The other day, I discovered that Microsoft Research has created something called Project Tuva. The site is here.

They have made the 1964 Messenger Lectures series given by Richard Feynman available for free online, showcasing their new enhanced video player.

If you have any interest in physics, or smart people, or educational technology, or the world, I think you should check it out.

The video player seems well-designed to accomodate different learning styles. In addition to just watching the lecture, you can read the transcript, make time-stamped notes about what you’re watching, search for words in the lecture, read expert commentary synchronized with the video, and peruse “Extras” that allow further exploration of related artifacts (text, video, etc.) that open in a new window. All of this is available without looking too “busy” and distracting from the presentation. I can imagine this kind of thing making lots of great lectures and presentations accessible to the world and stimulating a great deal of learning.

Check it out. It’s pretty cool.