Since last 3 months I had the pleasure to participate in Google+ Hangouts organised by Q+. Q+ are series of online seminars on quantum information and quantum foundations that use Google+ hangouts. Hangouts are held every month and are organized by Daniel Burgarth and Matthew Leifer.
Every hangout features a different speaker, past speaker being Scott Aaronson, Vlatko Vedral etc. who speak on specific topics. The best thing about this is that you get to be aware of some of the cutting edge researches presented by well known scientists and there is a question-answer time after the seminar is presented. In hangout only 10 persons can participate interactively but the rest can watch the hangout live streamed in real time on Youtube. Google+ Hangouts also allow screen sharing, which means you are also presented with slides of the talk! And ofcourse the Hangout is recorded and after the it ends hangout becomes normal Youtube video.
Q+ publishes the information about the upcoming talk on its Google+ page. Prospective participants are highly urged to attend in group thus have a seat reserved for your group. But even if you do not happen to be part of group, after the groups are done with it is first-come first-serve reservation :). The Hangout timing happens to be very flexible (14:00 to 15:00 BST, 6.30 PM to 7.30 PM IST), though it might change in future. Q+ already has a impressive list of speakers in queue and if you happen to wish for someone specific to talk on a subject you can easily suggest it here.
LINKS : Facebook, Twitter, Website, Google+
Here is the video of a previous talk :
29th May 2012: Joe Fitzsimons ~ Universal blind quantum computation
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBz32LJFHW8]
There was also another hangout held by CERN People. I unfortunetly missed the hangout but here is the video :
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF8k7EkpdUQ]
This hangout was hosted by Ian Sample with physicists Josh Bendavid & Phil Harris joining from CERN, and physicist James Monk, Science Museum curator Alison Boyle, and filmmaker Liz Mermin from Google's offices in London. It certainly is interesting and a makes me very much regret having missed it. They plan to hold more such hangouts in near future.