An American Physics Student in England has a nice post about physics resources online in the form of video. In addition to the resource list provided by Serkan Cabi, which he discusses, he provides some favourites of his own. Check out his list.
I am pleased to see the ASTI website on his list. ASTI was designed (by yours truly) as a means of giving access to science to those who were less able to have such opportunities (I focused on Africa and got – with the help of Robert de Mello Koch, Jeff Murugan and Amanda Weltman – several students from as many as 11 different African countries to attend – I hope to do it again in various fields of science at a variety of levels, if I can find a financial donor or donorsa) and I hoped that by videoing everything and putting it on a site that the school’s lectures could serve people all over the world for a long time to come. So it is nice to hear about someone using it. (I’ve heard that there are some links with problems on that site, so I will try to get them fixed.)
By the way, in another excellent post a few weeks ago, the same blogger chatted about several physics textbooks and other resources that give an introduction to quantum field theory. Go over there and compare notes, or get ideas if you are looking for a way into that important subject.
Finally, I’ve also noted a number of mentions of Durham on that same blog. One of them was apparently inspired by an earlier post of mine, and was in fact a sort of reply! Yes, it did make me have a bit of a longing to wander around Durham for some time. I hope to do so in the not too distant future, and perhaps see some of my old friends and colleagues there too. In the meantime, recent days have put me quite firmly in mind of Durham – it has been very cold here (by Southern California standards), with it approaching freezing each night. The days are strikingly cold while remaining super bright and sunny. Cycling to work in the morning and back at night requires a scarf, jacket, and a jumper/sweater – an unusual amount of warm clothing for this part of the world – and is quite a chilling experience for the lungs. This reminds me a lot of the Fall and Winter days of Durham – Cold, but lovely and clear. Well that’s what we have here in Los Angeles for while. All I have to do is find a street with cobblestones to walk along – and I’m sure they are not too far – and it’ll be just as though I’m there!
-cvj
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aIf you’d like to help or know of anyone can help in this way, please don’t hesitate to get in touch (using contact information here) to find out more, or pass on this link to someone who might be interested. Thanks!
I heard that they were working now… there was a server issue, resulting in broken links, that was resolved, as far as I know. They are not broken now? But just slow? Let me know.
Sorry about this, but I’ve to rely on a different system person to check things, in a very different time zone, so I’ve not a lot of control.
Let me know what you can. Jonathan Shock’s blog led me to believe that it was all fine now…
Cheers,
-cvj
ASTI links are still too slow to be usable. Any word?
Not a problem!
Cheers,
-cvj
In light of your later post – ‘citrus’, I feel rather bad about teasing you about feeling the cold! I didn’t realise that Californian fruit crops are suffering due to the unusual low temperatures.
It looks like the link to the sister site that is hosting the bulk of the media is not working. I don’t know why, as I do not control that computer. I’ll try to get someone to look at it.
Cheers,
-cvj
Hi, I heard about this too. I do not know why that happens. They used to work, so I will try to contact the fellow who was maintaining the site. Might take a while.
Thanks!
Best,
-cvj
Is it just me, or do the links to AVI/MP3 files in the “Online Lectures” section of the ASTI webpage fail to work for everybody?
That is amazing Clifford, in regards to the ASTI website. Some similarity in one’s actions of expanding the reaches in “Categorically Not?”
I think this is the greatest thing one can do of them self, is to expand the reaches of those who are world’s apart, yet a “short distance” in the internet world. To provide “opportunities” which most of us would not of had.
While “this science” is held to the “small group” opened to one level (your student blog interactions), it was never meant in my view to be held to the “smaller circles.” Sure, you create your environments, and you perfect the science in them, but the dissemination of those ideologies needed to be extended into society, for society to grow as well. Allow “ingenuity to grow” as the seeds are planted in other young minds, less privileged monetarily.
To see PI’s hand in here as well, is part of what is good about success, and providing something back to society. A good “mode of operandi.”
Yes, I think I know some of the photos. Thanks for the reminder! No, it’s not that it is as cold as Durham here in absolute terms, but rather the combination of cold and brightness… also, two weeks after having daytime temperatures in the 80s, a sudden plunge in temperature makes it *seem* very cold in one’s mind. Absolute temperature is not as relevant as the temperature relative to what you’re used to locally, if you see what I mean. Remember those balmy Spring days which break out all of a sudden in the UK? Everybody out in shorts as though they were in the Caribbean? Such days aren’t necessarily that warm in absolute terms, but they do feel like it after months of cooler temperatures, and lots of clouds, every day. Same effect in reverse.
All science topics (and good scientists to teach them) are welcome to help out in ASTI projects.
Thanks!
Best,
-cvj
ASTI sounds like a great project and I do hope you get the backing you need to expand the programme to other scientific disciplines. (Any input needed from Crystallographers?!) I really enjoyed the link to the post about Durham. I got quite nostalgic. Are you familiar with Royston Thomas’ wonderful photos of Durham? I do not believe for one second that Southern California is anything like as cold Durham!!