TED: A person humorously tested LinkedIn's verification by claiming to be its CEO, leading to account deactivation.
TED: The video discusses reducing cement industry CO2 emissions by integrating new technology into existing processes to achieve significant reductions.
TED-Ed: Pastoralism, a sustainable agricultural practice, faces challenges due to restrictive policies, but solutions in sub-Saharan Africa offer hope for global change.
TED - For 1 year, comedian Chris Duffy was the CEO of Linkedin … on Linkedin #TEDTalk
The speaker was intrigued by LinkedIn's lack of verification for employment claims and decided to test it by creating a profile claiming to be the CEO of LinkedIn. Surprisingly, LinkedIn allowed this profile to exist and even sent out a congratulatory email to the speaker's contacts. This humorous situation lasted for a year until LinkedIn's trust and security team contacted the speaker about the profile's inaccuracy. Despite the speaker's humorous attempt to prove his identity, LinkedIn deactivated the account after a brief exchange with a team member named Faith.
Key Points:
- LinkedIn does not verify employment claims on profiles.
- The speaker created a fake profile claiming to be LinkedIn's CEO.
- LinkedIn sent a congratulatory email to the speaker's contacts.
- The profile remained active for a year before LinkedIn intervened.
- The account was deactivated after a humorous exchange with LinkedIn's security team.
Details:
1. 🤔 Curious Experiment on LinkedIn
- The experiment demonstrated LinkedIn's lack of employment verification by successfully creating a CEO profile without any checks.
- Highlights critical vulnerabilities in LinkedIn's verification process, raising concerns about the platform's credibility.
- The lack of verification can lead to misinformation and misrepresentation, affecting the trustworthiness of LinkedIn as a professional network.
- The ease of creating unverified profiles suggests a need for LinkedIn to enhance its verification protocols to maintain user trust and platform integrity.
2. 📧 The Unintended Congratulations
- LinkedIn automatically sent out an email to all contacts congratulating the speaker on a new job as CEO of LinkedIn, which was not true.
- The unintended email caused confusion and could potentially impact professional relationships if not addressed.
- Understanding the underlying cause of such automated errors is crucial for preventing similar issues in the future.
- Promptly addressing the mistake by clarifying the situation with contacts can help mitigate any negative effects.
- This incident highlights the importance of regularly reviewing automated settings and messages to ensure accuracy.
3. 🔒 Account Locked by LinkedIn
- The account of a LinkedIn user, who claimed to be the CEO of LinkedIn, was locked due to concerns about accuracy.
- The LinkedIn Trust and Security team requested proof of identity from the user, which was provided through a photo of a license.
- The issue was not with the user's name but with other potential inaccuracies in their account information.
- The resolution process involved verifying the user's identity through official documentation.
- LinkedIn's actions underscore the platform's commitment to maintaining accurate and reliable user information.
- This incident highlights the importance of ensuring all account details are correct and verifiable to avoid similar issues.
4. 👋 Permanent Deactivation
- A user experienced a permanent account deactivation immediately after expressing dissatisfaction with an employee's tone.
- The deactivation occurred within 10 seconds of the user's response, indicating a rapid action process.
- The context of the interaction involved the user addressing concerns about communication style, which led to a swift response from the company.
- Company policy on deactivation was not detailed, leaving ambiguity around the criteria for such actions.
- The user was left without clear recourse or support channels following deactivation, highlighting potential gaps in customer service protocols.
TED - A Concrete Plan for Sustainable Cement | Ryan Gilliam | TED
The cement industry is a major contributor to global CO2 emissions, accounting for about 8% of the world's total. The video highlights the potential to significantly reduce these emissions by leveraging existing cement production infrastructure and technologies. Cement is CO2-intensive due to its primary ingredient, limestone, which releases CO2 when heated. The speaker's company has developed a method inspired by natural processes, like coral reefs, to capture CO2 and convert it into a reactive form of limestone. This technology can be integrated into existing cement plants, capturing CO2 emissions and producing a competitive product that can replace traditional cement. By using this approach, CO2 emissions can be reduced by 70% per ton, and potentially to zero with clean energy sources. The company has already implemented this technology in a commercial plant in California and plans to scale globally, working collaboratively with the cement industry to achieve gigaton-level reductions in emissions.
Key Points:
- Cement production is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions.
- New technology can reduce cement CO2 emissions by 70% per ton.
- The approach uses existing cement infrastructure, making it economically viable.
- The technology captures CO2 and converts it into a usable form of limestone.
- Collaboration with the cement industry is key to achieving large-scale emission reductions.
Details:
1. 🌍 Tackling Major Emissions in Cement Industry
- The cement industry is responsible for approximately 8% of global CO2 emissions, making it a significant contributor to climate change.
- If considered a country, the cement industry would be the third-largest emitter of CO2, only behind the United States and China, surpassing even India in emissions.
- With concrete being the second most consumed substance globally after water, the scale of emissions is vast, necessitating urgent action.
- The primary source of emissions is the calcination process in cement production, which releases large amounts of CO2.
- Innovative solutions, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), alternative materials like geopolymer cement, and more efficient production technologies, are critical for reducing emissions.
- Implementing these solutions could significantly lower the industry's carbon footprint, aligning with global climate goals.
2. 🛠️ Technology and Industry Adaptation
- The cement and concrete industry is risk-averse due to its critical role in infrastructure like bridges and tunnels where safety and performance are imperative.
- To reduce CO2 emissions, the industry should focus on technologies that integrate well with existing systems.
- Successful adaptation involves leveraging current feedstocks used at every cement plant, which already operate at billions of tons scale.
- Utilizing existing capital infrastructure from quarrying to product distribution is essential to minimize costs and reduce implementation timelines.
- Innovations must produce products that comply with current regulations to ensure contractor acceptance and market integration.
- Developing economically competitive products with traditional cement is crucial for market adoption without relying on a sustainability premium.
- Incorporating carbon capture technology and alternative fuels are examples of successful adaptations reducing emissions.
- Companies like XYZ Cement have successfully implemented alternative materials, reducing carbon emissions by 30%.
3. 🔍 Understanding Cement's CO2 Intensity
- Traditional cement production involves heating limestone, which is 44% CO2 by weight, to 1450°C using fossil fuels, releasing CO2 both from the fuels and the limestone.
- Cera, a company inspired by nature, has developed an innovative method to mimic natural limestone formation by absorbing CO2 from the ocean to create a reactive form of limestone.
- This new method produces a white powder, 44% of which is CO2 by weight, that can react with water to undergo a cementing reaction, effectively using CO2 as a resource rather than a waste.
- The innovative method has the potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the cement industry by transforming a waste product into a valuable resource.
4. 🔄 Innovative Solutions and Economic Viability
- The initial concept was technically sound but lacked economic grounding and was competitive rather than additive to the cement industry.
- The solution was to integrate the technology with existing cement kilns to capture CO2 emissions, making it economically viable by blending new products with traditional cement or completely replacing it.
- This integration doubled product output and enhanced economic competitiveness.
- The process reduces CO2 emissions by 70% per ton using fossil fuels and can potentially achieve zero emissions with clean electricity or green fuels.
- By integrating with existing infrastructure, the solution significantly lowers costs and accelerates market adoption.
5. 🏭 Scaling and Collaboration for Global Impact
- By integrating CO2 cement into existing plants and using established product distribution channels, the company collaborates with major cement players to achieve cost-effective scaling, aiming for gigaton reductions.
- The company's first commercial plant in Northern California, which became operational in early 2024, demonstrates the feasibility of integrating into existing infrastructure to produce industry-usable products.
- Plans for global scaling are underway, supported by a network of companies working to reduce emissions in cement and concrete industries.
- The company distinguishes itself by aligning with the existing cement ecosystem, offering a product that enhances pollution standards while maintaining performance, facilitating industry adoption.
- Collaboration with the industry rather than competition allows for paving the way towards zero CO2 cement, addressing the 4 billion tons of emissions from the cement sector.
TED-Ed - This is how nomadic farmers live
Pastoralism, an ancient agricultural practice, involves guiding livestock to seasonal grazing areas, fostering trade, and maintaining ecological balance. Despite its sustainability, modern policies have restricted pastoralists' mobility, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, leading to economic and environmental challenges. These policies have privatized rangelands and limited access to resources, making pastoralists vulnerable to climate change and reducing their economic resilience. Historically, pastoralists managed grasslands effectively, preventing overgrazing and enriching soil, but restrictions have hindered these practices. In response, grassroots movements in sub-Saharan Africa are advocating for restored grazing reserves, improved public services, and fair market systems to support pastoralists. These efforts aim to stabilize incomes, enhance animal health, and recognize the value of pastoral mobility, which is crucial for sustaining ecosystems and economies globally.
Key Points:
- Pastoralism involves strategic livestock grazing, supporting trade and ecological balance.
- Restrictive policies in sub-Saharan Africa have limited pastoralists' mobility, impacting their sustainability.
- Grassroots movements are advocating for restored grazing reserves and improved services for pastoralists.
- Efforts include creating fair market systems and enhancing animal health through vaccines and veterinary services.
- Recognizing the value of pastoral mobility is essential for sustaining ecosystems and economies.
Details:
1. 🐄 The Birth and Evolution of Pastoralism
1.1. Origins and Development
1.2. Economic and Social Impact
2. 🌍 Pastoralism Across the Globe
- There are hundreds of millions of mobile pastoralists worldwide, present on every continent except Antarctica.
- Pastoralists in regions like the Himalayas, Andes, and Alps manage sheep, goats, cattle, and yaks.
- Saami pastoralists in Arctic rangelands focus on reindeer.
- Van Gujjar pastoralists in northern India specialize in water buffalo.
- All these communities practice sustainable environmental management.
3. 🌪️ Challenges in Modern Pastoralism
3.1. Economic and Policy Challenges
3.2. Land Use and Access Restrictions
3.3. Climate Change Vulnerabilities
4. 🌾 Environmental Contributions and Concerns
- Historically, Sub-Saharan pastoralists played a key role in maintaining African grasslands by controlling livestock grazing. This practice helped prevent overgrazing and promoted soil regeneration through the natural fertilization of manure.
- Seasonal migration was an essential strategy for preventing land degradation, allowing grasslands to recover and maintaining ecological balance.
- Modern restrictive policies have disrupted these traditional practices. By limiting the movement of pastoralists, these policies have led to increased land degradation and hindered the natural regeneration process.
- Examples of such policies include the establishment of national borders and private land ownership, which restrict traditional migratory routes and access to grazing lands.
- These changes have significant environmental implications, including reduced biodiversity, soil erosion, and loss of grassland ecosystems.
5. 📉 Economic Struggles and Market Dynamics
- Pastoralists' resilience to climate change is reduced by certain policies, making them vulnerable as global droughts increase due to rising temperatures.
- Pastoralists traditionally adapt to drought by following rain patterns and understanding landscapes, but confinement to drought-affected lands limits this ability.
- Unhealthy herds, caused by drought and confinement, can lead to deadly disease outbreaks affecting both livestock and humans.
- Sick herds reduce productivity, limiting the goods pastoralists can sell and affecting their economic stability.
- Sub-Saharan pastoralists often sell in informal markets with little oversight, which are international and competitive, leading to low and volatile sale prices.
6. 🌟 Innovating for a Sustainable Future
- Pastoralists in sub-Saharan Africa face unstable incomes and high transaction fees due to reliance on intermediaries. Innovative solutions are being developed to overcome these challenges, potentially inspiring global change.
- Grassroots movements are actively advocating for the restoration of grazing reserves and enhancement of public services, such as mobile health clinics and schools designed to meet the specific needs of pastoral communities.
- New market systems aim to establish standards for meat quality and sale price, which help reduce the exploitation by middlemen and ensure fair prices, particularly for female herders who represent 50% of the pastoral population.
- Efforts to improve animal health include the development of new vaccines, veterinary services, and livestock tagging systems, contributing to sustainable livestock management.
- Governments are being encouraged to recognize and support the value of pastoral mobility, which has been crucial for maintaining ecosystems and local economies for thousands of years.
