Fascinating Nanotechnology

Fascinating Nanotechnology

And finally BBC's Audio Lectures "The Triumph of Technology"

Nanotechnology: Past, Present and Future

Nanotechnology: Past, Present and Future
Lecture description:
Nanotechnology is little-known to the general public, but in the science and policy community its promise is exciting. What are the promises and pitfalls of this new field? How is it going to help the field of medicine? What are the implications for our economy? Join us as leaders in the field discuss the very real hopes and concerns for nanotechnology applied to aging-related research.

Nanowires and Nanocrystals for Nanotechnology

Nanowires and Nanocrystals for Nanotechnology
Lecture description:
Nanowires and nanocrystals represent important nanomaterials with one-dimensional and zero-dimensional morphology, respectively. Here I will give an overview on the research about how these nanomaterials impact the critical applications in faster transistors, smaller nonvolatile memory devices, efficient solar energy conversion, high-energy battery and nanobiotechnology.

Nanotechnology and the Study of Human Diseases

Nanotechnology and the Study of Human Diseases

About the lecture:
Subra Suresh fleshes out the promise of nanotechnology, at least in regard to our understanding of disease. His talk, which focuses on malaria and its impact on red blood cells, demonstrates how the fields of engineering, biology and medicine are converging.

To function properly, he explains, a red blood cell -- eight micrometers in diameter or 1/10th the thickness of a human hair -- must be able to squeeze through three micrometer openings in blood vessels. Working with a “laser tweezer” and two tiny (nano-sized) glass beads, Suresh can apply pressure to stretch single cells so that they become thin enough to fit through small openings. He uses a computer to simulate in three dimensions how red blood cells might fold and lengthen under normal conditions in the human body.


Google's Video has the following lectures on nanotechnology:

Taking Nanotechnology from the Laboratory to the Soldier

Taking Nanotechnology from the Laboratory to the Soldier

About the lecture:
A U.S. Army soldier carries more than 100 pounds of gear into battle. What can be done to lighten the load, while still providing maximum protection? Edwin Thomas, Director of MIT’s new Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, describes an alternative to the past practice of “dressing up a soldier like a Christmas tree”. He describes instead, a dynamic battle suit that wards off bullets and biochemical threats while providing real-time data on the soldier’s medical condition. Thomas, who spent time training for this project at Fort Polk, explains how interdisciplinary teams are exploring nanomaterial designs that could also benefit civilian emergency responders.

Quantum Transport: Atom to Transistor

Quantum Transport: Atom to Transistor

Lectures contain:
Lecture 1: Energy Level Diagram; Lecture 2: What Makes Electrons Flow?; Lecture 3: The Quantum of Conductance; Lecture 4: Charging/Coulomb Blockade; Lecture 5: Summary/Towards Ohm's Law; Lecture 6: Schrodinger Equation: Basic Concepts; Lecture 7: Schrodinger Equation: Method of Finite Differences; Lecture 8: Schrodinger Equation: Examples; Lecture 9: Self Consistent Field: Basic Concept; Lecture 10: Self Consistent Field: Relation to the Multi-Electron Picture; Lecture 11: Self Consistent Field: Bonding; Lecture 12: Basis Functions: As a Computatinal Tool; Lecture 13: Basis Functions: As a Conceptual Tool; Lecture 14: Basis Functions: Density Matrix I; Lecture 15: Basis Functions: Density Matrix II; Lecture 16: Band Structure: Toy Examples; Lecture 17: Band Structure: Beyond 1-D; Lecture 18: Band Structure: 3-D Solids; Lecture 19: Band Structure: Prelude to Sub-Bands; Lecture 20: Subbands: Quantum Wells, Wires, Dots and Nano-Tubes; Lecture 21: Subbands: Density of States; Lecture 22: Subbands: Minimum Resistance of a Wire; Lecture 23: Capacitance: Model Hamiltonian; Lecture 24: Capacitance: Electron Density; Lecture 25: Capacitance: Quantum vs. Electrostatic Capacitance; Lecture 26: Level Broadening: Open Systems and Local Density of States; Lecture 27: Level Broadening: Self Energy; Lecture 28: Level Broadening: Lifetime; Lecture 29: Level Broadening: Irreversibility; Lecture 30: Coherent Transport: Overview; Lecture 31: Coherent Transport: Transmission and Examples; Lecture 32: Coherent Transport: Non-Equilibrium Density Matrix; Lecture 33: Coherent Transport: Inflow/Outflow; Lecture 34: Non-Coherent Transport: Why does an Atom Emit Light?; Lecture 35: Non-Coherent Transport: Radiative Lifetime; Lecture 36: Non-Coherent Transport: Radiative Transitions; Lecture 37: Non-Coherent Transport: Phonons, Emission and Absorption; Lecture 38: Non-Coherent Transport: Inflow/Outflow; Lecture 39: Atom to Transistor: "Physics" of Ohm's Law; Lecture 40: Self Consistent Field Method and Its Limitations; Lecture 41: Coulomb Blockade; Lecture 41a: Coulomb Blockade; Lecture 42: Spin

Abstract:
The development of "nanotechnology" has made it possible to engineer materials and devices on a length scale as small as several nanometers (atomic distances are ~ 0.1 nm). The properties of such "nanostructures" cannot be described in terms of macroscopic parameters like mobility and diffusion coefficient and a microscopic or atomistic viewpoint is called for. The purpose of this course is to convey the conceptual framework that underlies this microscopic theory of matter which developed in course of the 20th century following the advent of quantum mechanics. However, this requires us to discuss a lot more than just quantum mechanics - it requires an appreciation of some of the most advanced concepts of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. Traditionally these topics are spread out over many physics/ chemistry courses that take many semesters to cover. Our aim is to condense the essential concepts into a one semester course using electrical engineering related examples. The only background we assume is matrix algebra including familiarity with MATLAB (or an equivalent mathematical software package). We use MATLAB-based numerical examples to provide concrete illustrations and we strongly recommend that the students set up their own computer program on a PC to reproduce the results. This hands-on experience is needed to grasp such deep and diverse concepts in so short a time.


These lectures were found via NanoHub website which is a web-based resource for research, education, and collaboration in nanotechnology, is an initiative of the NSF-funded Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN).
They have many more video lectures, seminar videos teaching materials, just visit their website!


And here are some MIT World's nanotechnology video courses/lectures:

Concepts of Quantum Transport

Concepts of Quantum Transport

Lectures contain:
Introduction; Lecture 1: Nanodevices and Maxwell's Demon; Lecture 2: Electrical Resistance - A Simple Model; Lecture 3: Probabilities, Wavefunctions and Green Functions; Lecture 4: Coulomb blockade and Fock space; McCoy Lecture: Nanodevices and Maxwell's Demon; PASI Lecture: Nanodevices and Maxwell's Demon, Part 1; PASI Lecture: Nanodevices and Maxwell's Demon, Part 2

Abstract:
How does the resistance of a conductor change as we shrink its length all the way down to a few atoms? This is a question that has intrigued scientists for a long time, but it is only during the last twenty years that it has become possible for experimentalists to provide clear answers, leading to enormous progress in our understanding. There is also great applied interest in this question at this time, since every computer we buy has about a billion transistors that rely on controlling the flow of electrons through a conductor a few hundred atoms in length.

In this series of four lectures (total length ~ 5-6 hours) Datta attempts to convey the physics of current flow in nanodevices in simple physical terms, stressing clearly what is understood and what is not. In Lecture 1, "Nanodevices and Maxwell's demon", Datta attempts to convey the subtle interplay of dynamics and thermodynamics that is the hallmark of transport physics using an electronic device reminiscent of the demon imagined by Maxwell in the nineteenth century to illustrate the limitations of the second law of thermodynamics. Lecture 2 ("Electrical Resistance: A simple model") explains many important concepts like the quantum of conductance using a simple model that Datta uses routinely to teach an undergraduate class on Nanoelectronics. Lecture 3 ("Probabilities, wavefunctions and Green's functions) describes the full quantum transport model touching on some of the most advanced concepts of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics including the Boltzmann equation and the non-equilibrium Green function (NEGF) formalism and yet keeping the discussion accessible to advanced undergraduates. Finally in Lecture 4 ("Coulomb blockade and Fock space") Datta explains the limitations of the current models and speculates on possible directions in which the field might evolve.

Overall the objective is to convey an appreciation for state-of-the-art quantum transport models far from equilibrium, assuming no significant background in quantum mechanics or statistical mechanics.

Nanomaterials

Nanomaterials

Lectures contain:
Lecture 1: Film Deposition Methods; Lecture 2: Lithography; Lecture 3: Advanced Lithography; Lecture 4: Atom Optics; Lecture 5: Chemical Synthesis; Lecture 6: Carbon Nanomaterials, part 1; Lecture 7: Carbon Nanomaterials, part 2; Lecture 8: Carbon Nanomaterials, part 3; Lecture 9: SPM Lithography, part 1; Lecture 10: SPM Lithography, part 2; Lecture 11: SPM Lithography, part 3; Lecture 12: Nanoscale CMOS, part 1; Lecture 13: Nanoscale CMOS, part 2; Lecture 14: Nanoscale Alternatives; Lecture 15: Nanomagnetism, part 1; Lecture 16: Nanomagnetism, part 2; Lecture 17: Nanoscale Thermal Properties; Lecture 18: Nanoelectromechanical Systems, part 1; Lecture 19: Nanoelectromechanical Systems, part 2.

Abstract:
"Nanomaterials," is an interdisciplinary introduction to processing, structure, and properties of materials at the nanometer length scale. The course will cover recent breakthroughs and assess the impact of this burgeoning field. Specific nanofabrication topics include epitaxy, beam lithographies, self- assembly, biocatalytic synthesis, atom optics, and scanning probe lithography. The unique size- dependent properties (mechanical, thermal, chemical, optical, electronic, and magnetic) that result from nanoscale structure will be explored in the context of technological applications including computation, magnetic storage, sensors, and actuators.

Nanophotonics

Nanophotonics

Lectures contain:
Introductory Lecture; s Lecture 1: Light Interaction with Matter-Review of Maxwell's Equations; s Lecture 2: Dispersion in Materials; s Lecture 3: Optical Properties of Insulators, Semiconductors and Metals; s Lecture 4: Electromagnetic Properties of Molecules, Nano- and Microscopic Particles; s Lecture 5: Photonic Crystals - Introduction; s Lecture 6: Basic Properties of Electromagnetic Effects in Periodic Media; s Lecture 7: Photonic Crystal Waveguides; s Lecture 8: Photonic Crystals Fibers; s Lecture 9: Introduction to Metal Optics; s Lecture 10: Surface Plasmon Excitation; s Lecture 11: Guiding Light Along Nanoparticle Arrays; Nano Scale Optics with Nearfield Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM); s Lecture 14: Metamaterials: Giving Light the Second Hand, Part 1; s Lecture 15: Metamaterials: Giving Light the Second Hand, Part 2.

Abstract:
The course covers nanoscale processes and devices and their applications for manipulating light on the nanoscale. The following topics will be covered: Fundamentals, Maxwell’s equations, light-matter interaction, dispersion, EM properties of nanostructures, etc. Photonic crystals, Photonic crystal fibers, Photonic nanocircuits, Metal optics, Manipulating light with plasmonic nanostructures, Plasmonic nano-sensors, Near-field optics, Metamaterials, negative refractive index and super-resolution.

Nanoscale Transistors

Nanoscale Transistors

Lectures contain:
Introductory Lecture (Fall 06); Lecture 1: MOSFET Review; Lecture 2: Introduction to Device Simulation; Lecture 3: 1D MOS Electrostatics; Lecture 4: MOS Capacitors; Lecture 5: Poly Si Gate MOS Capacitors; Lecture 6: Quantum Mechanical Effects; Lecture 7: MOSFET IV, Part I; Lecture 8: MOSFET IV, Part II; Lecture 9: MOSFET IV, Part III; Lecture 10: The Ballistic MOSFET; Lecture 11: The Quasi-ballistic MOSFET; Lecture 12: Subthreshold Conduction; Lecture 13: Threshold Voltage and MOSFET Capacitances; Lecture 14: Effective Mobility; Lecture 15: 2D Electrostatics, Part I; Lecture 16: 2D Electrostatics, Part II; The Limits of CMOS Scaling from a Power-Constrained Technology Optimization Perspective; Lecture 17: Device Scaling; Lecture 18: VT Engineering; Lecture 19: Series Resistance; Lecture 20: MOSFET Leakage; Lecture 21: Gate resistance and Interconnects; Lecture 22: CMOS Process Steps; Lecture 23: CMOS Process Flow; Lecture 24: CMOS Circuits, Part I; Lecture 25: CMOS Circuits, Part I I; Lecture 26: CMOS Limits; Lecture 27: RF CMOS; Lecture 28: Overview of SOI Technology; Lecture 29: SOI Electrostatics; Lecture 30: UTB SOI Electrostatics; Lecture 31: Heterostructure Fundamentals; Lecture 32: Heterojunction Diodes; Lecture 33: Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors; Lecture 34: Heterostructure FETs.

Abstract:
This course examines the device physics of advanced transistors and the process, device, circuit, and systems considerations that enter into the development of new integrated circuit technologies. The course consists of three parts. Part 1 treats MOS and MOSFET fundamentals as well as second order effects such as gate leakage and quantum mechanical effects. Short channel effects, device scaling, and circuit and system considerations are the subject of Part 2. In Part 3, we examine new transistor materials and device structures. The use of computer simulation to examine device issues is an integral part of the course.

Computational NanoElectronics

Computational NanoElectronics

Lectures contain:
Introduction to Computational Electronics; Simplified Band-Structure Model; Empirical Pseudopotential Method Description; Choice of the Distribution Function; Relaxation-Time Approximation; Scattering Mechanisms; Numerical Analysis; Drift-Diffusion Model, Part A: Introduction; Drift-Diffusion Model, Part B: Solution Details; Drift-Diffusion Model, Part C: Sharfetter-Gummel, Time-Dependent Simulations; Drift-Diffusion Model, Mobility Modeling; Introduction to DD Modeling with PADRE; Introduction to Silvaco Simulation Software; MOS Capacitors: Description and Semiclassical Simulation With PADRE; What is CMOS Technology Facing?

Abstract:
Scaling of CMOS devices into the nanometer regime leads to increased processing cost. In this regard, the field of Computational Electronics is becoming more and more important because device simulation offers unique possibility to test hypothetical devices which have not been fabricated yet and it also gives unique insight into the device behavior by allowing the observation of phenomena that can not be measured on real devices. The of this class is to introduce the students to all semi-classical semiconductor device modeling techniques that are implemented in either commercial or publicly available software. As such, it should help students to understand when one can use drift-diffusion model and when it is necessary to use hydrodynamic, lattice heating, and even particle-based simulations. A short tutorial on using the Silvaco/PADRE simulation software is included and its purpose is to make users familiar with the syntax used in almost all commercial device simulation software.

Fundamentals of Nanoelectronics

Fundamentals of Nanoelectronics

Lectures contain:
Lecture 1: Energy Level Diagram; Lecture 2: What Makes Electrons Flow?; Lecture 3: Quantum of Conductance; Lecture 4: Charging Effects 1; Lecture 5: Charging Effects 2; Lecture 6: Charging Effect, Towards Ohm's Law; Lecture 7: Hydrogen Atom; Lecture 8: Schrödinger Equation 1; Lecture 9: Schrödinger Equation 2; Lecture 10: Finite Difference Method 1; Lecture 11: Finite Difference Method 2; Lecture 12: Separation of Variables; Lecture 13: Atomic Energy Levels; Lecture 14: Covalent Bonds; Lecture 15a: Basis Functions 1; Lecture 15b: Basis Functions 2; Lecture 15c: Basis Functions 3; Lecture 16: Bandstructure 1; Lecture 17: Bandstructure 2; Lecture 18: Bandstructure 3; Lecture 19: Bandstructure 4; Lecture 20: Reciprocal Lattice; Lecture 21: Graphene Bandstructure; Lecture 22: Carbon Nanotubes; Lecture 23: Subbands; Lecture 24: Density of States; Lecture 25: Density of States: General Approach; Lecture 26: Density of States in Nanostructures; Lecture 27: Minimum Resistance of a Wire 1; Lecture 28: Minimum Resistance of a Wire 2; Lecture 29: Effective Mass Equation; Lecture 30: Quantum Capacitance; Lecture 31: Broadening; Lecture 32: Broadening and Lifetime; Lecture 33: Local Density of States; Lecture 34: Current/Voltage Characteristics; Lecture 35: Transmission; Lecture 36: Coherent Transport; Lecture 37: Wavefunction versus Green's Function; Lecture 38: Ohm's Law; Lecture 39: Coulomb Blockade

Abstract:
The development of "nanotechnology" has made it possible to engineer material and devices on a length scale as small as several nanometers (atomic distances are ~ 0.1 nm). The properties of such "nanostructures" cannot be described in terms of macroscopic parameters like mobility or diffusion coefficient and a microscopic or atomistic viewpoint is called for. The purpose of this course is to convey the conceptual framework that underlies this microscopic viewpoint using examples related to the emerging field of nanoelectronics.

An Introduction to BioMEMS and Bionanotechnology

An Introduction to BioMEMS and Bionanotechnology
BioMEMS and Bionanotechnology have the potential to make significant impact in a wide range of fields and applications. This lecture series introduces the basic concepts and topics underlying the interdisciplinary areas of BioMEMS and Bionanotechnology. Advances in this field require the knowledge of polymer processing and soft lithography in addition to silicon-inspired fabrication. Since the primary aim of many of these devices and systems is to form sensors for biological and chemical entities, an introduction to DNA, proteins, and microbiology is also essential. These devices and systems are designed to handle fluids at these small scale and hence the basic concepts of microfluidics need to be reviewed. Means to transport fluids and biological entities in these devices are necessary for the proper functioning and design of integrated devices, that can perform complete analysis on biological and chemical samples. These key topics are reviewed in this lecture series to equip the listener to get engaged deeper in these exciting areas of research.

University of California TV Series on Mind, Language and Cognition

University of California TV Series on Mind, Language and Cognition

  • Nothing in Mind: The Neuroscience of Nothing
    Richard O. Brown, Staff Neuroscientist at The Exploratorium, talks about the interaction between mind and matter and visual perception. He talks about and illustrates with fascinating visuals three concepts: 1. There is nothing out there and we perceive nothing which he feels comes closest to blackness. 2. There is something out there and we can't perceive it, which comes closest to invisibility. 3. There is nothing out there and we're still experiencing or perceiving something.


  • Nothing in Mind: The Neuroscience of Nothing
    Richard O. Brown, Staff Neuroscientist at The Exploratorium, talks about the interaction between mind and matter and visual perception. He talks about and illustrates with fascinating visuals three concepts: 1. There is nothing out there and we perceive nothing which he feels comes closest to blackness. 2. There is something out there and we can't perceive it, which comes closest to invisibility. 3. There is nothing out there and we're still experiencing or perceiving something.


  • Music and the Mind
    In this edition of "Grey Matters," Aniruddh Patel, of the Neurosciences Institute, discusses what music can teach us about the brain, and what brain science, in turn, can reveal about music.


  • Decisions, Responsibility and the Brain
    Neuroscientist Patricia Churchland explores how the human mind functions in guiding one's decisions.


  • The Origin of the Human Mind: Insights from Brain Imaging and Evolution
    UCSD cognitive scientist Martin Sereno takes you on a captivating exploration of the brain's structure and function as revealed through investigations with new advanced imaging techniques and understandings of evolution.


  • Language and the Mind Revisited - The Biolinguistic Turn
    UC Berkeley presents the The Charles M. and Martha Hitchcock Lecture series, featuring linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky. Chomsky examines biolinguistics - the study of relations between physiology and speech.


  • Language and the Mind Revisted - Language and the Rest of the World
    Influential linguist and political Activist Noam Chomsky discusses the properties, design and theories of language in this Hitchcock lecture presented at UC Berkeley.


  • Grey Matters: Understanding Language
    Why are humans the only species to have language? Is there something special about our brains? Are there genes that have evolved for language? In this talk, Jeff Elman, UCSD professor of cognitive science and co-director of the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, discusses some of the exciting new research that helps us understand what it is about human language that is so different from other animals' communication systems, and what about our biology might make language possible.


  • The Meaning of "Ouch" and "Oops"
    CLA Professor David Kaplan is a distinguished philosopher in logic and semantics. Tune in as he sheds new light on areas in the study of semantics including nicknames, politically correct speech and sarcasm.


  • How Cognitive Theories Can Help Us Explain Autism
    Uta Frith, Professor in Cognitive Development at the University of London, looks at a whole causal chain of step-by-step explanations for autism. This causal chain is built by connecting biology and behavior. and finding the middle ground - cognition.

Philosophy 160: Philosophy of Science

Philosophy 160: Philosophy of Science (San Jose State University)

  • Lecture 1: Introduction: "What is Science?" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 2: "Logical Empiricism" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 3: "Induction and Confirmation" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 4: "Challenges in Theory Testing" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 5: "Popper and Falsification" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 6: "Kuhn: Paradigms and Normal Sciences (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 7: "Kuhn: Crisis and Revolution (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 9: "Alternatives to Kuhn" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 10: "Sociology of Science" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 11: "Feminist Critique of Science" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 12: "Naturalism" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 13: "Realism and Anti-Realism" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 14: "Explanation" (56k or Dsl)

  • Lecture 15: "Wrap up: What is Science?" (56k or Dsl)

Research Channel's "Closer to Truth" series

Research Channel's "Closer to Truth" series

  • Do Brains Make Minds?
    From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Joining host Robert Kuhn is consciousness expert David Chalmers; philosopher of mind John Searle; anthropologist Marilyn Schlitz; theoretical physicist Fred Alan Wolf; and neuropsychologist Barry Beyerstein. The panelists discuss the connection between the gray matter called a brain, the thoughts we think, the mind-body connection, and whether there's something more to the human mind than what resides in the brain.


  • Strange Physics of the Mind?
    Two fundamental theories -- quantum mechanics and relativity -- have changed forever our understanding of reality. Quantum mechanics describes the very small-scale structure of atoms and their components. Relativity describes the very large-scale structure of space and time. Today's panelists discuss why some physicists have suddenly become obsessed with using physics to explain the human mind, consciousness and how we think. Joining host Robert Kuhn are sci-fi novelist Gregory Benford; physicist James Trefil; consciousness expert David Chalmers; philosopher of mind John Searle; and theoretical physicist Fred Alan Wolf.


  • Can Science Seek the Soul?
    Belief in the existence of the 'spiritual essence' of an immortal soul has infused human thought and history. Still, most of today's scientists remain materialists who believe that only the physical world is real. Today's topic pits the scientific materialists against whose who believe in the concept of 'dualism,' which requires some non-physical component -- call it a 'soul' -- to transform the human brain into the human mind. Joining host Robert Kuhn are neuropsychologist Warren Brown; parapsychologist Dean Radin; transpersonal psychologist Charles Tart; philosopher of mind John Searle; and theoretical physicist Fred Alan Wolf.


  • How Does the Autistic Brain Work?
    Crammed into our craniums, the three-pound human brain may be the most complex matter in the universe. And, scientists are learning more about how it works by investigating how it doesn't work. A 13 year-old young man named Tito Mukhopadhyay may be the Rosetta stone for autism, revealing what it feels like to be autistic. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Eric Courchesne, Professor of Neuroscience, UC San Diego; Portia Iversen of Cure Autism Now; Teacher Soma Mukhopadhyay; Erin Schuman, Associate Professor of Biology, Caltech; and Terrence Sejnowski, Director of Computational Biology, Salk Institute.


  • Can We Imagine the Far Future - Year 3000?
    From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Joining host Robert Kuhn are creativity pioneer Edward de Bono; fuzzy logic expert Bart Kosko; futurist Graham T.T. Molitor; and planetary scientist Bruce Murray. The panelists discuss what the world will be like in year 3000.


  • Can We See the Near Future - Year 2025?
    Close your eyes. Now fast-forward 25 years. Open your eyes. What do you see? Humanity has moved through the agrarian age to the industrial age and now, the information age. With what moniker will we label our future? Experts debate where we've been, what we've learned, what the future holds in store, and if it really is possible to forecast the not too distant future.


  • What is Consciousness?
    What is Consciousness -- our inner thoughts, feelings, personalities -- the hidden 'Stuff' of our Private Selves? Is there something special about Consciousness, something of the mind not in the brain? This is self awareness, the interior mental experience we call Consciousness. What is the importance of studying Consciousness? The panel discusses the concept of human consciousness.


  • Is Consciousness Definable?
    Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate the fundamental issues of our times. One problem is that there are too many definitions! And getting these four guests to agree on what consciousness is and what causes it, is a fun but hopeless task that is revelatory at the same time. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Leslie Brothers, Psychiatrist; Joseph E. Bogen, Neurosurgeon; Stuart Hameroff, Anesthesiologist; and Christof Koch, Computation and Neural Systems.


  • Can You Learn To Be Creative?
    For years we thought that in order to be creative you had to 'be born with it.' Now, new thinking on the subject reveals that everyone can learn to be more imaginative and creative -- all you need is high energy and strong motivation. Find out how to tap into this learned skill from today's expert panelists. Joining host Robert Kuhn are scientist and sci-fi novelist Gregory Benford; creativity and happiness authority Mihaly Csikszentmihaly; corporate creativity expert John Kao; artist Todd Siler; and poet Rhoda Janzen.


  • Can You Really Extend Your Life?
    Long life is humanity's ancient and perennial goal. Prophets promised it, explorers searched for it and today's society is obsessed with it. The panelists discuss the biology of aging and debate the facts, fads and fallacies of living longer -- and offer the best and most sensible advice to slow the aging process. Joining host Robert Kuhn are gene therapist French Anderson; best-selling author and surgeon Sherwin Nuland; fitness theorist Arthur S. De Vany; biophysicist Gregory Stock; and longevity expert Roy Walford.


  • How Did This Universe Begin?
    It's called 'The Big Bang' -- that inexplicable moment when an infinitesimally small point expanded majestically, and cooked up space, time, energy and matter into a colossal cosmic stew. How can we draw such a fine-grained portrait of the 'ultimate beginning' and what scientific answers reach across billions of years? Humanity's ancient and perpetual fascination with the universe's beginnings is discussed in light of recent, revolutionary discoveries in cosmology, and what they mean for human understanding.


  • How Does Order Arise in the Universe?
    Get two Nobel laureates, put them in a room and try to shake them up, fail, and get a lot of visionary thinking about stars, planets, living things, people --plausible new theories of how all this developed from the maelstrom of the early universe. Joining host Robert Kuhn is David Baltimore, Nobel laureate in Medicine; and Murray Gell-Mann, Nobel laureate in Physics.


  • Is the Universe Full of Life?
    Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate the fundamental issues of our times. Human have long wondered whether life exists beyond our home planet. In recent years, a host of new technologies are turning speculation into science. We now have the ability to discern the atmostphere of an extra-solar planet so distant we can't even see it, to detect the presence of dozens of new planets circling stars similar to our own sun, and have discovered life in environments on Earth so extreme it's not unreasonable to imagine that microbes -- or more -- may flourish elsewhere in the Universe. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Shri Kulkarni, Planetary Astronomer, Caltech; Bruce Murray, Planetary Astronomer and Geologist, Caltech; and Neil de Grasse Tyson, Director, Hayden Planetarium.


  • How Does Technology Transform Thinking?
    Light-speed technology is accelerating, and even changing the way we think. So much so that you're irritated when there is a 10-second delay in downloading an Internet site even when just a few years ago you were thrilled to a same-day fax. Today's expert panelists take on technology to discuss what it is about technology that is affecting our modes of thought, how thinking has changed, and how humans can keep up with the raging pace of technological change. Joining host Robert Kuhn are geopolitical economist Francis Fukuyama; artificial intelligence expert Marvin Minsky; fuzzy logic expert Bart Kosko; planetary scientist Bruce Murray and technological innovator George Kozmetsky.


  • How Does Technology Transform Society?
    From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Today's panelists discuss how technology is forever changing life as we know it and how change and continuing growth are just as unstoppable as social change is inevitable. Joining host Robert Kuhn are geopolitical economist Francis Fukuyama; artificial intelligence expert Marvin Minsky; technological innovator George Kozmetsky; scientist and sci-fi novelist Gregory Benford; and biophysicist Gregory Stock.


  • Microbes - Friend or Foe?
    Bacteria have become resistant to our antibiotics. Viruses evolve with blinding speed. Prions may lurk in our meat. Anthrax is put into our mail. Stranger yet, could microbes be causing other illnesses, like cancers and heart attacks? Joining host Robert Kuhn are Agnes Day, Associate Professor, Howard University; Paul Ewald, Professor of Biology, University of Kentucky; and Alice S. Huang, Microbiologist, Caltech.


  • Testing New Drugs: Are People Guinea Pigs?
    Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate the fundamental issues of our times. Instituted in the sixties, clinical drug trials today have become a vast and expensive enterprise in which drug companies can spend over $100 million to bring a new molecule to market. FDA procedures are complex and elaborate as they should be, in order to bring new drugs to market quickly to help people in need, but to do good science to protect the public from a drug's potentially dangerous side effects. Joining Robert Kuhn are Alexander Capron, Professor of Law and Medicine, USC; Andrea Kovacs, Director, HIV Family Clinic, USC; and Robert Temple, Associate Director, Medical Policy, FDA.


  • What Are the Grand Questions of Science?
    Science seems on the brink of several mega-revolutions, including biotechnology and genetic engineering, broadband communications and artificial intelligence, a search for a 'Theory of Everything,' cosmology of the early universe, and nanotechnology, the building of extremely small machines. The panelists enumerate and evaluate the 'Big Questions' and rank them in order of importance.


  • What Are the Next Breakthroughs in Science?
    From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Joining host Robert Kuhn are astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson; author/astronomer Timothy Ferris; evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala; professor of neuroscience and philosophy Patricia Smith Churchland; and child psychologist Rochel Gelman. The panelists discuss the role of independent scientific study; how 'paradigms' work in science; and whether scientific discoveries are conditioned by the prevailing culture.


  • Why is Quantum Physics So Beautiful?
    From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate many of today's fundamental issues. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Nobel Laureate and physicist Leon Lederman; physicist/cosmologist Andrei Linde; theoretical physicist Steve Koonin; scientist and sci-fi author Gregory Benford; and physicist Charles Buchanan. The panelists debate the charm and symmetry of quantum physics.


  • Will Computers Take a Quantum Leap?
    As quantum engineer Seth Lloyd blithely states, 'a quantum computer is to a computer what a laser is to a light bulb. That explains a lot, and nothing.' Join host Robert Kuhn, along with David DiVincenzo, IBM Senior Researcher; Seth Lloyd, Professor of Engineering, MIT; and K. Birgitta Whaley, Professor of Chemistry, UC Berkely, as they discuss computer evolution.


  • Will This Universe Ever End?
    There are two basic theories about how the universe will end, neither are pleasant. The first spells out an inward-rushing, squashing-together of all things and the second has everything flying apart and dissipating into nothingness. But recent and startling findings are putting all guesses up for grabs. Listen in as people who get paid to ponder the end of the universe put their best theories on the table. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Nobel Laureate and physicist Leon Lederman; cosmologist Wendy Freeman; physicist/cosmologist Andrei Linde; theologian Nancey Murphey and mathematician Frank Tipler.

There are lots more of lectures on these philosophical topics at "Closer to Truth" series site at Research Channel!

IBM's Lectures on Cognitive Computing

IBM's Lectures on Cognitive Computing

Personal and Historical Perspectives of Hans Bethe


IN 1999, legendary theoretical physicist Hans Bethe delivered three lectures on quantum theory to his neighbors at the Kendal of Ithaca retirement community (near Cornell University). Given by Professor Bethe at age 93, the lectures are presented here as QuickTime videos synchronized with slides of his talking points and archival material.

Website of these lecture

Intended for an audience of Professor Bethe's neighbors at Kendal, the lectures hold appeal for experts and non-experts alike. The presentation makes use of limited mathematics while focusing on the personal and historical perspectives of one of the principal architects of quantum theory whose career in physics spans 75 years.

A video introduction and appreciation are provided by Professor Silvan S. Schweber, the physicist and science historian who is Professor Bethe's biographer, and Edwin E. Salpeter, the J. G. White Distinguished Professor of Physical Science Emeritus at Cornell, who was a post-doctoral student of Professor Bethe.

Lectures on Quantum Computation by David Deutsch


Physics Lectures from Princeton University



Pricenton University has a huge collection of video lectures in physics, maths, economics, politics. Lectures from Pricenton University.

Physics Videos - String Theory, Quantum Computation and Others

This time I present my findings of physics video lectures!


The Elegant Universe

This video series contains three parts each one hour long.
Here is the link to all the video lectures of The Elegant Universe.
  • Part 1: Einsteins Dream
    • A Theory of Everything?
    • Newton's Embarassing Secret
    • A New Picture of Gravity
    • A Strange New World
    • The Quantum Cafe
    • Gravity - The Odd Man Out
    • Strings to the Rescue
    • Science of Philosophy

  • Part 2: String's The Thing
    • Two Conflicting Sets of Laws
    • One Master Equation
    • The Birth of String Theory
    • The Standard Model
    • Wrestling with String Theory
    • The Theory of Everything
    • Multiple Dimensions
    • Five Flavors of String Theory

  • Part 3: Welcome to the 11th Dimension
    • The Wild West of Physics
    • The Potential of Strings
    • Getting to One Theory
    • Parallel Universes
    • Escaping Gravity
    • Riddle of the Big Bang
    • Signs of Strings
    • Too Elegant to be Wrong
On the website of The Elegant Universe you can find much more interesting stuff like interviews with the people in videos and interactive animations of the strings.

Principles of Digital Communications I

Topics Covered:
Introduction: A layered view of digital communication, Memory-less sources, prefix free codes, entropy, Quantization, Nyquist theory, Doppler spread, time spread, coherence time and coherence frequency.


1. Introduction: A layered view of digital communication



Download this Lecture: MP4 Format FLV Format 3GP format


Data Representation/Laplace Operator

Data Representation/Laplace Operator
ABSTRACT: Data Representation by Graphs, Matrices, Formulas, and continued Fractions and Inverse Problems for Laplace Operator.

High Radix Interconnection Networks

High Radix Interconnection Networks
ABSTRACT: High-radix interconnection networks offer significantly better cost/performance and lower latency than conventional (low-radix) topologies. Increasing radix is motivated by the exponential increase in router pin bandwidth over time. Increasing the radix or degree of a router node is a more efficient way to exploit this increasing bandwidth than making channels wider. A high-radix poses several challenges in router design because the internal structures of conventional routers (e.g., the allocators) scale quadratically with radix. A hierarchical switch organization with internal buffering yields a scalable design with near-optimal performance. A high-radix "flattened butterfly" topology, enabled by recent developments in global adaptive routing, offers twice the performance as a comparable-cost Clos network on balanced traffic. Many of these developments have been incorporated in the YARC router and interconnection network for the Cray Black Widow Supercomputer.

The Technology Behind Debian's Testing Release

The Technology Behind Debian's Testing Release
ABSTRACT Current Debian Project Leader, former Release Manager and all round good guy, Anthony "aj" Towns will give an in depth look at the ideas and code that hold Debian's "testing" suite together, from its initial genesis, through basic prototypes, to the "final" implementation and the couple of rewrites it's had since. The numerous optimisations used to make the ideas actually operate in an even vaguely acceptable amount of time would be examined; and the various tricks and tools used in development and debugging will be examined (including malloc debugging, writing C extensions to perl and python, and libapt versus libdpkg).

Open Source Grid Cluster Storage Controller

iClaustron: Open Source Grid Cluster Storage Controller
ABSTRACT: Many applications has requirements to store petabytes of base data and many terabytes of structured data. Examples of this are genealogy, astronomy, biotech and so forth. This talk will discuss requirements from the genealogy application and show how this requirements requires building very large clustered systems with an hierarchy of clusters. These clusters are used to both store base data and structured data. He goes on to show how these requirements translate into a systems architecture with essential components of off-the shelf servers, cheap storage, clustered software and integrated cluster interconnects.

Creative Commons for Googlers

Creative Commons for Googlers
ABSTRACT: Creative Commons provides tools that enable the legal sharing and re-use of creative and educational materials online. Come learn about Creative Commons, what they're doing, and how Google might help. Creative Commons' general counsel will be on hand to answer questions about CC copyright licenses and other legal issues, but the presentation will focus on technical projects at Creative Commons: license-aware web search, microformats, reliable metadata-embedding in various media types, and licensing integration with user generated content platforms.

2,3,5, Infinity!

2,3,5, Infinity!
ABSTRACT: Nearly 60 years after the first electronic digital computer was designed at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), companies like Google are demonstrating the power of a world built from 1s and 0s. Zome is a system that models the world built from the numbers 2, 3 and 5. We will explore how these numbers are knotted together to form the structure of space, from the subatomic framework of the atom, to the geometry of life, to a recently proposed “shape” of the universe!

String Theory Seminars

String Theory Seminars (Duke University)
Seminars Website

Lectures on String Theory from the Center for Geometry and Theoretical Physics.

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KDI Seminars

KDI Seminars (Duke University)
Seminars Website

Lectures covering the special topic of the study of the intricate and little-understood complexities of how liquids flow through porous media such as geological formations.

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General Mathematics Lectures

General Mathematics Lectures (Duke University)
Lectures Website

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Geometry/Topology Seminars

Geometry/Topology Seminars (Duke University)
Seminars Website

Topology seminars cover moduli spaces of algebraic curves, 3-manifolds, stratified spaces, real and complex algebraic varieties. Geometry seminars cover the geometry and arithmetic of algebraic varieties, the geometry of singularities, general relativity and gravitational lensing exterior differential systems, the geometry of PDE and conservation laws, geometric analysis and Lie groups, modular forms, control theory and Finsler geometry, and index theory.

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