November 09, 2009

Modern Library

We've added over 50 new audio downloads from one of the largest independent audio book publishers: Recorded Books. Of the many downloads we've added from them, one series that we're excited to be offering is their Modern Library Series which features the world's great historians on the world's great subjects. If you're looking to learn about a specific subject, then this series includes great introductions to a number of fascinating topics:

Browse The Modern Library Series

Some of the titles featured in the series include:

The Americas: A Hemispheric History by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto

The Christian World: A Global History by Martin Marty

Communism by Richard Pipes

The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea by John Micklethwait

Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory by Edward J. Larson

Islam, A Short History by Karen Armstrong

Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky

A Short History of Medicine by Frank Gonzales-Crussi

Storm from the East: The Struggle Between the Arab World and the Christian West by Milton Viorst

Learn about a new subject today with the Modern Library Series.

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September 29, 2009

Healthy Aging Resources

With the current debate over health care reform going on in the United States, we thought it would be a good time to add a category that's been long overdue on our site. No matter what your stance is regarding the future of health care in the United States, we can all agree that it is our responsibility to do our best at taking care of our own health. At LearnOutLoud.com, we are are devoted to promoting the best knowledge available regarding taking care of one's physical health and preventing illness & disease. And we also feature many resources for taking care of your mental, emotional, and social health. So in this blog we'll focus on the best titles for taking care of your health within our brand new category.

We have just created a new category on our site devoted entirely to Aging. For this new category we gathered all of our Self Development titles that deal with the many aspects of aging such as dealing with physical pain, maintaining a youthful mind & body, planning for retirement, preventing & confronting cancer, heart disease, and other serious illness, and facing death & coping with grief. You can browse our Aging category right here:

Browse Our New "Aging" Category Featuring Audio Books, Podcasts, and Free Titles

Here are some top audio books from our Aging category that deal with taking care of all aspects of your health:

21 Great Ways to Live to Be 100 by Brian Tracy

Advice on Dying by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Ageless Face, Ageless Mind by Dr. Nicholas Perricone

Cancer by Louise L. Hay

Conscious Aging by Ram Dass

The Grief Process by Stephen Levine

Grow Younger, Live Longer by Deepak Chopra

Healthy Aging by Andrew Weil

Leap!: What Will We Do with the Rest of Our Lives?: Reflections from the Boomer Generation by Sara Davidson

The Men's Health Longevity Program by The Editors of Men's Health Magazine

Pain Relief by Dr. Arnd Stein

Purpose and Power in Retirement by Harold G. Koenig

Retiring Right Freeway Guide by Jim Selman

Sage-Ing While Age-Ing by Shirley MacLaine

The Second Half of Life by Angeles Arrien

Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life by Mark Hyman & Mark Liponis

Walking through the Storm by Andrew Weil, Loretta LaRoche, Larry Dossey, M.D., and more

A Year to Live by Stephen Levine

And along with these audio books, we certainly want to feature some free resources and podcasts that you can learn from on the topic of staying healthy while aging:

Boosting the Brain's Power Into Old Age by Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa

How Cancer Begins by Robert Weinberg

Nutrition and Physical Activity for a Lifetime by Christina Economos

Aging Gratefully Podcast by Peter Brill

Take One Step for a Healthy Heart Podcast by Dr. Michael F. Roizen

Posted by LOLDavid | Permalink

August 26, 2009

Free Online Psychology Audio & Video Resources

Check out 10 of the top free online psychology audio books, lectures, & podcasts. For the past three years we've featured dozens of free psychology resources as part of our Free Resource of the Day Emails. From these resources we've selected the top 10 free psychology audio books, lectures, and podcasts. You can check them all out by clicking the titles below:

1. Dream Psychology: Psychoanalysis for Beginners

Download the audio book of Sigmund Freud's Dream Psychology. This book distills Freud's ideas on dream psychology into a compact manual. While Freud's magnum opus The Interpretation Of Dreams can be overwhelming in its length and scientific language, this audio book attempts to convey Freud's words on dream psychology in language fit for the lay reader through these nine straightforward chapters:

# 1. Dreams Have a Meaning
# 2. The Dream Mechanism
# 3. Why the Dream Disguises the Desires
# 4. Dream Analysis
# 5. Sex in Dreams
# 6. The Wish in Dreams
# 7. The Function of the Dream
# 8. The Primary and Secondary Process - Regression
# 9. The Unconscious and Consiousness - Reality

This book is presented on audio for the first time by Librivox.org and is narrated by a number of their volunteer narrators.

2. The Origin of the Human Mind

In this streaming UCTV video Lecture, cognitive scientist Martin Sereno gives us a survey of the brain's evolution. With thorough visual aids, Sereno examines the difference between the human brain and that of other species, showcasing experiments he has conducted that have helped broaden our understanding of the physical mechanics behind human thought. The biggest question he poses is why our minds are so special, when organically the human brain is 99% similar to that of the primates. Learn why size doesn't matter when it comes to brain power!

3. Jung Podcast

This podcast is devoted to the understanding of the analytical psychology of the great Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. Jungian analyst John Betts (who graduated from the International School of Analytical Psychology in Zurich, Switzerland) introduces listeners to Carl Jung's theories of the structure of the psyche, the Anima & Animus, the Persona, Jungian dream interpretation, active imagination, individuation, and more! John Betts is incredibly lucid and articulate in describing these theories, providing real life examples and quoting Jung and other Jungians as he goes along. It's basically a course on Jung, and one would do best to start with Betts' first podcasts and work his or her way through them.

4. Introduction to Psychology

MIT OpenCourseWare is offering their Introduction to Psychology course for free on MP3 download. Professor Jeremy Wolfe guides listeners through the basic functions of the brain including emotions, memory, cognition, language development, and more. He finishes off the course with lectures on Freud and mental illness. Wolfe is an engaging lecturer that pulls listeners in from the first lecture. Each lecture features a PDF download of lecture notes to supplement the audio. Download or stream this course through MIT OpenCourseWare.

5. Boosting the Brain's Power Into Old Age

In this lecture delivered at the Chautauqua Institution, author Dharma Singh Khalsa talks about "Boosting the Brain's Power Into Old Age". He provides methods for preventing Alzheimer's disease and other brain related illnesses, and how to boost your memory and to become more mentally energetic. Dr. Dharma provides some nutrition and supplement suggestions. He claims that the days of declining mental activity during old age are over with, if people will make a conscious effort to maintain their healthy brain. This title is available on streaming video and MP3 download from FORA.tv.

6. Self Psychology Video Podcast

In this video podcast Licensed Master Social Worker Marcos A. Quinones delivers talks on life's common disturbances and provides self-help strategies when it comes to managing one's psychological and social life. Topics covered include mindfulness, happiness, grief, sexuality, anger, and much more. Learn more about your own psychology with this video podcast.

7. The Neuroscience of Consciousness, Perception, and Self

While covering the Iraq war in 2006, TV news Journalist Bob Woodruff suffered a traumatic brain injury after nearly losing his life to a roadside bomb. In this fascinating discussion from the Aspen Institute, Woodruff traces how he rebuilt his ability to comprehend the world step by step; showing the viewers video of his first few days of rehabilitation through to his still ongoing attempts to recover lost brain functions. Woodruff offers a prime case study for scientists that are attempting to uncover the many mysteries of human consciousness. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download through FORA.tv.

8. Vilayanur Ramachandran: A Journey to the Center of Your Mind

In this TED talk, neurologist Vilayanur Ramachandran provides some neuroscientific explanations for puzzling psychological and physiological phenomena. He covers why after certain brain injuries patients cannot visually recognize their mother, how to amputated patients can overcome the pain of phantom limbs for only $3, and why certain people see colors when they look at numbers and letters. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

9. Ten Days in a Madhouse

This classic piece of investigative journalism was written by Nellie Bly, one of the first female newspaper reporters. She went undercover to reveal the conditions of asylums in New York. This audio book is narrated by Alice at LibriVox, and she has the youthful spunk of Nellie Bly's writing. It is available on MP3 Download.

10. Oliver Sacks: Musicophilia

In this lecture from FORA.tv, neurologist and author Oliver Sacks (who authored the popular book Awakenings) discusses his latest book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. He tells stories about his many patients over the years and their experiences with music both as an affliction and a treatment for the brain. Sacks purports that human responsiveness to music is intrinsic to the human brain. This lecture is offered on streaming video and MP3 download through FORA.tv.

We've been sending out our Free Resource of the Day Emails for many years now. If you've not subscribed yet, we highly encourage you to do so. Who knows what magnificent free audio & video learning resources we'll dig up in the future...

Sign up for our "Free Resource of the Day Email" to be notified of free audio & video learning titles. Your E-Mail: We value your privacy

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July 31, 2009

Our Free Links on Facebook

We thought we'd post our Facebook Fan Box to our blog here so you can follow the links to great free audio & video learning resources as we post them there. You can also click through to become a Fan. If you're not on Facebook, no big deal. Just bookmark this page or click through to our fan page and bookmark it:

We also have the URL: www.facebook.com/audiobooks which we use for more general audio book news. You can add this profile as a friend by clicking the badge below:

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July 28, 2009

Free College Lectures

Looking for college lectures to listen to? Download over 100 college courses on audio from the Modern Scholar series featuring great university professors teaching college-level courses on a variety of subjects:

Download Over 100 College Courses from the Modern Scholar Series

You can browse their audio courses by subject by clicking the following links featuring philosophy college courses, history college courses, literature college courses, politics college courses, business college courses, religion college courses, science college courses & more.

To help introduce you to the magnificent Modern Scholar series where great professors teach you, we're offering a new group of 10 free lectures to download from 10 of their best courses. These recorded lectures are taught by eminent university professors.

Here are the 10 lectures you can download right now on MP3. Note: For downloading these files you have to right-click on the Download button and select Save Target As... Then it will allow you to download the file to an assigned place on your computer.

1. What is Knowledge?

In this lecture, Professor Colin McGinn deciphers what we mean when we say we 'know' something to be true. He traces the history of philosophical skepticism, giving the listener several historical arguments for the theory of knowledge, and also touching on arguments made by the likes of Plato, Descartes, and other important philosophers. This lecture is a foundational exercise for the rest of the program, with McGinn arguing that for someone to begin thinking philosophically, he or she must first understand the methods of thinking that go into the pursuit of true knowledge.

2. C.S. Lewis Literature Overview

In this lecture professor Timothy Shutt provides an overview of the life and literature of C.S. Lewis. He mentions various viewpoints that people have had about Lewis and says why he thinks Lewis is more popular now than he was in his time. Shutt breaks Lewis' works into three categories: his Christian apologetic works, his fictional works including The Chronicles of Narnia, and his scholarly works. He discusses each category of Lewis' works and examines how Lewis has gained a following particularly in the areas of apologetics and fiction. It's a good introduction to this masterful writer and storyteller.

3. The Business of America

In this first lecture called "The Business of America" Professor Brands gives a brief overview of the course and then proceeds to cover 200 years of American business history in 20 minutes from 1776 to the 20th century. He covers the importance of business in colonial times and its influence on the American Revolution. He then examines the 19th century which brought in industrialization and finance as important factors along with the central issue of slavery and its relation to business. And in the 20th century he briefly covers how businesses shifted their focus to the consumers who would buy all of the products that industrial capitalism was producing.

4. Ancient Greek Drama

In this lecture professor Peter Meineck introduces Ancient Greek drama and explains why he feels it is still so popular and powerful today. He briefly discusses the plays of the four major Greek playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes. He then covers what Greek tragedy and comedy were actually like at the time they were performed in Athens 2,500 years ago.

5. Global Warming in Earth's History

In this lecture professor Michael B. McElroy introduces the worldwide experiment we have embarked on through the increase in global temperature. He covers some of the basics of global warming such as the greenhouse effect, the gases that contribute to global warming, and what creates the climate on Earth. He then puts humanity and global warming in the context of Earth's entire history going back 4.5 billion years ago. He uses a calendar year as a reference for Earth's history and places global warming at the last few seconds before midnight on December 31st. It's an excellent introductory lecture for placing global warming in global history.

6. Comparing Western Christendom & the Abode of Islam

In this lecture professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr discusses the similarities and differences of early western Christendom and the Islamic World known as Dar al-Islam. He talks about the origins of each religious tradition and how Christianity split into western Christendom and the Eastern Orthodox Church centered in Byzantium, while Islam did not split and expanded quite rapidly throughout the Middle East and into Africa and Asia. He also talks the about the importance of the sacred Islamic language of Arabic which spread throughout the Islamic world, whereas Christendom's languages were much more diverse. And he discusses a number of other comparisons between early Christianity and Islam.

7. Understanding Conversations Between Women and Men

In this lecture linguistics professor and bestselling author Deborah Tannen describes many of the basic differences between in communication between men and women. She starts with an example she discovered when examining the conversations of kids and teenagers. Girls tended to talk to each other face to face while boys generally sat at angles or parallel and looked around the room while they talked to each other. She mentions many other general patterns of behavior in the communication habits of men and women and hopes that by becoming more aware of these differences we can become more understanding in our communication with the opposite sex.

8. Causes of the Civil War

In this introductory lecture, Professor Jay Winik traces what led America into the grip of Civil War, and begins a series on how the nation survived. Citing examples of how the United States was inherently vulnerable to secessionist impulses from the beginning, we come to see how slavery was an issue that was cast aside in order to preserve a young nation, and how it smoldered within the culture into the fires of war. In showing us the seeds of the conflict, Winik effectively argues that due to America's vast geographic and social differences, bloodshed may have been inevitable.

9. The Life of Charles Darwin

In this lecture professor Chandak Sengoopta discusses the life of Charles Darwin covering the major events in Darwin's life including his voyage on the HMS Beagle and his eventual publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859. Professor Sengoopta covers a lot of Darwin's life in a short amount of time while providing many interesting facts about the man whose theory of evolution by natural selection revolutionized biology and greatly affected many other areas of society from the late 19th century up to the present day.

10. The Nature of Religion

In this lecture Professor Stephen Prothero discusses what religion is and why it still matters in the modern age. He provides a number of important definitions of religion from its origins up to definitions by modern thinkers such as Emile Durkheim, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and William James. While many scholars predicted the decline of religion and the rise of secularism in the 20th century, professor Prothero points out many ways in which religion is as widely practiced now as in any time in history.

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