Full video

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I'm used to thinking of the TED audience

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as a wonderful collection of some of the

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most effective, intelligent,

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intellectual,

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um, savvy, worldly, and innovative

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people in the world. And I think that's

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true. However, I also have reason to

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believe that many, if not most of you

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are actually tying your shoes

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incorrectly. Now, now I I know that

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seems ludicrous. I know that seems

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ludicrous. And believe me, I I lived the

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same sad life until about three years

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ago. Uh, and what happened to me was I

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bought what what was for me a very

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expensive pair of shoes, but those shoes

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came with round nylon laces and I

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couldn't keep them tied. So, I went back

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to the store and said to the owner, "I

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love the shoes, but I hate the laces."

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He took a look and said, "Oh, you're

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tying them wrong." Now, up until that

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moment, I would have thought that by age

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50, one of the life skills that I had

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really nailed was tying my shoes, but

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not. So, let me

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demonstrate. This is the way that most

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of us were taught to tie our shoes.

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Now, as it turns out, thank you. Uh uh

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but but wait, there's more. As it turns

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out, there's a strong form and a weak

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form of this knot. And we were taught to

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tie the weak form. And here's how to

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tell. If you pull the strands at the

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base of the knot, you can see that the

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bow will orient itself down the long

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axis of the shoe. That's the weak form

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of the knot. But not to

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worry, if we start

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over and simply go the other direction

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around the bow, we get this, the strong

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form of the knot. And if you pull the

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cords under the knot, you will see that

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the bow orients itself along the

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transverse axis of the shoe. This is a

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stronger knot. It will come untied less

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often. It will let you down less. And

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not only that, it looks better. We're

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going to do this one more time.

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Start as

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usual. Go the other way around the loop.

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This is a little hard for children, but

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I think you can handle

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it. Pull the

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knot. There it is. The strong form of

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the shoe knot.

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Now, in keeping with today's theme, I'd

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like to point out, and something you

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already know, that sometimes a small

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advantage someplace in life can yield

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tremendous results someplace

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else. Live long and prosper.