Kate Torgovnick May
Los Angeles
As seen in:
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TED,
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Former writer at NCIS, TED Talks and JANE Magazine. Current Rubik's Cube enthusiast and documentary fanatic.
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Articles by Kate Torgovnick May
3 lessons about what really matters in life, learned in the pandemic
Alamy The last 6 months have been like no other. Since March 2020, every person on the planet has had their life shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic in some way. In the midst of the hardship and challenges, there’s been the sense among many people that this period has helped us evaluate our lives and focus on what’s truly important. And maybe, just maybe, we’ve learned something from this moment.
5 Pieces of Essential Life Advice From Seniors
It’s hard to feel a sweeping sense of perspective when you’re stuck in traffic, or feeling buried by work, or overwhelmed by family demands. But those are exactly the moments when some words of wisdom from your elders — the people who’ve been there, like the ones below — can come in handy.
9 eye-opening facts about antibiotic resistance — and 1 hopeful approach to overcoming it
Alvaro Dominguez Imagine, for a moment, living in a world where strep throat wasn’t treatable. Where getting a cut or a blister could be life-threatening, even for people in countries with well-developed health systems. While this may seem far-fetched, that’s exactly what could happen if our antibiotics lose their ability to treat bacterial infections.
9 Best Plant Identification App Choices of 2020 [Tested & Reviewed]
Identifying a plant is of interest to all plant lovers, whether we are talking about houseplants, outdoor plants, or the ones you find on your walk. By knowing what we are looking at, we’ll be able to identify the needs of particular plants and successfully care for them. However, there are so many species to identify and too many apps to choose from. So how do you choose the best plant identification app from so many plant identifiers?
NCIS - Schooled - Review
17.18 - "Schooled” Written by Kate Torgovnick May and Steven D Binder Directed by Alrick Riley Reviewed by KathM I have an aversion to for-profit education, and this episode doesn’t help. Smiley face. Petty Officer Jeremy Whistler attended one, in between doing his job and working in a soup kitchen and rescuing kittens. Now he’s dead, and it’s initially hard to figure out who could have killed him and why.
We the Future 2019: Talks from TED, Skoll Foundation and United Nations Foundation
News TED Partners Hosts Rajesh Mirchandani and Chee Pearlman wave to “We The Future” attendees who watched the salon live from around the world through TED World Theater technology.
A new malaria vaccine begins testing in Malawi and more TED news
In Brief Faith Osier speaks during Fellows Session at TED2018 – The Age of Amazement in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Photo: Ryan Lash / TED The TED community is brimming with new projects and updates. Below, a few highlights. Malaria vaccine begins wide-scale testing in Malawi. RTS,S — the only malaria vaccine to successfully pass clinical trials — will be made available to 360,000 children in Kenya, Malawi and Ghana in the first round of implementation testing.
In Case You Missed It: Highlights from TED2019
Live from TED2019 Twelve mainstage sessions, two rocking sessions of talks from TED Fellows, a special session of TED Unplugged, a live podcast recording and much more amounted to an unforgettable week at TED2019. (Photo: Marla Aufmuth / TED) If we learned anything at TED2019, it’s that life doesn’t fit into simple narratives, and that there are no simple answers to the big problems we’re facing. But we can use those problems, our discomfort and even our anger to find the energy to make change.
The TED2019 film festival: Conference shorts
Live from TED2019 At TED2019, as we explored concepts, research findings and insights bigger than us (you see what we did there?), these conference shorts cleansed our mental palettes between TED Talks and helped playfully introduce sessions throughout the week.
Co-creating an “experiential experiment” to measure awe
Live from TED2019 Neuroscientist Beau Lotto (second from left) stands with performers from Cirque du Soleil after they together created a shared experience of awe onstage at TED2019: Bigger Than Us, April 18, 2019, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Photo: Bret Hartman / TED “You have to start with an interesting question,” says neuroscientist Beau Lotto.
In Case You Missed It: Highlights from day 3 of TED2019
Live from TED2019 In a powerful personal talk, illustrator, author and screenwriter Jonny Sun shares how social media can be an antidote to loneliness. He speaks at TED2019: Bigger Than Us, on April 17, 2019 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Bret Hartman / TED) Day 3 of TED2019 featured three sessions of talks, a live podcast taping — and some world-changing ideas. First, some news: You could give the next best TED Talk.
Audacity: 8 big, bold ideas for global change in Session 4 of TED2019
Live from TED2019 The Audacious Project Executive Director of the Audacious Project Anna Verghese and head of TED Chris Anderson help unveil eight big, bold projects that are receiving the support of The Audacious Project in 2019. They speak at TED2019: Bigger Than Us, on April 16, 2019 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED) In the program guide for Session 4 of TED2019, “Audacity,” a group of eight mysterious figures stands silhouetted in black.
How Twitter shapes global public conversation: Jack Dorsey speaks at TED2019
Live from TED2019 Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, speaks about Twitter’s impact on the global conversation at TED2019: Bigger Than Us, on April 16, 2019, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED) Jack Dorsey is a bit of an enigma. The CEO of Twitter and Square, Dorsey is known for his amazing sense of calm in turbulent times — while his network takes a serious chunk of the blame for the divisiveness seen around the world, both online and off.
Truth: Notes from Session 1 of TED2019
Live from TED2019 TED Conferences Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, offers an “anti-CEO playbook” and calls for all CEOs to be better. “The truth is: business should take care of employees first,” he says. He speaks during Session 1 of TED2019: Bigger Than Us, April 15, 2019, Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED) The event: Talks and performances from TED2019, Session 1: Truth, hosted by TED’s Chris Anderson and Helen Walters.
Looking at stars: Notes from Session 2 of TED2019 Fellows talks
Live from TED2019 TED Fellows Biologist Danielle N. Lee teaches a memorable lesson on animal monogamy during TED Fellows Session 2 at TED2019: Bigger Than Us. April 15, 2019, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Photo: Dian Lofton / TED The event: An afternoon session of talks and performances from TED Fellows, hosted by TED Fellows director Shoham Arad and TED Senior Fellow Jedidah Isler. When and where: Monday, April 15, 2019, 2pm, at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, BC.
Bigger than us: Notes from Session 1 of TED2019 Fellows talks
Live from TED2019 Live from TED2019TED2019 Amma Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin (center) with performers from her new musical, At Buffalo, as the groundbreaking TED Fellows program celebrates its 10th anniversary. Fellows Session 1 at TED2019: Bigger Than Us, April 15, 2019, Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Ryan Lash / TED) The event: Talks and performances from TED Fellows, celebrating the 10th anniversary of this life-changing, world-changing program.
Discover 8 big ideas for global change - as they’ve revealed live at TED2019
Live from TED2019 The Audacious Project You’ve watched lots of TED Talks. But have you ever watched a full session of the TED Conference, from beginning to end? On Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at 8pm ET/5pm PT, you’re invited to join us for a full session of talks from TED2019, beamed live to you from our theater in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The hidden victims of the bail crisis? Women
iStock More and more women are being incarcerated in the US — before they’ve been found guilty of crimes. Here’s how the bail system affects women and what can be done. Robin Steinberg’s big idea — The Bail Project, a national revolving bail fund designed to make sure people can await trial from their own homes, not from jail — was one of the first ideas supported by TED through The Audacious Project.
One year in, the 7 ideas of The Audacious Project are making ever-bigger waves
News The Audacious Project The first seven big ideas supported by The Audacious Project have had incredible impact so far. Watch our session live from TED2019 to discover the ideas receiving support this year. Photo: Ryan Lash/TED One year ago, TED launched The Audacious Project — an initiative to help change-makers with big, bold ideas for tackling global challenges find the support to make their visions a reality. What’s happened since has been amazing.
Brené Brown plans a Netflix special, and more TED news
In Brief The TED community is busy as ever! Below, a few highlights. Brené Brown special planned for Netflix. As she announced on Instagram, vulnerability expert Dr. Brené Brown has partnered with Netflix for a one-hour special: The Call to Courage.
TED announces Carla Zanoni as first Director of Audience Development
News TED, the nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, has tapped Carla Zanoni as its first-ever Director of Audience Development, effective April 1, 2019. Formerly the Editor of Audience and Analytics at the Wall Street Journal, Zanoni will lead TED’s audience acquisition and growth strategies across its global, multi-channel footprint, with an emphasis on expanding analytics, social media and digital community development. Zanoni will report to Colin Helms, TED’s Head of Media.
Register for the first course of the Community Health Academy
Health TED Prize More than a billion people in the world lack access to basic health care. It’s a hard truth that Raj Panjabi pointed to as he accepted the TED Prize in 2017 — globally, there’s a shortage of accredited health workers, and many people living in remote areas are all but cut off from care. There’s a proven way to making sure they get it: Train locals to serve as community health workers, giving them the skills to bridge between their neighbors and the health care system.
Contact with aliens by 2036? Astronomer Seth Shostak wants to believe - and does
In Conversation The Parkes Radio Telescope at the Parkes Observatory in New South Wales, Australia. Image courtesy of Seth Shostak. Astrophysicist and astronomer Seth Shostak made a daring bet in his 2012 TED Talk: We’ll find extraterrestrial life within 24 years or he’ll buy you a cup of coffee. This isn’t just wishful thinking — technological advances over the past few decades have amplified the scope of space exploration monumentally, allowing us to search the stars in ways we never have before.
Calling all GlobalXplorers: Get ready to go to India
Culture TED Prize A look at how GlobalXplorer’s expedition of India will roll out, state by state. Armchair archaeologists will search more than 3 million square kilometers for signs of ancient manmade sites.
7 powerful stories of recovery after injury
Health TEDx Cross-country skier Janine Shepherd was Olympics-bound in 1986, with many thinking that she was a strong contender to earn Australia’s first-ever medal at the winter games. But everything changed on a training bike ride through the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Shepherd was hit by a truck, and broke both her back and neck. Doctors did not expect Shepherd to survive. And when she made it through surgery she received some jarring words.
What we learned from walking in the footsteps of Harriet Tubman
courtesy of GirlTrek In March 2018, activists T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison hiked the path that Harriet Tubman took to freedom nearly 170 years ago. Their journey was both painful and beautiful, demanding and transcendent. Here are some lessons from their long walk. “When Black women walk, things change.” T. Morgan Dixon, cofounder of GirlTrek, had Harriet Tubman in mind when she said these words on the TED stage in 2017.
A new year, and new progress from The Audacious Project
In 2018, TED launched The Audacious Project - a new model with the goal of changing the way that change is made. By surfacing big, bold, ambitious ideas with the possibility to change systems and affect millions of lives, and then bringing together groups of donors and the public to support them, the program is already having incredible impact. Read on for updates on the first Audacious projects and their progress last year.
How embroidery is helping women in Pakistan stand up to honor killings and inequality
Khalida Brohi (TED Talk: How I work to protect women from honor killings) grew up traveling between two very different parts of Pakistan: the bustling city of Karachi, where her parents moved so that she and her sisters could go to school, and a small village in Balochistan, where her family has its roots. Brohi got a modern education, and also developed a deep reverence for her tribal traditions. Those two threads often tangled — especially when it came to the treatment of women.
The art of possibility: The talks of TED@Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
For a second year, TED and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, have partnered to explore the art of possibility. (Photo: Richard Hadley / TED) The possibilities life affords us are endless. We can find them everywhere, at the micro and macro levels and across all fields. Do you see them? Look closer: they are there every time we use our curiosity and imagination to explore and try new things. For a second year, TED and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, have partnered to explore the art of possibility.
How to radically craft a stage design
It’s Friday afternoon, and TED staffers are cutting and folding strips of white felt, carefully sticking the little strips into grates of chicken wire stapled to wooden frames. On the floor are five large wood panels and some metal pans filled with paint. Just a normal day at TED’s headquarters. In less than a week, we’re hosting a design salon, Radical Craft, in the TED World Theater at our office in Manhattan. With a theme like Radical Craft, the theater’s usual low-key stage design won’t do.
Kashmir Hill and Surya Mattu win Tech in Journalism Award and more TED news
It’s been a busy few weeks for the TED community. Below, our favorite highlights. Meet 2018’s Technology in Journalism Honorees. Journalists Kashmir Hill and Surya Mattu received this year’s Technology in Journalism Award from the National Press Foundation for their work on “The House That Spied On Me.” The article details how they transformed Hill’s apartment into a fully operational smart home by installing 18 different internet-connected appliances and devices.
Beirut, I love you: Fellows Friday with Zena el Khalil
With her outrageously pink and glittery mixed-media installation pieces and paintings, artist, writer and activist Zena el Khalil takes aim at violence, injustice, and gender and religious stereotypes. Her weapons of choice: pop culture, humor and love. You express yourself through nearly every artistic medium – painting, performance, writing, film. What drives you to make art? Most of my work is reactionary to where I live.
Why we should all consider taking a midlife gap year
Dingding Hu When Caroline Harper suddenly found herself jobless in her mid-40s, she decided to step off the corporate ladder and travel to all the places she’d always wanted to go, from Antarctica to Egypt. Here’s how it changed her life — and her career. Caroline Harper loved her work negotiating big contracts in the oil and gas industry. “I liked the almost Games of Thrones strategic feel of it,” she says. “You’d stay up for three nights in a row and do the difficult work at 3 AM on that last day.
10 Reasons We Love Sandra Bullock
I will admit it. I am one of the 10 people in America who has not traditionally been a Sandra Bullock fan. Why? Because she got herself pigeonholed as the romantic comedy queen—playing the quirky, irreverent, clutzy girl over and over again, and making me want to gag in the process. But last night, Sandra actually won me over.
Remembering Paul Allen
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window) Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) What’s an appropriate second act after co-founding Microsoft?
We don’t have to give up liberty to have security: Edward Snowden at TED2014
So here’s a surprise. Chris Anderson takes the stage to introduce a very special guest — who’s not actually here. Beaming in from a remote location in Russia, controlling a bot he can wheel around the stage to see the assembled audience, here’s arguably the most controversial figure in contemporary culture: Edward Snowden.
11 biomaterials that can heal the human body. Including, yes, biting ants.
As technology and science have advanced, so too have the sophistication of such biomaterials and the ways that they are used. As you’ll hear in the TED Talk, “A new way to grow bone,” scientists can use saline to create a small pocket in a person’s leg so that stem cells there grow into new bone to heal an injurt. Another recent biomaterial advance: a lab-grown miniature brain.
Methane isn’t just cow farts; it’s also cow burps (and other weird facts you didn’t know about this potent greenhouse gas)
iStock Why learn about methane? Because it could be our chance to make a real dent in global warming, says environmentalist Fred Krupp. Methane, which is created when four hydrogen atoms bond to one atom of carbon, is a molecule that’s lighter than air. It’s amazingly useful — it’s the primary component of natural gas, which generates roughly 22 percent of the world’s electricity (after coal). But methane also has a heavy — and damaging — impact on the planet.
7 big ideas gain momentum: Updates from The Audacious Project
Their ideas are ambitious, with the goal of changing outdated systems and impacting millions of lives. It’s been five months since The Audacious Project’s first class of project leaders spoke at TED2018, and each one is gaining momentum. Below, the latest news. More than 1,600 people have now had their bail paid by The Bail Project, allowing them to await their trial from home rather than in a jail cell.
How the bail system in the US became such a mess — and how it can be fixed
Thomas Hawk (CC BY-SA 2.0). In the United States, nearly 70 percent of the people held in local jails are there for one reason: they don’t have enough money to pay bail. Here’s a look at how this came to be and what it would take to change it. Here’s a riddle for you. In the past 15 years, the number of people jailed in the US has grown sharply (continuing a steady upward trend that started in the 1980s). But also in the past 15 years, the number of people convicted of crimes has stayed the same.
Saved By The Boob: 6 Woman Who Owe Their Lives To Breast Implants
A 40-year-old woman in Moscow must be extremely happy with her decision to get silicon breast implants five years ago. And not just because her tatas look great in a tank top. Apparently, her implants saved her life. When she and her husband got in a fight earlier this week, he flew into a rage, picked up a knife and stabbed her in the left breast, apparently going for her heart. But because of her implants, the knife didn’t reach her vital organs.
Gallery: Meet 6 bewitching, rarely seen creatures from the ocean’s twilight zone
You won’t see these amazing animals on a day at the beach, but they’re there — living in the vast, cold, unexplored midwater region of the ocean. Learn about six of its residents and how they’ve adapted to life in the dark. A jellyfish that flashes rainbows as it moves. A worm with twisting yellow tentacles that it uses to take in food. A carnivorous fish with its own built-in fishing rod. Welcome to the ocean’s wondrous twilight zone.
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ shows that diversity onscreen is a win for everyone
The smaller screen is no better. A recent study by Asian-American Pacific Islander academics found that 64% of television shows do not include one Asian or Asian-American character. With all the talk in Hollywood of inclusion and diversity, we’d all hoped to see some movement in these numbers over the past few years.
Want to boost your creativity and be a better collaborator? Think about why the sky is blue
Stretch your mind and strengthen your relationships with this simple exercise borrowed from schoolkids. Education innovator Sugata Mitra shows how. It’s probably been a long time since you lay on your back in the grass, looked up and wondered, Why is the sky blue? Or since you took the time to consider a question as difficult as, Where does the universe begin, and where does it end?
TED Prize 2012 goes to … The City 2.0
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window) Click to print (Opens in new window) Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) For the first time in the history of the TED Prize, it is being...
Sergey Brin on Google's China decision
TED BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Onstage at TED2010, TED curator Chris Anderson interviews Google’s Sergey Brin about the company’s recent statement on China. (Recorded at TED2010, in Long Beach, California, February 2010. Duration: 8:24.) Read the full transcript after the jump >>CA: What happened? SB: Our story somewhat parallels what Shyam just told you all about. We initially began investigating a security incident at Google.
How do you make the world’s biggest connect-the-dots?
Phil Hansen ended up using an amazing 52,901 dots to draw this portrait in a process that was anything but child’s play. On the way to setting a Guinness World Record, he had to solve many puzzles — and wrestle with some demons. Artist Phil Hansen admits that, as a kid, completing connect-the-dots puzzles annoyed him. “I remember thinking, ‘Really, another soccer ball?’” he said.
Ideas sparked by “What if?”: The talks of TED@UPS 2018
The greatest ideas of our time will be sparked by a simple question: “What if?” What if we had truly inclusive workplaces? What if we removed the inefficiencies that stand in the way of eliminating world hunger? What if we could deliver quality health care in the home? What if we took back our privacy online?
6 speaking tips for scientists and engineers
Melissa Marshall has a message for scientists and engineers: Contrary to popular belief, the general public is interested in your work and does want to hear the details of your research. The trick is that you must communicate your ideas clearly, because they will start snoring in their seats if you assault them with a slew of jargon and details they’re not prepared to understand. See, Marshall is a communications teacher.
Tiq Milan talks to Netflix, the determined search for aliens, and other TED news.
As usual, the TED community is bursting with new projects and discoveries. Here are a few highlights. The power of representation. Writer and trans activist Tiq Milan was interviewed for a new initiative by Netflix and GLAAD called “First Time I Saw Me.” Alongside Elliot Fletcher, Jamie Clayton, Jazz Jennings and other trans actors and media makers, Tiq spoke on the realities of being marginalized in media, and what representation means to him.
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