiac arrest or such other patients, getting vascular access to treat with medications or infusion is difficult, and critical time is lost. IntraOz provides a solution that is quick, definitive and usable even in resource constrained environments.

Glad that you asked about the pediatric population, they form a significant part of the market and finding vascular access is even more difficult in them.

Studies indicate that relative complications compared to alternatives are significantly lower. In other words, if we consider risk-benefit-ratio there substantial value for this. In India alone, more than a million patients are denied of quality treatment annually.

What work does Stanford BioDesign do? Mission of Stanford-India Biodesign is to train the next generation of medical technology innovators in India. This program is in collaboration between Stanford University, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The core of the Biodesign Program is a multidisciplinary, team-based fellowship. The team is mentored by “real-world” experts from the medical technology, legal and venture capital industries in the United States and India. Clinical needs within the Indian setting are identified for medical technology innovation. Working closely with Stanford, AIIMS and IIT Delhi faculty, the teams invent, prototype and develop one or more new technologies.

Contradictory the dominant belief, Dr. Yock, Director Biodesign program at Stanford, is proving that “innovation is a discipline that can be learnt” - This is a huge paradigm shift. The difference is observing to find what they need rather than asking what doctors want. (More in the new book, Biodesign: The Process of Innovating Medical Technologies by Zenios, Makower, Yock )

From GE to Stanford. You have an interesting journey. Please comment. It was indeed a privilege to be part one of the most admired companies in the world. At GE, I was very fortunate to be with a couple of great teams, working on imaging and surgical assisting equipments. What I value the most of being at Stanford Biodesign is its holistic approach to resolving problems that creates a huge impact.

What is the reach that your invention has? What could it be like 5 years from now? In five years, we plan to reach close to one million patients. We plan to penetrate other vertical segments and we believe there is an immense potential. Beyond the emergency vascular access there are huge numbers of unmet clinical needs that are specific to developing markets ,which needs to be addressed.


What has been the feedback from the scientific community regarding your work? There is immense positive reaction from the medical community on this. We had an opportunity to speak to hundreds of doctors across India right from big tertiary care hospitals to primary care centers, from hospitals in major cities to remote rural parts, from expert surgeons to less trained paramedics. Clearly, there is reflection of this dire need, and our affordable and accessible solution makes a clear fit for the market. It’s very interesting to note that, the involvement of the potential customers in early development cycle has immense value addition and a true win-win situation.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your line of work? Lack of ecosystem for medical device development remains as one of the key challenges in India. Support industries for device design, regulation consulting and clinical testing are limited or less renowned. This hampers the faster development of high quality products.


What have been your experiences or learning whilst undergoing creating complex medical systems? Working with medical equipments provides awful challenges and huge satisfaction at the same time. Design of medical equipments and devices involves challenges of using high-end technologies to most simplified designs. Secondly there are multiple skills that one needs to be continuously learning and applying. Most importantly the work we do, can distinctly make a difference in someone's life, and that is the most satisfying part of my job.

What aspect of your work are you the most proud of and why? The proudest moment of our work will be to see the device working, saving a life of a patient on the hospital bed.

What does India need to do in order to become a force to reckon with in the medical devices market? India has to invent its indigenous solution for healthcare problems; this involves some of the key aspects such as

1. The policies and regulating systems in India for medtech industry need to be re-looked to enable more indigenous development.

2. Our education system has to create a balance between developing vertical specialties and horizontal cross-disciplinary knowledge;

3. Academic and research institutions must be working closely with companies to enable talent development and foster innovation.

4. Infrastructure to develop, build, regulate and test medical technologies are yet be developed.

5. Health awareness among the masses in all segments of rural and urban class needs to be improved significantly.

What drew you to TED? TED talks triggers one to expand one's mind, and is very influential in opening up one's heart for a greater cause. The amazing line of presenters instills immense optimism and hope in what mankind is doing. It’s an honor to be part of this and I'm curious to be at TED.

You are a former investment banker who has moved to a totally different field. What inspired this jump?
My interest in modern-day slavery goes back to the mid-1990's. As an undergraduate at Duke University, I co-founded a project to volunteer in refugee camps in the former Yugoslavia. I spent one summer in a refugee camp, and heard many terrible stories of intense human violence, some of which involved the trafficking of Bosnians by Serbian soliders to brothels across the region. I returned home, pursued an MBA and business career (and later a law degree), but the stories from the refugee camp still haunted me. As I surveyed the antislavery landscape, there was very little in the way of reliable data, and I felt no one was adequately researching and explaning how human trafficking and other forms of slavery thrived in the modern world, particularly from a business standpoint. I took stock of my life and made the decision to set aside my corporate future and apply my business, econonomic, and legal training to the issue of modern-slavery, starting with its most barbaric and profitable component, sex trafficking. It took eight years of reseach before I published my first book, with two more to come on the other main categories of slavery: bonded labor and forced labor.

How did you get started with research on this issue? You were a novice in this field when you started.
First, I apprised myself on the key issues that come in to play when researching slavery, such as sensitivity for the psychological and physical ordeals slaves have suffered, as well as the risks to the slaves associated with any perceived collaboration with a researcher. After that, I went straight into the field and used my wits and persistance to track down slaves of all kinds in more than sixteen countries around the world. As the years passed, I also developed relationships with key NGO's, which helped me gain additional knowledge and access. The more I learned, the easier it became to track down slaves, and even confront their exploiters. At last count, I had interviewed more than four hundred slaves and directly witnessed the sale of numerous slaves into slavery on four continents.

You do risky work! You were nearly attacked by a gang of pimps in Mumbai! What are the major risks involved in this line of work?
Because slavery is illegal everywhere in the world, those who exploit slaves can be quite aggressive in protecting their interests, though I have met others who pontificated proudly of their exploits, because they knew that little would happen to them. Researching this issue is fraught with risks, not just for the researcher, but more so for the slaves. If a researcher crosses a line of good judgment, he or she may evade harm, but any slaves left behind may be perceived to be working with the researcher, so they may be punished severely or even killed to protect the slave owner's interests. I made sure I never took any sort of risk that would result in harm to a slave, though I did get myself into a few tight spots on more than one occasion.

A woman or child is trafficked for sexual exploitation every 60 seconds! What are the 3 things that a common man can do to stop these forced labor markets?
1. Learn about the issue, not just stories of slave exploitation, but good analysis on what drives contemporary slavery and the real size and scope of the problem
2. Use the power of media and new media to: 1) share this knowledge you learn, and 2) aggregate like-minded activists into a cohesive movement centered around a sound abolitionist plan
3. Demand that lawmakers, governments, and other stakeholders adopt more aggressive, resource-driven, and sustained efforts to eradicate slavery once and for all

Would legalizing the sex trade make things better for the victims? In some countries this has been legalized and how has it worked out?
I am probably asked this question at every talk I give. At first glance, the logic appears sound: if you legalize prostitution, you can put protections in place not just for willing sex workers (though some will argue there is no such thing), but also to ensure individuals are not trafficked or otherwise exploited. Holland, Germany, and Denmark are countries that have applied this logic, while others, such as the US, Sweden, the UK, subscribe to the opposite logic. The problem with the legalization argument is that you can beat, torture, and threaten almost any individual into stating that they willingly choose to be a prostitute, and in a legalization regime, the conversation typically ends there. It is very difficult to reliably identify a victim of sex trafficking if they say they are a willing sex worker. As a result, most countries that have legalized prostitution appear to have increased levels of sex trafficking, though this is preliminary data and more analysis needs to be done. Where prostitution (and the purchase of sex) is illegal, there is no such legal veneer behind which greater exploitation can take place, though without care and understanding of the issue, sex trafficking victims can often be made to suffer twice: not just the exploitation, but also by law enforcement for violating laws against prostitution if they are arrested.

What are law enforcement agenicies not doing so as to counter trafficking?
One answer - sustained, sophisticated, aggressive, ongoing raids on any suspected area in which slaves might be exploited, in conjunction with human rights organizations to ensure proper care is applied to individuals living in those establishments. Almost all national anti-trafficking units are small, underfunded, and reactive (they respond to complaints or tips) without the kind of proactive intervention required to make a severe impact on this issue, including electronic surveillance, money tracing, and other tactics required to find slave offenders, gather requisite evidence to convict them, and liberate the slaves they are exploiting.

Please comment on your top observations on the economics of sex trafficking.
Massive profit, no real risk. The exploiters of trafficked sex slaves can acquire a slave for a global weighted average $1,900 and generate average profits of more than $29,200 per slave per year, with an average duration of enslavement of around three years. This return on investment is staggering. Put another way, even though only 4% of the world's 29.2 million slaves are trafficked sex slaves, those same slaves generate almost 40% of the $95+ billion in profits I calcualte will be generated by slave labor in 2009. Yet, most laws against sex trafficking are exceedingly anemic, with short prison terms and little or no economic penalties for the commission of the crime. Even where countries do provide for stiff economic penalties, the levels of prosecution and conviction are so low that the "real" penalty remains nil. As a result, there is presently is a near risk-free system of slave exploitation around the world.

Please explain what you mean by an "International Slavery Inspection Force" and the purpose it would serve?
Due to the law enforcement deficiencies I outlined above, as well as other barriers to more effective intervention such as corruption and a lack of training, I call for an "International Slavery Inspection Force" similar to weapons inspectors utilized by the United Nations. This force can work with domestic anti-trafficking police or replace them, depending on the preference of each country. Their mandate would be to execute the kind of relentless intervention required to elevate the risks and costs associated with the exploitation of slaves, while also liberating as many slaves as possible in conjunction with human rights organizations tasked with the care of the survivors.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your line of work?
The biggest challenge is to shift the nature of inquiry into this issue away from the emotive and sensational towards the more strategic and analytical. We are more than a decade into a new awareness of modern-day slavery, yet this new anti-slavery movement has met with limited impact, primarily due to the absence of sound strategic analysis of the nature of each mode of contemporary slavery, and the kind of tactics, policies, and laws required to respond to each distinct mode.

What has been your experiences or learnings whilst travelling the world investigating this issue?
The depths of poverty in the world, as well as the intense level of disenfranchisement of women and minorities have been startling for me. Just last week I met a Nigerian sex trafficking victim in Denmark who had been trafficked and re-trafficked four times. Intense poverty, a lack of education and any sort of economic opportunity, and severe violence at home had consigned her to a fate more bleak than most of us can imagine. The same is true of rural women I met around the world, be it Moldova, Thailand, Mexico, Nepal, or India.

What about your work are you the most proud of and why?
I am not quite sure what I am proud of just yet. Let me finish the next two books and I may have a better answer.

How can we instill and strong sense of outrage and desire for social justice in todays youth with regards to this issue?
One the one hand, I do not want to rely on sensational tales of human suffering in order to captivate interest in today's youth, but the truth is, just a few such stories tend to motivate people to want to do more. We can start there, but also make sure that a sound plan is set forth so that motivated people have a tangible way to take action.

What drew you to TED?
TED is a unique conference that brings together brilliant minds across many fields, and this is exactly what the anti-slavery movement needs. A new brand of global abolitionist movement will only be initiated by a multi-disciplinary "think tank" of sorts, that aggregates economists, lawyers, human rights experts, corporate leaders, and other key disciplines, tasked with designed and deploying a more effective response to slavery. The first anti-slavery movement commenced centuries ago in London, in the year 1787. Though slavery was outlawed around the world starting in the early 1800's, there are still millions of slaves in the world, and the work of this first anti-slavery movement must be finished.

1. You have setup up ‘Superflux’, a new kind of collaborative design studio. What’s the agenda?
Superflux is a think-and-do interaction design company where the emphasis is on invention, collaboration and even, provocation. We design opportunities, as well as the consequences that new and emerging technologies will have in our everyday lives today, and in the near future.

These opportunities could be in form of real products, services or experiences that have immediate economic and social value. And the consequences could take the form of stories and debates that engage the wider public to think about the kinds of possible futures we may find ourselves in.

We work with a wide range of clients and commissioners including large mobile phone companies, science organizations, public sector institutions as well as whole range of individuals. To see some of our work visit http://www.superflux.in

2. What are the biggest challenges you face as a design practitioner?
Today I think there is a real need for design to address the public as well as industry, and to explore new ways of getting discussions going about what people really want and how industry can help us achieve it, rather than the other way around.

My (and my company’s) biggest challenge is to work with industry and organizations on design approaches that are bottomup when necessary. And to create an atmosphere where new imaginative ideas are given the opportunity to be tested, in order to produce outcomes that are exciting, while having economic and sustainable value.

3. How can a novice/amateur pick up skills on the design front? How can a novice learn to think out of the box or create innovative solutions?
I went down the traditional route of going to design schools, and both the National Institute of Design, and the Royal College of Art, London have played a big role in not only teaching me the skills, but providing an inspiring environment to learn and ask questions. I would highly recommend anyone interested in seriously pursuing design as a career to consider going to design school.

Other possible ways of honing skills are to work as an apprentice with a designer, a maker or an innovator whose work you are inspired by. However I think above all, a sense of commitment and rigor to follow your interest through are most important.

4. What's the idea behind the Power of 8 project?
Today, in face of, what seems to be, an economic crisis in many parts of the world, foreboding climate change, not to mention regular threats of war, terror and even the remote possibility of a technological singularity, we are (once again) living that moment in history, where images of a ‘dark future’ have become mainstream. Scientists, futurists and artists have commented about this crisis in their own way, and we are bombarded with predictions about the possible worst case scenarios.

While the fact that we live in a world of finite resources stands true, how do we, as members of the civil society, translate, what might seem to be relatively abstract predictions of the future, into our everyday lives? Where do they collide with our individual aspirations of the habitable, or even ‘perfect’ future worlds we desire?

I initiated the Power of 8 project to meet the voices of concern and the faces of gloom head on, and offer counter points by engaging directly with people. It is a collaborative project where I worked with seven other people from different walks of life, to build a public discourse around our aspirations for the future. For more information visit: http://powerof8.org.uk

5. How did the concept of Acres Green come about, and what does it represent?
The concept of Acres Green emerged from the discussions on ‘The Power of 8’ project. Diminishing natural resources, increasing food shortage, and the rapid death of bees that form the backbone of our food chain, were our main concerns in this project.

So we created Acres Green, a fictional sustainable community set in the future that is built around urban permaculture. At a first glimpse, Acres Green appears to be a seraphic vision of serene tranquility. Beamer Bees roll and twist towards a bounteous orchard of grafted trees at the foot of the generous mountain, as the scud clouds silently tessellate in the clement skies above.

However on observing more closely, one notices the ambiguity between the natural and the technological, as people balance a pragmatic requirement to live closer to nature with their natural human impulses to subvert and control it.

We are showing more about Acres Green and the various different elements inside this community on the ‘Power of 8’ blog starting tomorrow, so keep an eye on them: http://powerof8.org.uk

6. What is the concept behind Yellow Chair Stories?
“My Wi-Fi network is open for neighbours and passers-by. Free access from the yellow chair.” By placing this sign and a yellow chair outside my house, I conducted a live service design intervention and extended the boundaries of my home to encompass the boundaries of my wireless network. This ‘grass roots’ design approach illustrated how wireless technologies could become interfaces to recreate transient spaces for conversations at the threshold of the public and the private, the physical and the electronic. New, ‘real-world’ blog spaces were born, as passersby and neighbours used the yellow chair for a week. This experiment was repeated by different people in Chicago, New Mexico and Brazil. For more information see: http://www.anab.in/yellowimages.html

7. Are clients willing to experiment with alternate ideas or offbeat methods instead of sticking to the mainstream traditional approach?
That is an interesting question and one I am often asked. So far, I have been lucky enough to work with very open minded clients and commissioners who are interested in taking the risk as they are aware of the opportunities that come out of them. Many new innovations are often the result of taking the risk to try new, alternate methods or ideas. My ambition to be able to show the opportunities that lie in such a process to more clients.

8. Which have the the top 3 projects that you have been the most proud of and why?
From my recent work, I think ‘The Power of 8’ project was hugely satisfying as I was able to successfully brIng eight strangers to not only work together, but also produce captivating scenarios of their aspirational futures to a wider public. I now intend to take this further and propose a similar platform in India.

Another project was one I did at Microsoft Research, Cambridge, which exploring ideas around intelligent machines, artificial agency and robotics. I was successful in creating concept machines that may be unique in the way we relate to them, and not necessarily in the number of sensors they have. For instance, one of the concept prototypes I built used the idea of microbial fuel cell technology to imagine living with machines that have life-like qualities and need to be fed and taken care of, almost like human beings. This work not only sparked a debate amongst the scientists in the lab, and but also exposed them to ways in which design can enable public engagement around new and emerging technologies. It has been shown in numerous conferences around the world and is now part of several publications.

Lastly I am proud of the ‘Yellow Chair Stories’ project as it remains an important illustration of how wireless networks can be so much more than a soulless pay-for service, while also being a fun way of encouraging dialogue around sharing, and highlighting the evolution of social relationships in our urban terrain.

9. How will RFID be relevant in a developing country like India?
As far as I am aware, it is boom time for RFID in India. The technology is being used in many areas - from defense sector to corporates and even farmers are making use of it to track their cattle. But I think the challenge, as else where in the world, is to consider the technology not only for security and stock-taking, but think of more playful uses and social exchanges.

10. How has the recession affected some of the projects you have undertaken?
Typically, things slowed down and everyone was holding back from committing on projects. However on the bright side, the recession also became a reason to re-examine existing economic models and structures. It has given many of us the opportunity to experiment with new ideas and the entrepreneurial spirit seems to have returned, which is very inspiring.

11. What drew you to TED?
As so many of us out there, I am inspired by the TED talks on a regular basis, and this opportunity to be able to see the speakers live and actually be part of the conference was unmissable. I feel honored to be part of this unique community as a Fellow.

What is mDhil and its core USP?
mDhil connects the Indian mobile phone user with basic healthcare information. We envision the mobile handset providing accurate health information to consumers who want to know more about common health conditions, diseases, and medications. The concept was born from several years of emerging market field work and the realization that the vast majority of Indians do not have access to accurate health & wellness information.

How does your business model work for a customer? Can this be replicated in others countries which need similar help?
Our initial customer base can access our content over Airtel, Idea Cellular, and Reliance by SMS and USSD. We are consistently looking to expand distribution points and carrier partners in India and abroad. In the short term, we’ve started to explore partners who are independent of the carriers and need more specialized health information services.

What is the reach that you are planning as of now? What could be the reach five years from now?
Since our launch in March 2009, we have reached over 150,000 customers. It’s tough to estimate our reach 5 years from now as the mobile market continues to grow in remarkable ways and 3G provides an exciting opportunity for the mobile customer. We’re working to reach 1 million customers in 2010 and 3 million in 2011.

Are doctors and the medical community in general supportive of giving advice over SMS?
It’s important to understand our service – we do not give medical advice over the phone, nor do we operate a call center full of doctors with dubious credentials. We do not seek to replace doctors, but instead help physicians in providing information to their patients about chronic conditions, diseases, and topics of health interest. The response we’ve received from doctors and hospitals has been overwhelmingly positive – they understand that an informed patient is empowered to lead a healthier life.

From Harvard to Peace Corps to Goldman Sachs and now mDhil. You have had an interesting journey. Please comment.
I have been fortunate to be part of wonderful institutions and organizations. I worked in the San Francisco office of Goldman and saw a number of interesting investments from the Bay Area / Silicon Valley. This experience helped shape my understanding of the capital markets and entrepreneurship. Harvard Business School was a transformational experience – there were exhaustive case studies done on founders, early stage start-ups, pitfalls to avoid, frameworks for success, etc. I graduated with life-long friends, and the professional network has provided tremendous support as I’ve started my own venture.

However, my greatest honor is to have served as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Volunteers work on grassroots development issues such as education, public health, latrine construction, water sanitation, agriculture, etc. My experience from working in Latin American clinics gave me the inspiration for mDhil. I am proud to have served with fellow Americans who cared deeply about global humanity.

What has been your experiences or learnings whilst undergoing this venture?
I could write a book when answering this question, but I’ll give three items that come to mind:
- Surround yourself with people smarter than yourself who are optimistic and driven…it’s easy to be a naysayer, but frankly, naysayers don’t add much to society.
- Statistical fact: only 1 out of 10 VCs will be in the top-decile of performance and deliver outsized returns. So as an entrepreneur, recognize most VCs have no clue.
- Be patient and tenacious – in India, everything takes about 1 year longer than you originally expected.

Why would an urban customer choose mDhil, since anyway health information is avialable on his fingertips through the internet?
This is a popular question we get. First, understand the basic market size….India only has 50 million internet users (as compared to 5x – 6x as many in China). So while there is an image of a “techie India”, the fact is that less than 5% of Indians have access to the internet.

Next, we believe the ubiquity and pervasiveness of the mobile phone is a better platform for consumer-driven healthcare. A customer might only look at his computer screen once or twice a day, but a mobile user looks at their cell phone screen 10-20x a day. If you make information easily accessible at the mobile point of contact, you increase stickiness and impact of the message.

Finally, there is a misconception that urban India is healthy, while rural India is not. It’s incredibly naïve to believe that the dismal public health statistics of India only relate to poor rural citizens. Certain diseases (diabetes, pollution related asthma, HIV/AIDS, smoking related cancer) are exploding in urban settings and there is a complete lack of health and wellness information to help citizens make informed decisions about their life.

What drew you to TED?
Like many folks, I’ve been watching the TED videos on-line for years. It’s awe-inspiring to see people engaging society’s biggest challenges in thoughtful and revolutionary ways. It’s not an academic conference with people presenting papers, nor is it an industry conference with a bunch of talking heads and regurgitated panels. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a TED Fellow and have the opportunity to share our work with others.

Charlie Brooker's show is a nice watch! The sarcasm rocks!

A TV program of the highest quality. Why dont we have this anymore? :(

Aaah bliss! :)

A nice creative book, that has you in splits :)

This show with Mike Rowe on Discovery will make you appreciate your current job!

Wish we had a laser tag joint in Bangalore!