Save it to your desktop! | Alan Resnick

**Elise Hu** (0:04)
You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. Many of the talks that we share change the way we think. Some change the way we work.
This talk may change the way you use your desktop.

**Alan Resnick** (0:20)
Tonight, I'm going to share with you my one simple trick that's going to make your life a lot easier. It's going to protect your data, and it's going to calm you down.

**Elise Hu** (0:28)
That's comedian and visual artist, Alan Resnick, who's best known for his surrealist work with the Cartoon Network's beloved nighttime TV block, Adult Swim. But in this absurdist talk, he's here to tell us that we've been using our computers wrong, or specifically our desktops, and it is completely, sincerely, 100% earnest. Really.
Or is it?

**Alan Resnick** (0:51)
If you follow my simple rule, save it to your desktop, you're not only going to have an awesome desktop, you're actually going to have a wicked awesome life.

**Elise Hu** (0:58)
And just a quick heads up, this talk is quite visual, so as I do sometimes, I will be jumping in at a few points throughout to describe key moments on stage. If you are able, please visit ted.com to watch the video version also. It's coming up right after a short break.
And now, our TED Talk of the day.

**Alan Resnick** (1:29)
My name is Alan Resnick, and if you don't know me, I'm a bit of a tech head. What does that mean? It means an average day for me is spent surfing the web, checking my emails, and just clicking on links. That's sort of me in a nutshell. And when I'm not doing that, I tour the country and I teach people how to use computers. And the number one thing I've noticed all over is that people are afraid of computers. They're scared. And don't get me started on the internet, you guys. Has anyone here ever been online?
Two, three hands? You guys gotta get online. It's incre- I'm telling you, there's some crazy stuff online, you guys. I don't have time to get into it right now, but they have photos and videos of people online, and they're performing a kind of love that I am not comfortable with. Okay?
And they have your data. They do. These sick people have your data. Are you comfortable with that? I'm not. But I have a question for you guys, and it is a real question. How do you use your computer? How do you guys use your computers? Just curious.
Can we get her a mic? How do you use your computer?

**SPEAKER_3** (2:46)
Well, I usually use my computer for work, so emails and sending messages to folks and Internet.

**Alan Resnick** (2:55)
This is wrong.
This is incorrect. I hate to say this, but you're using your computer wrong. You know, not use. I don't love that word, use. We don't use computers, do we? No, I think of computers a little like grandparents, actually. You wouldn't use your grandmother, right? But your grandmother can make your life easier if you use her properly. So what is the proper way to use a computer? Tonight, I'm going to share with you my one simple trick that's going to make your life a lot easier. It's going to protect your data and it's going to calm you down. Okay, here it is.
What is he saying, save it to your desktop?

**SPEAKER_3** (3:40)
I can't hear, what are you saying?

**Alan Resnick** (3:41)
I'm saying save it to your desktop. It's as simple as that, save it to your desktop. Okay, yeah, we can clap for that, that's pretty cool.
That is pretty cool, you're going, Alan, it can't be that easy. It is, but before we can talk about desktops, we have to talk about something else. My skin, look at, whoa, my skin is vibrating. But it's vibrating, it's very hard to tell. This is vibrating too, but I think you'll be able to see this. Can you see that? You see, light vibrates too.
I need a response. Can you see that? You can?

**Elise Hu** (4:13)
Okay. Elise here, the that Alan is referring to is a large flashlight, which he's just picked up from the table beside him. He shines it directly into the eyes of an audience member in the first row, who after he says, can you see that, nods yes.

**Alan Resnick** (4:27)
That's because of the eye brain system, the visible spectrum, rods and cones, rods and cones, rods and cones. But my skin is vibrating too, but it vibrates at a rate that you can't see or perceive, but dogs and pets can actually hear. They hear our skin. So I know you like to touch a little dog's head, but that passive action is actually causing them extreme inner ear pain. So you shouldn't touch dogs.