If you are interested in tuning in to the fascinating lectures given by individuals that get recognized each year by the Nobel Foundation, do yourself a favor and become familiar with their official web site: NobelPrize.org. This December, they will stream live video feeds in HD quality of the award ceremony through the web that you can watch right from your computer screen. You simply need a computer with a decent Internet connection and a relatively modern web browser such as Mozilla Firefox. If you have a smart phone like the iPhone, you will also be able to watch the ceremony and speeches on your mobile computing device as well.
In early December, the Nobel Foundation will post on their web site the schedule and titles for the new class of Laureates in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. Simply log on to the web site at the correct time for your desired program and enjoy live, high-quality footage from Europe.
The foundation is able to provide such stunning capabilities by taking advantage of modern streaming video technologies utilizing the Adobe Flash platform and the Akamai Content Delivery Network. Millions of people around the globe can share in the momentous occasion thanks to advances in live streaming encoding made available by Texas-based Kulabyte Corporation and Swedish partner Protel.
An easy way to ensure that you have all the necessary software installed to watch the live award coverage prior to December is to visit the Nobel Foundation web site and watch one of their many archived videos. From the main page, just click on the “Video Player” tab near the top of the page. The video player should appear surrounded by possible video selections. If your computer does not have the Flash software installed, you will be prompted with instructions on how to install everything. The instructions are easy to follow and after a few clicks and a restart of the browser, your system will be ready to play the videos.
You can watch Peace Prize recipient, President Barack Obama of the United States, deliver his lecture from last year. However, if politics is too much for you to handle, how about 1962 video of John Steinbeck receiving his Nobel Prize for Literature. The site features a treasure-trove of resources that can keep an inquiring mind busy for hours. You can find facts and lists and even transcripts from lectures without video content like Einstein’s 1923 lecture titled, “Fundamental Ideas and Problems of the Theory of Relativity” or Gunnar Jahn’s powerful 1964 presentation speech to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the same year of the American Civil Rights Act.
As an alternative to the main web site, the Nobel Foundation has also set up a YouTube channel, with videos and live streaming capabilities as well. So, you have a choice of whichever is most comfortable for you. The Nobel Prize continues to push humanity to be better, and the resources offered to remind us of our past are truly a blessing that should not be wasted.
