So, I’m still on the YouTube revelation from yesterday. Instead of being fully engaged at one of the presentations I attended today I was pondering YouTube (and TeacherTube and Blip.tv).  Many colleges block or slow down YouTube and other popular sites at peak teaching times to free up bandwidth for the classrooms and library research. Only problem is that people are using it in their teaching. So, tonight I was trying to find a recording of my all-time favorite piece of music to share with a friend. Low and behold, dearest google offered me not only that concerto, but a recording of it being performed by one of the most astounding violinists of all time. Christian Ferras! (he was an artist, not one of these modern violinists that treat their performances as though they are Rock Stars.) Being able to see this incredible artist perform my favorite concerto was the best thing that’s happened to me all week. YouTube officially rocks and we all need to battle for more bandwidth.

Irving spoke yesterday at his keynote about how miserably behind the U.S. is in providing broadband to its citizens and that the Digital Divide is still here. If a college in an affluent area in Illinois has to slow down YouTube to maintain bandwidth, then how horrible is the situation at schools with fewer resources?

Here’s Ferras and Sibelius’s Concerto in D Minor, Op 47. (watch all three movements and be joyful!)