I’ve never given up my thirst for learning more about what interests me in the world. I went to school in Cambridge, MA, where there are 30 large universities in the area, each with weekly talks and seminars. I used to hop from seminar  to seminar, eating the free cookies and cakes and listening to the distinguished visitors from around the world.

With the web and my iPod, I can access the same quality speakers who are expert on almost any subject imaginable, but with the convenience of my schedule. I’ve found three important sources for incredibly great learning.

The Learning Company is an organization which selects the best professors in all the colleges across the country and invites them into their studies to record their best classes. There are more than 200 courses they offer as audio or video on CD or DVD. I usually purchase the DVD and rip them into my iPod using M2 Convert. I can then play them when I drive in the car, walk the dog or run at the gym.

I’ve listened to about 20 of the classes, each ranging from 10 to 60 lectures usually 30-45 minutes long.  Each one has been a spectacular opportunity to have my eyes opened. OK, so I remember maybe 25% of what I listen to, but I probably would not have the patience or the time to sit down and read a book on these subjects. I will review each of the  classes I’ve taken in separate blogs, but two examples really stand out.

The History of the US class covered the pre-revolutionary period through to modern times up to Nixon. It’s not facts, its driving forces and personalities.  The Origins of Life was riveting. This is about how replicating life as we know it emerged from a barren earth. While some pieces of this puzzle are well established, the current mystery is still emergence- how replicating RNA might have arisen from the soup of rich organic molecules.

The second data bank of vast learning opportunities is on iTunes U, which can be accessed from iTunes and then the Apple store, selecting iTunes U. I usually browse by subject and find university courses or lectures that stand out. The best resource is MIT’s Open Course Ware program. I initially went through the three physics classes by Walter Lewin, 8.01, 8.02 and 8.03.

I actually took 8.03 from Walter Lewin when I was an undergraduate 30 years ago, and incredibly, he looks the same today at 70 as I remember him then. I am in the middle of 3.091, a fascinating class on solid state chemistry.

There is no lack of wonderful lectures scattered across the web. My current favorite source, which I am in no danger of depleting for a while, is the TED lectures. Each one is a gem.

I think we have reached a tipping point.  New and wonderful lectures and courses are added to the web faster than any one person can view them. This means there will literally be a lifetime of learning available to all of us. I will review in this blog the more interesting lectures I find as I explore the Web.