UCBerkeley on YouTube -- for free

Technology today is absolutely amazing. Every day I learn of something new in the world of tech that makes me feel like every day is my birthday, the first day of school, and New Year all rolled into one. Okay, I'm getting a little carried away. Let's just say this is all very exciting, ha!

I heard quite some time ago about universities offering free classes via the internet. A recent article in the Washington Post, "Internet Access is Only Prerequisite for More and More College Courses", reminded me of this amazing gift, which prompted me to revisit and check it all out.

In her article, journalist Susan Kinzie talks about how UC Berkeley and MIT and other top academic institutions are videotaping courses and university events and posting them for the world to enjoy - for free - on YouTube. Cool!

Given my interest in technology, I skipped the plethora of physics and chemistry videos on the site and did a search for technology-related topics instead. A really cool lecture on the UC Berkeley site popped up. It featured Google's co-founder Sergey Brin. Fantastic!

So, for a few minutes of viewing delight I was able to enjoy the same presentation via video as if I was part of UC Berkeley's class called "Search Engines: Technology, Society, and Business". Brilliant!

Universities are well-known for being on the cutting edge of ideas and innovations. As such, the availability of this information to those of us in the world at large is extraordinary. It's a great way to participate in lifelong learning. Also, given the expense these days of university education, this access to such high-caliber information is one way to learn from the world's best - at the cost of an internet connection.

To check out these fantastic classes, please visit UC Berkeley or MIT.