Michael Norton shares fascinating research on how money can, indeed buy happiness — when you don’t spend it on yourself. Listen for surprising data on the many ways pro-social spending can benefit you, your work, and (of course) other people.

Drew Curtis, the founder of Fark, tells the story of how he fought a lawsuit from a company that had a patent, “…for the creation and distribution of news releases via email.” Along the way he shares some nutty statistics about the growing legal problem of frivolous patents.

“Secrets can take many forms — they can be shocking, or silly, or soulful.” Frank Warren, the founder of PostSecret.com, shares some of the half-million secrets that strangers have mailed him on postcards.

Seth MacFarlane as the voice of a 30-something, pot-smoking, chick-banging teddy bear? Yes please. The Family Guy creator does triple duty as writer, director and voice star of Ted. John Bennett made a childhood wish that his beloved stuffed animal come to life and be his best friend. Now, 30 years later, he just won’t move out.

As we expect more from technology, do we expect less from each other? Sherry Turkle studies how our devices and online personas are redefining human connection and communication — and asks us to think deeply about the new kinds of connection we want to have.

Chip Kidd doesn’t judge books by their cover, he creates covers that embody the book — and he does it with a wicked sense of humor. In one of the funniest talks from TED2012, he shows the art and deep thought of his cover designs.

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane hits the big screen for the first time as writer, director and voice of Ted. He tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish and has refused to leave his side ever since.

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” asks Regina Dugan, the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In this breathtaking talk she describes some of the extraordinary projects — a robotic hummingbird, a prosthetic arm controlled by thought, and, well, the internet — that her agency has created by not worrying that they might fail.

Taylor Wilson believes nuclear fusion is a solution to our future energy needs, and that kids can change the world. And he knows something about both of those. When he was 14 he built a working fusion reactor in his parents’ garage. Now 17, he takes the TED stage to tell his story.

Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity and vulnerability shine through every word.