Bill Gates has used some of his foundation money to make some interesting science lectures available online for free.
The lectures that Richard Feynman gave at Cornell University in 1964 were found by Gates on aging movie reels in a library basement years ago. He has spent a lot of time and energy finding who owned the rights to the films and paying for those rights. The fruit of Gates' efforts are now available for everyone's benefit.
Feynman worked on the Manhattan Project during World War 2 and later became a Nobel laureate. He was known not only for his numerous scientific discoveries, but also his ability to teach students in interesting and novel ways.
The lecture series focuses on the physical laws, their characteristics, and how the laws relate together. The first lecture begins with gravity and he progresses through to quantum mechanics and possible new laws that have not yet been discovered. While the content ranges from simple to complex, he presents the material in a very accessible and understandable manner. He brings a unique perspective and love of science that I wish had been present in more of my science classes during my school years.
Kudos to Mr. Gates for a pursuing this worthwhile project.
Technical note: The videos are presented using Microsoft's new Silverlight video application, which currently does not work on the Google Chrome browser. (Arrrgghh!) You'll have to use either Internet Explorer or Firefox, and download the Silverlight plug-in.
