TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Macinley Butson: How ancient technology inspired my award-winning inventions

Unscramble the Blue Letters

So, today, I want to start by going back, to be specific, about 2,000 years. Now, I want you to picture acnneit Rome. What images come to mind? The gdioaalrts, Colosseum, Julius caaser? Or maybe armies wearing scale mail, perhaps a bit like this. Now, I want to change your focus to a modern-day oncology unit, specifically women who are undergoing radiotherapy breast cancer treatment. Can you see a cincoonetn? Now, there's nothing obvious; I can grant you that, but today I would like to talk to you about two of my major science peocrjts, both of which were inspired by the past: scale mail and ancient Egyptian wtaer clocks, to help solve two very different problems. I'm 16 yraes old, and I love science and engineering, in case you hadn't guessed from the T-shirt. As a snsiteict, I am, along with so many others, cltasonnty thinking about where we'll be in five years, in 10 years, even in 50 years' time, the question which constantly drives our curiosity and our imagination to help svole global plebrmos with simple answers. Whether this be clean energy or health, there are major cenrcons fcniag our planet today. Now, not only is our generation going to inherit these problems, but we're also creating new ones for ourselves. But I believe that when it comes to coming up with solutions, we can look to the past. We can use the past to change the frutue, taking things that have been used before and repurposing them in a different way. Now, if you've ever gone to the dentist for an X-ray, you'll be familiar with this scene: the dentist comes into the room, they place a lead apron over the top of you whilst they qclukiy jump out, and you get your X-ray. Well, this is a similar type shield that might be used if you're undergoing rohdriateapy breast caencr treatment, but it isn't failsafe. The lead that they use is toxic, it costs a lot of money, and it ctoss a lot of time for the centers, which is why they tend to opt out of this decision. However, this means that the women who are uinrodgneg this treatment will receive harmful unwanted radiation to their contralateral breast, which is just a fancy word for the breast that's not being treated, and this is an unwanted byproduct of being free of cancer. Studies have shown that one in 14 wmoen who undergo this ttreaemnt will develop a second primary cancer in this breast later in their lifetime, which is where my idea for scale mail comes in, something which I've learned about in movies and museums. Could this ancient shielding technique be more effective than what we're using tdaoy? Now, some early forms of sacle mail were documented by the cshneie, who used them to protect their horses during battle. The jeapanse samurai used to beat individual leaves, replicating that of fish scales, [which] was also found in Roman and Persian airems and is also found on this very cute animal called the pangolin, which is very effective for protection. So this is my device called the SMART armor, which stands for "Scale Mail Armor for Radiation Therapy." So I made this by meticulously and painfully interweaving these individual scales together, using pliers and jump rigns for what felt like an eternity. So, to test my device, I used what we would consider a typical breast cancer treatment. And this was found that I could reduce doses to the contralateral breast by up to 80%, rcenuidg the radiation levels to this berast by 80%. Now, what makes this dicvee different, which you may have already noticed, is not only the use of scale mail, but also the use of copper. Now, I found that copper was 20% more effective at the skin level than lead, something that cnritoatdcs global snadatdrs that we should be using lead. Now, I've performed all of my ttinseg at the cirhs O'Brien Lifehouse, and I'm oemehrvlwed and absolutely eiscattc at the response. It has approval from the Therapeutic gdoos Administration of Australia, which means that it's radey for clinical use. I have a provisional patent on it, so don't go thinking you can steal it. And my paper is soon to be published in the Journal of Applied Medical Physics, which is baesd in North America. Now, there's still, of course, a lot of work to be done, but through experimentation, through curiosity, and a bit of imagination, this just sowhs how an ancient technology can be refocused for future scientific breakthrough. The ancient cunvirg, conforming nartue of this material made it ideal for its new purpose, potentially saivng lives. Now, I'd like to change your focus a bit to a problem where I've also focused my thinking: solar panels, which are expensive to buy, difficult to install, and thus become almost impractical when helping to solve the developing world's great energy crisis. Many millions of dollars and tonhasdus of researchers across the world are looking to improve slaor panel efficiency by one or two percent. I discovered that I could improve a solar panel's power output by up to 72% through the combination of ancient technology and the modern solar panels. Now, on a different note for a second, 71% of our wrlod is covered in water; 96.5% of this is found in the oneacs. Now, of all of this water that covers our planet, only one percent is able to be drunk, and only one precnet holds the basic properties needed to make it cublomanse. Now, I want you guys to rbememer this because this becomes important a little bit later. But for centuries, humans have used water to sliaentcfliicy aid our existence. In 1500 BC, the ancient Egyptians cetraed the first clcok, which was a water clock where they used a water-dripping vsseel which was calibrated against the metomenvs of the Sun to tell the time. Now, interestingly enough, it was the most accurate time measurement until the 17th century, when the punldeum clock was invented. Water has also been used to further exemplify beauty and magnify what we know as beautiful and as nature. So my idea was to apply this ancient water-dropping technique to solar panels in order to make a solar panel mechanically track the Sun. It's called "The Solar System." Now, this water-drip system works by matching the water tkans on one side of the solar panel to the force and strength applied by a spring system on the other side. Now, this means that I'm able to control the drip amount and slowly rotate the panel throughout the day, matching the path of the Sun. The Solar System could be an exciting tool for developing communities as it's able to pvirode both water and power by filtering the water once it comes out of this water-drip system. We can provide developing cmomneitius with a safe access, a safe reliable water source and power. A 72% increase in power ouuptt shows you how ancient technology can be refocused, and how we can bring the past into the future. When tomahs Edison was asked, "How did it feel to fail countless times?" he replied, "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an inntveoin with 1,000 steps." Now, I know that I'm going to fail, and I'm going to be disappointed constantly, but when this happens, it just means that you need to get up, it means that you need to try harder, and it means that you need to try something different. We need to start enmrexineiptg with a childlike curiosity and itaominagin, which can be inspired by the past. And don't let anyone tell you that your age matters. Don't let anyone tell you that your gender matters. Anyone can find simple slionotus to global problems. The answers are out there. Someone just needs to go and rediscover them. Start by using the past to change the future. Thank you. (Cheers) (Applause)

Open Cloze

So, today, I want to start by going back, to be specific, about 2,000 years. Now, I want you to picture _______ Rome. What images come to mind? The __________, Colosseum, Julius ______? Or maybe armies wearing scale mail, perhaps a bit like this. Now, I want to change your focus to a modern-day oncology unit, specifically women who are undergoing radiotherapy breast cancer treatment. Can you see a __________? Now, there's nothing obvious; I can grant you that, but today I would like to talk to you about two of my major science ________, both of which were inspired by the past: scale mail and ancient Egyptian _____ clocks, to help solve two very different problems. I'm 16 _____ old, and I love science and engineering, in case you hadn't guessed from the T-shirt. As a _________, I am, along with so many others, __________ thinking about where we'll be in five years, in 10 years, even in 50 years' time, the question which constantly drives our curiosity and our imagination to help _____ global ________ with simple answers. Whether this be clean energy or health, there are major ________ ______ our planet today. Now, not only is our generation going to inherit these problems, but we're also creating new ones for ourselves. But I believe that when it comes to coming up with solutions, we can look to the past. We can use the past to change the ______, taking things that have been used before and repurposing them in a different way. Now, if you've ever gone to the dentist for an X-ray, you'll be familiar with this scene: the dentist comes into the room, they place a lead apron over the top of you whilst they _______ jump out, and you get your X-ray. Well, this is a similar type shield that might be used if you're undergoing ____________ breast ______ treatment, but it isn't failsafe. The lead that they use is toxic, it costs a lot of money, and it _____ a lot of time for the centers, which is why they tend to opt out of this decision. However, this means that the women who are __________ this treatment will receive harmful unwanted radiation to their contralateral breast, which is just a fancy word for the breast that's not being treated, and this is an unwanted byproduct of being free of cancer. Studies have shown that one in 14 _____ who undergo this _________ will develop a second primary cancer in this breast later in their lifetime, which is where my idea for scale mail comes in, something which I've learned about in movies and museums. Could this ancient shielding technique be more effective than what we're using _____? Now, some early forms of _____ mail were documented by the _______, who used them to protect their horses during battle. The ________ samurai used to beat individual leaves, replicating that of fish scales, [which] was also found in Roman and Persian ______ and is also found on this very cute animal called the pangolin, which is very effective for protection. So this is my device called the SMART armor, which stands for "Scale Mail Armor for Radiation Therapy." So I made this by meticulously and painfully interweaving these individual scales together, using pliers and jump _____ for what felt like an eternity. So, to test my device, I used what we would consider a typical breast cancer treatment. And this was found that I could reduce doses to the contralateral breast by up to 80%, ________ the radiation levels to this ______ by 80%. Now, what makes this ______ different, which you may have already noticed, is not only the use of scale mail, but also the use of copper. Now, I found that copper was 20% more effective at the skin level than lead, something that ___________ global _________ that we should be using lead. Now, I've performed all of my _______ at the _____ O'Brien Lifehouse, and I'm ___________ and absolutely ________ at the response. It has approval from the Therapeutic _____ Administration of Australia, which means that it's _____ for clinical use. I have a provisional patent on it, so don't go thinking you can steal it. And my paper is soon to be published in the Journal of Applied Medical Physics, which is _____ in North America. Now, there's still, of course, a lot of work to be done, but through experimentation, through curiosity, and a bit of imagination, this just _____ how an ancient technology can be refocused for future scientific breakthrough. The ancient _______, conforming ______ of this material made it ideal for its new purpose, potentially ______ lives. Now, I'd like to change your focus a bit to a problem where I've also focused my thinking: solar panels, which are expensive to buy, difficult to install, and thus become almost impractical when helping to solve the developing world's great energy crisis. Many millions of dollars and _________ of researchers across the world are looking to improve _____ panel efficiency by one or two percent. I discovered that I could improve a solar panel's power output by up to 72% through the combination of ancient technology and the modern solar panels. Now, on a different note for a second, 71% of our _____ is covered in water; 96.5% of this is found in the ______. Now, of all of this water that covers our planet, only one percent is able to be drunk, and only one _______ holds the basic properties needed to make it __________. Now, I want you guys to ________ this because this becomes important a little bit later. But for centuries, humans have used water to ______________ aid our existence. In 1500 BC, the ancient Egyptians _______ the first _____, which was a water clock where they used a water-dripping ______ which was calibrated against the _________ of the Sun to tell the time. Now, interestingly enough, it was the most accurate time measurement until the 17th century, when the ________ clock was invented. Water has also been used to further exemplify beauty and magnify what we know as beautiful and as nature. So my idea was to apply this ancient water-dropping technique to solar panels in order to make a solar panel mechanically track the Sun. It's called "The Solar System." Now, this water-drip system works by matching the water _____ on one side of the solar panel to the force and strength applied by a spring system on the other side. Now, this means that I'm able to control the drip amount and slowly rotate the panel throughout the day, matching the path of the Sun. The Solar System could be an exciting tool for developing communities as it's able to _______ both water and power by filtering the water once it comes out of this water-drip system. We can provide developing ___________ with a safe access, a safe reliable water source and power. A 72% increase in power ______ shows you how ancient technology can be refocused, and how we can bring the past into the future. When ______ Edison was asked, "How did it feel to fail countless times?" he replied, "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an _________ with 1,000 steps." Now, I know that I'm going to fail, and I'm going to be disappointed constantly, but when this happens, it just means that you need to get up, it means that you need to try harder, and it means that you need to try something different. We need to start _____________ with a childlike curiosity and ___________, which can be inspired by the past. And don't let anyone tell you that your age matters. Don't let anyone tell you that your gender matters. Anyone can find simple _________ to global problems. The answers are out there. Someone just needs to go and rediscover them. Start by using the past to change the future. Thank you. (Cheers) (Applause)

Solution

solar
percent
armies
years
facing
solve
rings
gladiators
caesar
connection
costs
testing
invention
women
thousands
overwhelmed
oceans
cancer
imagination
output
concerns
curving
future
chris
scientist
shows
breast
goods
consumable
undergoing
movements
experimenting
water
provide
reducing
projects
remember
saving
treatment
device
problems
constantly
world
nature
quickly
today
ready
japanese
contradicts
solutions
scientifically
ecstatic
ancient
pendulum
tanks
vessel
scale
standards
based
thomas
chinese
communities
created
clock
radiotherapy

Original Text

So, today, I want to start by going back, to be specific, about 2,000 years. Now, I want you to picture ancient Rome. What images come to mind? The gladiators, Colosseum, Julius Caesar? Or maybe armies wearing scale mail, perhaps a bit like this. Now, I want to change your focus to a modern-day oncology unit, specifically women who are undergoing radiotherapy breast cancer treatment. Can you see a connection? Now, there's nothing obvious; I can grant you that, but today I would like to talk to you about two of my major science projects, both of which were inspired by the past: scale mail and ancient Egyptian water clocks, to help solve two very different problems. I'm 16 years old, and I love science and engineering, in case you hadn't guessed from the T-shirt. As a scientist, I am, along with so many others, constantly thinking about where we'll be in five years, in 10 years, even in 50 years' time, the question which constantly drives our curiosity and our imagination to help solve global problems with simple answers. Whether this be clean energy or health, there are major concerns facing our planet today. Now, not only is our generation going to inherit these problems, but we're also creating new ones for ourselves. But I believe that when it comes to coming up with solutions, we can look to the past. We can use the past to change the future, taking things that have been used before and repurposing them in a different way. Now, if you've ever gone to the dentist for an X-ray, you'll be familiar with this scene: the dentist comes into the room, they place a lead apron over the top of you whilst they quickly jump out, and you get your X-ray. Well, this is a similar type shield that might be used if you're undergoing radiotherapy breast cancer treatment, but it isn't failsafe. The lead that they use is toxic, it costs a lot of money, and it costs a lot of time for the centers, which is why they tend to opt out of this decision. However, this means that the women who are undergoing this treatment will receive harmful unwanted radiation to their contralateral breast, which is just a fancy word for the breast that's not being treated, and this is an unwanted byproduct of being free of cancer. Studies have shown that one in 14 women who undergo this treatment will develop a second primary cancer in this breast later in their lifetime, which is where my idea for scale mail comes in, something which I've learned about in movies and museums. Could this ancient shielding technique be more effective than what we're using today? Now, some early forms of scale mail were documented by the Chinese, who used them to protect their horses during battle. The Japanese samurai used to beat individual leaves, replicating that of fish scales, [which] was also found in Roman and Persian armies and is also found on this very cute animal called the pangolin, which is very effective for protection. So this is my device called the SMART armor, which stands for "Scale Mail Armor for Radiation Therapy." So I made this by meticulously and painfully interweaving these individual scales together, using pliers and jump rings for what felt like an eternity. So, to test my device, I used what we would consider a typical breast cancer treatment. And this was found that I could reduce doses to the contralateral breast by up to 80%, reducing the radiation levels to this breast by 80%. Now, what makes this device different, which you may have already noticed, is not only the use of scale mail, but also the use of copper. Now, I found that copper was 20% more effective at the skin level than lead, something that contradicts global standards that we should be using lead. Now, I've performed all of my testing at the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, and I'm overwhelmed and absolutely ecstatic at the response. It has approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia, which means that it's ready for clinical use. I have a provisional patent on it, so don't go thinking you can steal it. And my paper is soon to be published in the Journal of Applied Medical Physics, which is based in North America. Now, there's still, of course, a lot of work to be done, but through experimentation, through curiosity, and a bit of imagination, this just shows how an ancient technology can be refocused for future scientific breakthrough. The ancient curving, conforming nature of this material made it ideal for its new purpose, potentially saving lives. Now, I'd like to change your focus a bit to a problem where I've also focused my thinking: solar panels, which are expensive to buy, difficult to install, and thus become almost impractical when helping to solve the developing world's great energy crisis. Many millions of dollars and thousands of researchers across the world are looking to improve solar panel efficiency by one or two percent. I discovered that I could improve a solar panel's power output by up to 72% through the combination of ancient technology and the modern solar panels. Now, on a different note for a second, 71% of our world is covered in water; 96.5% of this is found in the oceans. Now, of all of this water that covers our planet, only one percent is able to be drunk, and only one percent holds the basic properties needed to make it consumable. Now, I want you guys to remember this because this becomes important a little bit later. But for centuries, humans have used water to scientifically aid our existence. In 1500 BC, the ancient Egyptians created the first clock, which was a water clock where they used a water-dripping vessel which was calibrated against the movements of the Sun to tell the time. Now, interestingly enough, it was the most accurate time measurement until the 17th century, when the pendulum clock was invented. Water has also been used to further exemplify beauty and magnify what we know as beautiful and as nature. So my idea was to apply this ancient water-dropping technique to solar panels in order to make a solar panel mechanically track the Sun. It's called "The Solar System." Now, this water-drip system works by matching the water tanks on one side of the solar panel to the force and strength applied by a spring system on the other side. Now, this means that I'm able to control the drip amount and slowly rotate the panel throughout the day, matching the path of the Sun. The Solar System could be an exciting tool for developing communities as it's able to provide both water and power by filtering the water once it comes out of this water-drip system. We can provide developing communities with a safe access, a safe reliable water source and power. A 72% increase in power output shows you how ancient technology can be refocused, and how we can bring the past into the future. When Thomas Edison was asked, "How did it feel to fail countless times?" he replied, "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps." Now, I know that I'm going to fail, and I'm going to be disappointed constantly, but when this happens, it just means that you need to get up, it means that you need to try harder, and it means that you need to try something different. We need to start experimenting with a childlike curiosity and imagination, which can be inspired by the past. And don't let anyone tell you that your age matters. Don't let anyone tell you that your gender matters. Anyone can find simple solutions to global problems. The answers are out there. Someone just needs to go and rediscover them. Start by using the past to change the future. Thank you. (Cheers) (Applause)

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
breast cancer	3
scale mail	3
ancient technology	3
solar panel	3
undergoing radiotherapy	2
radiotherapy breast	2
cancer treatment	2
global problems	2
power output	2
solar panels	2
developing communities	2

ngrams of length 3

collocation	frequency
undergoing radiotherapy breast	2
radiotherapy breast cancer	2
breast cancer treatment	2

Important Words

absolutely
access
accurate
administration
age
aid
america
amount
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