Warning: Humblebrag ahead…
I saw in my inbox that today was the tenth anniversary of the first TED-Ed video.
If you’re not familiar with TED-Ed, here is a short blurb from its website:
TED-Ed is TED’s youth and education initiative. TED-Ed’s mission is to spark and celebrate the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Everything we do supports learning — from producing a growing library of original animated videos, to providing an international platform for teachers to create their own interactive lessons, to helping curious students around the globe bring TED to their schools and gain presentation literacy skills, to celebrating innovative leadership within TED-Ed’s global network of over 650,000 teachers.
And here is part of what the email had to say:
When we published our first batch of videos on March 12, 2012, we didn’t know what TED-Ed’s future might hold. Now, we’re looking back on a decade of curiosity, asking and exploring answers to life’s big questions, and meeting one of the most inquisitive and supportive communities on the internet – that’s you! 1,400 videos and 3 billion views later, you’ve spent a whopping 166 million hours— equal to 52 years— learning on our YouTube channel alone.
As part of the 10-year celebration, TED-Ed selected ten of its most-viewed videos— one published in each year that they’ve been around.
I scrolled through each one, and this one caught my fancy; it was a brain teaser: The basic premise is as follows:
In this version, you and nine other humans have been abducted by aliens. The aliens would like to eat you all, but not if you can prove your intelligence. So they propose a test.
The aliens line you up, placing you in order of height (tallest in the back, shortest in front), and place black or white hats on each of you. You must face forward, and you mustn’t look at your own hat. Starting with the person in the back, each person must say a single word: “black” or “white” to guess the color of the hat on his or her own head, despite not being able to see it. If nine of you get it right, you live. If you don’t, you’re lunch. The good news? You get to talk it through as a group first.
Here is the animated video that TED-Ed created to go with the riddle. The first part of the video (about 95 seconds), describes the problem. The next three minutes or so describes the solution.
If you watch the video, you will notice that the aliens give the prisoners five minutes to discuss a strategy.
I told myself I’d give myself 15 minutes, and if I couldn’t figure it out by then, I’d watch the solution.
Well, 15 minutes went by; no solution. So I tell myself, 15 more minutes.
Now I’m 30 minutes in, and still no solution.
Now I’m committed.
The next thing I know, an hour has gone by, and I feel like I’m no lo closer to the solution than I was when I started.
I realized I was experiencing the classic definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
But I couldn’t let it go.
Finally, after about 90 minutes I finally figured it out. (like I said, there would be some humblebragging)
Unfortunately, I went well past the five minutes that the aliens had given me, so they would have destroyed me and had me for dinner long before I figured it out.
The solution, if you watch the video, or figure it out yourself, is relatively simple, as I thought it would be.
If you are interested in seeing what the other top videos were from the first ten years of TED-Ed, here is the link.
*image from Metro UK
I hate riddles, so I’ll just be alien toast. Unless something in my head pops up.
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I don’t remember E.T. being as threatening as these aliens…
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I never saw Eastern Time being much of a threat, either.
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“Haha!” Shaking my head!
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🙂
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well daylight savings time threatened my sleep last night by taking an hour away from me…
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I let it take two hours away from me. That prepares me for next year.
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So I guess you’re always an hour early for things…
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No, I procrastinate so that I will be on time.
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this sounds kind of Back to the Futurey…
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It does. Maybe I should drive a Delorean.
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I want a ride…
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When I get one, sometime in the future, I’ll pick you up in 1985.
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I’ll be the guy wearing bellbottoms…
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E.T. was kind and cute in an alien type of way! And I am sure I would be lunch!
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unless it was E.T. he only liked Resse’s Pieces…
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LOL!
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🙂
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Probably not what i want to start just as i am ready to go to bed, but this looks like a good riddle!
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that’s a good diea. I fI started this right ebfore bed, it would have ruined my night’s sleep 🙂
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Well if it took you that long, I’d be dinner and digested.
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the aliens would have also eaten me before I had a chance to figure it out… 🙂
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I admire your perseverance. I have no logic so would just have resigned myself to being lunch. But I have a solution so will watch the video later to see if I’m correct.
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so was your solution the correct one?
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It seems a strange fetish for aliens to have. Then again they installed a satellite dish in Cartman’s butt in Southpark … amongst other things.
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I guess some aliens are a bit stranger than others… just like humans…
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I keep it would have something to do with the last person but definitely not the answer I expected.
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yes, the last/tallest person is the key…
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I can be stubborn about some things, but I would have caved much sooner if I couldn’t come up with the answer on this one. When working on a complex Sudoku puzzle, I can stick with those for a long time without peeking at the solution. It’s interesting how the need to solve some puzzles becomes almost obsessive.
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I guess we all have a little bit of OCD shen it comes to certain situations…
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like Pete, I’m all in with puzzles, sudoku and crosswords and jigsaws, and refuse to give up, but logic puzzles have always been the bane of my existence, so I would be dead quite early in the process.
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I’ve often given up on jigsaw puzzles after I’ve completed the border, and the rest of the puzzle pieces are too similar in terms of color and shape.
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we each have our things that we like to challenge ourselves with and this is one of mine for some reason. I even finish them when a cat hides a piece or two.
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My guess is that doing a jigsaw puzzle is probably great for a person’s blood pressure…
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I gave up immediately. This dumb Earthling already knows that humans are not highly logical and cooperative.
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I would have capitulated on two facts. One, we humans are not smart enough not to eat. And two, if prepared correctly, we are twice as delicious as the aliens had hoped. Then I would explain to my captors how I am a world-renown chef specializing in the preparation and cooking of my fellow humans and offer my services in exchange for remaining alive. Now, which of you wants marinated first?
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that is a clever solution. I guess it’s every man and woman for themselves 🙂
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Try to stop looking so delicious….
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it’s a curse… 🙂
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Fascinating. I admire your persistence. I love puzzles, but I went straight to the solution. So interesting. Everyone would have to be very alert.
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definitely a team effort…
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Clever though.
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👍
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Ohhh! I used to love TED’s riddle and puzzle videos! They were pretty fun, and always made me feel like a genius whenever (if ever) I figured it out. I remember solving this one overtime too😅
Definitely try out the other ones they hVe
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I plan to! I’ve tried a couple of the others – some seemed a bit more challenging than others…
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Looks like I’ve been added to the Alien’s buffet, I caved after 20 mins.
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did you check the solution?
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Sure did and believe it would have taken me several days and a bottle (or two) of wine before I would have figured it out on my own!
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but that would have been an enjoyable way to solve it!
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I’d definitely be on the alien’s plate or I would offer to cook…something vegetarian to give the others time to find a solution 🙂
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ah – another clever solution. neogtiate with the alien!
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Of course every has to eat!
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I guess the way to an alien’s heart is through food! 🙂
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one
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🙂
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ohh fun! Was scrolling down slowly in case you gave the answer away lol… waiting for my husband to finish work to see if he can figure it out LOL
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If I gave the answer away, my explanation would just confuse people even more…
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You are a ‘stick to it’, Jim. Way to go! I absolutely love TED talks, yet none of my favorites made the list. I guess that shows how good the talks are.
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I think the talks I listed were the top Ted-Ed talks, which are different from the more well known TED talks…
I am a big fan of both…
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Ah ha! Thanks, Jim.
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you are welcome, Jennie!
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