The Astronomical Society of the Pacific — a non-profit educational group that does great work in getting the word out about astronomy — has just released a dozen free audio recordings of lectures from well-known astronomers. They include SETI scientists Frank Drake and Jill Tarter, planet finder Geoff Marcy, supernova guy Alex Filippenko, and many others.
I recommend taking a listen to at least Alex’s talk. He is a great speaker, and beloved at Berkeley where he teaches. I’ve known Alex for many years, and he’s a nice guy, and his talks are always very cool. He is on one of the teams that discovered dark energy, the bizarro force behind the accelerating expansion of the universe.
But you also get talks from other top-notch astronomers about Venus, Mars, and even little maligned Pluto. If you have a long drive ahead of you, or lots of gardening, or just want to laze in the Sun and learn a bit more about the cosmos, then go and grab these free downloads.
Also, free bonus: ABC Australia just uploaded a transcript of an old interview with physicist Richard Feynman, one of my heroes and an amazing man. His ability to talk about the beauty and methods of science was pretty much unparalleled.
Tip o’ the white lab coat to Larry Klaes for that last bit.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I have Alex’s DVD course “Understanding the Universe” from the Teaching Company, and he is absolutely fantastic at teaching about the cosmos. You can tell when you see him talk about it that his love of space and science is boundless.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:04 pm
“Tip o’ the white lab coat to Larry Klaes for that last bit.”
larry and i met in Ithaca NY for the festival, hes a really cool guy
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I have the “Understanding the Universe” series, too! It’s good stuff, for sure. I’ll have to check out these lecture recordings too. Thanks for the heads up Phil!
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Tanks for the links. Perfect for my long flight out to Vegas.
And BTW – cool new look to the site.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Wasn’t Alex in that “The Universe” doc in history channel?
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I think video of all the Feynman stuff is on youtube here
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Just a quick off topic remark to compliment you on the new blog. Looks fantastic. BA has always been a daily read, and I, and many others, really appreciate the work you put in to delivering facts, and helping to educate and enlighten those who read your work.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:08 pm
So I listened to the first one … the lecture by Jill Tarter. I had to laugh at her accidental reference to ‘our silicon brains …’ (quickly corrected) . Surely a sign of the takeover Our Robot Overlords …
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
The Feynman interview is from a show called In Conversation hosted by Robin Williams. Robin is a bit of a legend in Australia and has hosted another radio show called The Science Show for more than 30 years. Both shows are available as podcasts and I can’t recommend either more highly, but The Science Show is special.
Follow the links above to the homepage for each show to find the podcasts. The “Subscibe” tab will have the podcast feed links.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I had Filippenko in Berkeley, even interviewed him for a student magazine. He is great. Yes he the same one in “The Universe” doc. He is way kewl!!!
He is a lecturer par excellence. And at the same time a master researcher, that won multiple accolades for his work!
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I saw him at a Fermilab seminar a couple years ago, he did a very good presentation. Another person who did a good job was Lisa Randall. I’d recommend either seeing her in person or listening to a podcast too.
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:50 pm
I’m so happy to hear this! I absolutely love Alex Filippenko. The love he has for his work really shines through. He has a knack, like Neil deGrasse Tyson, for making science approachable and fun.
Whenever I know someone who wants a brief intro to astronomy I point them in the direction of the “The Universe” series and sit back and wait for Filippenko to appear on screen. I have yet to see anyone fail to smile when they see his enthusiasm.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:13 pm
I had the pleasure of working with Feynman as a student when he was still professing. His open forums where he would make himself available to us mere mortals on campus were amazing. He has always been, and will likely always be, the human I most admire.
While I can sadly never be like him, I surely share as many of his ideas and ideals as I can whenever any opportunity presents itself. Long live Feynman’s legacy!
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Aak! even more reasons to walk around with my ear buds in ignoring everyone around me!
July 4th, 2008 at 1:02 am
I love Alex’s segments on “The Universe” his excitement for the subject is contagious
July 4th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Did anyone else read “little maligned Pluto” as “little mis-aligned Pluto”?
Also true!
July 4th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I’m prepping for a high school astronomy class I’ll begin teaching this fall and to help me plan I’ve been listening to a podcast of Alex Filippenko’s Introduction to General Astronomy class. I’ve enjoyed it and his enthusiasm for the subject is inspiring for me as a teacher.
I found the podcast at http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Science/Astronomy/Introduction-to-General-Astronomy-Podcast/19701. Check it out!
July 4th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Mmmmmmmmmm…….. Alex Filippenko………. He’s almost as TEWTALLY SMOKIN HAWT as you, BA!
July 4th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
The link is a transcript from the original TV documentary:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7136440703094429927&q=documentary+feynman&ei=5sFuSMG4B6X4qwPl6OGdDw
July 9th, 2008 at 12:24 am
free horoscopes
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