Niels Diffrient: Rethinking the way we sit down

[benbie]

stephen hawkins chairs looks quite comfortable ------------>

[WadeBlazingame34]

I like this guy, and love what he has to say. But it's all bout the Treadmill Desk, folks... Get a treadmill desk -- it'll change your life!! :)

[NCSuper]

I love listening to elderly people talking about their favourite topic, especially one like this where he flawlessly but confusingly jumps from the story of planes to the ease of adjusting this amazing chair.

[Bhairaviji]

At $1075 a chair, it is just like Homer Simpson's car - Got just about every feature a man can dream of, but no one can ever afford it. At least not a cubicle worker like me.

[pillowbugg]

kudos! but the fact remains that we really need to completely re-invent the chair and place greater emphasis on the areas of the body that need it the most. ie, lower back, hips, neck.

[octemberfury]

that was boring

[orkronos]

I NEED that chair....

[thecaneater]

If I had the money, I'd so buy one.

[Oneshot112]

lmao 2 grand for a chair.

[kacprfso]

he sounds like Adam West

[daredevildude3]

fuck you faggot

[PrimalShadow3]

Chill out, Mr. West!

[Ihy744ppp]

@kacprfso It's his brother.....

[therobanata]

haha seriously.

[machmud321]

...And i still would buy it...

[machmud321]

Did you notice that the price of that chair is $2,465.00

[wwwhexxycom]

SSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Where can you buy this chair?

[Punniabi]

Now that is what I call a chair!

[timg455]

IT'S A FUCKING CHAR!!!!

[Elephantintheroom01]

C-

I'm concerned, see me after class!!!

[HigherPlanes]

I can't use a comfortable chair at my office job because I fall asleep and my boss is a bitch and tells me that I can't sleep on the job. I'd love that chair for napping at home though.

[GYoungJr2]

It sounds like you have the wrong job

[iamnorwegian]

this I write before watching the video:

are you serios? 17 minutes on sitting down???

after:

oh I see.. it is a 17 ninute long commercial for an office chair.

[Junriah]

Yes this was more like marketing his chair. What about knee chairs?

[Elephantintheroom01]

Capitalism = global warming + 4 year dictatorship two party system and an army and police force that thinks they are meant to protect the government.

Socialism = best system in theory provided you get rid of the dictator.

Liberal = all people who believe they should not be interfered with by others.

You Americans have been taught to hate that which you don't know. All that has been branded as such is actually still capitalism.

Anyway, lables suck.

[keemer08]

i'm confused. why was this posted by you? i mean you talk as if your opinions are fact. its cool to have your opinion, i got plently of mine. im still confused on how a system of economics is equal to a the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere plus a whole lot of you spewing shit out ur mouth.....makes no sense. im not being mean, im letting you know your not making any sense. i suggest you revamp your equation, cuz you spelled LABELS wrong. =D now that is an opinion

[Elephantintheroom01]

You don't see the connection with the capitalist economic education that says ever increasing profits is possible and our ever increasing pollution and global warming? They get their energy from destroying nature because it cant stick up for itself. They dont get it from the sun or from asteroid mining. They get it from destroying the earths life support system. My god, How do we stop this batman? We cant, out society concentrates all the power in the hands of the people with all the wealth.

[Elephantintheroom01]

You more likely to be shot by a cop that you are to stop the petrochemical industry pumping out acid into the ocean even for one day. Theres no money in defending natural resources which means theres only money in preserving them. Which means pretty soon were gonna be paying for air.

[klasco1991]

that and capitalism needs constant growth in order to work well

[MuckoMan]

Enough with the saying you Americans. Its all you hear on the internet these days. Stop believeing all the media you watch. Its all crap. Come to amercia and work here for years then judge us.

[Elephantintheroom01]

Why? I have all the info i need from your actions and your media. I lived just outside of America for 6 years, met Americans, watched American TV, watched the world develop. If i were to live with you then i would just end up adopting your perceptions which would cause your mistakes. I don't even understand patriotism or what you think you have to celebrate, it seems to be just a game to make you stop feeling sorry for yourselves and allow you to be controlled like a bunch of soldiers.

[mlcrazi]

(1) As an educated individual, I would hope that you can see the flaw in judging a group of people by their MEDIA....

(2) You refer to our actions as if an American citizen has the responsibility to everything the government does...

The government has a responsibility to its citizens but that does not mean the citizens have any true power.

I'm definitely not saying America is perfect, but it isn't the self-important, arrogant, ignorant, obese shithole that it's criticizers like to portray.

[Elephantintheroom01]

In what way has my statement failed to explain that thats not whats happening here?

I don't care for semantic based responsibility placement arguments, and i do not care what kind of people skull around the earth, or what you have to do to justify your existence to yourself. How about reading my comment and deciding if its fair before you take up the flag and leading the charge in the wrong direction.

[mlcrazi]

@Elephantintheroom01

My statement was not a semantic-based word game. What it means is that the American citizen can and does criticize its own government. In fact, the citizenry should do so. But you can hardly place blame on every American for the exploitation of the third world, and the raping of natural resources.

So stop stereotyping us all as the scum of the earth.

Also, try to come up with an intelligible argument as opposed to the melodramatic bs you have been posting.

[Elephantintheroom01]

I'm making a Generalisation numbnuts, it doesnt have to apply to everyone if you understand it. Your only meant to see if it applies to you.

As a side subject; your country isnt free, it isnt even truly democratic anyone who lives in a ghetto can tell you that. Your inability to remove Bush was just a symptom of the wider problem, a problem that as a citizen you must be complicit in it. Bush himself called you innocents when terrorists attack, dont let him be right!

[mlcrazi]

@Elephantintheroom01

First, thank you. All I wanted was for you to admit that you were making a generalization. But, I have to ask, why are you posting with such obvious disdain for ALL Americans when you have just admitted that your post is only with regards to some Americans?

Second, your statement is full of contradiction. If I am not free, how can I be complicit?...

PS: I am very disappointed in my country having re/elected Bush but that does not mean I've given up on it. Cheers to Obama

[Elephantintheroom01]

When a baby is in the womb it is completely under the mothers control, but it is still complicit through the umbilical chord.

Similarly, your country is controlled by an elitist group of about 1000 people which own and control everything. Voting is just some exercise, they have the money, they have the real choices about government policy. To say that all generalisations are false is itself a generalisation, so; some generalisations are general enough to be true.

[mlcrazi]

@Elephantintheroom01

(1) I think you need to look up the definition of complicit. Being complicit indicates a specific choice to be involved in an act. A baby is not complicit to its mother and to say that it is complicit to the mothers actions is rather absurd.

(2) I did not say that all generalizations are false - I point out that by definition, a generalization has exceptions and does not apply to all cases - otherwise it would not be a GENERALization, it would just be fact.

[Elephantintheroom01]

Yet a fuckin gain! That's a analogy, they only exist to help you understand one thing better by comparing it to something else. Not acting is a choice, not stopping Bush is a choice, not controlling your countries elitists is a choice. Allowing government secrets, backroom deals, fascist policies. Did you know many of them meet in secret? Theres video proof! Doing something about it is a damn site easier than being a terrorist. But thats what the Arabs were forced and allowed to become.

[mlcrazi]

@Elephantintheroom01

Yes, I know what an analogy is. My point was to show what a piss-poor analogy it was.

And again, you contradict yourself when you say that we Americans have a choice/responsibility while at the same time claiming our freedom to choose is a facade.

I can now plainly see that all you do is regurgitate rhetoric without understanding any of the meaning. You hate America and while there are plenty of legitimate reasons to criticize us, you have no good reason of your own.

[Elephantintheroom01]

And freedom to fight the facade? We'll just ignore that then shall we?

[mlcrazi]

@Elephantintheroom01

This will be my last correspondence with you. While I enjoy pointing out your obvious ignorance and flawed statements, it is getting tiresome. But please, feel free to continue with your conspiracy theories and hate. I hope someday you learn to turn it into something constructive and meaningful - but for now its just garbage.

[Elephantintheroom01]

Ive never even made more than one generalisation about the Americans and yet your all over the place. You are a straw man; you misrepresent an argument in order to refute it. Also, to say conspiracies don't exist would also be wrong and given that as of yet Ive only spoken of video evidence that your not aware of WHAT IS YOUR POINT? I dont hate you or anyone, but I dont have any problem apportioning responsibility to you, me and the government.

[wesraley]

Give me just one compelling, logical, articulate, and grammatically coherent argument supporting any of your points, and I will eat my favorite hat and post a video.

[Elephantintheroom01]

I cant comply with that in 500 words, but my original statement was that Americans don't know what socialism is. Proof? Well Britain is a socialist country, if you look at the system; it may have allot of faults, but it still manages to work pretty well.

[timg455]

You Americans...

[TheBestGuitarSoloEVR]

Americans? South Americans? Canadians? Brazillians? North Western Territory Natives? What the fuck? Do you know what America is?

The United STATES of America?

[DIProgan]

Now I can stop worrying about not sitting straight like all these uptight folks want me to.

[veilen]

I need a new chair.

[popitypop]

omg.. i need tht chair!!

[watzupdawg]

Get two and race them.

[theprojucer]

its about time someone stood up for chairs.

[MuckoMan]

Good for him. Bad for me watching this. I probably couldnt afford one of his chairs. To me it almost seemed like an infomericial for his product. Im no more enlightened.

[kidmecha]

Sounds like he's lead a very interesting life, I admire his journey to reach for his romance.

[mattnourse]

Ha i just skipped and then read the last comment. Clearly a nice guy, but something about this video is drawing my attention away from it.

[pcslider]

True passion! Chairs are very important now-a-days.

[cjdaweasel]

You are all just a bunch of haters. This talk was great.

[tubehax]

chairs ok lol.

[tiagoaoa]

And how much for that chair? 10 grand?!

[Cannibalzz]

He takes way too long to describe a chair. This Talk literally could have been done in less than a minute.

[RustyIronloins]

these TEDs vids are getting pretty terrible lately . . .

[tarohoa]

well i wouldn't say terrible but it is getting less interesting i find myself skipping thru the video

[szymon666]

i want one

[jackmosley06]

6:50 about airplane... youtube needs a speed option to speed up some of these videos

[monster755]

I love watching speeches, i just wish the people wouldent joke around and get to the point. Theres some good speeches but the people giveing them arent funny.

[CeBePuH]

Dammmmn... this guy is soooo boring.

[Jernespand]

i hate my chair

hehe

[Sarosun]

i want that xD

[HugoFuckYourself]

When do you ever get a 200 or 20 page manual. You get those manuals if your actually building and installing the chair yourself. Anyways, you spoke about the capabilities of your chair being easy to use. But the fact that you said people are lazy, that they cant even reach down and pull the lever upwards; then how do you expect them to stand up bend 5 times to adjust the headrest, back, arm and bottom of the chair.

As you can see, he truly is a successful failure. !You wasted 9 years! !LOL!

[monster755]

well how would you have dont it? no adjustments? i doubt you could make adjustments any easyer than on this chair.

[funnyguise]

To have as great a variety of sizes and adjustments in one chair is pretty cool.

You're just jealous you can't invent anything.

[Shigren]

thats a bitchin chair!

[ArxVirtus]

It's interesting that he designed a chair based on human anatomy without knowing human anatomy. You only have one "tail bone"...the coccyx. The bones he is describing are ischial tuberosities - parts of the pelvis.

[ashtray45]

I was quite shocked myself when he said that.

[LeMegasandwich]

Should've stuck with engineering.

[buhgoil]

I'm also about 1.92 meters tall. It's not all positive, and chairs, as Qieth describes, are a big part of the problem. This chair by Niels Diffrient looks like it would solve a lot of problems!

[Qieth]

I am 1.90 meters tall. This often gives me some issues. Apart from the obvious lack of leg room in most places, my main issue is the strain on my neck no matter where i am. In most cars, and all coach flights, i have no headrest, unless i practically look up into the ceiling. It sure does annoy me a lot.

[watzupdawg]

He gave up on designing planes ... but should have stuck with airline seats.

[JibriDi]

uh, I want this chair now.

[quaggledoo]

lulz at his jokes not getting lulz!

[FlailingJunk]

For only 5 easy monthly payments of only $79.95

[markstevo77]

lol!

Oblig.:

But wait, there's more!

[1wikked12]

It's good to see that his passion is for the right reason, making quality not only profit. Its rare now days.

[djScottyTea]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz­zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[11eggs]

Stop watching.

[aarondkeogh]

nice chair ill trade you my right bum bone for it

[Sepero1]

I'd like to send a 1minute video demo of this chair to my father.

[CrashGames2108]

Go ahead.

[Digeridude]

Great, but I think he was feeling the back of his pelvis rather than his tailbone.

[grraadd]

yea - two separate tail bones - he is a real special one!

What he really can feel is tuber ischiadicum of os ischii... lower part of pelvis - don't know eng. names.

[gadzometer]

I never thought about it, but wasn't a long scarf and a propeller sort of counter-productive? ;)

[GreenDesert]

ROFLCOPTER

[tillo2008]

get with the times man!

it's lollersticks and roflcones now :P

[ietsutashu]

actually they are not, The scarf would be blown back by the propeller (not get sucked in). The pilots actually used the scarf to tell the airspeed of the plane.

[boxant]

That chair is some kind of super chair!

[hughtub]

It's not even wearing a cape! It's all right out there in the open! Is it hearing my thoughts as I type??

[publicz]

nice chair, would have rather seen the 30 second commercial though... don't go too infomercial on us ted.

[sonofpissjuice]

all that chair needs is a toilet and a drivethru

[OniXV250]

where can i buy a chair like this?

[7ru]

8:59 <--He doesn't get to the chair until this point.

I like how the headrest adjusts automatically and the arms are easy to adjust. Other than that pretty basic office chair.

[straightfistpit]

Thanks for letting me know to fast foward this guy talks so slow

[GetMeThere1]

Thanks!

[fitzgeraldhimse]

Boring

[jungenbum]

zzzzzzzZ

[FFRPianist]

We need more people like this making simple but highly effective everyday items. 5 stars

[airdreamlove]

He put alot of effort into that chair!

[SCX2k]

I WANT THAT FUCKING CHAIR :((((

[rba718]

lol great opening

[chiefsa12st]

all that chair needs is a mac

[apocaRUFF]

PC you mean.

[luiza2166]

I wish the arm rests could be completely removed cuz I like sitting like Buddha on a chair.

[MysticZen]

i never thought learning about chairs and how to sit would be so interesting

[dackjaniels555]

Great! Only $1800, I'll take two.

[LtShock]

I would like one chair like that please :)

[askjjang]

i agree in seeing this to be a very relevant lecture for a conference like TED and also very personally inspiring

[behglah]

boring to me

[sugarpuddin88]

Great work but

He forgot the most important element of all: Human Posture

Reclining is not consistent with good posture

Another postural mistake he makes - Good posture requires shoulders to be pulled back

He speaks of some fallacious correlation between reclining and open breathing - When in truth, it is good posture that adds both good breathing & blood flow to the brain, (cervical & thoracic posture aids artery & venous flow between brain & heart - And effects blood pressure)

[kulls13]

If your shoulders are pulled back then that can cause cramping in your back after an extended period. Which sucks when sitting for a long time, trust me I know

[sugarpuddin88]

If putting your body into correct postural form hurts, then you have pathological postural distortions that need to be corrected - Or your posture will continue to decline; leading to all sorts of pains, suffering & weakness

My guess is that you carry your body with a head & shoulder forward posture - Have weak back from top to bottom

Whenever you have a weak back, then everything else is distorted too - Moreover, likely your lower gluts & hamstrings are weak (and tight) as well, etc.

[kulls13]

Sitting in an erect posture requires stabilizer muscles, these muscles will naturally tire after an extended period. Meaning an office worker can't do work. This is why people lean back, it takes strain off you muscles.

And for the record I have excellent posture, and my back is not weak. Regular exercise strengthens your muscles and corrects your posture more then sitting a certain way ever could.

[sugarpuddin88]

kulls

As I said before, the shoulders are SUPPOSED to remain arched back

To help accomplish this there needs to be a protruding cushion at the center of the chair, running vertically, at the level of the thoracic & lower cervical spine; just as their should be a protruding cushion to give support at the horizontal, lower lumbar spine

His chair remains "rounded" in those area's rather than "supportive"

In summary, his chair causes "slouching" position - which is unhealthy, etc.

[BenIGreen]

I agree with sugarpuddin88 completely. I'm a massage therapist specializing in postural work - particularly shoulders. Most of my clients are physically active office workers.

Kulls13: The core muscles that you referred to don't tire "naturally", they tire because they are weak, and they're weak in large part BECAUSE of chairs.

SP88 is spot on about the shoulders and chair design.

[sugarpuddin88]

Despite always working out in the gym, I always had extremely "tight" hamstring muscles until I learned how to strengthen them properly

I would have to expend a lot of energy trying to bend down to touch my toes before the hamstrings would loosen up a bit

5 years ago I got formal training in power lifting - Which taught me everything I thought I knew was wrong.

With proper training, the hamstrings got strong - And wouldn't you know it: No more tight hamstrings!

Weak mm = tight

[bowflexor]

wtf

[Jasonisabeast]

That'ss soo sad

[fuunguus]

I'm so stone, I just can't understand what he is talking about :\

[CadicusTheDamned]

The guy is just talking about chairs. You're not missing that much.

[tossmeacarrot]

What a great chair. This is qualifies as an original idea and is totally relevant to TED. TED = Technology, Education, Design. This is Design.

[FreemanMk2]

lol no HIS products heh

[Chilldogg]

i need a cool chair.

[Saesegral]

I find it really sad to see so many comments saying that this was a bad ted talk. The man spoke about his passion and his innovation, it was really what I'd consider to be an ideal ted talk.

[johnyprestige]

i agree, great ted talk. this man is clearly passionate about what he does, which is surely the best quality (or at least a great quality) when designing something to give to humanity....

[RantKid]

wow i want that chair!

[ratholin]

That was an awesome lecture. I left feeling entertained and knowing a damn lot more about what makes a good office chair.

[KDIZ930]

god it only took 7 minutes to get into talking about the chairs.

[biggerflexible]

I'd bury you alive for one of those chairs.

[CadicusTheDamned]

Thanks for the warning. I skipped ahead and now have any extra 7 minutes in my life.

[OpineTime]

I thought TED Talks had ideas worth spreading.

[amjPeace]

When we were kids we would run outside to watch every time an aeroplane flew over the house.

[ScientiaVeritasEtLux]

haha, the beginning was hilarious. "what if he kiss the plane first?" hahaha

[Blacky2000x]

so this is actually just some advertising for a chair ?

[Firdaush0]

very nice

[Shalek]

lol

[Esrhan]

I think my current chair just got a whole lot worse...

[FreemanMk2]

HEYYYY! i used to work for his products. those freedom chairs i think

[EnlightenedPerson]

Fail!

[41566118]

Congratulations xD

[BlastBoddom]

First is how you spell it, asshole.

[wirevo]

Proud of getting first on a TED video? I think my IQ just dropped by looking at it.