Just when I finally convinced myself to get off of the couch/ away from the computer screen and actually you know DO something, I learned about ResearchChannel. This nonprofit media and technology organization makes the work of researchers available to the public through cable, satellite, online, and video-on-demand distribution.

SC07 attendees saw live broadcasts of music performances and research presentations using uncompressed HD Video Streaming. What else is on? Live HD video from the ocean floor, replete with earthquakes, volcanoes, and critters galore. An interactive talk with Salman Rushdie from Penn State. Surgery on eel spinal cords at Johns Hopkins that could someday help paralysis victims walk again. I guess it could help eels too, along with mice and other varmints – assuming they have robust medical coverage…Also, images from the Galileo spacecraft and other amazing content. According to the map at the booth, this is available via my local cable system via satellite downlink. Clearly, I have to find someone else to walk the dog. I’ll be busy.

Besides delivering ideas and discoveries straight to you in their original form, ResearchChannel also strives to make high-definition resources more widely available over the Internet. Large digital archives can be accessed through DigitalWell, a system developed by ResearchChannel and the University of Washington.

ResearchChannel is currently available online or via cable and satellite in nearly 27 million homes nationwide.