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December 2, 2005

E-Magazine #7 - December 2nd, 2005

Holiday Gift Ideas

Audio books make great holiday gifts! Rather than giving someone a book they may never read or another piece of clothing to stuff an already full closet, why not get them something you know they'll use. Just about everyone has a good amount of time in their vehicle and a well-chosen audio book is an excellent way to help them enjoy that time.

We've combed the Catalog at LearnOutLoud (rapidly approaching 10,000 titles) to pick out a few titles that make great gift ideas. Here are some of our recommendations:

The Chronicles of Narnia CD Box Set - By now you've probably seen the commercial for Narnia, the new Walt Disney movie that will be released in a couple of weeks. This movie is based on the Chronicles of Narnia series of books by C. S. Lewis. This box set contains all seven unabridged recordings (31 discs in all!) at a very reasonable price.

Freakonomics - If you're the type who views economics as a boring and stuffy subject, Steven Levitt's bestseller Freakonomics will shatter those myths. Levitt offers an informative and enlightening look at society through the lens of an inquisitive economist. Highly listenable and a great gift for just about anyone on your list. Other similar titles include two from Malcolm Gladwell: Blink and The Tipping Point.

Titles that are religious or spiritual in nature and that make great gifts include Joel Osteen's popular new audio book Your Best Life Now, Eckhart Tolle's classic The Power of Now and the The King James Bible read by James Earl Jones (we like to refer to this one as the "King James Earl Jones" Bible!).

Finally, a great audio book that just about everyone will enjoy is David McCullough's "Biography of a Year" 1776. It's also available in an abridged version here. If you're interested in getting a little taste of 1776 for free, check out the free WGBH production of David McCullough's presentation Biography of a Year: 1776.

That's just a small sampling of what's available. We have over 2,000 titles discounted 20-40% off. Visit our On Sale Section to find that perfect holiday gift.

We've Been Dugg and Delicious'zed...

It was a pretty exciting week here at LearnOutLoud headquarters. We ended up on the front page of technology news site Digg.com which led to prominent placement on social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and Furl and brief write-ups on Lifehacker (don't worry, it's a site about personal productivity, not hacking...) and Yahoo! News. We experienced traffic levels that were almost 10 times the norm which explains a bit of the sluggishness that you may have noticed.

Welcome to all of the new people who visited and those of you who subscribed to our newsletter and are reading it for the first time. It's great to have you onboard at the start of the Audio Learning Revolution!

Zaadz Daily Wisdom Podcast To Launch Monday

On Monday we'll be launching the Zaadz Daily Wisdom Podcast, a daily podcast consisting of inspirational quotes from philosophers, psychologists, spiritual teachers and optimal living gurus along with related commentary. The Zaadz Daily Wisdom Podcast is hosted by Brian Johnson, Philosopher & CEO of Zaadz, Inc. It's a great podcast to subscribe to and listen to first thing in the morning or on your way to work. Some of the individuals profiled in the first month of the Zaadz Daily Wisdom Podcast include Albert Einstein, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Martin Seligman, Socrates and Marianne Williamson.

We've had a chance to preview the first month's worth of episodes of the Daily Wisdom Podcast here and you're in for a treat. We've reviewed thousands of podcasts and we haven't come across anything like what Brian has put together. To subscribe to the Zaadz Daily Wisdom Podcast go to http://www.learnoutloud.com/wisdom or search the iTunes Directory for "zaadz". While you're at it head on over to zaadz.com and check out their hot new site.

Announcing the Winner of the Nano Contest

We're proud to announce the winner of our Nano contest which is Brad Rhoads of Winfield, IL. Brad won by linking to us from his blog here. Congrats Brad!

Titles Under $10

A few titles under $10 from our Sale Section:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (CD for $9.80, Cassette for $9.10)
Acres of Diamonds (Digital Download for $2.98)
The Magic Story (Digital Download for $1.98)
Unlimited Power (CD or Cassette for $9.80)

Latest Resources, Articles and Blog Posts

Resources:

• Sounds True Publisher Page

Articles:

• Recording a Lecture or Seminar

BlogOutLoud.com:

• How to Become an Audio Learning Junkie, Part One
• Bono Out Loud
• Wiki Out Loud: Wikipedia Entries on Audio
• The "Tepping" Point Part One and The "Tepping" Point Part Two

Visit our blog at: www.BlogOutLoud.com.

Register and participate in the LearnOutLoud.com Forums.

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays everyone! Cherish the time you have with your friends and family. Count your blessings. Remember the important things (hint: it's not stuff...) this time of year.

Best wishes,

The LearnOutLoud.com Staff