“…today, for the first time ever, we’re releasing some of the best TED talks to the public, and I would like to request your help in letting people know just how a special a treat they have in store.

“The talks are available as a podcast series, TEDTalks, at http://www.ted.com/tedtalks and http://tedblog.typepad.com. We’ve launched with six remarkable talks – in audio and video – and will add more each week. Thanks to a partnership with BMW, all the talks will be entirely FREE.

“It’s a big moment: Until now, the TED experience has been limited to 1,000 people each year. But we’ve always known these talks deserve a much wider audience. Indeed, the whole vision of my foundation which owns TED, is to leverage the power of ideas to make a difference in the world. Now thanks to the maturation of online video and podcasting, and the visionary sponsorship of BMW we can share some of the best of TED widely for the first time. We’re excited about this and trust that you share our enthusiasm.

“I hope you’ll make the time to rediscover some of the most moving presentations from TED2006: Al Gore’s sage advice on living a carbon-neutral life; Hans Rosling’s inspired interpretation of global statistics; Ken Robinson’s vision for an education system that values creativity; Majora Carter’s commitment to environmental justice; Tony Robbins’ roadmap for reaching our potential; and David Pogue’s software-inspired show tunes. We’ve launched with these six, and will add more weekly, pulling primarily from TED2006 and TEDGlobal, but also dipping into previous years.”

I’m over the moon. Go listen to Hans Rosling’s talk. Then listen to the others. Then do it again. Then tell a friend…

[Edited to add categories, which for some reason I keep forgetting to do]