1. Comment #87916 by ATH1 on November 13, 2007 at 4:07 pm

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!
(to be read in an excited Homer Simpson style!)

Well done RDF! :)

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2. Comment #87919 by BAEOZ on November 13, 2007 at 4:14 pm

Cool. Though I bought the DVD. Still, good for others out there to see daggy early '90's fashions and a great science speaker in action.

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3. Comment #87922 by CruciFiction on November 13, 2007 at 4:26 pm

This is just a great thing to do for the benefit of children everywhere.

Many thanks to Dr. Dawkins!

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4. Comment #87926 by mejdrich on November 13, 2007 at 4:42 pm

Ah, yes, this has been on YouTube for a while. Nice to see an official version.

My favorite part is his show of "faith" with the solid weight on a rope. Good stuff.

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5. Comment #87932 by gyokusai on November 13, 2007 at 5:06 pm

This is so cool. Thank you very much!!! *smooch* :-))

^_^J.

EDIT:
Guess the servers are flat on their backs right now, each with an M1 Abrams on top. Can't even get the entry page to load fully, not to speak of the videos! Well ... 'twas to be expected, wasn't it.

Other Comments by gyokusai

6. Comment #87934 by lorderan on November 13, 2007 at 5:30 pm

Is any else having problems downloading this? It downloads incredibly slowly then eventually cuts off.

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7. Comment #87935 by Crazymalc on November 13, 2007 at 5:32 pm

Wow. This is awesome. Thank you RDFRS and Prof. Dawkins.

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8. Comment #87939 by yyuryyub on November 13, 2007 at 6:18 pm

I bought this a couple weeks ago!! Don't mind supporting RDF though. Look out for some of the questions Dawkins asks of his volunteers such as: "Have you ever used a mouse before?" 15 years is a long time technologically, and the DVD is worth watching just to see how far we've come.

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9. Comment #87943 by robertobech on November 13, 2007 at 6:44 pm

Man, this is such an excellent idea... I confess I had already downloaded the whole thing through a torrent I found months ago. The only reason I haven't actually bought the DVD is that there are no portuguese subtitles, and man, I SO want to show this thing to my kids in the future that I'm even considering subtitling it myself.

I guess making these lectures available for free is a great move. Congratutalions to the RDF!

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10. Comment #87945 by aoratos philos on November 13, 2007 at 7:10 pm

Awesome.. I still have the TV VHS tapes from when it originally aired back in the early 90's. :D

In fact, it was the main thing that turned me onto science and biology in particular.

thank you RDF, perhaps we should get it distributed around UK schools and watch the "truth in science" lot blow a gasket? ;)

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11. Comment #87949 by lukerazor on November 13, 2007 at 7:51 pm

What age group are these aimed at?

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12. Comment #87951 by burn0gas on November 13, 2007 at 8:01 pm

richarddawkins.net, please setup the file downloads through a torrent... might help with the bandwidth problems.

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13. Comment #87970 by chutney on November 13, 2007 at 10:58 pm

Great! The wider the audience these Lectures reaches, the better. The DVD copy I bought is sat on the shelf waiting for my daughters to be old enough to fully appreciate it.

Other Comments by chutney

14. Comment #87975 by Davybuoy on November 13, 2007 at 11:44 pm

Thank Goodness! I can't wait for the weekend when I will watch these again this time with my daughter (of 7 months ;-) ). I will respond to this generous gift by making a donation to support the RDF.

Other Comments by Davybuoy

15. Comment #87977 by monkey74 on November 14, 2007 at 12:43 am

I thank RDF and Mr Dawkins himself for posting the videos. I hope the technical problems will be fixed soon. I'm sure that many will truly enjoy these videos and hopefully share them with their friends and family. I will make a donation soon and would recommend everyone who downloads the video to try their best to make a continuing donation to the foundation.

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16. Comment #87979 by epeeist on November 14, 2007 at 1:01 am

Comment #87951 by burn0gas

richarddawkins.net, please setup the file downloads through a torrent...

Yeah, let's get it up on the Pirate Bay!

Other Comments by epeeist

17. Comment #87986 by SilentMike on November 14, 2007 at 2:21 am

Is any else having problems downloading this? It downloads incredibly slowly then eventually cuts off.

I can't get it to start downlaoding at all. I hope the problems. get solved soon.

richarddawkins.net, please setup the file downloads through a torrent...

According to robertobech (comment #87943) it's already on torrent. Since it's being given away anyway, how about just putting to links to the file sharing networks online (not that I have torrent installed, but it would help many others)?

Other Comments by SilentMike

18. Comment #87989 by davorg on November 14, 2007 at 2:47 am

There goes my weekend :-)

Am I missing a subtle joke here? Why is each part labelled as an "Edpisode"?

Other Comments by davorg

19. Comment #87995 by Gondooley on November 14, 2007 at 3:52 am

Thank you davorg, I thought I was the only one not getting the "Edpisode" joke!

Other Comments by Gondooley

20. Comment #87999 by Eventhorizon on November 14, 2007 at 4:19 am

I remember watching these when I was younger. Better still - if I remember correctly - they were actually shown on the BBC on Christmas day. It didnt occur to me at the time but this was obviously the BBCs antidote to all the nonsense that is shown over the Christmas period.

Other Comments by Eventhorizon

21. Comment #88013 by konquererz on November 14, 2007 at 6:34 am

Wow, how cool is this? I have it on DVD, but maybe I will just stream it online when I'm not busy at work. LOL

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22. Comment #88019 by ClemIsMe on November 14, 2007 at 7:01 am

Enjoyed the hell out of the clips of these I have seen. Thanks so much!

Other Comments by ClemIsMe

23. Comment #88026 by zeocrash on November 14, 2007 at 7:25 am

Bah, it's not working

Other Comments by zeocrash

24. Comment #88040 by robotaholic on November 14, 2007 at 8:42 am

You are truely an awesome person Richard Dawkins - Thank you so much

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25. Comment #88042 by ligfietser on November 14, 2007 at 8:51 am

Torrent: http://isohunt.com/download/19927648/Universe+dawkins

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26. Comment #88045 by skee360 on November 14, 2007 at 9:32 am

It's not working! Cant wait to watch this, I have something to do this weekend!
Thank you, RD :)

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27. Comment #88047 by Homo skepticus on November 14, 2007 at 9:45 am

Thanks Richard Dawkins from me, my son and my father.mejdrich commented "My favorite part is his show of "faith" with the solid weight on a rope. Good stuff" that is mine favorite too. Two months back I was debating few astrologer on national channel in India, I did the same thing (improvised a little i used weight lifting disks) and then asked astrologer to try their "faith" by standing in the middle of the swinging. No body had guts to take my challenge! I believe Prof. Dawkins will pardon my "plagiarism".

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28. Comment #88059 by mummymonkey on November 14, 2007 at 12:46 pm

#26
Thanks ligfietser.

Other Comments by mummymonkey

29. Comment #88074 by A. Person on November 14, 2007 at 1:57 pm

90s flashback.

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30. Comment #88102 by OkiMike on November 14, 2007 at 5:21 pm

Prof. Dawkins,

My son and I thank you both! We will be purchasing a copy on DVD anyway to support your organization!

Other Comments by OkiMike

31. Comment #88105 by djpreach on November 14, 2007 at 5:31 pm

Good speeds on the torrent, but there doesn't seem to be anyone sharing with more than 70% of the first file.. (and more than 0% of the others)

Other Comments by djpreach

32. Comment #88129 by ketandev on November 14, 2007 at 8:24 pm

I will buy the DVD because I am inspired.
I have no problems parting company with money where I am inspired.

Other Comments by ketandev

33. Comment #88177 by Matt7895 on November 15, 2007 at 4:34 am

Thankyou for the torrents, I left them all to download over night and when I woke up this morning they were all done.

I hope to buy a copy of the DVD soon. I also saw a copy of 'Root of all evil: Uncut Interviews' in my local branch of Borders the other day, but held off on buying it as I aim to get it in the set with the original program. Looks like I'll add the GUITU dvd to the basket too.

Other Comments by Matt7895

34. Comment #88190 by domini1018 on November 15, 2007 at 6:45 am

Are there still technical problems being worked out? I can hear the audio, but I can't see the video. The video is sort of scrambled.

I can't wait to watch this!

Jen:)

Other Comments by domini1018

35. Comment #88198 by bayareadude on November 15, 2007 at 8:24 am

I thought you all might find this amusing. From Salon.com's list of the "Sexiest Man Living, 2007" (actually, it's a list):

Who: Richard Dawkins
Age: 65
Know him as: Evolutionary scientist and author, most recently of "The God Delusion."

Wonder is sexy. Knowledge is sexy. And embodying both as much as any man in the world today is a man in a tweed jacket riding his bike around the Oxford University campuses, the damp English breeze sweeping a curtain of silver hair from the delicate bones of his face. Yes, those cheekbones, those piercing eyes, that pursed bow of a mouth -- but that brain, oh that brain, oh, god, that brain -- is what makes Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and the most famous atheist in the world, the sexiest man around.

Dawkins is the professor I never had an affair with, whose very sentence structure threatens to weaken my concentration on the content of his words. Call me deluded: I ache for his atheism; I reel from his reasoning. He is my James Bond, a well-attired, fearless seeker of truth in the face of nihilism.

I dream of his perfectly-accented voice -- Oxbridge softened by a childhood spent in, sigh, East Africa -- whispering to me from his latest book, "The God Delusion," a defense of endless curiosity in the face of omnipresent theism. "If the demise of god will leave a gap, different people will fill it in different ways. My way includes a good dose of science, the honest and systematic endeavor to find out the truth about the real world." Take me with you, Richard: You put the "sex" in sexagenarian. Let us clinch in a godless embrace, crying out to what we know does not exist, searching, searching evermore.


-- Lauren Sandler

Other Comments by bayareadude

36. Comment #88201 by Zamboro on November 15, 2007 at 9:53 am

I have completed downloading all of them and will gladly seed for as long as anyone needs me to.

Other Comments by Zamboro

37. Comment #88223 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on November 15, 2007 at 12:32 pm

37. Comment #88198 by bayareadude on November 15, 2007 at 8:24 am

Hilarious!!!

Torrent is working, I'm downloading the first edpisode now. Download speed isn't great though ... c'mon you bastards, get back online!! I need my Dawkins fix tonight, especially after that blurb in Salon.

Other Comments by briancoughlanworldcitizen

38. Comment #88252 by TeapotTheist on November 15, 2007 at 3:27 pm

I'm enjoying watching the series (I have just finished watching part 3), but at times I feel that the analogies were not very well explained, they did did not "connect". For instance, I'm fairly sure that the lock and key analogy remained, for most of the children... just a lock and a key. Similarly, the tray full of insects was actually about being EATEN (or spared) by birds, but this point didn't come across. Etcetera.

Professor Dawkins has learned a lot in the meantime!

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39. Comment #88271 by apaeter on November 15, 2007 at 4:38 pm

I saw the first two parts so far, and I find them excellent. Kind of endearing, too, seeing Dr. D a bit less polished than he is now. Like finding an early recording of a good musician.

One thing, though: Unless British children are way more intelligent than other children, a big part of these lectures must have gone right over the heads of big parts of the audience. Makes it more interesting for me, but I can't see 8-year-olds caring a lot about Darwin's signature on the first edition, or the Paley quotation. Maybe.

Excellent programmes!

Other Comments by apaeter

40. Comment #88289 by Socrates on November 15, 2007 at 7:31 pm

You can also find the videos on YouTube: http://www.unpronounceable.com/dawkins/

Other Comments by Socrates

41. Comment #88363 by ClemIsMe on November 16, 2007 at 7:36 am

This is a bit how I felt watching Cosmos when it originally aired. Every time something was presented or explained I wanted the "next" question answered...to wit:

Episode 3, 2.5 minutes in, regarding the leaf insect's "second line of defense" - it looks like a scorpion in that it's abdomen curls up over itself like a scorpion's tail. I suddenly HAD to know (compliment extended to the program makers) ...scorpion mimic who found better camo as a leaf or leaf mimic who is slowly finding better protection as a scorpion...? Both? Neither? Just a fancy lad of a bug?!? THIS is why I love reality: every story has a story with a story. And the answer is never "just because" (godidit).

Other Comments by ClemIsMe

42. Comment #88432 by Armando Ortega on November 16, 2007 at 3:40 pm

When and if the Growing Up series are translated to Spanish, I volunteer to donate a "translation audit", that is, I will review the translation to detect misunderstandings, mistranslations o narrow regionalisms --and suggest changes. Sometimes otherwise excellent documentaries lose their brilliance in a hasty translation.
Armando Ortega
Chihuahua, México.
www.marketing-in-mexico.blogspot.com

Other Comments by Armando Ortega

43. Comment #88433 by Armando Ortega on November 16, 2007 at 3:41 pm

Auditing myself:
"When and if the Growing Up series is translated to Spanish..." etc.
Armando Ortega.

Other Comments by Armando Ortega

44. Comment #88456 by Cartomancer on November 16, 2007 at 6:34 pm

Oh the memories! I can remember being sat glued to these lectures every morning over the Christmas period when I was a tender eight years old.

I decided then and there that when I grew up I wanted to be Richard Dawkins!

Other Comments by Cartomancer

45. Comment #88465 by Aussie on November 16, 2007 at 8:38 pm

A brilliant introduction to the wonders of evolution.

Capable of being easily understood by small children and creationists alike.

Other Comments by Aussie

46. Comment #88466 by ericdobbs on November 16, 2007 at 9:05 pm

I bought it, and I am glad I did. Now I can send the link to everyone who might need it and not have to be concerned with keeping track of to whom I have lent the discs. This presentation is not just for children, and it might challenge Americans whose education has been hobbled by our more benighted school boards and cowed teachers.

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47. Comment #88504 by perfectelise on November 17, 2007 at 6:44 am

Congratulations RD for not loosing your cool with the woman who thought it a good idea to sit in the front row with a crying baby ;)

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48. Comment #88526 by Logicel on November 17, 2007 at 11:35 am

From what I can make out, the baby in the front row was planned to elucidate and expand upon the famous quote which Dawkins used: What is the use of a baby? which was brilliantly and sensitively done by Dawkins. I kept on thinking when he tenderly handles and caresses the baby all the nonsense about him being cold, aloof, and strident. Oh, please.

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49. Comment #88577 by tman on November 17, 2007 at 11:23 pm

Thank you RD nice move.

Other Comments by tman

50. Comment #88606 by perfectelise on November 18, 2007 at 3:08 am

Now I've watched the rest of Episode 1 and see the baby was on side after all!

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