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...

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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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June 24, 2009

Top Wealth Building & Economics Free Audio & Video Resources

Listen to the top wealth building & economics audio books, podcasts, and lectures with these 15 free resources on audio & video. For the past three years we've featured hundreds of free audio & video resources as part of our Free Resource of the Day Emails. From these resources we've selected the top 15 free resources covering wealth building & economics. You can check them all out by clicking the links below:

1. The Wealth of Nations, Book 1

Listen to Book 1 of Adam Smith's classic work on economics The Wealth of Nations. Book 1 covers the division of labor, prices, wages, and profit. Written at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, this book has heavily influenced modern economics and economists to the present day. This 9 hour audio book is well narrated by Stephen Escalera over at LibriVox and is available on MP3 download.

2. The Fundamental Principles of Personal Wealth

Listen to this free audio book entitled The Fundamental Principles of Personal Wealth. This motivational, one-hour audio book examines the methods for gaining wealth in all aspects of one's life. It covers how to shape one's thoughts and emotions in order to thrive in the area of wealth. This audio book is available on MP3 download from TFPPW.com.

3. APM's Marketplace Podcast

Catch up on the latest business and economics news on American Public Media's Marketplace Podcast. They currently feature podcasts from the past week covering the current economic crisis in America and the potential government bailout. These half-hour podcasts feature commentary and short interviews that cover a range of opinions about what the cause of the current financial crisis is and what can be done to solve it. Learn about the economics of today with the Marketplace Podcast.

4. Wealth Wisdom Podcast

Listen & subscribe to LearnOutLoud's latest podcast release: The Wealth Wisdom Podcast. In the coming weeks we'll be showcasing classic wisdom on business & finance from many wealth & success classics. We're offering for free Benjamin Franklin's The Way to Wealth, which is an essay written by Franklin that contains a condensed collection of the wealth advice he had presented in Poor Richard's Almanac during its first 25 years of publication.

5. Rich Dad's Podcast

Rich Dad's Podcast features audio lectures and videos from Robert T. Kiyosaki, the author of the classic book on wealth & personal finances: Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Kiyosaki summarizes ideas in his book explaining the lessons he was taught by the "rich dad" and "poor dad" that he grew up with. The podcast also includeds videos with advice from inside The Rich Dad Company.

6. Extra Tips for The Freeway Guide to Maximizing Your Money

In this downloadable offering from the The Freeway Guides, financial expert Peter Bielagus gives tips to maximize your money. He covers ways to improve your credit score, to pick your financial advisor, to choose the right loan for a home. and how to get the most out of applying for financial aid. This title is available on MP3 download directly through LearnOutLoud.com.

7. Ragged Dick

Listen to Horatio Alger, Jr.'s success classic Ragged Dick. Famous for his rags to riches stories, Horatio Alger wrote over 100 novels in the 19th century. Most of them deal with characters which rose out of poverty to achieve the American dream of wealth and success through hard work, courage, and determination.

8. Phil Town's Rule Number 1 Podcast

Listen to author Phil Town's investment advice on his Rule #1 Podcast. Town's Rule #1 for investing is "don't lose money" and all of his advice stems from this rule. Following the advice of investors Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett, Town is a regular guy who gives practical advice to investors who don't have many hours of week to spend analyzing their stocks. Enjoy these free 15-minute podcasts from Phil Town.

9. Global 3.0

In this hour long audio documentary from American Public Media, Chris Farrell and John Biewen jump all over the world to see how the latest wave of globalization is affecting people from Pittsburgh to Bangladesh to India to China. They provide a look at the winners and losers of the global economy, and tend to think in the end that globablization in its latest incarnation is a good thing. This audio documentary is available on streaming audio as well as on MP3 digital download.

10. Money, Mission & Meaning Podcast

Listen to this podcast from PersonalLifeMedia.com called the Money, Mission & Meaning Podcast hosted by CEO Mark Micheal Lewis. This podcast explores ways to unite personal meaning and professional mission in business. Lewis interviews a number of corporate coaches, entrepreneurs, and other business leaders who are creating synergy between purpose and profitability. Lewis also explores on his own the psychology behind goal setting, and what does and doesn't work. It's an interesting podcast for those looking to discover more meaning in their work life.

11. The Emergence of China in the Global Economy

This streaming audio and video lecture from MIT professor Lester Thurow analyzes the economic awakening of China. This macro analysis features a lot of economic concepts, but is still fairly accessible for those of us who've never taken an economics course. He addresses key issues that arise with China as a player in the global economy such as the gap between what China buys and what it produces, the lack of intellectual property laws of the Chinese government, and the inability to get accurate statistics from a government which demands certain kinds of numbers, even if they are exaggerated.

12. Bankrupt: Maxed Out in America

This audio documentary from American Public Media examines the record number of bankruptcy filings in recent years in the United States. Documentarians Chris Farrell and Sasha Aslanian travel to Memphis, a city with one of the highest rates of bankruptcy in the country. They interview many people who are declaring bankruptcy and the people who are assisting them in filing for bankruptcy. They also examine the history of bankruptcy and how it has changed over the years from a social stigma to a calculated risk that some feel is worth taking. This audio documentary is available on streaming audio from American Public Media and on audio download from iTunes U. The iTunes U link also features a Speaking of Faith episode entitled "Money & Moral Balance" which mostly looks at ways parents can teach children to be financially responsible in a consumerist society.

13. Kiplinger's Personal Finance Podcast

Whether you have a diversified investment portfolio or you are interested in starting to invest some money, Kiplinger's Personal Finance Podcast provides you with bi-weekly advice with dozens of podcasts going all the way back to a year ago. These podcasts keep you up to date on the changes that are happening in the investment world. Topics currently on the feed include retirement, getting rich, investing in "green" companies, and much else.

14. Walter Block: Mises Institute Lectures

Download and listen to dozens of lectures by Walter Block a leading Austrian School economist. In his lectures he provides introductions to libertarianism as well as his libertarian ideas on specific social issues such as advocating legalization of pimps, drugs, and the privatization of roads. All these lectures are available as MP3s from the Ludwig von Mises Institute.

15. Beyond Freakonomics

In this lecture from Princeton's University Channel, economist and author of Freakonomics Steven D. Levitt lectures on his unique methods of economic research. Through entertaining stories Levitt discusses the economics of prostitution, whether or not people are generally altruistic, and many other interesting topics. This lecture was recorded at Princeton University and is available on streaming video from the University Channel.

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...

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May 22, 2009

Ten Top Audio & Video Debates

Listen to ten great debates with these ten free resources on audio & video. For the past three years we've featured hundreds of free audio & video resources as part of our Free Resource of the Day Emails. From these resources we've selected the top ten free debates covering issues such as abortion, gay marriage, religion, politics, intellectual property, evolution, and more. You can check them all out by clicking the links below:

1. 2008 Presidential Debates Video Podcast

In case you missed the 2008 presidential debates or the vice presidential debate, you can now watch them as podcasts. CBS News is offering all the debates on their podcast series. The first presidential debate between Republican Party nominee John McCain and Democratic Party nominee Barack Obama focused primarily on foreign policy, while the second one focused on domestic issues covering the economic crisis, and the third debate again focused the economy addressing Joe the Plumber. The only vice-presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden covered a range of issues and what a vice president's role was in confronting them.

2. A Public Debate On The Limits of Intelligent Machines

Can we Create conscious machines that are every bit as self-aware as a human being? Ray Kurzweil and David Gelertner debate the feasibility of this question in this downloadable audio released by WGBH. Kurzweil argues that future technology will allow humans to mechanically simulate consciousness, to which Gelertner counters that mere replication doesn't necessarily lead to self- awareness. Listen in on this lively and thought provoking discourse on what makes the human brain unique. This debate is available on streaming audio & video and MP3 download.

3. Is Abortion Morally Justifiable in a Free Society?

Listen to this 90-minute debate offered by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. It's a well-organized debate with interesting arguments for pro-life advocate & philosophy professor Peter Kreeft and pro-choice advocate and author of A Defense of Abortion David Boonin. Boonin argues for the right of a woman to not keep the fetus on "life support" in the womb, while Kreeft that abortion is wrong by moral and religious standards. This debate is available on MP3 download and streaming video.

4. Al Sharpton and Christopher Hitchens Debate

Listen to a stimulating debate between the Reverand Al Sharpton and God Is Not Great author Christopher Hitchens. Hitchens provides many arguments against religion, arguing against religious texts, dogmatic beliefs, and a creator God. Al Sharpton contends that Hitchens cannot prove the non-existence of God and argues that if immoral acts are performed in the name of God that they have no relation to the great character of God. They both reflect on the modern implications of a belief in God, as Hitchens denounces the intrusion of religion into politics and culture (particularly in the Middle East) and Sharpton emphasizes the role of religion in positive social change such as in the American Civil Rights Movement. The whole debate is handled with good humor, even if neither Sharpton nor Hitchens are able to change one another's minds. This debate was held at the New York Public Library and is available on streaming video and MP3 download from FORA.tv.

5. Was America Responsible for the Attacks of September 11th?

A bit of a provocative title perhaps, but this debate offered from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute really doesn't cover the September 11th attacks. Instead it is more of an overall debate about whether American power and wealth in the world is generally good or bad. Dinesh D'Souza, author of What's So Great About America, argues that the American way of life is superior than other cultures and that we all too often ignore the freedoms and priviledges that make us the envy of the world. Rabbi Michael Lerner argues that the American empire is excessively selfish and greedy, and that our financial and military power has been used to oppress cultures throughout the world. It makes for a very heated and interesting debate. It is available on streaming audio and video as well as on MP3 download.

6. Creativity, Commerce, & Culture: Lessig vs. Valenti

If you want to hear an interesting debate over copyright in the digital age, tune into this free online video from the USC Annenberg School for Communication. President of the Motion Picture Association Jack Valenti is hilarious as he stubbornly keep to his position for the entertainment industry's battle to maintain it's intellectual property as long as it wants to. Law professor and author Lawrence Lessig has a sense of humor too, but he is seriously concerned that in our increasingly copyrighted culture the artist's freedom and fair use is being stifled. Decide for yourself and be entertained while doing so.

7. A Debate over Intelligent Design

Timely and provocative, this talk provided by the Intercollegiate Study Institute presents a debate between intelligent design advocate William Dembski and evolutionist Lee Silver. Both men are given equal time to present their case, giving the listener a detailed examination of how the case for a creator might work with or run counter to the biological foundations of modern science. We are then asked to come to our own conclusions based on the evidence at hand in a debate that has captured the headlines and continues to be a hot button issue in science classrooms across the nation. This debate is available on MP3 download, streaming audio, and streaming video.

8. Gay Marriage Debate

Watch this debate on gay marriage with David Blankenhorn, author of The Future of Marriage, and Evan Wolfson, author of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry. This 2 hour debate, along with audience questions, becomes quite heated, but is very informative as to the positions on each side of the gay marriage debate. Blankenhorn expresses his belief of what marriage is and what it means for parents and children if the definition of marriage is changed. Wolfson cites studies by numerous organizations that have shown gay marriage to not be harmful in regards to raising children, and to deny gay couples marriage is discrimination and violates their civil rights. This debate was conducted on C-SPAN and can be viewed on streaming video through FORA.tv.

9. Howard Dean and Richard Perle Foreign Policy Debate

Today's resource consists of a very entertaining debate between Richard Perle and Howard Dean that was held at Pacific University in Portland, Oregon on February 17, 2005. In front of this mostly anti-war audience, Richard Perle gets a shoe thrown at him and Howard Dean delivers his points to uproarious applause almost as if he is at the Democratic Convention. Richard Perle is one of the most articulate proponents of the foreign policy behind the war on terrorism and Howard Dean is a key voice of how the Democrats believe we should defend America so it makes for an excellent debate. This debate was recorded by C-SPAN and is available on audio download from Audible.com.

10. Jimmy Wales and Andrew Keen Debate Web 2.0

In this debate from the Commonwealth Club of California journalist David Ewing Duncan moderates a debate over Web 2.0 between Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and author Andrew Keen. Keen brings up many interesting objections to Web 2.0 and its user-based sites such as Wikipedia, YouTube, and Craigslist. He feels these sites are undermining the ability for creative professionals to make a living because they give everything away for free. He also criticizes Wikipedia because the authors are anonymous and he feels an individual author is required in order to evaluate their writing. Wales feels that Web 2.0 has contributed to a growing creative class and that while the new Internet paradigm has created disruptions in the economy it ultimately leads to a better knowledge-based economy and a better world. This debate is available on streaming video and MP3 download from FORA.tv.

And for more debates on a wide variety of topics you might want to check out: NPR's Intelligence Squared U.S. Podcast.

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Posted by LOLDavid | Permalink

May 06, 2009

Learn About World Religions with Free Audio & Video

Learn about world religions with these 20 free resources on audio & video. For the past three years we've featured hundreds of free resources as part of our Free Resource of the Day Emails. From these resources we've selected the top 20 free resources to learn about world religions covering Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and more. You can check them all out by clicking the titles below:

1. Buddha, Man, and Jesus

Three advocates argue for their differing belief systems in this downloadable audio lecture released by the Veritas Forum. Christian, Buddhist and Secular perspectives are each given equal weight in addressing humanity's long quest for knowledge and meaning. Issues such as religious fanaticism, the existence of evil, the afterlife, and social justice are all given balanced appraisal in this remarkably even-handed debate. Available on MP3 download.

2. Alan Watts Podcast

The Alan Watts Podcast features recordings of one of the great western interpreters of Eastern religion: Alan Watts. In lectures on this podcast feed, Alan Watts discusses Buddhism, Zen, Hinduism, Taoism, and much else related to the world's religions. If you've never heard Alan Watts lectures before, please do yourself a favor and listen to this podcast.

3. Revealing World Religions Podcast

Revealing World Religions Podcast is offered by ThinkingStrings.com and features the narrated text of Revealing World Religions by Dr. Cynthia Eller of Montclair State University. This podcasted audio book features these 10 modules covering many of the World's Religions:

* Exploring Religion
* Hinduism
* Confucianism
* Taoism
* Buddhism
* Shinto
* Judaism
* Christianity
* Islam
* Religious Pluralism

All of these are currently available on the feed and work as introductions to these religious traditions.

4. Crash Course on Jewish History

This is a free course on Jewish History from a Jewish perspective taught by Rabbi Ken Spiro. In over 30 lectures, Spiro covers everything from Abraham to modern Israel always pointing out the lessons that Jews can learn from their history. Many of the lectures are free to download on MP3 from SimpleToRemember.com.

5. Zencast

Zencast has been offering Zen Buddhism teachings on podcast for many years now and the great thing is they've kept all their podcasts up on their feed so each of them can still be downloaded. Included on this feed is an unabridged recording of the key Buddhist text The Dhammapada translated and read by Zencast host Gil Fronsdal. Fronsdal also teaches a five part "Introduction to Meditation" class. Other frequent speakers on Zencast include Thich Nhat Hanh and Eckhart Tolle. These podcasts are essential listening for anyone looking to learn more about Zen Buddhism.

6. The Genius of Jesus

In this lecture from the Veritas Forum, Christian philosopher and author Dallas Willard talks about the importance of Jesus of Nazareth throughout history when it comes to confronting the reality of existence. Willard feels that present-day universities apply a materialistic knowledge or a New Age philosophy when it comes to confronting moral life, which leaves out the essential teachings of Jesus. He posits four great questions of existence and explains the answers which Jesus gave to these questions. This lecture is available on streaming audio and MP3 download from the Veritas forum.

7. Karen Armstrong in Conversation with Alan Jones

Listen to this discussion between author Karen Armstrong and Rev. Alan Jones, the Dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. They discuss Armstrong's latest book The Bible: A Biography and Armstrong provides her interpretation of The Good Book. They discuss biblical criticism, biblical literalism, and the Golden Rule. They also confront the New Atheists who have recently attacked the Abrahamic religions. This talk is available on MP3 download and streaming video through FORA.tv.

8. The Nature of Islam

In this streaming audio discussion offered by Boston University's World of Ideas forum, spokesman for Islam, Christianity and Judaism convene to examine the modern misconceptions of Islam in the wake of 9/11. Each pundit is given equal footing on hot topic issues such as Islam's concept of Jihad, Martyrdom, Women's rights, Religious Tolerance and other explosive issues that have become part of everyday news. Join these three men of faith as they work to find common ground on what binds their separate religions, and work to illuminate misunderstandings that could potentially tear the world apart.

9. Huston Smith

In this streaming video interview, MeaningOfLife.tv host Robert Wright interviews world religions scholar Huston Smith (author of the bestselling classic The World's Religions). Wright asks Smith some difficult questions regarding the state of religion in the present world and about Smith's tolerant and inclusive views towards all religions. Huston Smith replies with clarity and compassion. This interview is available as a streaming video through Google Video.

10. His Holiness - The XIV Dalai Lama

In this free video from UCTV, His Holiness the Dalai Lama addresses a packed crowd at UC-Irvine on the topic of "Ethical Self-Awareness & Personal Transformation". With humor and humility the Dalai Lama speaks on the importance of awareness in overcoming anger and other negative emotions. This event is available on streaming video or video download from Google Video.

11. Sadhana, the Realisation of Life

From the preeminent Bengali poet & philosopher Rabindranath Tagore, comes this free audio rendition of his 1913 book Sadhana, the Realisation of Life. Published the same year he won the Nobel Prize for Literature, this audio book is an accessible introduction to India's philosophical and spiritual heritage. The chapters include:

* Chapter 1: The Relation of the Individual to the Universe
* Chapter 2: Soul Consciousness
* Chapter 3: The Problem of Evil
* Chapter 4: The Problem of Self
* Chapter 5: Realisation In Love
* Chapter 6: Realisation In Action
* Chapter 7: The Realisation of Beauty
* Chapter 8: Realisation of The Infinite

This book is narrated by some of the better narrators at LibroVox (including 3 chapters by my favorite, Chip Doc). It is available on MP3 download from LibriVox.

12. Spiritual Classics Podcast

We've launched a new podcast at LearnOutLoud.com entitled Spiritual Classics. In the coming weeks we plan to feature passages of classics texts from a variety of spiritual traditions. We've started the podcast off with an excerpt from William James' classic work The Varieties of Religious Experience in which he lectures on mystical experience. We promise many more fascinating selections from religious classics so please subscribe. Click Here to Subscribe to this Podcast on iTunes.

13. Christian Faith in a Postmodern World

Os Guinness claims that progress has lead America into a crisis of truth. For this MP3 download presented by the Veritas Forum, the noted writer leads his lecture with this provocative declaration, and explains how the nation's notion of truth has been eroded by relative morality. Guinness provides his listeners with tools to counteract these trends and reclaim what he feels is the lost wisdom that has come about as result of the information age.

14. President's Forum with Thich Nhat Hanh

Watch or listen to this talk delivered by Vietnamese-born Buddhist teacher, scholar, and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh delivered at the Asia Society with questions from Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai. The 81-year-old Thich Nhat Hanh begins with a brief meditation followed by an extended talk about his life as a Buddhist monk and teacher, including his recent return trips to Vietnam. Vishakha N. Desai asks some difficult questions such as how to deal with violent terrorists like Osama bin Laden. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from FORA.tv.

15. The Jesus Dynasty

In this downloadable interview conducted at the Grace Cathedral, archeologist James D. Tabor gives listeners a hard look at his efforts to pare down the mystery that still surrounds the historical Jesus and his followers. A specialist in the surviving documents of early Christianity, Tabor takes apart the accepted facts surrounding Jesus' life. Here he introduces the notion that Christ's Brother James may have been the first man to spread the gospel and refers to evidence that claims the apostle Paul altered the original message. This titles is available from the Grace Cathedral on streaming audio & MP3 download.

16. Authors@Google: Lama Surya Das

In this hour-long talk from Authors@Google, American Buddhist teacher and bestselling author Lama Surya Das gives a multifaceted discussion on Buddhism and Bodhisattvas in contemporary life. He discusses the path of overcoming ignorance and awakening to one's true self, along with many other central teachings in Buddhism. He emphasizes that one doesn't need to become a Buddhist or follow a creed in order to take the path to enlightenment, and that Buddhism is more of an ethical philosophy and a personal journey rather than a religion. This talk is available on streaming video from YouTube.

17. Huston Smith: The Soul of Christianity

In this downloadable audio conversation, Grace Cathedral hosts Huston Smith in a dialogue that asks the question: is Christianity outdated? Smith, a popular scholar on the world's religions discusses the historical importance of Christianity and how it has faltered in the recent past due to ongoing secularization. Always thoughtful, funny and humble, Smith describes a future scenario for the role of religion which would allow it to dovetail with science in new and profound ways. Listen to this lecture on streaming audio or download it as an MP3.

18. Keith Ward

In this streaming video released by MeaningofLife.tv, noted Oxford Divinity Professor Keith Ward discusses his argument that the three major western religions share the same God. Ward compares Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and includes other religions within his concept of a monotheistic God whose face may change according to cultural understanding, but whose major attributes are consistent among all. This fascinating conversation goes on to touch on related topics such as self-denial, the problem of evil and how physics is making spirituality more and more compatible with science. A must for anyone interested in a modern take on religion.

19. An Hour with the Honorable Dalai Lama

Listen to this hour-long conversation with the Honorable Dalai Lama on the Charlie Rose Show. In this interview Charlie Rose talks with the Dalai Lama about the political situation in Tibet and China, and what the Dalai Lama's hopes are for the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama then talks about exercising compassion on a global scale and the ways in which he feels this will make the 21st century a better century than the 20th century. This talk is available on streaming video.

20. Sharon Salzberg

In this interview from MeaningOfLife.tv, cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society Sharon Salzberg talks about her spiritual path while introducing listener's to many concepts of Buddhist practice. Host Robert Wright asks her many of the hard questions about Buddhism such as why should one focus on their own suffering and death, what is nirvana and enlightenment, and why is it important to learn to love oneself. Salzberg also talks about her idea of bright faith which lead her through many hardships in her own life. This 45-minute talk is available through Google Video as a streaming video and is offered by MeaningOfLife.tv.

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Posted by LOLDavid | Permalink

April 29, 2009

Best of TED Talks

We recently became addicted to watching and listening to talks from the TED Conference. The Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Conference has been featuring talks from leading thinkers not only in technology, entertainment, and design, but also religion, science, literature, psychology, personal growth, and numerous other areas. Their archive currently features over 400 talks from the TED2005 conference up through TED2009. One great thing is that along with high quality streaming video of each talk, they also offer most of the talks on MP3 download so you can download them and listen to them on the go.

Here we're showcasing 15 of the most popular TED talks which we certainly enjoyed and did some write ups on. We'll continue adding to this Best of TED Talks list as we watch and listen to more talks that we find to be particularly excellent.

1. Jill Bolte Taylor's Stroke of Insight

In this moving talk delivered at the TED conference, brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor provides a first-person account of her own stroke and the experience of losing control of her bodily functions as well the functions of the left side of her brain. Instead of it being a painful or frightening experience, she said the stroke put her in a intense state of bliss and nirvana. Sharing this experience became her motivation for recovery. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

2. Malcolm Gladwell: What We Can Learn From Spaghetti Sauce

In this interesting talk delivered by bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, he explores how the food industry went from looking for the perfect single spaghetti sauce recipe to a more diverse approach of creating a variety of spaghetti sauces to suit the desires of shoppers. He examines this trend through one of its main proponents Howard Moskowitz who used the field of psychophysics to create a variety of original sauces for Prego in the 1980s. Once this variability was proven to be successful it spread to the rest of the food industry, and Gladwell feels we are all happier for this increase in choices. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

3. Matthieu Ricard: Habits of Happiness

Biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard examines happiness and well-being in this TED talk. He differentiates between pleasure and happiness as pleasure if fleeting and reliant upon circumstance. He feels that true happiness is found by training the mind to be happy regardless of the situation we find ourselves in and to tap into the deeper happiness of the awareness that we are more than our fleeting emotional states. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

4. Helen Fisher: The Science of Love, and the Future of Women

In this TED talk, anthropologist Helen Fisher discusses a study she was involved in which examined the brains and biochemistry of people in love. She points out the ways in which we have evolved in order to trigger love, lust, and attachment to a mate. She also examines the changes of women's roles in society and how she feels this will ultimately lead to the happiest marriages. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

5. Benjamin Zander on Music and Passion

Conductor Benjamin Zander shares his passion for classical music in this TED talk. While the statistics say 3% of the population are classical music lovers, Zander attempts to prove that we are all lovers of classical music. He takes listeners on a journey of what he calls one-buttock playing where the pianist is moved with the music and in turn moves the audience. He then plays a Chopin prelude and proves that nobody is tone deaf. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

6. Richard Dawkins: The Universe is Queerer Than We Can Suppose

In this mind-bending lecture from TED.com, biologist Richard Dawkins examines the universe from the standpoint of contemporary science and finds that our universe is much stranger than we are capable of supposing. He provides many examples in the biological world about how assumptions such as a rock being solid and our bodies being the same throughout our life are incorrect. Stretch your perspective with Dawkin's case for "thinking the improbable". This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

7. Tony Robbins Asks Why We Do What We Do

Self development expert Anthony Robbins speaks at the TED Conference on what motivates people. Robbins insists that he isn't a motivator, but instead he is out to find what motivates people and what is it that makes the difference in the quality of people's lives. He discusses briefly the core human needs that drive people. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

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. Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Sir Ken Robinson gives a humorous and inspiring talk on rethinking education and its relation to creativity. He feels that education becomes increasingly narrow as students proceed through it leaving many forms of intelligence and creativity behind. In order to confront the unknown future, Robinson sees creativity as the essential component as future generations face new challenges with new ideas. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

10. Seth Godin on Standing Out

Seth Godin feels that days of status quo marketing through the television industrial complex are coming to an end. People are too busy to pay attention to the nonstop advertising of average products for average people. What grabs people's attention is something remarkable, or rather something worth making a remark about. And their remarks spread the ideas or products to the world and make it a success. Learn about the cutting edge of spreading ideas with this talk by Seth Godin. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

11. Isabel Allende: Tales of Passion

In this TED talk, Chilean-American novelist Isabel Allende stands up for passionate feminism when confronting global issues. She feels women's energy is needed to alleviate the suffering of women and poor people in developing countries. During the talk she tells tales of courageous women throughout the world. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

12. Barry Schwartz: The Paradox of Choice

Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, discusses some of the observations he makes in his book in this talk from the TED conference. He argues that the vast explosion of choices in advanced capitalist societies has led to increased paralysis in terms of decision making and ultimately decreased satisfaction. He provides a number of examples to back up his thesis that more choice and individual freedom is not always best. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

13. Elizabeth Gilbert: A Different Way to Think About Creative Genius

Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert examines the way society looks at artists and the way artists look at themselves in this TED talk. She feels that the creative people should view their work as channeling God's creative gift to them rather than as their own personal creative genius. And she hopes such a shift might prevent some of the madness and self-destruction that occurs in so many of our modern artists. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

14. Brian Greene on String Theory

Try wrapping your mind around string theory with this TED talk delivered by physicist Brian Greene. He starts the talk with the story of the German mathematician and physicist Theodor Kaluza who proposed that the universe might have more dimensions than the three-dimensional space apparent in of the physical world. This led much later to the attempt at discovering a unified theory through string theory and superstring theory which proposes 10 dimensions. Brian Greene ends the talk with describing some experiments which are being conducted that could lead to proving the existence of other dimensions. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

15. Dan Gilbert: Why Are We Happy? Why Aren't We Happy?

Check out this TED talk from Harvard psychologist and the author of Stumbling on Happiness, Dan Gilbert. Gilbert provides info from studies that reveal that what we often think will make us happy is the opposite of the case. He shows that because we have the ability to consider the future, we are much better prepared for the results and can usually be happy regardless. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

And here are 30 other talks we've added to our site which look interesting. Almost all of them are available on MP3 download through TED.com site. Check them out:

Al Gore: 15 Ways to Avert a Climate Crisis

Al Gore: New Thinking on the Climate Crisis

Amy Tan on Creativity

Aubrey de Grey Says We Can Avoid Aging

Bill Clinton on Rebuilding Rwanda

Bill Gates: How I'm Trying to Change the World Now

Billy Graham: Technology, Faith and Human Shortcomings

Bono's Call To Action For Africa

Chris Anderson: Technology's Long Tail

Daniel Goleman: Why Aren't We All Good Samaritans?

Dave Eggers' Wish: Once Upon a School

Doris Kearns Goodwin on Learning from Past Presidents

Dr. Dean Ornish on Healing

E.O. Wilson on Saving Life on Earth

James Watson on How He Discovered DNA

Jane Goodall on What Separates Us From the Apes

Jeff Bezos on the Next Web Innovation

Jimmy Wales on the Birth of Wikipedia

John Wooden on True Success

Karen Armstrong's Wish: Charter for Compassion

Martin Seligman on Positive Psychology

Michael Pollan Gives a Plant's-Eye View

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on Flow

Ray Kurzweil on How Technology Will Transform Us

Richard Dawkins on Militant Atheism

Rick Warren: Living a Life of Purpose

Robert Wright: How Cooperation (Eventually) Trumps Conflict

Stephen Hawking Asks Big Questions About the Universe

Steven Levitt Analyzes Crack Economics

Steven Pinker on the Myth of Violence

You can always browse all the TED talks on the TED site right here:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks

Posted by LOLDavid | Permalink

January 21, 2009

Presidential Inauguration Speeches From FDR to Obama

Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President Of United States this week and delivered his Inauguration Speech. We thought we'd feature a collection of Presidential Inauguration Speeches going back to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Inauguration Speech delivered on March 4, 1933. These speeches provide an interesting history lesson in what the most pressing issues of the nation were at the time and how the president planned to face these issues. This collection features audio downloads and streaming videos of the speeches courtesy of American Rhetoric, C-SPAN, YouTube, and Audible.com.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: 1933 First Inaugural Address

Harry S. Truman: 1949 Inaugural Address

Dwight D. Eisenhower: 1953 First Inaugural Address

Dwight D. Eisenhower Inauguration Speech 1957

John F. Kennedy: 1961 Inaugural Address

Lyndon Baines Johnson: 1965 Inaugural Address

Richard M. Nixon: 1969 First Inaugural Address

Richard M. Nixon Inauguration Speech 1973

Gerald Ford Inauguration Speech 1974

Jimmy Carter Inauguration Speech 1977

Ronald Reagan: 1981 First Inaugural Address

George H. W. Bush Inauguration Speech 1989

Bill Clinton Inauguration Speech 1993

George W. Bush Inauguration Speech 2001

George W. Bush: 2005 Second Inaugural Address

Barack Obama: 2009 Presidential Inaugural Address

Another great resource for finding most of these addresses and hundreds more presidential speeches on video and MP3 download is the:

Scripps Library Presidential Speech Archive

Enjoy these presidential speeches.

Posted by LOLDavid | Permalink

October 28, 2008

Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource for Election Day 2008

With only one week left until the United States Presidential Election, we wanted to feature our updated Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource page. This page features resources from all the presidential candidates that are on enough ballots to theoretically win the election, along with the Democratic & Republican running mates. So we've not only included pages for Barack Obama & John McCain, but also for four other presidential candidates. Listen to and watch audio & video of the 2008 U.S. Presidential Candidates featuring podcasts, speeches, debates, interviews, and more:

Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource Page

Here are the individual candidate pages:

Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain (featuring 21 resources)

Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin (featuring 6 resources)

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama (featuring 23 resources)

Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Joe Biden (featuring 12 resources)

Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader (featuring 11 resources)

Constitution Party Presidential Candidate Chuck Baldwin (featuring 3 resources)

Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney (featuring 3 resources)

Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate Bob Barr (featuring 3 resources)

Here are some highlights of specific titles which you may want to check out before election day:

Ron Paul Hosts Third Party Press Conference - Features candidates Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, and Chuck Baldwin stating their positions and all agreeing on the principles of withdrawing all troops from Iraq and other foreign countries, stopping the increase of the national debt, and opposing taxpayer bailouts of corporations.

John McCain on Charlie Rose: 1997-2007 - Senator John McCain has been interviewed over a dozen times by Charlie Rose since 1997. We selected the 10 most significant interviews and featured them here. This set of videos provides an excellent portrait of McCain over the past 10 years.

2008 Presidential Race Debates Podcast - CBS News presents the three full debates between candidates Barack Obama and John McCain and the one debate between their running mates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. Available audio & video podcasts through iTunes.

FRONTLINE: The Choice 2008 - PBS FRONTLINE documentary on the presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. This two hour documentary is available on streaming video through YouTube and free video download through iTunes.

U.S. Senator Barack Obama Podcast - Senator Barack Obama was an early adopter of podcasting as a medium for addressing his constituents. He began podcasting in early 2006 and this is his original podcast before he began his presidential bid. These podcasts provide a more intimate platform to hear Obama address the issues.

If you like these presidential resources and you have a Digg.com account, please Digg them here:

Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource on Digg.com

Enjoy these resources and if you're a U.S. citizen, be sure to vote Tuesday, November 4th!

Posted by LOLDavid | Permalink

February 21, 2008

500 New Titles From iTunes U

We're sorry, but iTunes legal is no longer letting us link to their individual iTunes U offerings. The most we can do is link to the iTunes U home page. You'll have to find the best of iTunes U on your own. Good luck:

iTunes U

Posted by LOLDavid | Permalink

January 23, 2008

2008 Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource

Learn more about the 2008 Democratic & Republican United States Presidential Candidates with LearnOutLoud.com's Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource. We've gathered the best audio & video resources of the candidates for each party,featuring podcasts, speeches, debates, interviews, and audio books.

Browse our Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource

With less than two weeks until Super Tuesday, where over twenty U.S. states will hold their primaries and caucuses, both the races for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations are closer than they've been in decades.

Since the last presidential election, the Internet has become a whole new platform for candidates to freely campaign with the expansion of online video, podcasting, and other technologies. The free audio & video resources we feature go beyond the campaign sound bytes and punditry of traditional media, featuring in-depth talks with the candidates both during their campaign and before it.

Here are the candidates for whom we feature resources:

Republican Candidates:

Rudolph Giuliani

Mike Huckabee

John McCain

Ron Paul

Mitt Romney

Democratic Candidates:

Hillary Rodham Clinton

John Edwards

Dennis Kucinich

Barack Obama

If you're a U.S. citizen, be sure to vote in your state's primary or caucus, if you haven't already done so!

Posted by LOLDavid | Permalink

July 11, 2007

Best of iTunes University

iTunes is no longer letting us link to their individual iTunes U offerings. The most we can do is link to the iTunes U home page. So you'll have to go to the iTunes U home page and then search these great offerings there:

iTunes U Home Page

Apple iTunes now features a section of their store called iTunes U which features free audio & video downloads from dozens of universities across the United States and around the world including Stanford, Duke, MIT, Arizona State, and more.

At LearnOutLoud.com we combed through these free resources to pick out the best lectures, courses, and audio & video programs that iTunes U offers. Here are the best titles on iTunes U:

Stanford University:

Philosophy Talk at Stanford University - Hour-long radio series produced by Ben Manilla discussing a wide range of philosophical topics with contemporary philosophers.

The Aurora Forum at Stanford University - Popular nonfiction authors and intellectuals come together to discuss their books and contemporary issues in society.

Hoover Institution Lectures - Libertarian public policy think tank out of Stanford featuring talks on politics and economics both domestic and foreign.

Stanford Technology Ventures Program Lectures - Over 40 hour-long lectures from entrepreneurial thought leaders at the intersection of business and technology.

The Literature of Crisis - One of many free downloadable courses offered by Stanford, this course taught by Martin Evans and Marsh McCall covers Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, Plato's Apology, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Sophocles' Oedipus the King, Virgil's Aeneid, and Voltaire's Candide.

Hannibal - Lecture course covering the life of the Carthaginian military commander Hannibal.

Geography of World Cultures - Course examining the locational dynamics of the world’s languages, religions, and ethnic groupings.

Arizona State University:

Arizona State University News and Events Audio - Over 100 free lectures from ASU from visiting speakers covering the gamut of topics.

Ask a Biologist - Geared towards students from preschool to high school, Dr. Biology works with guests to explore many biological subjects.

Introduction to Exercise Science & Wellness - ASU course on video which provides a brief overview of the field of Exercise Science & Wellness.

Building Healthy Lifestyles Conference - Conference devoted to promoting healthy lifestyles with doctors addressing physical activity, surviving cancer, getting enough sleep, mindfulness, and other methods for living a healthy life.

Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict - Talks delivered on religious wars and religious terrorism as well as numerous lectures on Transhumanism (which we're not sure what they have to do with religion and conflict, but they look interesting).

New Jersey Institute of Technology:

World Literature & World Literature II - Courses taught by professor Norbert Elliot covering works of literature and authors from all over the world.

Technology & Society Forum Series at NJIT - Forward-looking series of lectures which looks at technology from a global and environmental perspective.

Confronting the Insurmountable Opportunities of Online Education - Discussion covering issues that impact the effectiveness of online teaching and learning.

Texas A&M University:

George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service Speeches - Speeches from the recipient of this award recognizing an individual's or group's dedication to public service at the local, state, national or international levels, including speeches from Helmut Kohl, Mikhail Gorbachev, Edward M. Kennedy, Reverend Billy Graham, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

University of South Florida:

Lit2Go: Audio Files for K-12 - Massive collection of audio poetry, short stories, and novels for all grade levels from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for Kindergarteners:
Features Robert Louis Stevenson poems for children, as well as classic nursery rhymes like "Jack and Jill", "Little Bo-Peep", "Hickory Dickory Dock", and "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep".

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 1st Graders:
Features more classic poems and fairy tales including Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky", "Fire! Fire! Burn Stick!" from Aesop's Fables, "Humpty Dumpty", "Peter Piper", and "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 2nd Graders:
Features "The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter, "The Hare and the Hedgehog" by The Brothers Grimm, more Robert Louis Stevenson poems, and an unabridged audio book called The Outdoor Girls in Florida by Laura Lee Hope.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 3rd Graders:
Features a number of Aesop's Fables, "The Ugly Duckling" & "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Anderson, "How the Alphabet Was Made" by Rudyard Kipling, and the audio books Squinty, the Comical Pig by Richard Barnum, The Outdoor Chums on the Gulf; or, Rescuing the Lost Balloonists by Captain Quincy Allen, and Jack Tier, or the Florida Reef by James Fenimore Cooper.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 4th Graders:
Features many more of Aesop's Fables, tales by Beatrix Potter, and the unabridged audio books The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Seven O'Clock Stories by Robert Gordon Anderson, The Tale of Tommy Fox by Arthur Scott Bailey, Whitefoot the Woodmouse by Thornton W. Burgess, and many of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 5th Graders:
Features "Sleeping Beauty" by The Brothers Grimm, even more of Aesop's Fables, tales by Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Brownie Beaver by Arthur Scott Bailey, The Go Ahead Boys and the Racing Motor-Boat by Ross Kay, Curly and Floppy Twistytail the Funny Piggie Boys by Howard R. Garis, The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat by Thornton W. Burgess, Half-Past Seven Stories by Robert Gordon Anderson, Beyond the City by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 6th Graders:
Features dozens of short stories including many by Virginia Woolf and Rudyard Kipling. Also features the audio books The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, & The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Famous Stories Every Child Should Know, The Story of Siegfried by James Baldwin, The Light Princess by George MacDonald, The Open Boat by Stephen Crane, A Florida Sketch-Book by Bradford Torrey, Sylvie and Bruno & Sylvie and Bruno Concluded by Lewis Carroll, Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Philosophy and Fun of Algebra by Mary Everest Boole, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Flappers and Philosophers by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 7th Graders:
Features Edgar Allan Poe's most famous short stories, as well as the audio books The Tin Woodman of Oz & Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum, The Little Lame Prince by Maria Dinah Mulock Craik, The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, and The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 8th Graders:
Features poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, short stories by Emily Bronte, more of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous short stories, and the audio books In the Wilds of Florida by W. H. G. Kingston, Logic: Deductive and Inductive by Carveth Read, M.A., The Number Concept: Its Origin and Development by Levi Leonard Conant, Ph. D., The Mystery of Edwin Drood & Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 9th Graders:
Features "History" essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson, more poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and the audio books Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Wakulla, A Story of Adventure in Florida & Canoemates: A Story of the Florida Reef and Everglades by Kirk Munroe, Florida Trails by Winthrop Packard, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson, A Victorious Union by Oliver Optic, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Mystery of Cloomber by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 10th Graders:
Features the audio books St. Augustine Under Three Flags: Tourist Guide and History, Symbolic Logic by Lewis Carroll, The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Professor by Charlotte Bronte, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 11th Graders:
Features the audio books The Game of Logic by Lewis Carroll, The Scarlet Letter, The Blithedale Romance & The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Deductive Logic by George William Joseph Stock, M.A., Lettres Philosophiques by Francois-Marie Arouet, and Beowulf translated by Frances B. Grummere.

Lit2Go: Audio Files for 12th Graders:
Features the audio books Physics by Aristotle, Lectures on Ten British Mathematicians of the Nineteenth Century by Alexander MacFarlane, A Short Account of the History of Mathematics by W. W. Rouse Ball, History of Modern Mathematics by David Eugene Smith, Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott, The Flamingo Feather by Kirk Munroe, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, and Spherical Trigonometry by Isaac Todhunter.

Concordia Seminary:

Lay Bible Institute - Which Jesus? - Course taught by Jeffery Kloha exploring the historical Jesus from the perspective of the canonical and gnostic gospels.

Elementary Greek - Language learning course covering Greek grammar and pronunciation.

The Lutheran Mind - Lecture course covering the core ideas of Lutheran theology.

Seattle Pacific University:

Seattle Pacific University Campus Lectures & Forums - Over 80 lectures on Christian topics, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and much more.

John M. Perkins Lectures - Outspoken Christian and civil rights leader John M. Perkins delivers talks on racial reconciliation, leadership training, and community development.

Martin Luther King, Jr. - Over twenty lectures celebrating the life, work, and calling of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thomas F. Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar Lectures - Dozens of lectures from distinguished Christian scholars including Ravi Zacharias, James Sire, and many others.

J.R.R. Tolkien - Numerous lectures on "The Lord of the Rings as a Defense of Western Civilization", as well as lectures about Tolkien's relationship with C.S. Lewis.

MIT OpenCourseWare:

Introduction to Psychology - Course covering questions about human behavior and mental life ranging from how you see to why you fall in love taught by Jeremy Wolfe.

Electricity & Magnetism - Comprehensive physics course on video taught by award-winning physics professor Walter Lewin.

Animal Behavior - Comprehensive course covering the categories of adapative behavior in animals covering the evolution of behavior and sociobiology.

Philosophy of Love in the Western World - American philosopher Irving Singer gives 4 two-hour lectures on the philosophy of love which he has written numerous books about. These lectures are available on downloadable video and can also be streamed through MIT course website.

Physics I: Classical Mechanics - Popular MIT lecturer Walter Lewin leads this freshman physics class available on video download.

UC Berkeley:

Arts Events & Programs at UC Berkeley - Prominent poets read their works at UC Berkeley's Lunch Poems.

Politics & Public Policy Events & Programs at UC Berkeley - Talks from John Edwards, Robert Reich, Robert F. Kennedy, Joseph Wilson IV, and more.

All UC Berkeley Courses - And don't forget to check out the 100+ audio courses that UC Berkeley is now offering in their generous and expansive catalog.

Heideggers Being and Time, Division II Podcast - A new course on Heidegger and his influence on contemporary European philosophy from professor Hubert L. Dreyfus.

Introduction to Practical Reasoning and Critical Analysis of Argument Podcast - Course covering rhetoric and logic examining both ancient and modern approaches.

The Roman Empire Podcast - A history of Rome from Augustus to Constantine.

Shakespeare Podcast - Course on Shakespeare eventually covering the plays Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Othello, Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, All's Well that Ends Well, Antony and Cleopatra, Winter's Tale, and The Tempest.

Pennsylvania State University:

Penn State Institute for the Arts and Humanities Faculty Lecture Series - Where else can you get a lecture called "Sexual Geographies: Utopian Terrains of the Late-Victorian Counterculture"?

Colorism: Global Perspectives on How Skin Color Still Matters - Colorism Symposium covering topics in discrimination on the basis of skin color.

Michigan Tech University:

Introductory Astronomy - Video course taught by Robert J. Nimeroff covering the solar system, the stars, and the whole universe.

Digital Logic - Michigan Tech University Course - EE 2171 - Course covering digital logic including Boolean algebra, binary numbers, logic gates, combinational and sequential logic, and other topics complete with PDF Lecture Notes.

Otis College of Art and Design:

Modern Art History - Course taught by Jeanne Willette covering everything from Impressionism to Dada.

Duke University:

Duke University: Fuqua/Coach K Leadership Conference - Numerous lectures on attaining the edge in leadership in sports, business, and more.

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Addresses - Speeches from Angela Davis, Harry Belafonte, and others commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.

Duke University: Kenan Institute for Ethics Lectures - Lectures confronting ethical issues such as Goodness & Evil, Knowledge & Society, and more.

Duke University: Nicholas Talks - Over twenty talks from the Nicholas School of Environment and Earth Sciences covering pollution, ecosystems, deforestation, biodiversity, and more.

Provost Lecture Series: Privacy at Risk? - Features a lecture by blogger Cory Doctorow entitled "From Myspace to Homeland Security: Privacy and the Totalitarian Urge".

Abilene Christian University:

Clinical Dietetics I - Dr. Sheila Jones covers diet and nutrition in relation to numerous disorders and diseases.

American Military University:

Sports Training Videos - Short downloadable videos covering baseball, lacrosse, the weight room, and sports medicine.

Broome Community College:

Physical Therapist Assistant Program - Short videos covering muscle testing for every area of the body.

Central Washington University:

Moments in American History - 90-second historical video documentaries featuring numerous historians covering specific moments in American history from 1750 to the present.

Central Washington University Lectures & Events - Featuring guest speakers such as Gloria Steinem, Bobby McFerrin, Angela Davis, Jean Michel Cousteau, and Robert Kennedy Jr.

CWU Counseling Center - Relaxation and mindfulness exercises for anyone seeking emotional health.

DePaul University:

Basic Spanish - Audio files of basic Spanish speaking to improve your listening comprehension.

Intellectual Property Scholars Conference - Conference featuring the presentations of 75 scholars covering a vast array of topics regarding intellectual property.

DePaul Humanities Center Audio - Features a lecture by the Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Clayborne Carson entitled "Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.", along with many other intriguing lectures.

Gordon College:

Gordon College Featured Speakers - Interviews, addresses, and lectures at Gordon College including a talk by author Brian McLaren along with many other Christian speakers.

Lehigh University:

The Examined Life: Intro to Philosophy - Lectures and post-lecture talks on Plato and Descartes from Professor Greg Reihman.

Bio Science in the 21st Century - Multidisciplinary survey course on biological science today covering stem cells, genes, neurobiology, and more featuring video lectures from many experts in their fields.

Miami Dade College:

The Earth Ethics Institute - Video lectures covering environmental ethics and ways to pursue a green and sustainable future.

Northeastern University:

Welcome to Boston: Audio Tours - Full audio of the Boston Harbor Walk Audio Tour.

Free Culture Forum - Lawrence Lessig and other experts on free culture give talks at the Free Culture Forum.

Queen's University:

Ethnicity & Democratic Governance - Talks from the Ethnicity and Democratic Governance Project International Summer Institute covering many aspects of governing ethnic diversity.

Reformed Theological Seminary:

C.S. Lewis - Course on C.S. Lewis covering his biography, theology, ethics, and more. Reformed Theological Seminary features over 20 free courses to download!

Rock Valley College:

Film History and Appreciation - Brian Shelton provides brief descriptions of different aspects of film including film production, documentary, and more.

UMBC:

BIO 305: Animal Physiology - In this course Dr. Frank Hanson takes a comparative approach to the study of how various selective pressures have resulted in the evolution of specific solutions to physiological problems.

University of Arizona:

Global Climate Change Lecture Series - Seven video lectures covering Global Climate Change and what could happen as a result of it and what ways there are to stop it.

University of Pennsylvania:

60 Second Lectures from the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts & Sciences - Entertaining 60 second lectures from University of Pennsylvania faculty covering a potpourri of topics.

Moynihan Report Revisited - Numerous lectures looking back at Daniel Patrick Moynihan's 1965 report on the high joblessness among black men as a principal cause of poverty and family instability among African Americans.

University of Southern California:

Faculty at USC: What Matters to Me and Why - USC professors give their stories about what matters to them and why.

USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences - From USC's largest academic schools comes a number of fabulous lectures such as "Quaking in California: The Faults Beneath Our Feet", "History of Hollywood", and author T. C. Boyle talking about his latest novel "Talk Talk".

USC School of Cinematic Arts Speaker Series - Speakers include documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, director Ron Howard, and others working in the industry of film and television.

University of the Pacific:

Engineering and Technology in a New Millenium - Cutting edge video lectures on covering everything from neonatal hearing testing to the world's largest wind tunnel.

Vanderbilt University:

Worlds of Wordcraft - A unique course exploring the interactive technology and narratives of video games.

The Rev. James Lawson on the Non-Violence Struggle - A course of video lectures by a leading theoretician and tactician of nonviolence within the American Civil Rights Movement Rev. James Lawson.

Yale University:

Yale Religion Podcasts - Theologians, scholars, educators and clerics at the Yale Divinity School talk about faith in American and the rest of the world.

Yale International Podcasts - From the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization comes from speakers on the international stage including Thomas L. Friedman on how "The Flattening World Challenges The Imagination" and an interview of the late Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto about "The Future Of Pakistan".

Highlights from new educational providers on iTunes U:

American Public Media:

Living Buddhism - Thich Nhat Hanh and other practicing Buddhists discuss this religion with Krista Tippett, host of the American Public Media program Speaking of Faith.

Vietnam & the Presidency - Series of American RadioWorks audio documentaries covering the Vietnam War and its effects on the U.S. Presidency, including interviews with David Halberstam, Jimmy Carter, General Wesley Clark, Dan Rather, and many others.

American Theatre Wing:

Downstage Center - Over 180 in-depth single subject interviews with theatre artists, producers and others in the field, addressing their most recent work as well as providing an overview of their careers.

Gilder Lehrman Institute:

American Presidents - Historians from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History discuss their books on American presidents.

Slavery and Abolition - Scholars discuss the history of slavery and abolition in the United Stated from the Founding era through the Civil War.

Indianapolis Museum of Art:

Indianapolis Museum of Art Raw and Uncut - Video interviews with numerous artists at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Little Kids Rock:

Little Kids Rock: Guitar Lessons - 20 short video lessons teaching kids to play the guitar complete with PDF lesson books.

Museum of Modern Art:

Edvard Munch: The Modern Life of the Soul - Audio covering MoMA's exhibition of Edvard Munch and his paintings with a link to the online collection that can be viewed. MoMA's exhibition archive features 25 of their past exhibitions with audio, video, and online collections to view.

Pablo Picasso - Audio from MoMA's Selected Artists gallery covering Picasso's seminal work of modern art "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" along with many other paintings by Picasso. The Selected Artists offerings include audio on the paintings of Henri Matisse and other reknowned modern artists.

PBS:

Meet the Author - Interviews with popular children's authors from WETA Learning Media.

QUEST: Science and Nature - KQED's QUEST explores science and nature through video programs focusing on astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, environment, geology, health, physics, and weather.

ResearchChannel:

Allen Edwards Psychology Lectures - Nationally distinguished psychologists give talks on different aspects of psychology.

Behind the Code from Microsoft Research - From the office of the CTO of Microsoft comes these talks with the most influential technical employees who give their personal stories about their careers.

Loma Linda University's Bioethics Grand Rounds - Presentations on topics in Bioethics, including physician-assisted suicide, handling medical errors, neurobiology, and other critical issues.

Samuel and Althea Stroum Lectures in Jewish Studies - October 2006 - Series of three lectures by Dr. Lawrence H. Schiffman entitled "Creation, Revelation, and Redemption: The Religion of the Dead Sea Scrolls".

Smithsonian Global Sound:

Smithsonian Global Sound Talking Music - Ethnomusicologists discuss various types of ethnographic music.

UCTV:

UCTV: Religion and Spirituality - Downloadable audio versions of UCTV offerings including talks with John Selby Spong, Rabbi Michael Lerner, and an interesting talk entitled "Gen-Xers: Changing American Religion".

US Holocaust Memorial Museum:

Genocide Prevention: What You Can Do - Stories of individuals taking action when it comes to confronting genocide in Congo, Darfur, Rwanda, and throughout the world.

Holocaust History: Eyewitness Testimonies & Personal Stories - From the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s oral history collection, listen to stories of Holocaust survivors.

WGBH:

Life Science: WGBH Teacher's Domain - Short videos from WGBH's NOVA that can be used by educators as a resource.

Politics: WGBH Forum Network - Political talks at the WGBH Forum Network including numerous notable liberal thinkers such as Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Chris Hedges, Robert Fisk, Amy Goodman, Paul Krugman, and others.

So that's all for our latest update on the best of iTunes U. A special thanks to all the universities and providers offering these audio & video titles and to iTunes for orchestrating such an invaluable resource. Now load up your iPods or other portable audio & video players and start learning out loud!

Posted by LOLDavid | Permalink

January 12, 2007

Martin Luther King, Jr. Audio & Video

When people ask me "Why audiobooks?" there are a few common responses that I'll give. It's a great alternative or supplement to reading. You can listen while you're driving or at the gym. Sometimes it's easier to remember what you hear than what you read. But there's one another one that's really powerful:

Some listening experiences just can't be duplicated in print.

Probably the best example I can give of this is listening to A Knock at Midnight, an outstanding collection of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s sermons. I mean I guess you could read these but I doubt that it would move you the way listening to King himself preach would. When I flip this on my iPod (something I find myself increasingly doing) I almost immediately get goosebumps. I'm not sure quite what it is about King's preaching that does that to me.

As most of you here in the United States know, Monday is Martin Luther King Day. For many people it's just another freebie holiday that they probably won't think twice about. And that's a shame. Because it's an awesome opportunity to learn more about an amazing man who has done so much in the struggle for justice and equality here in the U.S. and around the world.

We put the finishing touches on MLK Out Loud, an attempt on our part to bring together all of the audio and video content from or about King that we could find. There is a ton of great stuff linked from the page including biographies, documentaries, collections of sermons and of course King's stirring "I Have a Dream" speech. We've tried to find as many free audio and video resources as we could too knowing that there are a lot of teachers who would love to use them to relay the power of King's message to their classes.

I wanted to say a special thank you to American Rhetoric which hosts several of King's speeches for free. If you have a minute, drop Michael Eidenmuller who runs the site a quick line and tell him thanks.

In the "I Have a Dream" speech King talks about a faith that he has. In his words:

With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

It's a faith we need more of in this day and age when King's message of brotherhood is as relevant as it has ever been.

Take some time this long holiday weekend to listen to one of his King's speeches or order one of his audio books. It's a great way to celebrate his legacy and a powerful way to learn more about the man who has touched so many lives.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

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September 25, 2006

Free Resource Highlights: Week 5

We've been sending out our "Free Resource of the Day Email" for a number of months now, and we want to share some of the free audio & video titles from past weeks that we have offered. Here are the free resources from Week 5:

Farewell to Baseball Address

All around the country Major League ballparks will be buzzing with as the 2006 baseball playoffs approach. To celebrate this exciting time of the season we bring you (courtesy of American Rhetoric) the farewell address of one of baseball's finest players ever, Cal Ripken Jr. Ripken played his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles and holds the record for most consecutive games played at 2,632.

Ideas Lecture: Jared Diamond

The authoratitive historian, scientist and best selling author Jared Diamond speaks on the hows and whys of culutral collapse in this amazing lecture released by Australia's Griffith University.

Diamond showcases compelling examples such as the the Mayan and Roman civilizations, and details what exactly led to their ultimate demise. He also goes on to offer ways in which we as a race can prevent such catastrophes in modern times and why the present is sometimes more important than the future. Timely and wise, this lecture is for anyone interested in how we can take important examples from history and apply them to present-day survival.

The True King: Tolkien and the Medieval

Are you a fan of the recent Lord of the Rings film trilogy? This lecture released by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute serves as a wonderful way you can learn more about LOTR author J.R.R. Tolkien.

Lecturer Bradley J. Birzer discusses the major themes in Tolkien's work including the onslaught of modernity, the true value of good in the world and the gift of loyalty. Birzer ends with a beautiful description of the character Samwise Gamgee, and how his role in the book serves as a symbol of Tolkien's belief system in action.

Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka's novella is a bonafide 20th century classic about a traveling salesman that wakes up one morning to find his body has been transformed into that of a giant dung beatle. This highly symbolic tale about the plight of the modern working man, human alienation, and the eternal need to fit in has gone on to be Kafka's signature work.

The audio version is brought to you through Thought Audio, and is narrated in a crisp performance by Michael Scott. If you've ever been interested in Kafka or have heard of the story's premise but never checked it out, now is the time. This book really is as good as everyone says!

For more free resources like this, you can receive our "Free Resource of the Day Email" by entering your Email address into the box below, clicking Subscribe, and then checking the "Free Resource of the Day E-mail" check box in the pop up. If you're already a subscriber to our newsletter you'll be sent an email to change your preferences to include the "Free Resource of the Day E-mail".

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Posted by LOLDavid | Permalink

September 05, 2006

Go Back to School...For Free

Today is "Back to School" day for millions of people. So to celebrate (OK, we realize that many of you probably aren't celebrating...) we've put together a special section on our site stocked with all sorts of free audio and video resources in subjects ranging from American Lit and Astronomy to Physics and Psychology. Whether you're in school and looking to brush up or out of school and looking to get a little free learning in on the side you'll find tons of great stuff here.

For the complete list of our new "101 Pages", click this link. Otherwise if you're looking for some free stuff just follow the linkies below...

American Lit 101

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Classic Books Alive Podcast
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave
Jay Gatsby and the Myth of American Origins
Song of Myself Selections
Allen Ginsberg Poetry Readings
The Waste Land
Walden

Art History 101

Kandinsky
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Special Exhibition Podcast
Museum of Modern Art Podcast

Astronomy 101

The Birth and Death of Stars
NASA Astrobiology Magazine Podcast
New Frontiers in Astronomy
Planetary Radio Podcast
Space Exploration: The Next 100 Years

Business 101

A Conversation with Jack Welch
Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Podcast
John Bogle - The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism
Knowledge@Wharton Audio Articles Podcast
Venture Voice Podcast

Creative Writing 101

KPFA's Cover to Cover with Denny Smithson Podcast
NPR: Books Podcast
Stanford University: Books & Authors
Writing Show Podcast

Economics 101

Economic Analysis - Microeconomics Podcast

The Emergence of China in the Global Economy
The End of Poverty
Ludwig Mises: Mises Institute Lectures
Radio Economics Podcast

English Lit 101

Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus
The Pilgrim's Progress
The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner
The Time Machine
Macbeth
A Christmas Carol
The Happy Prince
Robinson Crusoe
Lewis & Tolkien

French 101

Easy French Poetry Podcast
French for Beginners Podcast
The FrenchPodClass Podcast
Learn French by Podcast

History 101

European Civilization from the Renaissance to the Present Podcast
History According to Bob Podcast
Ideas Lecture: Jared Diamond
Napoleon 101 Podcast

Italian 101

LearnItalianPod.com Podcast
Let's Speak Italian Podcast

Law 101

Georgetown Law - Podcasts
Conversations in Law Podcast
The Law
The Law Report Podcast
Copyright Controversies
Free Culture
The Oyez Supreme Court Podcast

Medical 101

DNA and the Brain - Dr. James Watson speaks at Google
FDA's Strategies for Improving Health Care
Instant Anatomy Podcast
Introduction to Human Nutrition Podcast
NEJM This Week Podcast
Sound Medicine Podcast

Philosophy 101

Zaadz Notes: Marcus Aurelius
The Apology of Socrates
Existentialism in Literature and Film Podcast
The Philosopher's Zone Podcast
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Walden

Physics 101

Descriptive Introduction to Physics Podcast
Einstein's Miraculous Year
Introductory Physics Podcast
New Queries
Quirks and Quarks from CBC Radio Podcast

Poli Sci 101

The Law
Civil Disobedience
Common Sense
Popular Government
The Role of Government in our Society
Speeches Free Audio & Video
Constitutional Conversations Podcast
The Founding Documents Podcast
Undergraduate Colloquium on Political Science Podcast
The Communist Manifesto

Psychology 101

Clinical Psychology Podcast
All In the Mind Podcast
Evil, the Self and Survival, with Robert Jay Lifton
Shrink Rap Radio - A Psychology Talk and Interview Podcast
Ten Days in a Madhouse
Architecture of the Brain

Spanish 101

Insta Spanish Podcast
Rolling R's: Free Spanish Lesson Video Podcast
Trying To Learn Spanish Podcast

U.S. History 101

Constitutional Conversations Podcast
The Founding Documents Podcast
The Gettysburg Address
In Depth: H.W. Brands
World War II Audio: 1941-1944

World Religions 101

Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason - PBS Podcast
Crash Course on Jewish History
The Nature of Islam
Zencast Podcast

Happy "studying" from all of us at LearnOutLoud!

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August 31, 2006

Free Resource Highlights: Week 3

We've been sending out our "Free Resource of the Day Email" for a number of months now, and we want to share some of the free audio & video titles from past weeks that we have offered. Here are the free resources from Week 2:

Tragically Hips
Winter Session
Yoga Quickie

Time to do some yoga! You've no doubt heard how good yoga is for your body and it's a great way to get yourself more in balance mentally and emotionally. Vancouver Yoga has a series of yoga classes online for free. If you haven't done yoga before you may want to take a class or buy a book as audio alone is a tough way to learn. But if you are familiar with the poses you'll definitely want to check these out.

The Law

Frederic Bastiat's "The Law" produced by FreeAudio.org is one of the best free audio books available. Bastiat's brief treatise on law is a passionate cry for his belief that law should only be put in place to maintain life, liberty, and property. He denounces legislators and philosophers who seek legalized plunder, moral coercion, and numerous other methods of force through law which encroach on liberties. The production quality is professional and Marvin Payne's narration is superb. You can download this title through LearnOutLoud.com on MP3 or MPEG-4 (if you want to bookmark it in your iPod).

Harvard University Commencement Address

Last Monday was Stanford and this Monday is Harvard. This is a free speech that is not to be missed. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Russian author of the The Gulag Archipelago) delivered the Harvard University Commencement Address in 1978. While in exile from the Soviet Union, he spent a number of years in the United States and this address is his analysis of the Western predicament.

In this comprehensive one hour speech he discusses Western politics, the media, our role in Vietnam, the lack of courage in leadership, Soviet communism, commercialism and materialism, and the spiritual state of Western man. Most of Solzhenitsyn's criticisms still hold true today. He delivers the speech in Russian and it is simultaneously translated into English. This speech is offered by American Rhetoric and you can download the speech on MP3 or listen to it streaming.

SXSW 2006 Interactive Panel Podcasts

Every spring thousands of people descend on Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival and conference. It's a really cool mix of movies, music and technology and brings a lot of movers and shakers to the area to talk about what's on the horizon. This year's keynotes featured luminaries such as Bruce Sterling, Craig Newmark (of Craig's List fame), Heather Armstrong and Jason Kottke. If you didn't have a chance to attend this year's SXSW festival and want to see what all the buzz is about click on the link for free audio from the keynotes.

For more free resources like this, you can receive our "Free Resource of the Day Email" by entering your Email address into the box below, clicking Subscribe, and then checking the "Free Resource of the Day E-mail" check box in the pop up. If you're already a subscriber to our newsletter you'll be sent an email to change your preferences to include the "Free Resource of the Day E-mail".

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August 06, 2006

The 6 Best Ways to Learn Physics...for Free

I was listening to an excellent audiobook yesterday called The Wisdom of Huston Smith in which Huston relates a story about a visiting professor (can't recall the name right now) who came and lectured to the physics department at the university he was teaching at and spent the entire time presenting on philosophy rather than physics. He was asked why he didn't talk about physics with the physics department and his answer was interesting.

I don't draw any distinctions between physics and philosophy.

This has gotten me thinking that I need to study physics a bit more. So to help me (and you!) get started I've compiled six excellent ways to learn physics. The best part...all of these resources are free. Enjoy!

1. The PBS Series The Elegant Universe - I watched this one a while ago on Netflix and it's really cool. What's even cooler is that you can watch the entire three hours of it at the PBS website for free. The Elegant Universe covers a wide range of topics and goes particularly in-depth on string theory. It's very entertaining and you'll learn a ton by watching this.

2. Imagining the Tenth Dimension - A buddy pointed me to this recently and it's a great introduction to the string theory notion of ten spatial dimensions. I was introduced to this in the Elegant Universe and while I'm getting a better handle on it I'm still a little lost when we get outside of the three/four dimensions that most people readily understand. This flash-based presentation is very well-done and a great complement to a watching of The Elegant Universe.

3. Free Physics Video Lectures - In our free directory we've compiled over two dozen free audio and video physics lectures. Here are some of the highlights:

Richard Feynman lectures from the Vega Science Trust - Four video lectures from world-renowned physicist Richard P. Feynman
Einstein's Miraculous Year - Two free lectures from The Teaching Company that celebrate the 100th anniversary of Einstein's "Miracle Year."
Parts of a Whole - A free lecture with physicist David Bohm who addressed quantum physics from a spiritual perspective.

You can find more lectures like this (including lectures from MIT and the Lannan Foundation) and in the Physics subcategory of our free audio and video directory.

4. Motion Mountain - An amazing free, full-length, professional-quality physics textbook...how cool is that? If you'd rather not part with the $100+ that most physics textbooks cost give this one a shot. This is the real deal too at over 1,300 pages! (Thanks to Wynn @ The Stingy Scholar blog for pointing us to this.)

5. Free Physics Podcasts - Another great way to learn physics is to listen to some of the excellent physics podcasts that are out there. Berkeley has two worth checking out, Descriptive Introduction to Physics and Introductory Physics. NOVA has an "e = mc2" podcast that is also worth checking out (part of their well-done Einstein's Big Idea section).

6. Random Fun Stuff - I'll admit it...sometimes a subject like physics can get a little dry. If you'd like to spice it up a bit check out these fun ways to learn physics below:

The Britney Spears Guide to Semiconductor Physics
Super Mario Physics
Interactive Physics Simulations

OK, that should be enough to make your brain hurt for a while. If you know of any other physics resources that we should add to this post or include on our site make a post in our forums. Thanks!

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Posted by jbischke | Permalink

April 03, 2006

John Wooden's Legacy

I realize I run the risk of raising the ire of Florida students and alumni but I'll admit that I'll be cheering for the UCLA Bruins in tonight's national championship game. After all, we're located in Los Angeles and I've taken graduate business classes on campus so I'm a quasi-alumnus of the school.

Just as Flordia has a storied tradition in football, UCLA has one in hoops. I find the legacy of John Wooden to be one of the most remarakable in all of pro sports. I had the chance to catch a few of the interviews with UCLA and LSU coaches and players before Saturday's Final Four games and it's amazing how much of the conversation focused on UCLA's past championship teams and its legendary coach despite the fact that we're more than three decades removed from Wooden's last title.

If you're interested in learning more about John Wooden and how his unique philosophy towards basketball and life has inspired so many people, I'd encourage you to check out some of the Wooden-related titles we have here on LearnOutLoud:

Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court - A great audiobook narrated by Beau Bridges.

John Wooden: Values, Victory, and Peace of Mind - A DVD that gives an overview of Wooden's philosophy.

Powertalk interview with Tony Robbins - An interview of Coach Wooden conducted by Tony Robbins.

It'll be a fun game to watch tonight and regardless of who wins both teams have had amazing seasons and should be proud of how far they've gotten.

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March 17, 2006

Why Just Audio and Video?

One of the common questions we get here at LearnOutLoud is "Why do you just have audio and video on the site?" We'll get asked why we don't have book, e-books or other printed material. I guess what it boils down to is this.

We want to be the central place that you come to when you want to learn and you don't want to (or can't) read.

Let me explain that a little more fully. There's obviously a ton of stuff you can read out there to learn just about anything you want to . With all of the blogs, wikis, books, magazines, newspapers, etc. most of us find ourselves overwhelmed with more stuff to read than time in the day. Just think about how many unread books and magazines you have at home. How many unread e-mails sit in your Inbox (and if you've got a lot of those you really should try GTD). Or if you're reading blog through a blog reader you've likely got a backlog there too. It just seems like there will always be a surplus of printed material to read in relation to the amount of time in the day in which to consume this stuff.

And that's where my attention turns to audio and video.

You see there are a lot of times during the day in which we can't read or don't want to. Here are just a few of the ones that occur to me off the top of my head:

1. While driving - Please don't read while doing this...
2. While exercising - Again, usually not very conducive to reading.
3. While doing the dishes or cleaning up around the house - Ditto.
4. When your eyes are tired - Lots of time on a computer usually leads to eye fatigue. While you might not be up for reading you can definitely listen or watch something.

Audio and video comes in handy for all of these. You can listen to stuff while you're doing #1-#3 and when you want to take a break from reading (such as with #4) you can watch something.

Now here's what I get fired up about audio and video education.

For the last several decades if someone was going to listen to something while driving, exercising, etc. it was usually the radio and if they were going to watch something it was the television. Now, I'm not one to see that all commercial radio or broadcast television is crap. Just that most of it is...at least if you're interested in actually learning something.

That's where this whole learning out loud thing comes into play. Shift from listening to the radio while commuting to some high-quality educational/inspirational material and see what a difference it makes. Sure you can start your day listening to the news (a.k.a. stories about war and crime) but what kind of a change would happen in the world if we instead started listening to speeches by Gandhi or MLK, immersed ourselves in some Plato or biographies of Presidents or spent a little time learning a foreign language? Maybe I'm a dreamer but I do think it would make a HUGE difference. (And as far as being a dreamer...while I know I'm not the only one.)

And video? Well it seems every day we draw closer to the end of broadcast television and the increasingly garish commercial upon which the entire industry is based. Innovations like IPTV and sites like YouTube (probably the fastest-growing site on the Net right now) are going to change the way people watch stuff. Here again, is a golden opportunity for an educational revolution. A chance for us to slide our viewing habits from the trivial and inane to the substantial and potentially life-changing. To switch away from the dumbed-down soap opera or sitcom and towards stuff like Teaching Company courses, MIT lectures and wisdom from places like Integral Naked and WIE Unbound. Can you imagine the change that would happen if people curled up on their couch to this sort of stuff every night?

The fact of the matter is that there's a time and place for everything. Yes, there are times when we just need to turn the brain totally off. But I'd love nothing less than to see that become the exception for our listening and viewing habits rather than the norm.

Just as we wouldn't expect to consume a steady diet of junk food and the occasional salad and expect to be physically healthy we shouldn't expect to consume a steady diet of mind-numbing radio and TV and expect to be in tip-top shape intellectually. Make a move to shift the balance. If 90% of the stuff you watch and listen to is pure entertainment and 10% is educational see if you can't get to 50/50.
Your brain will thank you for it.

And so that's what we're all about here at LearnOutLoud. We want to give you a bunch of stuff so that when you do decide to get your learn on and want some audio or video you'll have plenty of options (10,000+ at last count) with which to do so. Just keep telling us how we can better do that and we'll do our darnedest to make sure we're serving your needs.

Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for checking out the blog and visiting the site!

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March 05, 2006

World Economic Forum Podcast and Webcast

Another cool offering: The World Economic Forum that happened in January in Davos, Switzerland is available to watch or listen to online. Some of the people who spoke or were panel members include:

Larry Summers
Michael Dell
Bono
Thomas Friedman
Bill Gates
Bill Clinton

Some heavy hitters huh? Kind of like an international version of the TED Conference.

One of the best things about the Forum is that the audio and video downloads are being made possible by an innovative new company called Red Swoosh. The company has an application that offers legal P2P services to media companies and organizations. I had a chance to chat with the founder Travis Kalanick today at BarCampLosAngeles and see him do a demo. I was very impressed with the technology. You'll be hearing a lot more about his company in the future.

If you're looking to feed your head with some good stuff head on over to the World Economic Forum website, download the Red Swoosh client and check out some good stuff.

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February 23, 2006

Giving You Your Daily Dose of Education...Free!

In the last few months our Free Audio and Video Directory has become a very popular destination. As of this writing we've got 642 free audio and video titles up there and we're adding many more each week. We wanted to figure out a way that we can notify y'all when we post new titles that might be of interest and also highlight some of the best ones so that you don't need to spend all day combing through all of them.

To do this we're launching a new newsletter, the Free Resource of the Day newsletter. Each day during the week (starting March 1st) we'll mail you out a link for a free audio or video learning resource that we think is really cool. A lot of them will be in our directory but many of them will be new ones you might not have seen. And some will be exclusive ones that you'll only be able to get wind of via the newsletter.

This is a great way to start your day. Imagine waking up to a speech by Christopher Reeve or ending your week with a free audio book like Thus Spoke Zarathustra to enjoy all weekend long. Cool huh?

To subscribe to our new Resource of the Day newsletter just go to the link below and enter your e-mail address. Check the box for "Free Resource of the Day E-mail" and you're all set. As with our other newsletter we'll never rent or share your name and you can easily unsubscribe at any time. So go ahead and click the link below and get your Learn Out Loud on, every day of week!

Free Resource of the Day E-mail

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February 22, 2006

Recommendations Alchemy

This is really cool.

Last week we went live with our new recommendations engine powered by the wonderful folks over at Loomia. Our recommendations engine works similar to the ones at Amazon and Netflix in that you will be recommended titles based on how you've previously rated titles here at LearnOutLoud.com. The more titles you rate the better your recommendations will get.

Here's something sweet. This is the only recommendations engine on the web that allows you to rate audio books, podcasts and video and receive recommendations in each of those areas. Throw in a couple of ratings for some audio books you've listened to and you might get a great suggestion for a new podcast to listen to. Rate a DVD like Citizen King high and you might be recommended Beyond Vietnam, a free title available from American Rhetoric. The possibilities are limitless.

The first night I tried it out I was expecting much. After all we really don't have all that much data in the system yet (only a few thousand ratings which isn't a lot). But what I got back was pretty cool. One of the titles I'm planning to listen to next is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Sure enough, there it was in my recommendations. Out of the 10,000+ titles on our site this was one of the few recommended to me. Awesome.

Now that might be coincidence but I do know that in the few days I've been using this I've gotten some great suggestions. My "Wish List" is growing larger by the day. So I'd definitely encourage you to give it a spin. If you haven't rated very many titles your recommendations might not be all that great. And even if you have it'll probably take a bit more time to get enough data in the system so this thing really hums.

To use the recommendations engine just click on the "Recommendations" link in the upper-right corner of any page on the site (you'll need to be registered and logged in to use this). You'll get a list of your recommendations. If some of the titles on the list are ones you've already listened to then make sure you rate them (that will prevent them from showing up again in the future and will help us further tailor your recommendations).

Feel free to make reply to this post in the forums and let us know how good (or bad) your recommendations were. Then go off and rate a bunch of titles so you can get even better recommendations for the future. Please note that the recommendations don't change in real time so it might take a day or so for you to see the impact in your recommendations listing.

We're pretty excited about the potential for this. A big thanks to the people at Loomia for all the help getting this going on the site and a special shoutout to David and Francis for their help with the integration.

Go check it out and find yourself some new possibilities for Learning Out Loud!

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February 13, 2006

Can transformation sprout in earbuds?

Great article in today's St. Petersburg Times:

Can transformation sprout in earbuds?

Just when he needed a shot of salvation, Russ Blanchette found God in the strangest of places: a digital music player no bigger than a deck of cards.

"It's really helped deepen my understanding of my faith," says the 38-year-old electronics technician from Litchfield, N.H.

Suffering the strains of a marital separation, this father of three has been spending "about four hours a day" listening to daily devotionals, Bible readings and other spiritual programming on his RCA MP3 player, which can hold thousands of audio files Blanchette has downloaded from the Internet.

Cool.

Thanks to Dan O'Shea for calling this one to our attention.

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February 06, 2006

New Discoveries in New Guinea

It's amazing how the reticular activating system works. Just yesterday I'm watching the excellent National Geographic documentary Guns, Germs and Steel based UCLA professor Dr. Jared Diamond's book of the same name. In it he discusses at length the people of New Guinea and the reasons for their lack of material wealth when compared with those in North America and Europe.

Then today I'm scanning my blogs and see a post from 37signals pointing me too an article in The Independent entitled "Scientists hail discovery of hundreds of new species in remote New Guinea" with the following quote:

An astonishing mist-shrouded “lost world” of previously unknown and rare animals and plants high in the mountain rainforests of New Guinea has been uncovered by an international team of scientists… The scientists are the first outsiders to see it. They could only reach the remote mountainous area by helicopter, which they described it as akin to finding a “Garden of Eden”… In a jungle camp site, surrounded by giant flowers and unknown plants, the researchers watched rare bowerbirds perform elaborate courtship rituals. The surrounding forest was full of strange mammals, such as tree kangaroos and spiny anteaters, which appeared totally unafraid, suggesting no previous contact with humans.

How cool is that?

I'd highly recommend checking out the documentary or listening to Diamond's book on audio.

What a fascinating world we live in huh?

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January 28, 2006

My Goal? To Bring TED to You

Twice a year there's an amazing conference called the TED Conference that takes place. It's an astounding collection of people and speakers. In the past it has featured such speakers as Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Frank Gehry, Jane Goodall, Billy Graham. Here's a short introduction. And here's a list of just a few of the people who will be speaking this year:

Nicholas Negroponte - Founder and Director of MIT's Media Lab
Al Gore - Former Vice President
Tony Robbins - Motivational Speaker Extraordinaire
Rick Warren - Author of Mega-Best Seller The Purpose-Driven Life
Bill Joy - Co-Founder of Sun Microsystem

It's an amazing line-up. I love everything about it. And plan to attend one day.

But here's the problem with the TED Conference. They cap registrations for each conference at about 1,000 people and it costs $4,400 to attend. And while I totally understand why it's so expensive and exclusive the fact of the matter is that it leaves the other 6.5 billion of us out in the cold.

What do I propose?

Record the TED conference on digital audio and high-definition video and give it away for free.

Crazy you say? Yup, just crazy enough that it might work. It's one of those ridiculous goals that I think would get a lot of people fired up.

But wouldn't this destroy the market for TED tickets? Nope, it would work just the opposite. The Super Bowl is televised for free. Does that prevent people from paying a ton of money to go to the game? Hardly. Music from the most popular rock stars can be found for free on all the file sharing sites. What's happened to the demand for tickets to rock and roll shows?

Consistently throughout time it's been shown that when you give content that has a corresponding live event the demand for the live event almost always increases. My guess is that if you gave away the audio and video from TED you'd find that you could command $10,000 or more for a ticket due to the increased popularity and buzz that the conference would receive.

And imagine the difference it would make in the world.

Imagine firing up a speech from James Watson (you know, the guy who discovered the structure of DNA) or Craig Venter (the guy who mapped the human genome) on your way into work in the morning. Or sinking into your couch after a long day and watching a presentation from Jimmy Wales (The Founder of Wikipedia), Steven Levitt (Author of Freakonomics) or Bono (actually you can do that last one here). All past TED speakers. All with a mission to push the world forward.

Can you imagine a child in Africa being able to sit down in front of a computer and learning from all these people? Or a person in the midst of sorrow or depression being so inspired by these intellectual and philosphical giants that they decide to change their lives for the better? It's possible. More than that, it's necessary.

We need millions of people tuning into TED in the morning on the way to work instead of Howard Stern.

We need those same people replacing some of their daily diet of mind-numbing television programming with TED or something like it.

TED represents the best of what's out there when it comes to content.

And sadly only 1,000 people will experience that next month.

I want to change that. Help me in my goal to bring TED to the masses. Send an e-mail to tedfeedback@macromedia.com (the only e-mail that I have for them, if you've got a better one let me know!). Join in on a conversation about this over at The Conversations Network or in our forums (link below). Or drop me an e-mail at jon@learnoutloud.com and tell me how you think we can do this.

The impact this could have is tremendous. The technology is ready and willing to make this a reality. The need for this type of infomration to be disseminated to the world is real.

Let's make this happen.

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January 19, 2006

Our Reason for Being

(Sorry for the blog barrage today...I'm on a roll... :))

This my friends is why we started LearnOutLoud. It's to make this a reality for children around the world (and everyone else too).

(If the movie doesn't play go here.)

How incredibly cool is that?

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January 16, 2006

The Dirty Dozen: 12 Predictions for Digital Audio and Video

With 2006 upon everyone is offering their predictions for the year so I figured I would throw my hat in the ring, especially as it comes to the future digital audio and video. Paul Colligan and Alex Mandossian over at MarketingOnlineLive.com got me thinking about this yesterday during one of their podcasts and 24 hours later I've got a list of what I think will transpire in the next 12 months. Enjoy!

1. Device convergence will happen more quickly than anyone realizes. When you're walking down the street carrying both a cell phone and iPod (or other mobile player) and you bump into your friend who has a killer cell phone will all the same mobile media functionality as your iPod you're going to want to switch...soon. The number of people who carry a combination cell phone/media player will grow significantly through 2006 and explode in 2007. Here's a recent quote from Sun CEO Scott McNealy, "It's going to be hard to sell a lot of iPods five years from now when every cell phone is going to be able to automatically access your library wherever you are." I don't think that's going to take five years. Verizon has a phone with a 4 Gig chip on the horizon. The convergence trend will happen quickly. And when it does it's likely going to mean...

2. The iPod could become the next TiVo. TiVo is a superior product to any other DVR on the market. It has a great interface and does pretty much everything very well. Yet the general consensus is that unless something changes soon the TiVo will go the way of the dodo bird. The problem? Distribution. Requiring a consumer to buy an extra box and an extra service means asking them to jump through two more hoops than they have to when they get a DVR from their cable company. Apple will face the same challenge with the iPod. As device convergence emerges people will begin to wonder why they need to purchase a separate device and load content on it when they can just do everything through their cell phone. So unless Apple makes significant strides in the mobile phone space their domainance in the mobile media market will quickly fade.

3. Google Video will be bigger than anyone realizes. Google Video appears to be able on the cusp of doing something that no one has really done to date: Allowing individuals a significant opportunity for monetization of video content. Their current video store leaves a lot to be desired but I trust that they will figure this out...after all, they are Google. And when they give people an incentive to produce quality video content and get paid 70 cents on the dollar for their efforts the game changes significantly. They'll be empowering the little guy to sell video content much the same way that a certain little company called eBay empowered the little guy to sell products a decade ago. And we all know how well that worked out for eBay...

4. Satellite video will arrive...courtesy of the satellite radio guys. Two themes seem to be emerging in video: The ability of companies like Google Video and Netflix to meet the demand for long-tail content and the ability of Apple and others to provide space-shifted content (see Prediction #12). Space-shifting allows people to view video content whereever they are. I can watch content on the train on the way to work, when I'm at the gym, at home on my new HD TV (I wish...), etc. Who is best positioned to provide this? It just might be XM and Sirius, the satellite radio companies. Their mobile players offer a ton of potential and Sirius already has announced plans for video in 2006. It's very likely the day will soon come when people consider ditching their cable or DirecTV subs for an XM or Sirius-powered satellite video service.

5. Real Rhapsody for the spoken word will surface. I love Real Rhapsody. And their new Rhapsody-To-Go service is killer and would be a huge hit if only Apple would take down the walled garden and let Real license its DRM. But enough about music...let's talk about the spoken word. It seems to me like a huge opportunity exists to do for the spoken word what Real/Yahoo!/Napster have done for music. Don't limit someone to just a couple of audio books a month (a la Audible.com). Instead give someone the ability to listen to whatever they want, whenever they want. If you're an hour into an audio book and it sucks, fine, just jump to something better. There are a few companies right now vying for the non-Apple/Audible/iPod spoken word throne: Sounds Good, Jiggerbug and Simply Audiobooks. A tremendous opportunity exists for one of them to attempt to create a Rhapsody-like service for audio books. I'd be one of their first subscribers.

6. Audible will hit an unexpected snag with WordCast. Audible recently launched WordCast, their podcasting service to enable advertising and/or premium content. There's just one slight problem. If I'm an author and want to get an audio book up on Audible's website I'm looking at a royalty somewhere in the neighborhood of 15%. But if I take that same audio book and sell it through WordCast (complete with DRM if I wish) my take jumps to 80%. Does something seem strange here? I think at some point there has to be an acknowledgement that all of the "services" that traditional publishers and companies like Audible provide lose a lot of their luster in a world in which it's increasingly easy to go directly to the consumer with your products. Somehow the gap between 15% and 80% will have to close and that could be a bit painful for Audible.

7. Podshow will focus on music and Odeo will focus on personalized communication. The two podcast-related companies that received major chunks of funding in 2005 will find themselves in a bit of a tough spot in 2006. The big boys like iTunes and Yahoo! have the directory game pretty well sown up and the market for podcast production software is becoming increasingly commoditized. But all hope is certainly not lost for these companies. The most sensible thing appears to be for Podshow to focus on the music side of podcasting, the area in which Adam Curry and Ron Bloom have the most knowledge. Becoming anything and everything to musicians looking to market themselves via podcasts seems to offer an incredible opportunity for the company and I hope that's what their focus becomes. As for Odeo, Evan Williams has expressed a desire to be closely involved with facilitating personal communication via RSS. He's a visionary in that regard and to the best of my knowledge, one of the few people talking about it. To the extent that Odeo makes it incredibly easy for people to send and receive podcasts to and from friends and family I think they have a tremendous business. Like Podshow, they'll fail only to the extent that they try to dominate podcasting as a whole rather than focusing on a specific niche of what is rapidly becoming a huge industry.

8. OPML matching will arrive on the scene. This prediction strikes me as somewhat obvious but suprisingly absent from the current dialogue. If you and I each subscribe to 20 podcasts and it just so happens that 17 of them are the same then I want to know the three you've subscribed to that I haven't and you would likely want to know the same thing. I'm not certain but this doesn't seem like rocket science. To the extent that someone launches a service that allows for this and it reaches critical mass you'll have an amazing discovery service for podcasts, something that will become even more important as tens of thousands of new podcasts come online this year. I'm not sure exactly what AmigoFish and Loomia are doing with their recommendation services but if they haven't incorporated OPML matching yet it would be a great idea. And get Netflix to do this for movie queues while you're at it... :)

9. Many "mini" multimedia portals will be launched. Music artists have fans. Many fans will buy whatever the artist is selling (hence, $40 concert T-shirts). Artists set up fan clubs. Fan pay annual fees for "goodies." Everyone is happy. Now why not do this for authors, gurus, etc. Why shouldn't a Tony Robbins or Tom Peters have their own multimedia portal? You could pay $20 a month and have access to exclusive audio and video content, RSS feeds and other stuff that fans of these individuals would eat up. A lot of big names could literally bring on thousands or tens of thousands of subscribers overnight. Do the math and consider that almost all of this revenue falls directly to the bottom line and you can see that we're talking about a huge opportunity here. Companies like iAmplify, What is Enlightenment?, Integral Naked, The Great Lecture Library and many others are already doing something of this nature for collections of content. Multimedia portals around individuals are next.

10. Podcast prioritzation will become a reality. I want to be able to communicate to my media player that I have a 45 minute drive ahead of me and have the media player automatically figure out the best content to deliver to me based on the amount of time I have, the latest content that's been loaded to my player and the preferences that I've given it ahead of time. Sound farfetched? It's not. In fact, Taldia is offering something very close to this right now. The only problem with their system is that they haven't incorporated prioritization into podcast feeds yet, just for the news feeds they offer. If they (or someone else) offers the ability to give me a "custom commute" I'll sign up in a heartbeat. When that happens manually locating which podcasts you've recently put on your iPod, which you've listened to, calculating how much time you have to listen and how long each episode is...all that will seem so 2005.

11. Live event content will start to tap its true potential. Every day, around the U.S. and around the world many thousands of people say things worth listening to in classrooms, seminars, conferences and other forums. A very small percentage of that content is recorded. An even smaller percentage is distributed to a wide audience via the Internet. Why? You tell me. I haven't been able to figure it out yet. If this content wasn't worth listening to or watching people wouldn't pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to attend these events. And while there are some benefits of attending a live event there are also some significant drawbacks. I think the market for the recording and distribution of live events is an incredibly huge one and hope that 2006 is the year when many people wake up to this. We're hoping that efforts like Doug Kaye's Conversations Network and our soon-to-be launched LearnDirect service will help provide the match that starts the fire.

12. New words will be coined and gain widespread adoption. This list of predictions wouldn't be complete without a prediction for a few new words that will enter the lexicon in 2006. Here are some that I think will enter the dialogue this year as well as a couple that I'm definitely hoping will. :)

Space-shifting - As previously mentioned, this is the ability of content to be with you whereever you are. To the extent that content can be consumed anywhere it's value increases tremendously. That's incredibly important for those providing content and distribution channels to understand.

Dead-time Learning - Thanks to Paul and Alex who've used this term on their show for a while. Dead-time learning refers to turning time that is normally thought of as intellectually unproductive (e.g., commuting, exercising, etc.) into prime learning time. It's taking your hour commute and using it to learn a new foreign language, study for a certification exam or stay on top of trends in your industry. By doing so you'll free up more time to spend with your friends and family, devote to your hobbies and do the things that you previously thought you didn't have time for.

DRM-free - People already use the term "DRM-free" but I'm hoping/predicting that it will become thought of as more of a feature in 2006. People will start to actively seek out DRM-free sources of content and show an increasing willingness to pay more for content that hasn't had DRM applied to it. It won't be because they're looking to illegally share such content but rather because they want to have the versatility to share content they legally purchased across the increasing number of devices they own.

Learning Out Loud - My wish for 2006 is that people increasingly talk about their desire to "learn out loud" which I define as using audio or video content for personal and professional development. Part of this is a selfish desire as the CEO of LearnOutLoud.com and part of this is (hopefully) a very altruistic desire to see everyone become more educated this year. I truly feel that education represents the rising tide with the potential to lift all boats. And I also feel that in an era of globalization and increasing competition "lifelong learning" becomes less of an option and more of a requirement if you want to stay ahead of the curve and possibly even keep your job.

So we'll see how this all shakes out. At the end of the day I'm more excited than 2006 than I've ever been excited about an upcoming year and many of the people I've talked to lately have expressed the same sense of hope and optimism. There are so many cool technologies coming down the pipe and the opportunity to effect positive and lasting change in the world is more real than it's ever been.

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January 13, 2006

MLK Out Loud

When people ask me "Why audiobooks?" there are a few common responses that I'll give. It's a great alternative or supplement to reading. You can listen while you're driving or at the gym. Sometimes it's easier to remember what you hear than what you read. But there's one another one that's really powerful:

Some listening experiences just can't be duplicated in print.

Probably the best example I can give of this is listening to A Knock at Midnight, an outstanding collection of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s sermons. I mean I guess you could read these but I doubt that it would move you the way listening to King himself preach would. When I flip this on my iPod (something I find myself increasingly doing) I almost immediately get goosebumps. I'm not sure quite what it is about King's preaching that does that to me.

As most of you here in the United States know, Monday is Martin Luther King Day. For many people it's just another freebie holiday that they probably won't think twice about. And that's a shame. Because it's an awesome opportunity to learn more about an amazing man who has done so much in the struggle for justice and equality here in the U.S. and around the world.

Today David put the finishing touches on MLK Out Loud, an attempt on our part to bring together all of the audio and video content from or about King that we could find. There is a ton of great stuff linked from the page including biographies, documentaries, collections of sermons and of course King's stirring "I Have a Dream" speech. We've tried to find as many free audio and video resources as we could too knowing that there are a lot of teachers who would love to use them to relay the power of King's message to their classes.

I wanted to say a special thank you to American Rhetoric which hosts several of King's speeches for free. If you have a minute, drop Michael Eidenmuller who runs the site a quick line and tell him thanks.

In the "I Have a Dream" speech King talks about a faith that he has. In his words:

With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

It's a faith we need more of in this day and age when King's message of brotherhood is as relevant as it has ever been.

Take some time this long holiday weekend to listen to one of his King's speeches or order one of his audio books. It's a great way to celebrate his legacy and a powerful way to learn more about the man who has touched so many lives.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

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January 06, 2006

Peaceful Warrior The Movie

I had the distinct privilege of being invited to attend an advance screening of the new movie Peaceful Warrior which is based on Dan Millman's book Way of The Peaceful Warrior. The movie comes out in June and you'll definitely want to check it out. It's both a touching story and very thought-provoking. And I would highly recommend reading the book or listening to the audio book beforehand. As with any movie a lot gets left out but I thought they did do a pretty good job in sticking to the theme of the book.

If you're interesting in catching a little of Dan's work for free you can take a listen to the Dan Millman Podcast which we host on LearnOutLoud. We've only got one episode currently up but more will be on the way soon.

Thanks to Dan for the invite and kudos to him and everyone at Lion's Gate for their work on the film. It may or may not be the next Hollywood blockbuster but the inspiration it will provide for many will far outweigh any dollar figures.

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January 04, 2006

Five Things That Make It Easy To Get Up In the Morning

Why do you get out of bed in the morning?

It's a question worth asking often. Last night I was reading a quote I have on the wall at home. It's from a commencement address that Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave to Stanford students last June.

For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

The answer for me is "Yes" and I thought I'd share with you five reason why. Five reasons for being (I thought I'd dress it up with a bit of French). Bear with me. I think you'll see my point by the end. :)

Raison d'etre #1 - I want to learn from the world. Today, around the world, there are thousands of people teaching. Scratch that. There are millions of people teaching. I want to learn from them. I don't want to be limited to learning from the minute percentage that broadcast media gives to us. The few talking heads that say the same things in the same way. That doesn't do it for me.

Tomorrow somewhere someone will give a talk on some niche topic within the world of search engine optimization (or any of thousands of other subjects, take your pick. This person will know more than 99.99999% of the planet on the subject. His talk may reach 30 or even 300 people. Yet there are thousands of people around the world who could benefit from that talk. How do we enable that?

That's my raison d'etre #1.

Raison d'etre #2 - I want to teach the world. Maybe I have a message. Maybe I'm an expert in a particular area. Maybe the words that I spoke two days ago or two hours ago could add value to someone's life. Maybe I'm that guy or gal teaching that search engine class. Why should I have to limit my message to just the people in the room at the time of the class. In this era of technology and new media that makes no sense.

There's a reason why college professors are relatively underpaid (IMHO). It's because of leverage. Professors typically only reach a few dozen people at one time. They could be reaching hundreds, thousands or even millions. A child growing up in Africa could have the finest education in the world if the technology enabled it. And the people who are the best teachers of our era could at last become the rock stars that they truly are.

That's my raison d'etre #2.

Raison d'etre #3 - I want to immortalize wisdom. On the way to the office tonight I was listening to Martin Luther King Jr. (A Knock At Midnight is one of my "broken records"). Every time I listen to that I am so thankful that someone took the time to record his voice so that we have it for future generations. I'm glad that my children will one day listen to MLK's sermons and that they'll be able to pass them to their children.

But I also get sad when I think of all of the wisdom we have captured and that we'll never be able to go back and get. People who had incredible things to share with the world that we'll never be able to hear. So I plan to do my best to tell everyone to record everything. Not only will digital audio and video content have increasing monetary value in the upcoming years, it's also a tremendous legacy to leave to future generations.

That's my raison d'etre #3.

Raison d'etre #4 - I want to help the diamonds in the rough to be discovered. There are so many people out there who have incredible things to share with the world. They just need a little help to get that voice heard about the crowd. My buddy Brian Johnson is a great example. He has some incredible wisdom to share with the world.

In the past he would have had very limited options for sharing his spoken message with the world. But we've been able to post his content here at LearnOutLoud and now people are saying stuff like this:

Brian's reading of this collection of quotes on courage helps to enliven them for us - thus, giving us a greater chance of learning and mastering the courage we need in order to maxmize our lives.

There might not be anyone just like Brian out there but I guarantee there are a ton of people who have some awesome content out there and just need a little incentive to get it captured and online.

That's my raison d'etre #4.

Raison d'etre #5 - I'm frickin' selfish. :) The reason I love audio and video learning is that it gives me options for learning at all times throughout the day. Out for a run? I can throw on a pair of headphones and listen to an audio book or podcast. Need to veg on the couch for bit? Give me a cool video course or documentary to watch.

A big factor in the quality of our lives is the quality of the information we're exposed to. The better the information, the better our lives are. I want more choices. Audible has 5,000 audio books. Great. I want 50,000. iTunes promises 20,000 podcasts. Cool. I want 200,000. I want to give people the incentive to bring the absolute best possible content to market and share it with as many people as possible.

That's my raison d'etre #5.

So why do I bring all this up? Well, last night I had the opportunity to see a sneak preview of LearnDirect, the new service we'll be rolling out in a few weeks. It might be a bit presumptious to say this but LearnDirect (and other services like it that will no doubt follow) will. change. the. world. Sure, it won't happen overnight but when it comes to opening up the flow of information I think it has tremendous potential.

Let me go back to a quote from Jeffrey Sachs that I posted last week:

I believe that the single most important reason why prosperity spread, and why it continues to spread, is the transmission of technologies and the ideas underlying them.

We here at LearnOutLoud are incredibly excited to help with this "transmission." We hope you'll join us.

For more information about LearnDirect, please send an e-mail to learndirect@learnoutloud.com.

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January 03, 2006

Dylan Out Loud

Bob Dylan = Absolute Genius. That was first and primary reaction after watching No Direction Home, Martin Scorcese's film biography of the man who defies labels and has transcended generations. I've been a big Dylan fan for years (got hooked on Blood on the Tracks my sophomore year in college) but I didn't really know a lot about his life until recently.

In addition to the movie I've also been listening to Chronicles Volume One, a sort of rambling autobiography which is poetic and cryptic and engaging at the same time. Read by Sean Penn, this audio book is a must-listen for Dylan fans old and young.

What so impressed me about Dylan was his incredible focus for his craft. No Direction Home spends a lot of time covering the period in Dylan's life when he went "electric" which caused an incredible amount of consternation among the fans of his folk music. They even went so far as to boo him on stage and walk out of his concerts. Dylan's response? To keep on doing what he wanted to and not compromise his integrity to appease what other people wanted out of him.

No Direction Home was an amazing look at Dylan's life and I sat there spellbound through a good chunk of it. Not only is it a wonderful journey through musical history but it's also a compelling look at a man who has done so much and experienced an incredible array of highs and lows throughout his life. I think Bono expressed it best in a recent interview:

I mean, Bob Dylan is much more interesting with age, not less interesting. Some pretty boy face on the cover of a style magazine, or him! I want to stare at Dylan's face and I want to hear what he has to say because he has travelled a long road and he's got something worth hearing.

Indeed.

(And if you're interested in learning even a bit more about Dylan you may want to check out Bob Dylan: A Tribute or Bound for Glory, a book not about Dylan but about his biggest influence Woody Guthrie.)

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December 27, 2005

Education and The End of Poverty

During my plane flights back and forth to Minneapolis for the holidays I had a chance to dig a little deeper into Jeffrey Sachs' new book The End of Poverty. It's a remarkable study of the history of poverty and what we can do to end it in this generation. Here's a quote that I found particularly relevant to what we're doing here at LearnOutLoud:

I believe that the single most important reason why prosperity spread, and why it continues to spread, is the transmission of technologies and the ideas underlying them. Even more important than having specific resources in the ground, such as coal, was the ability to use modern, science-based ideas to organize production. The beauty of ideas is that they can be used over and over again, without ever being depleted.

I got goosebumps when I read that. The transmission of ideas is exactly what LearnOutLoud is all about. It's why I'm so excited for all of the cool stuff we're planning to roll out in 2006. And it's why I'm so incredibly passionate about bring the best audio and video educational content possible to as many people as I can.

I've been having some great discussion lately via e-mail with Wynn Williamson over at The Stingy Scholar blog (highly recommend by the way). Here's a snippet of a recent e-mail that he sent me to give you some flavor of what we've been chatting about:

Some of the best emails coming into Textbook Revolution and Stingy Scholar have been from people in countries like Papau New Guinea where there aren't textbooks to go around, let alone new and updated ones. Making these audio, video, and text materials available is a huge deal - not just because people can't afford to pay, but also because the openness makes translations possibility.

We've been discussing a lot of possibilities and I suggested to him that we bring the conversation out in the open and see if we could latch on a few other people to join us. So I'll keep this brief and we'll pick up the conversation in the forums. I'd love to hear from you so click the link below to join us. Through giving people increased access to ideas we will change the world. We would love it if you would want to be a part of that. :)

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December 09, 2005

Narnia Mania

If you haven't spent the last couple of months in a cave you're probably aware that Disney is releasing their latest projected blockbuster The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe today. The Chronicles of Narnia was originally a seven-book series written by C.S. Lewis. I fondly remember reading these as a child. I'd have to check with my parents but I'm pretty sure I probably read them all.

If you're a Narnia fan you'll want to check out a couple of things we've put together here at LearnOutLoud.com. The first is our C. S. Lewis Author Page. We've collected every audio and video title from or about C.S. Lewis that we could find. One of my favorites include the The Chronicles of Narnia CD Box Set which contains unabridged recordings of all seven Narnia books for a very affordable price ($52.50). Another interesting title is a reading of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe read by Michael York.

If you're interested in learning more about C.S. Lewis or delving into some of his non-Narnia material there are a couple of things you may want to check out. You can start with our free reading of the C. S. Lewis Wikipedia entry where you'll learn more about the man behind Narnia. Then you can move on to The C.S. Lewis Signature Classics Audio Collection, a collection containing The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain and Mere Christianity.

If you're heading to the movie this weekend drop a quick post in the forums and let us know how it was.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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October 28, 2005

Starting Fires

Caught this over on Brian Johnson's blog:

"Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire."
~ William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
Irish poet, playwright & mystic, winner of Nobel prize in 1923

If education is lighting a fire then we here at LearnOutLoud.com are pyromaniacs. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

(By the way, if you get an extra few minutes this weekend wander on over to Brian's author page and download some of his stuff. It's really good. Lately I've been particularly digging Quotes on Action and Quotes on Courage. Did I mention that it's free?)

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October 27, 2005

The Blue Flame

During my run today I was listening to Keith Ferrazzi's Never Eat Alone (highly recommended by the way!). He talks about the concept of the "blue flame" which he defines as "a convergence of mission and passion founded on a realistic self-assessment of your abilities." He goes on to talk about Joseph Campbell's blue flame.

After graduation, (Campbell) moved into a cabin in Woodstock, New York, where he did nothing but read from nine in the morning until six or seven each night for five years.

Ferrazzi goes on to quote Campbell himself:

"If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living."

Campbell was an amazing man. You can find all of Campbell's audio books and DVDs on our Joseph Campbell Author Page. I watched the video series Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth a year ago and throughly enjoyed it. I'm sure you will too!

By the way, I listened to Never Eat Alone on the "Faster" setting today on my iPod which increases the speed by about 20%. It sounds a bit different but not as bad as I thought it would. Considering that you could get through a 10 hour book in about 8 hours, it's something that I'll probably be doing a lot more of in the future. Definitely good when you've got a book that's heavy on information that you want to crank through.

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October 26, 2005

Gandhi Out Loud

I'm proud to announce that we've posted Gandhi Out Loud, the first in our Out Loud Series. The Out Loud series is designed to bring together all of the available audio and video material for a historical figure. I'm not aware of any other resource on the Internet for this. You can find bibliographies for many people with extensive listings of relevant books. But no one has done the same for audio and video...until now. :)

We're really excited to roll out a series of these with amazing people and great leaders such as Lincoln, Franklin, MLK, the Kennedys, Mother Theresa, etc. If you have any suggestions for people you would like to see us add to the Out Loud series, please send us an e-mail at suggestions@learnoutloud.com.

I had a lot of fun putting together this article on Gandhi. Particularly of note are his 1931 speech in London, his autobiography My Experiments with Truth and the 1982 epic film Gandhi starring Ben Kingsley. Amazingly, I watched that movie for the first time only a few weeks ago...

Enjoy learning about Gandhi through the resources we've linked to. He was an unbelievably amazing man and in today's age of war, more people than ever need to hear his message.

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October 11, 2005

Space Shifting

I heard another great phrase today which got me thinking. I've had to explain podcasting to more than a few people lately and one of the words I often use is "timeshifting" which is essentially the TiVo-like ability that allows you to listen to what you want, when you want. But for me that didn't really do podcasting justice. There was something else there...

Then I heard the phrase "spaceshifting" today and it fell into place. You see it's not just that I can listen to what I want when I want. It's also that I can listen to what I want where I want. With my iPod my content follows me around. I can be at the office or in my car or out for a jog and I'll still have my same audio books and podcasts with me. I think that's one of the things I'm most digging about podcasting and audio learning in general.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for video learning. With video, in most cases, I'm still somewhat tethered. If it's a DVD course I need to be at a PC or TV with a DVD player. Then I have to load up the DVD (usually takes a few minutes), figure out where I am, etc. It's not the instant gratification that we're coming to expect in our society.

Let me give you another example of this. I was checking out Integral Naked tonight and was a bit bummed that most of the content was video (I promised I would tell you why...). If all of the stuff was audio I think I would be stoked. I'd download it all to the ol' iPod and that would be the end of it. But with video I honestly don't know if I'll find the time to sit down and watch all of it. The files are short and since I have to be at a PC I can't just crash on my couch and watch it.

Don't get me wrong. I love the potential for video learning. There are many things that are so much easier to learn when you combine video with audio. But we've still got a long way to go. I want to be able to load all my video content on a portable device and be able to watch it on the device anywhere I am or plug it in to my laptop, PC, TV, etc. if I want a bigger screen. Give me time shifting and space shifting and then it'll be off to the races.

Of course that's probably a ways off...unless Apple decides to go ahead and announce the new video iPod at their "One More Thing" event tomorrow. :)

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October 10, 2005

Integral Naked

David did a great job of highlighting some good sites for MP3 downloads of great authors and teachers a couple of days ago. I'll add one more to the mix: Integral Naked. It's an interesting collection of audio and video self-development material with interviews with such luminaries as Deepak Chopra and Tony Robbins.

In Integral's own words:

Integral Naked is a multimedia doorway to the world of integral awareness. Conversations, performances, live events—all involving the most influential, provocative, and important thinkers and leaders in the world. Often these are moderated by Ken Wilber, considered the most influential integral theorist today, and his colleagues at Integral Institute.

It's a $10 monthly subscription which is pretty cheap considering the wealth of material. I was a bit bummed that most of it is video rather than audio (more on that later...) but it's still a pretty cool collection of content. I listened to a couple of interviews that Ken did with Tony Robbins today and was pretty impressed by what I heard.

Definitely go check it out as you'll have some more good stuff to stick into your iPod.

(Kudos to my buddy Bri for the tip on this one.)

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