Eric Giler, CEO of MIT-inspired WiTricity, demonstrates at TED how wireless electricity works and inspires a vision of the future where devices no longer need to be plugged-in. First explored by Nicola Tesla in the 1890s, in recent years the technology has made great strides and there are many wireless charging pads on the market. The Palm Pre has even made it a showcase feature when marketing its new phone. While the technology has been around for a while, it is taking great strides in efficiency with both increases in the amount of power that can be transmitted, as well as the distance it can be transmitted. WiTricity is attempting to charge everything from electric cars to cell phones.

Us Now, a documentary from Banyak Films, takes a look at social media and its effect technology communications have had on democratizing society in every aspect imaginable. Whether it is offering a couch to sleep on to strangers, sharing advice between mothers, managing a soccer club, or any number of other things, social media is changing the world. Us Now takes a look into several virtual communities which are having a very real impact and begs everyone to question what else can benefit from democratization and plain ol’ good will.

Adam Savage, of Mythbusters fame, talks at Maker Faire 2009 shares two personal stories of when he has failed in life and how those failures have shaped who he is today. While many people are quick to say that failure is how people learn, he wishes people would share more openly their stories of failure. That said, Adam shares two of apparently many stories of when he has totally let others down and was forced to deal with the failures head on. A great storyteller, Adam is lively and this talk is well worth the time watching.

Dan Ariely, a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University, shares examples from his book Predictably Irrational illustrating why people fail to make logical decisions. Dan shows how the complexity of options will drive people away whether it is trying a couple more pills vs. hip replacement surgery or even checking a box to opt-out of organ donation. Also shown, is how presenting an inferior third choice can influence people to choose the similar, but better choice, which in one case translated to significantly higher subscription rates for The Economist. Take note, if you are going bar hopping, take a similar but uglier version of yourself with you.

Slovenian inventor Aleksander Polutnik demonstrates the Enicycle, a motorized unicycle. With two in existance, the unicycle is currently patent-pending and funding is being raised to go into production. Astonishingly the Enicycle manages to pull off a much less nerdy look than the Segway.

Nadya Direkova, a Senior Information Architect at Avenue A Razorfish, talks about how to make web and software experiences more engaging by using techniques pulled from game design. Nadya offers examples such as reward systems, aesthetics, social systems, avatars, stats & missions, and many more. If you haven’t been exposed to this idea, the talk is a great overview and should compel you to explore the idea further. Get the slides here.