Recently, I discovered the BBC Reith Lectures and I've become a big fan. Unfortunately, most of them are streamed, in realaudio format, which makes it impossible to listen on the go, on my iPod. Therefore, I found a way of saving the realaudio streams via mplayer and then converting them to AAC (M4A) format.

I have converted just a few series, and trying to be a good citizen, I'm sharing them so people don't have to go through the same pain of saving the streams and converting them. If you can listen to them via realplayer please visit the official site for the original streams and transcripts.

My personal favorites: 2003 and 2007.

1948. Bertrand Russell ~ Authority and the Individual

1. Social cohesion and human nature

1958. Sir Bernard Lovell ~ The Individual and the Universe

5. The origin of the universe

2003. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran ~ The Emerging Mind

1. Phantoms in the brain
2. Synapses and the self
3. The artful brain
4. Purple numbers and sharp cheese
5. Neuroscience: the new philosophy

2005. Lord Broers ~ The Triumph of Technology

1. Technology will determine the human race
2. Collaboration
3. Innovation and management
4. Nanotechnology and Nanoscience
5. Risk and responsibility

2006. Daniel Barenboim ~ The Power of Music

1. In the beginning was sound
2. The neglected sense
3. The magic of music
4. Meeting in music
5. The power of music

2007. Jeffrey Sachs ~ Bursting at the Seams

1. Bursting at the seams
2. Surviving the Anthropocene
3. The great convergence
4. Economic solidarity for a crowded planet
5. Global politics for a complex age
6. Webchat interview with Dr. Sachs
   

2008. Jonathan Spence ~ Chinese Vistas

1. Confucian Ways
2. English Lessons
3. American Dreams
4. The Body Beautiful