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June 16, 2020

What Is The Great Courses Signature Collection?

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What is The Great Courses Signature Collection? Would you like access to over 200 video courses taught by some of the best professors in the USA? The Great Courses Signature Collection Channel on Amazon Prime Video will provide you with just that! At LearnOutLoud.com we’ve been fans of The Great Courses for two decades now. In fact we used to listen to their courses on cassette tapes in our car back when they were called The Teaching Company! They’ve grown greatly since then, adding hundreds of high quality audio & video courses to their catalog taught by the best university professors in the country. If you want to learn a little more about The Great Courses you can check out our description on our publisher page here: The Great Courses on LearnOutLoud.com.

The Great Courses can be accessed in a variety of ways. You can purchase them a la carte from their website TheGreatCourses.com or if you want to get courses on audio you can purchase over 500 of them with The Great Courses on Audible.com. They also have a subscription service called The Great Courses Plus. This is their $20/month service that now gives you full access to over 500 of their courses on audio & video (kind of like Netflix for the lifelong learner). The Great Courses Plus is a great service that we’ve been subscribed to for years, and it has excellent apps for your phone and your streaming devices so you can learn wherever you are on both audio & video.

But if that $20/month price tag is a little steep, you might want to try out The Great Courses Signature Collection on Amazon Prime Video. In order to subscribe to The Great Courses Signature Collection Channel you’ll need to be an Amazon Prime Member. If you are a member, you can subscribe to The Great Courses Signature Collection Channel for only $7.99/month (and they give you a 7-day free trial to check it out). What you’ll get from The Great Courses Signature Collection is a video library over 200 of the latest courses from The Great Courses. From the looks of it, they’ve selected newer courses that will play well on video for this library of over 200 courses that they offer. You can browse all of their courses in The Great Courses Signature Collection here:

Browse Over 200 Video Courses in The Great Courses Signature Collection

And we went through all the courses they offer and have listed them below by category. These are the courses they are offering as of June 2020 so this list of offerings may change over time. There has never been a better time to learn on video, and if you’re an Amazon Prime Video subscriber, then $7.99/month is a pretty great price to get access to over 200 of The Great Courses. Click through on any of the links below to get a description of the course along with a listing of all the course lectures. Here they all are:

Personal Growth Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

The Addictive Brain
The Aging Brain
Boosting Your Emotional Intelligence
Building Your Resilience: Finding Meaning in Adversity
Changing Body Composition through Diet and Exercise
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Techniques for Retraining Your Brain
Essentials of Strength Training
Essentials of Tai Chi and Qigong
Food, Science, and the Human Body
How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy
How to Make Stress Work for You
How to Stay Fit as You Age
How You Decide: The Science of Human Decision Making
The Learning Brain
Mastering Tai Chi
Masters of Mindfulness: Transforming Your Mind and Body
The Mayo Clinic Diet: The Healthy Approach to Weight Loss
The Mayo Clinic Guide to Pain Relief
Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us
Optimizing Brain Fitness
Outsmart Yourself: Brain-Based Strategies to a Better You
Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation
The Psychology of Performance: How to Be Your Best in Life
Raising Emotionally and Socially Healthy Kids
The Science of Integrative Medicine
The Science of Mindfulness: A Research-Based Path to Well-Being
The Science of Natural Healing
Scientific Secrets for Raising Kids Who Thrive
The Skeptic’s Guide to Health, Medicine, and the Media
Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature
Yoga for a Healthy Mind and Body
Your Best Brain

History Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

30 Masterpieces of the Ancient World
The Age of Benjamin Franklin
The Agency: A History of the CIA
America in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
American Military History: From Colonials to Counterinsurgents
The American West: History, Myth, and Legacy
Ancient Civilizations of North America
Ancient Mesopotamia: Life in the Cradle of Civilization
The Architecture of Power: Great Palaces of the Ancient World
The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes
The Big History of Civilizations
The Black Death: The World’s Most Devastating Plague
Books that Matter: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
The Celtic World
Cities of the Ancient World
The Decisive Battles of World History
An Economic History of the World Since 1400
Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals
Foundations of Eastern Civilization
Foundations of Western Civilization II: A History of the Modern Western World
The Great Trials of World History and the Lessons They Teach Us
The History and Achievements of the Islamic Golden Age
A History of British India
A History of Eastern Europe
A History of India
The History of Spain: Land on a Crossroad
History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective
History’s Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach
How Winston Churchill Changed the World
Investigating American Presidents
The Irish Identity: Independence, History, and Literature
King Arthur: History and Legend
Living History: Experiencing Great Events of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds
Living the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon
Lost Worlds of South America
Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed
The Mysterious Etruscans
A New History of the American South
The Ottoman Empire
Play Ball! The Rise of Baseball as America’s Pastime
The Real History of Secret Societies
Renaissance: The Transformation of the West
The Rise of Rome
The Roman Empire: From Augustus to The Fall of Rome
The Skeptic’s Guide to American History
Turning Points in Middle Eastern History
Turning Points in Modern History
Understanding Greek and Roman Technology: From Catapult to the Pantheon
Understanding Imperial China: Dynasties, Life, and Culture
Understanding Russia: A Cultural History
Understanding the Inventions That Changed the World
Warriors, Queens, and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women before 1400
Writing and Civilization: From Ancient Worlds to Modernity

Science Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

Algebra I
Archaeology: An Introduction to the World’s Greatest Sites
Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science
Big Data: How Data Analytics Is Transforming the World
Black Holes, Tides, and Curved Spacetime: Understanding Gravity
Brain Myths Exploded: Lessons from Neuroscience
Chemistry and Our Universe: How It All Works
Everyday Engineering: Understanding the Marvels of Daily Life
Experiencing Hubble: Understanding the Greatest Images of the Universe
Foundations of Organic Chemistry
Geometry: An Interactive Journey to Mastery
The Higgs Boson and Beyond
How Colors Affect You: What Science Reveals
The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries
Introduction to Astrophysics
An Introduction to Infectious Diseases
The Joy of Mathematics
Life in Our Universe
Math and Magic
The Mathematics of Games and Puzzles: From Cards to Sudoku
Mind-Bending Math: Riddles and Paradoxes
Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time
The National Geographic Guide to Birding in North America
The Nature of Matter: Understanding the Physical World
Nuclear Physics Explained
Our Night Sky
Physics and Our Universe: How It All Works
Plant Science: An Introduction to Botany
The Power of Mathematical Visualization
Quantum Mechanics: The Physics of the Microscopic World
Radio Astronomy: Observing the Invisible Universe
Redefining Reality: The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science
The Remarkable Science of Ancient Astronomy
Robotics
The Science of Energy: Resources and Power Explained
The Science of Extreme Weather
The Science of Information: From Language to Black Holes
The Scientific Wonder of Birds
The Search for Exoplanets: What Astronomers Know
Secrets of Mental Math
The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
Thermodynamics: Four Laws That Move the Universe
Understanding Modern Electronics
Understanding the Quantum World
Understanding the World’s Greatest Structures: Science and Innovation from Antiquity to Modernity
What Darwin Didn’t Know: The Modern Science of Evolution
What Einstein Got Wrong
The World’s Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites

Instructional Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

The Art of Debate
The Art of Public Speaking: Lessons from the Greatest Speeches in History
The Art of Travel Photography: Six Expert Lessons
Becoming a Great Essayist
Discovering Your Roots: An Introduction to Genealogy
Do-It-Yourself Engineering
Dog Training 101
The Everyday Gourmet: Baking Pastries and Desserts
The Everyday Gourmet: Cooking with Vegetables
The Everyday Gourmet: Essential Secrets of Spices in Cooking
The Everyday Gourmet: How to Master Outdoor Cooking
The Everyday Gourmet: The Joy of Mediterranean Cooking
The Everyday Gourmet: Making Great Meals in Less Time
The Everyday Gourmet: Making Healthy Food Taste Great
The Everyday Gourmet: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking
The Everyday Guide to Wine
Food: A Cultural Culinary History
Fundamentals of Photography
Fundamentals of Photography II
Fundamentals of Sustainable Living
The Fundamentals of Travel Photography
How to Become a SuperStar Student, 2nd Edition
How to Draw
How to Grow Anything: Make Your Trees and Shrubs Thrive
How to Grow Anything: Your Best Garden and Landscape in 6 Lessons
How to Paint
How to Play Chess: Lessons from an International Master
How to Program: Computer Science Concepts and Python Exercises
How to Publish Your Book
Learning Statistics: Concepts and Applications in R
Learning to Play Guitar: Chords, Scales, and Solos
Martial Arts for Your Mind and Body
The National Geographic Guide to Landscape and Wildlife Photography
National Geographic Masters of Photography
Outdoor Fundamentals: Everything You Need to Know to Stay Safe
The Science of Gardening
Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story
Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques

Language Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

Biblical Hebrew: Learning a Sacred Language
Building a Better Vocabulary
Decoding the Secrets of Egyptian Hieroglyphs
English Grammar Boot Camp
English in America: A Linguistic History
Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language
Language Families of the World
Latin 101: Learning a Classical Language
Learning French: A Rendezvous with French-Speaking Cultures
Learning Spanish II: How to Understand and Speak a New Language
Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language
Understanding Nonverbal Communication

Literature Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

A Children’s Guide to Folklore and Wonder Tales
Great Mythologies of the World
Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature
Heroes and Legends: The Most Influential Characters of Literature
How Great Science Fiction Works
How to Read and Understand Shakespeare
Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation
Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy
The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction

Music Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

The 23 Greatest Solo Piano Works
Great Music of the 20th Century
The Great Works of Sacred Music
How to Play Piano
Music and the Brain
Music as a Mirror of History

Philosophy Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

Athenian Democracy: An Experiment for the Ages
The Big Questions of Philosophy
Death, Dying, and the Afterlife: Lessons from World Cultures
An Introduction to Formal Logic
The Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World’s Great Intellectual Traditions
Mind-Body Philosophy
The Modern Political Tradition: Hobbes to Habermas

Religion Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

The Apocryphal Jesus
Books that Matter: The Analects of Confucius
Books that Matter: The City of God
The Cathedral
Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas
The History of Christianity II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch
Holy Land Revealed
How Jesus Became God
Jesus and His Jewish Influences
Sacred Texts of the World
Thinking About Religion and Violence
The World’s Greatest Churches

Travel Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

The Great Tours: England, Scotland, and Wales
The Great Tours: Experiencing Medieval Europe
Great Tours: Greece and Turkey, from Athens to Istanbul
Wonders of the National Parks: A Geology of North America

Business Courses from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

The Art of Investing: Lessons from History’s Greatest Investors
Critical Business Skills for Success
The Economics of Uncertainty
How to Build a Thriving Workplace: A Leader’s Guide
Mastering Stage Presence: How to Present to Any Audience
Money Management Skills
Understanding Investments

Courses in Other Categories from The Great Courses Signature Collection:

Anthropology and the Study of Humanity
How the World Learns: Comparative Educational Systems
How to View and Appreciate Great Movies
Law School for Everyone
Medical School for Everyone: Emergency Medicine
Medical School for Everyone: Grand Rounds Cases
Medical School for Everyone: Pediatrics Grand Rounds
Polar Explorations
The Surveillance State: Big Data, Freedom, and You
Thinking about Cybersecurity: From Cyber Crime to Cyber Warfare

Learn something new from The Great Courses Signature Collection on Amazon Prime Video!




November 15, 2017

Best FRONTLINE Documentaries & Podcasts

FRONTLINE has produced over 500 documentary films on contemporary social and political issues in the past 20 years. And you can not only watch most of them online for free through the PBS FRONTLINE website, but you can also listen to over 50 of them on the Frontline Audiocast Podcast. While the popular Frontline Audiocast Podcast lacked the visual component, it still was usually comprehendible as an audio podcast with some audio cues to aid listeners. Now FRONTLINE has launched their first audio-only podcast in The FRONTLINE Dispatch Podcast and it applies FRONTLINE’s investigative reporting to the podcast medium with superb audio documentaries. Check it out here:

The FRONTLINE Dispatch Podcast

This new podcast currently features five audio documentaries. In each documentary a journalist guides you through the story as it is interspersed with interviews and audio source material to aid in the storytelling. For an interesting listen, check out the episode “The Housing Fix” which examines the complicated relationship between slum landlords, tenants, and city planners, as many living in poverty are evicted from their homes to make way for pricier housing developments. Set in the city neighborhoods of Dallas, but indicative of what’s happening in many U.S. urban cities, the audio documentary paints a complex portrait of the challenges in maintaining affordable living conditions for the nation’s poor and lower middle class. That’s just one of the audio documentaries you can hear in this new podcast from FRONTLINE that you’ll probably want to subscribe to.

If you’d like to listen to FRONTLINE documentaries, then can also listen to over 50 of them on the:

Frontline Audiocast – PBS Podcast

The PBS Frontline series are some of the best documentaries available on public television, but it’s often difficult to carve out time to sit down and watch them. Now Frontline has released a group of their documentaries as audio podcasts and they actually work really well as just audio. Since most of the Frontline documentaries feature talking heads interviews along with narration they don’t really require the visual component. Also Frontline has done the service of inserting audio of the name of the person who is talking before each interview. Each podcast runs about an hour.

We also feature over 150 of the best FRONTLINE documentaries on streaming video on our site and we plan add more soon. Browse the best of FRONTLINE on LearnOutLoud:

Browse Over 150 of the Best Free FRONTLINE Documentaries

FRONTLINE also has started their 36th season. Below are three of the best documentaries from the new season:

North Korea’s Deadly Dictator

In North Korea’s Deadly Dictator, FRONTLINE presents the bizarre story of the murder of Kim Jong-un’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia in February of 2017. As the days after the murder by chemical attack progressed, the investigation increasingly appeared to be an assassination conducted by the North Korean leadership in response to Kim Jong-nam speaking up against the regime. The documentary then turns towards the increasing aggression of North Korea and their nuclear weapons program which has loomed over 2017. It covers the response of the Trump administration and potential ways of dealing with the threat North Korea poses. The documentary features footage from inside North Korea and interviews of experts on the Korean conflict.

Mosul

In the FRONTLINE documentary Mosul, viewers will get an inside look at the battle young Iraqi soldiers fought to drive ISIS out of Mosul in Iraq. It’s a brutal and sometimes graphic look at the violence in the region. The documentary doesn’t feature narration, but instead focuses on the battles and words of the soldiers fighting them. With many innocent men, women, and children caught in the crossfire and a city decimated, it is a difficult look into the heart of a battle that cost thousands of civilian lives.

Putin’s Revenge

In the two-part documentary Putin’s Revenge, FRONTLINE casts a light on the Russian President Vladimir Putin. In part one you’ll learn about Putin’s role in the KGB at the end of the Cold War and his rise to power under Boris Yeltsin. You’ll also hear about his ongoing strain with the United States including Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama. By gaining firm control of Russian state media, Putin has been able to shift the blame of many global conflicts and uprisings onto the United States. His ire against the U.S. was eventually directed towards Hillary Clinton who was the U.S. Secretary of State at the time Muammar Gaddafi was ousted from power and killed in Libya. Part two of Putin’s Revenge focuses on Putin’s more recent political meddling in the Ukraine and then in the Presidential election of the United States. U.S. intelligence agents and journalists comment on the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails and the cyber campaigns and fake news stories that were initiated to tarnish the campaign of Hillary Clinton. At the same time of these attacks, Republican candidate Donald Trump encouraged both the Russians and Wikileaks to hack emails in order to expose the corruption of his opponent Hillary Clinton. And on election day in November of 2016, Putin believed he had succeeded in his attempts to influence U.S. politics and derail the Clinton campaign, when Donald Trump was elected U.S. President. If you’d like to listen to Putin’s Revenge, you can listen to it on the Frontline Audiocast Podcast as well.

In addition to this 2-hour documentary, FRONTLINE has put up over 30 full length interviews with many of the key interviewees featured in the Putin’s Revenge documentary, including many interviews that last over an hour in length. They’ve assembled a YouTube playlist which you can watch all of the interviews on:

FRONTLINE: The Putin Files

And in the past we’ve featured numerous FRONTLINE documentaries in our Free Resource of the Day Email. Here are all the FRONTLINE documentaries we’ve featured in the past. Note: It seems that only U.S. viewers can watch these for free. Sorry to our international users.

The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela

This 2-hour PBS FRONTLINE documentary covers Nelson Mandela’s amazing life story, from his radical political activism in Johannesburg as a youth to his over 20-year imprisonment, and then to his remarkable rise as the President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 in which he presided over the dismantling of apartheid. This documentary features excellent footage from all periods in Mandela’s life along with interviews of the people closest to him. It’s a story that must be heard to be believed. Watch this superb documentary from PBS online.

The Wounded Platoon

Watch this free FRONTLINE documentary, and it will certainly bring our armed service veterans to the forefront of your mind. This PBS documentary takes a look at a platoon of U.S. infantrymen and their tours of duty in Iraq and the difficulties they faced in returning to everyday life. It provides a glimpse into the horrors of war, along with the horrors of returning from war when psychological wounds often haunt soldiers. The film examines the lives of numerous men from this platoon, many of whom are inflicted with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which sometimes leads to violent and self-destructive behavior. It’s a sobering reminder of our collective responsibility to our veterans and to the soldiers currently serving the United States of America.

The Soldier’s Heart

This free FRONTLINE documentary will certainly bring our armed service veterans to the forefront of your mind. This 2005 PBS documentary examines the lives of numerous men who returned from the Iraq War and were inflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The veterans tell their stories of the horrors of war and the difficulty they had in coping with life after coming home. Numerous mental health professionals offer their advice on coping with PTSD throughout the documentary. It’s a sobering reminder of our collective responsibility to our veterans and to the soldiers currently serving the United States of America. This documentary is available on streaming video through the PBS website.

Syria Behind the Lines

Watch this recent PBS Frontline documentary to get an up close view of the ongoing Syrian civil war. Award-winning filmmaker Olly Lambert attempts to show both sides of the conflict by following a Sunni rebel soldier and a Syrian Army soldier serving in President Bashar al-Assad’s army. It’s a pretty horrific documentary depicting graphic imagery of the ongoing violence in this bloody conflict with a death toll surpassing 100,000. But, in light of recent events, it is definitely worth watching to get a glimpse into what is happening in Syria on the ground level.

Syria Undercover & The Regime Responds

These two documentaries on Syria were aired in November 8, 2011. In the 30-minute documentary “Syria Undercover” reporter Ramita Navai goes undercover to see what is happening to protesters during the Syria uprising. She seems to enter one dangerous scenario after another as the Syrian army cracks down on the protests. In the second 20-minute documentary “The Regime”, Frontline takes a look at the history of the rule of the Al-Assad family over Syria since 1970. They examine the rule of the current President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, and how his reforms may have led to the Syrian uprising during the “Arab Spring” movement, which President Assad is now trying to suppress.

The Rise of ISIS

Watch this PBS Frontline documentary on the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Starting with the withdrawal of American ground troops, this documentary examines the political climate of Iraq and the conflicts between Shiites and Sunni Iraqis since that time. After increased dissatisfaction with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his support of Shiites, the Sunni insurgency began to grow. Aided by the rise of ISIS in the Syrian Civil War, the group began driving out Iraqi government forces in key western cities in Iraq. The documentary concludes with ISIS controlling large portions of both Iraq and Syria, and revealing their notorious human rights abuses and war crimes. With interviews from U.S. intelligence officials and members of the Obama administration, the documentary examines the increased recent involvement of the U.S. in the region and the possibility of putting ground troops back in Iraq. This 50-minute documentary is available to stream for free from the PBS Frontline website.

Digital Nation

In this PBS documentary Frontline turns its eye to our digital age and how the ubiquitousness of computers and the Internet are transforming our lives. They examine the role of digital technology from many angles, but primarily focus on its role in education. The big question is are these technologies enhancing education or dumbing it down, and the answers the filmmakers get are quite mixed. From the halls of MIT to the unique schools which utilize gaming as the primary form of learning, teachers and students chime in about what they think digital technology is doing to education. The documentary also explores virtual reality and the world of Second Life. They talk to avid gamers, IBM employees who virtually meet in Second Life, and veterans who utilize virtual reality to confront their PTSD. The film covers many other topics from Korean kids addicted to video games to military service members who conduct drone strikes from remote posts in Nevada. The filmmakers do an excellent job of showcasing what is gained and what is lost as we rapidly move forward as a digital nation.

Generation Like

In this superb follow up to his Frontline documentary The Merchants of Cool, Frontline filmmaker Douglas Rushkoff tries to figure out what is happening at the intersection of teens and corporate marketing in this new digital age. No longer the passive consumers of the media that is presented to them, teens are now empowered through social media with a new social currency of “likes”. From Facebook to YouTube to Twitter, Rushkoff looks at how teens are interacting with celebrities, movies, and brands in new ways. He interviews rising YouTube stars about the ways they are collaborating with companies to market their products. He also goes to some of the hottest social media marketing companies to see how they generate buzz for their clients. In the end he finds that the idea of “selling out” is something foreign to this new digital generation and that they are plenty willing to play along with corporate marketing in exchange for more “likes”.

And if you want to revisit them, they’ve been offering their special Presidential election documentaries “The Choice” on their YouTube channel for the past three election cycles:

FRONTLINE: The Choice 2008

Watch this 2-hour PBS Frontline documentary entitled “The Choice 2008”. This informative documentary intertwines the biographical story of the presidential candidates John McCain & Barack Obama along with a behind-the-scenes look at the ups and downs of their presidential campaigns over the past few years. A host of commentators from political strategists to biographers to personal friends of the candidates chime in with their observations. This documentary is free to watch on streaming video on YouTube.

Frontline: The Choice 2012

Each presidential election year PBS produces the Frontline documentary “The Choice”. Watch the 2-hour documentary “The Choice 2012” on YouTube. This documentary goes beyond the talking points of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and looks at their biographies in order to discover what drives them and informs their decisions. The documentary goes back to the upbringing of both candidates and follows them through their rise in politics and some of their more recent political struggles. It’s a good look at Obama and Romney with insightful interviews from some of the people that have been closest to them. Enjoy this free documentary.

Frontline: The Choice 2016

Each presidential election the PBS series Frontline produces an election special that profiles the two major candidates. Their two-hour special is now available to stream on their YouTube channel. This special covers the biographies of the frontrunners Hillary Rodham Clinton and Donald Trump, and the long and very different paths they took to reach this point. With interviews from biographers and people closest to each of the candidates you get an idea of what has driven these individuals throughout their careers. You’ll hear the story of Hillary Clinton and her entry into Democratic politics from her years as first lady of Arkansas and then the United States, to her role as Senator of New York and Secretary of State. You’ll also hear about the rise of Donald J. Trump, the wealthy American businessman who came of age in the 1980s and kept his brand alive into 1990s and became a reality TV star in the 2000s. You’ll hear about the scandals and hardships they’ve faced throughout their long lives in the public eye and their persistence through it all in “Frontline: The Choice 2016”.




February 29, 2016

2016 Presidential Candidates Biographies on Audio

Learn about the major 2016 Presidential Candidates with our latest recordings of their Wikipedia biographies on audio. Currently we’ve recorded entries for the leading Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and the leading Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Here is Hillary Clinton’s biography on audio from her Wikipedia article. This biographical text covers Clinton’s life from her early days to her life as the First Lady, up to her life as a senator and as Secretary of State. The article concludes with her current run for the 2016 presidential campaign. You can download it on MP3 here:

Who is Hillary Clinton?: Her Wikipedia Article on MP3 Audio Download

And we’ve also posted the full biography on audio to our YouTube channel for you to listen to:

And here is Donald Trump’s biography on audio from his Wikipedia article. This biographical text covers Trump’s life from his early business career, to his success on TV’s The Apprentice, to his many high profile real estate deals. The article concludes with his current run for the 2016 presidential campaign. You can download it on MP3 here:

Who is Donald Trump?: His Wikipedia Article on MP3 Audio Download

And we’ve also posted the full biography on audio to our YouTube channel for you to listen to:

And here is Bernie Sander’s biography on audio from his Wikipedia article. This short biographical text covers Sanders’ early life, his political evolution from Burlington Vermont mayor to U.S. Senator, and provides a summary of his various political beliefs. The article also includes information on his run as the democratic candidate in the 2016 U.S. Presidential campaign.

Who is Bernie Sanders?: His Wikipedia Article on MP3 Audio Download

And we’ve also posted the full biography on audio to our YouTube channel for you to listen to:

Get out there and vote!!




March 30, 2015

Best Free Audio & Video Learning Resources of All Time

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At LearnOutLoud.com we are celebrating our 10th anniversary! And a fun way to celebrate has been looking back on all the greatest free audio & video resources we’ve featured over the past 10 years! We’re almost up to email #2,000 of our Free Resource of the Day Emails, which we’ve been sending out since March of 2006 (one year after our official launch in March of 2005). We’ve gone back over this lengthy list and picked out the best of the best. We wanted a top 100 list, but there was just too much good stuff, so we’ve made a top 150 list of the best free resources we’ve featured. It’s a dizzying array of free audio & video that we’ve somehow attempted to rank according to greatness. Here it is, from the past 10 years of learning out loud!

1. I Have a Dream Speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.

We’ll start here. The “I Have a Dream” speech was our very first Free Resource of the Day back on March 1st, 2006. It’s always been one of our favorite free titles in our free directory. Delivered on August 28th, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., King’s passionate call for justice and equality was the battle cry for the civil rights movement in America.

2. The Words of Christ: From the Book of Matthew

This audio book, released by ThoughtAudio.com isolates everything uttered by Christ in the gospel according to Matthew. Extracted from the narrative of the Bible, Christ’s message is distilled to its core values. Simple in its language yet still potent in its ever-present challenge to humanity, this is as unfiltered of a view of the gospel as one might ever find. This recording is a wonderful opportunity to engage with the gospel from a new point of view. This audio book is available to download from LearnOutLoud.com.

3. Justice: What’s The Right Thing To Do? by Professor Michael Sandel

In this complete, 12-lecture video course from Harvard University, Professor Michael Sandel presents his popular course which explores difficult moral dilemmas and how we respond to them. In the first lecture he presents a few complex moral dilemmas and asks his class how they would respond to these conundrums. Through the answers students give he brings into question the assumptions behind their moral reasoning. He briefly addresses the ideas of utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham and tells of a true case which brings into question Bentham’s creed of “the greatest good for the greatest number”. It seems to be an excellent course and it is being offered totally free from Harvard University on streaming video through YouTube.

4. 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 it is 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, video download, and MP3 audio download from TED.com.

5. Wired for Books MP3 Page

Wired for Books is offering a page full of downloadable MP3 interviews with many of the best authors in contemporary literature. Compiled from the 1980s CBS Radio show, Book Beat, these interviews feature journalist Don Swaim spending roughly a half hour with the author discussing their books. Swaim seems to have done his research and to have read the works of the authors he interviews. The interviews seem very relaxed and off-the-cuff. Here’s a list of some of the people Swaim interviews: Douglas Adams, Maya Angelou, Isaac Asimov, Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, Ray Bradbury, William F. Buckley, Anthony Burgess, William Burroughs, Raymond Carver, Joan Didion, E. L. Doctorow, Bret Easton Ellis, Joseph Heller, John Irving, Erica Jong, Garrison Keillor, Norman Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates, Amy Tan, Studs Turkel, John Updike, Gore Vidal, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Elie Wiesel, and hundreds more. Just click to the MP3 page and remember to download these files by right-clicking on the Download File link and selecting Save Target As… Then it will allow you to download the file to an assigned place on your computer. Listen up!

6. The Art of Living

In Stanford’s Art of Living video course, four professors examine what it takes to live a well-lived life, using the world’s great literature as a base for study. With a series of lectures based on the works of Plato, the Bible, Shakespeare and the great philosophers, the course takes on the great questions that drive us forward, such as love, work, art, science and more. In the end, this course endeavors to open a dialogue with these great works in the hopes of giving students the skills they can build and use as they go about creating an ideal life.

7. Poetry Out Loud: Audio Guide

Download and listen to this series of MP3s from the National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Out Loud program. This audio guide features some of the most famous poems of all time read by distinguished actors and writers. The Poetry Out Loud audio guide hosted by Dana Gioia offers a valuable educational overview of the art, history and overwhelming social importance of poetry. Throughout the series, Gioia collects crucial insight from writers, teachers and actors that can help the student gain a better understanding of how to understand and appreciate a given poem. In what is perhaps the most satisfying treat of this collection, listeners are given the chance to hear famous voices such as Anthony Hopkins and Angela Landsbury as they recite classics from Shakespeare, Yeats, Frost to Eliot and many more. Download and listen to this series of MP3s from the National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Out Loud program.

8. Stephen R. Covey on Living a Principle-Centered Life

Dr. Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People gives an outstanding address at Montana State University on living a principally-centered life. He explains how those who live without principles tend to evaluate themselves according to what others think. He also encourages the incoming freshman he is addressing to not cram their studies in order to just get by in college, as that is a bad habit that Covey confesses he had which robbed him of much of the value of his early college education. This streaming video lecture is available on YouTube.

9. Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson

Editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine Chris Anderson follows up his bestselling book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, with his new book Free: The Future of a Radical Price. And in practicing what he preaches, Anderson and his publisher Hyperion are giving away his new audio book for free! We’ve listened to the prologue and it sounds like a very interesting book regarding the future of business in the digital age. You can download this audio book unabridged on iTunes, Audible.com, and Wired.com. The book is narrated by Mr. Anderson himself.

10. I’ve Been to the Mountaintop by Martin Luther King, Jr.

On April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. The night before he was assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his prophetic “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. In this stirring speech Dr. King looks back on his life and is thankful for all the positive changes in civil rights that occurred in his lifetime, and he is grateful to have lived in the second half of the 20th century when masses of people all over the world were standing up for freedom and human rights. Listen to this speech on streaming audio or download it on MP3 from American Rhetoric.

11. John Wooden on True Success

The legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden passed away in 2010 at the age of 99. Under Coach Wooden, UCLA won a record ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period. John Wooden left a legacy of leadership wisdom through his numerous books including his conception of “the Pyramid of Success”. In this talk delivered at the TED conference a few years ago, Wooden talks about true success being the satisfaction of knowing you that put forth your utmost effort in the game despite whether you win or lose. He readily quotes poetry and other sources of his inspiration throughout his life. This 20-minute talk is loaded with wisdom from a lifetime of success, and it is available on streaming video and video download from TED.com.

12. Sugar: The Bitter Truth by Robert H. Lustig

In this popular video from YouTube EDU, Professor Robert H. Lustig attempts to explain the American obesity epidemic as being due to the rise of sugar and fructose consumption over the past 30 years. He examines the history of high-fructose corn syrup and how it has made its way into drinks like soda, fruit juice, and sports drinks, along with many foods. He goes into a detailed biochemistry explanation of how fructose is converted into fat, and why he feels fructose is a poison with many of the same effects of alcohol. Lustig links these findings to the childhood obesity epidemic since children are drinking more and more high-fructose corn syrup beverages. He closes by advocating the elimination of sugar beverages, the increase of fiber in the diet, and more exercise. Caution: After watching this video you might never drink soda again!

13. The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams by Randy Pausch

You can now watch Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture on “Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” in its entirety on YouTube. If you’ve not heard of this lecture it was a lecture delivered on September 18, 2007 by Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch who had been diagnosed with a terminal case of pancreatic cancer. In this lecture Professor Pausch talks about how to live your life through the many lessons he had learned in his quest for achieving his childhood dreams. With humor and upbeat energy, he also talks about the many ways in which he inspired his students to achieve their dreams, many of which he lived to see come true. Professor Randy Pausch passed away on July 25, 2008, yet this lecture continues to inspire millions through Pausch’s enduring lessons about life.

14. Centrality of Compassion in Human Life and Society by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalai Lama recently visited Stanford University and spoke on the centrality of compassion for the future of human society. In this talk he addresses the importance of educating all people about practicing compassion and using the mind to understand the views of others. He talks about his interest in science and how neuroscience is connecting with religion on the importance of mind in relation to holistic health. The Dalai Lama feels that cultivating compassion in the mind should no longer be confined to religion, but needs to be taught in the secular arena and backed up with scientific research. At the end of the talk he answers a number of questions from the audience. This talk is available on streaming video from YouTube.

15. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Listen to one of the all-time great works of American literature: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This edition from LoudLit.org is professionally narrated by Mary Woods and available unabridged on MP3 download. Hear the tale of Hester Prynne who is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her bosom after she commits adultery and becomes pregnant in the 17th-century Puritan village of Boston, Massachusetts. Download and listen to this American classic today!

16. Commencement Address at Stanford University by Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs delivered this commencement address at Stanford University and it’s one of the more inspiring commencement addresses we’ve ever had a chance to hear. Jobs tells three stories of endurance through his education, his career, and his diagnosis with cancer, and through it all his advice is: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” Get your week started off by listening to the sage words of the man who ran one of the hottest companies on the planet. This title is available on streaming audio and MP3 download from American Rhetoric, and streaming video from YouTube.

17. Walden, or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau

Listen to this free 15-hour audio book by Henry David Thoreau. A quality narrator at Lit2Go has narrated the entire American classic and his narration sounds pretty good. Loaded with wisdom, Thoreau reminds us in this book that “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them”, and Thoreau tries to point us towards transcending this fate. This book is available on MP3 download from Lit2Go and you can also follow along with the text there.

18. Human Behavioral Biology by Professor Robert Sapolsky

Certainly one of the best courses we’ve added into our Free Courses Collection is Stanford University Professor Robert Sapolsky’s course on “Human Behavioral Biology”. Sapolsky is an award-winning professor, superstar lecturer, and author of numerous books including Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: A Guide To Stress, Stress Related Diseases, and Coping. His course on “Human Behavioral Biology” is so good that The Great Courses (formerly The Teaching Company) invited him to teach the course for their customers in an audio & video course entitled Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality. We’ve purchased and listened to that course in its entirety and it’s incredible! Now the course is being offered for free on video from Stanford University and it seems like basically the same course except more! The Teaching Company course runs 12 Hrs. and the free video edition at Stanford runs 36 Hrs. The course comprehensively covers human behavior from the perspective of biology from an in-depth look at the nervous system, limbic system, and hormones to the latest discoveries in neuroscience, genetics, and human evolution. Sapolsky attempts to give you a well rounded picture of the biology of human behavior today. And after that, he then takes a look at certain human behaviors which can be examined from this perspective including lectures on human sexual behavior, aggression, language, schizophrenia, and what makes up for the individual differences in humans. This 25-lecture course is available on video on YouTube.

19. Say It Plain: A Century of Great African-American Speeches

This hour-long audio documentary from American RadioWorks is an excellent introduction to great African American speakers of the last century. In chronological order it covers speeches all the way back to Booker T. Washington’s address at the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition up to Barack Obama’s recent speech at the Democratic National Convention. The hour-long documentary features excerpts of the speeches with interviews and commentary on their significance, and if you liked a particular speech American RadioWorks offers each speech individually as streaming audio so you can listen to it in its entirety. The hour-long audio documentary is free to download from the American RadioWorks site.

20. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician’s Nephew; The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Here’s a set of free audio books that is almost too good to be true. The C.S. Lewis estate has granted permission to Ancient Faith Radio to record and offer all seven books of the The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. Currently Ancient Faith Radio is offering them all for free on MP3 audio download through a podcast feed. They are read by children’s radio host Chrissi Hart for her Readings from Under the Grapevine podcast. She has a pleasant British accent which is appropriate for the Narnia series and the audio books are well recorded. Download this classic collection of children’s literature including all 7 books: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician’s Nephew; The Last Battle. Amazing!

21. 1993 ESPY Award Address by Jimmy Valvano

Listen to this truly inspiring address by legendary American college basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, delivered just a few months before he died of cancer. Valvano encourages us to laugh, think, and cry everyday and to never give up which is the motto of The V Foundation which he established as a charitable organization dedicated to saving lives by helping to find a cure for cancer. This 13-minute speech is available on streaming video through YouTube and MP3 Download through American Rhetoric.

22. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

Audiobooks.org is now offering a free unabridged recording of Stephen Crane’s Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage. Listen as the soldier Henry Fleming enters the American Civil War, and is forced to transform from fear to courage. Told in an unflinchingly realistic and journalistic style, this novel ranks among the best American war stories. In The Red Badge of Courage, an idealistic soldier is forced to question the limits of his courage when he’s faced with the uncompromising realities of battle in the Civil War. Author Stephen Crane follows a young man on a bloody odyssey through a dream-like countryside where he confronts a relentless enemy, dazed comrades and ultimately, his own fragile psyche. Packed with succinct, poignant prose that vividly portrays a soldier’s constant anxiety, the book asks timeless questions of what war does to the men that fight it. Amazingly, Crane never saw combat directly, but it’s a testament to his enduring talent that many readers have assumed it couldn’t possibly have come from someone who didn’t experience war first-hand. It is professionally narrated by one of the all time great narrators Scott Brick, and is available on MP3 download from Audiobooks.org.

23. An Evening with Ray Bradbury

Renowned science fiction author Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451) gives aspiring writers some encouraging insight in this short lecture provided on streaming video by UCTV. Beginning with a list of essential practices he feels all writers should adhere to, Bradbury then demonstrates how events and people in his personal life fed his classic stories. Inspiring, funny and delivered with irreverent wisdom, Bradbury’s account of his career is a sincere argument for “writing what you know”. This talk is available on streaming video through YouTube.

24. Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Self Reliance is perhaps Ralph Waldo Emerson’s most famous essay. This version, narrated by Brian Johnson from Zaadz, is both thought-provoking and inspirational. Ralph Waldo Emerson pushes the listener to break free of the dependence on society and the masses of man and to rely solely upon oneself. Always pushing us to follow our own nature & intuition, Emerson denounces those who allow themselves to be victims of society or history. He wants great men to rise from the limitations of cultural institutions and stand as giants casting shadows over the ages. Throughout the essay there is wisdom loaded in every sentence and it can be listened to again and again. Download this free classic audio book on MP3 directly from LearnOutLoud.com.

25. 12 Shakespeare Plays from Speak the Speech

Check out a great resource for listening to Shakespeare’s plays on audio. Speak the Speech is a non-profit audio theatre company dedicated to providing freely available Shakespearean audio performances online. Collaborating with a full cast of actors in Portland, Oregon, they’ve recorded some of the best audio versions of Shakespeare’s plays available and they’ve made them available for free on MP3 download through their website.

26. Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

American Rhetoric offers the speech in a number of different versions, one narrated by musician Johnny Cash, and others read by actors Jeff Daniels, Sam Waterson, and Jim Getty. Sam Waterson has portrayed Lincoln on TV and film and delivers the address in how we typically assume Lincoln to sound like. Jim Getty is one of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania’s “most recognized” residents as he often plays the role of Lincoln there, and his reading sounds like a historical reenactment. Johnny Cash strums the guitar on his reading and Jeff Daniels offers the most dramatic reading complete with orchestral accompaniment. The speech is about 2 minutes and 30 seconds and is available on streaming audio from American Rhetoric.

27. Introductions to World Literature by Peter Whitfield

Download these outstanding, brief introductions to classic literature written and read by Peter Whitfield and offered on MP3 download from NAXOS AudioBooks. Derived from his book A Universe of Books, Whitfield offers glimpses of the significance of a number of classic literary works from throughout history and around the world. We suggest starting with his introductory essay “The Life of Man – The Life of Books” in which he argues for the importance of reading the classics in contemporary life. From there you can pick and choose from a list of superb intros that are sure to spark your interest into reading some of the classics. Enjoy these free introductions from best publisher of classic literature: NAXOS AudioBooks.

28. 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.

29. Jon Kabat-Zinn: Coming to Our Senses

For decades now Jon Kabat-Zinn has been teaching mindfulness meditation as a technique to help people cope with stress, anxiety, pain and illness. Along with his teaching, he’s also written the classic Wherever You Go, There You Are and most recently Coming to Our Senses. In this lecture from UCTV, Kabat-Zinn speaks about reintroducing you to yourself, and developing an awareness of this moment in a fast-paced, technologically advanced world. This video lecture is available to stream through YouTube.

30. Speech on Women’s Right to Vote by Susan B. Anthony

Listen to American civil rights leader Susan B. Anthony’s inspiring speech “On Women’s Right to Vote”. After casting her vote in the 1872 election, Anthony was arrested and brought to trial in the case of the United States v. Susan B. Anthony. She pleaded not guilty and in this famous speech she asserts that voting is her legal right as a United States citizen under the Constitution which promises all people the blessings of liberty. This speech is narrated by Antonia Bath and available exclusively through LearnOutLoud.com on MP3 download.

31. Douglas Adams: Parrots, the Universe, and Everything

Immerse yourself into the mind of Douglas Adams. The author The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy graced the world with one final appearance just days before his tragic death from a heart attack on May 11, 2001. Delivered at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Adams discusses his own personal favorite of his books Last Chance to See about his travels to faraway lands to see firsthand many endangered animal species such as the Aye-aye lemur of Madagascar, the Komodo dragon on the island of Komodo in Indonesia, and the Yangtze River Dolphin in China. With his own hilarious insights he describes these animals and his wild travels to observe them. He ends the talk by urging humanity to envision their place in the world in a way that can sustain all species including humans. This talk is available through YouTube on streaming video and audio & video download through the UCTV website.

32. The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

In this inspiring conversation released on video by the WGBH Forum Network, Pulitzer prize-winning historian and author of Team of Rivals Doris Kearns Goodwin talks about Abraham Lincoln, the success of his presidency, and the men that made up his cabinet. Kearns discusses her take on Lincoln’s thought processes, what led him to make hard decisions, and why this soft spoken, physically gangly man was ultimately able to command the respect of a nation. Kearns speaks of her subject like she would a friend and gives equal attention to Lincoln’s cabinet, a group of one-time rivals that would later become committed loyalists at a time when the country needed his singular leadership.

33. Eckhart Tolle on The Power of Now

Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle speaks intimately about his early life, his philosophy, and dealing with fame in this interview conducted by Krista Tippett for her NPR show “On Being”. Exploring the key ideas that have made Tolle’s books, such as The Power of Now and A New Earth so popular in the last decade, Tippett reveals a man dedicated to rising above the imprisonment of thought. Tolle talks about his spiritual awakening at age 29, and touches on several topics, including how to relate to others, how to realize your life calling, why our thoughts often mask the true nature of reality, and much more. Tolle also discusses how his newfound fame has put pressure on his spiritual work, admitting that it has been challenging given his preference for anonymity. In all, this profile of Tolle offers a great snapshot of a man that has had a huge influence on popular spirituality in the 21st century. This talk is available on streaming audio and MP3 audio download from the On Being website.

34. A Time for Choosing (aka “The Speech”) by Ronald Reagan

Listen to this famous speech delivered by Ronald Reagan during the 1964 U.S. presidential election campaign on behalf of Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. In the speech Reagan delivers a powerful message against socialism and the expanding influence of the U.S. government in many sectors of American life. He also presents his case for using “peace through strength” to win the Cold War and defend democratic freedom against the expanding communism of the Soviet Union. This speech contains the backbone of Reagan’s political philosophy which he carried out as president into the 1980s. The speech is available on MP3 download and streaming audio through American Rhetoric.

35. Introduction to Human Anatomy by Professor John K. Young

Learn about your body with this lecture delivered by Professor John K. Young on the axial skeleton of the human. Professor Young starts the lecture with some definitions of basic human anatomy terms. He then proceeds to cover the axial skeleton of a human starting with the cranium and proceeding down the spinal cord with many interesting tidbits along the way. Professor Young proves that studying human anatomy doesn’t require diagrams as we have our own human anatomical specimen right at our fingertips. He points out many of the bones along the way which you can touch while listening.

36. The History Of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell

Cozy up by the fireplace with this free version of Bertrand Russell’s classic 1945 book The History Of Western Philosophy. It’s a book we’ve always wanted to see on audio and didn’t think it was ever recorded. But it seems someone has uploaded an out-of-print recording of it to YouTube, and has even done the service of dividing it up by chapters which, for the most part, each cover a particular philosopher. This history of philosophy covers philosophers from the pre-Socratics to the early 20th century including chapters on such philosophical giants as Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Machiavelli, Descartes, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, William James, and many more great minds. So you can listen selectively to the philosophers you are interested in, or listen to the entired 22 hour audio book. It is available to stream on a playlist through YouTube.

37. Spanish I, Unit 1

Download this first lesson from Pimsleur’s Comprehensive Spanish I language learning course. Spanish Phase 1, Unit 1 contains 30 minutes of spoken language practice, with an introductory conversation, and isolated vocabulary and structures. Detailed instructions enable you to understand and participate in the conversation. The lesson contains full practice for all vocabulary introduced in this unit. The emphasis is on pronunciation and comprehension, and on learning to speak Spanish. Enjoy this free MP3 download from the worldwide leader in audio language learning: Pimsleur.

38. The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

Remember when The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman was bestselling book? That was 10 years ago! Watch this classic MIT World lecture given by New York Times writer Thomas Friedman on the subject of his book The World is Flat. Like Friedman’s book, this lecture is an extremely interesting look at globalization and both the challenges and opportunities of doing business in the 21st century. It is available on streaming video from MIT World. See if his ideas stand the test of a decade’s time!

39. Jack Kornfield’s Dharma Talks

Listen to dharma talks by Buddhist meditation teacher Jack Kornfield offered through DharmaSeed.org. On the Dharma Seed website you can stream and download any of the 50 talks and we also feature the latest to stream and download on our page. In recent talks Kornfield discusses lovingkindness, the importance of joy in spiritual practice, and the freedom from attachment. He tells many wise stories throughout the talks. They’re all available on streaming audio and MP3 download from DharmaSeed.org.

40. Martin Seligman on Positive Psychology

In this TED talk Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology and the author Authentic Happiness and Learned Optimism, looks at ways healthy people can lead happier, more engaged, and more meaningful lives. While Seligman acknowledges that psychology has done a pretty good job over the past 50 years of making miserable people feel less miserable, he shows that there is a whole other realm of positive psychology which he and a group of other psychologists are only beginning to study. Seligman tells some of his findings on what contributes to healthy states of mind and what fosters genius. Going beyond the conventional, pleasure-seeking form of happiness, Seligman points to practices that truly give life meaning. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 audio download from TED.com.

41. The Best of Steve Pavlina’s Blog

Steve Pavlina’s popular blog “Personal Growth for Smart People” gets over 2 million visitors per month. Writing on topics as diverse as sleep optimization, natural food diets, relationships, and time management, Pavlina has displayed a fascinating willingness to adjust his lifestyle for the better. We’ve been avid readers of his blog for years and are excited to present his ideas on audio for the first time! Our free audio book features six of his most popular blog posts of all time. Download this free 1-hour audio book as an introduction to his unique take on personal growth. Included in this free sampler program are audio renditions of classic Pavlina blog postings.

42. 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.

43. Cosmos: A Personal Voyage with Carl Sagan

This thirteen-part television series was written by astronomer Carl Sagan, his wife Ann Druyan, and astrophysicist Steven Soter. From the very first episode called “The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean” Sagan takes us on a wonderful voyage across the cosmos as his spaceship travels through the universe’s hundred billion galaxies, the Local Group, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way, the Orion Nebula, our Solar System, and finally the planet Earth. Sagan also describes the Cosmic Calendar and where humanity lies on its 13.8 billion year timeline. Watch all 13 hour long episodes of the original 1980 television series.

44. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Podcast by Mark Twain

This edition of Mark Twain’s great American novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the top free audio books on the internet. It is professionally narrated by Marc Devine and offered as an unabridged, 9-1/2 hour mp3 audiobook from Literal Systems. Listen to the classic tale of Huckleberry Finn and the runaway slave Jim as they take a raft down the Mississippi River to escape the confines of civilized life. This audio book is available as a podcast and it can be downloaded or subscribed to. Enjoy this classic work of American literature!

45. 21 Meditation Exercises from Sounds True

Our good friends at the publisher Sounds True recently launched a section of their site which is their Guide to Meditation, designed for people who have heard about meditation but don’t know where to begin. The site features 21 free streaming audio meditations from many of Sounds True’s best teachers including Shinzen Young, Adyashanti, Jack Kornfield, Pema Chodron, and more. These 21 meditations are divided into five categories. Listen to some of these great free meditations today!

46. How to Speak and Write Correctly by Joseph Devlin

Listen to this classic text on how to speak and write correctly in English. The author Joseph Devlin purports that the book “is merely an effort to help ordinary, everyday people to express themselves in ordinary, everyday language, in a proper manner.” Published in 1910 this book is still useful for learning how to create sentences, use figures of speech, write letters, and more. This download is available from Librivox.org on MP3 download and it is read by a number of their volunteer narrators including David Barnes, Kara Shallenberg, and Hugh McGuire. Start improving your writing and speaking today!

47. Presidential Biographer Edmund Morris in Serious Jibber-Jabber with Conan O’Brien

In this episode of the Jibber-Jabber series, late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien sits down with Presidential biographer Edmund Morris to chat about the diverse men that have made up the American Presidency. Morris spent 30 years of his career chronicling the life of Theodore Roosevelt, who provided a particularly extreme model of lifetime accomplishment that is almost beyond compare. Using Roosevelt as a jumping off point, Morris and O’Brien discuss how Presidents like Taft, FDR, JFK, Carter and especially Reagan came to assume the role of commander in chief, using their particular talent (or arguable lack thereof) to define a given age. Entertaining, anecdotal and psychologically perceptive, Morris zeroes in on the type of person that is attracted to the Presidency, and why some personalities failed where others flourished.

48. Tim Ferriss: The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Workweek

Tim Ferriss presents some of the findings in his latest book The 4-Hour Body in which he used himself as a guinea pig to find out the fastest way to the best results when it comes to the human body. He talks about his diet & nutrition as well as his fitness best practices. He also covers how he dealt with insomnia and the impact of cell phone use on male sperm count (which generates a lot of questions in the Q&A). Ferriss also addresses some of the skeptics when it came to his first bestselling book The 4-Hour Workweek. This talk is available on streaming video from YouTube.

49. Sam Harris on Waking Up

Best-selling author, philosopher, and neuroscientist Sam Harris discusses how a non-believer might approach spiritual transcendence in this conversation with secular humanist Greg Epstein. Recognizing that many religions try to address what will make human beings truly happy, Harris has always felt there was something valid to mindfulness practice and has been meditating for much of his life. Though meditational practice is steeped in various religious traditions, Harris argues that it is still possible for an atheist to experience a similar spiritual self-transcendence that is stripped of supernatural associations. He also addresses some of the meditation retreats he’s taken, the spiritual teachers he’s met, the problem he’s had with gurus, and the essential importance of love, family, and community. This talk is offered by the Humanist Community at Harvard University and is available for free on YouTube.

50. Music: Heart, Soul and Dollar by Robert Greenberg

Listen to this thrilling lecture delivered by charismatic professor Robert Greenberg and offered by the Chautauqua Institution. Dr. Greenberg has recorded more than 500 lectures on a range of composers and classical music genres for The Great Courses. In this lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, Dr. Greenberg provides his definition of music and gives examples of what constitutes as music that deserves our attention. He also talks about three performances that were forthcoming at the Chautauqua Institution, covering pieces by Dmitri Shostakovich and Johannes Brahms. This lecture is available through FORA.tv on streaming video.

51. Dr. Dean Ornish on Healing

In this talk from the TED conference, holistic healing physician Dr. Dean Ornish prescribes easy and effective ways that you can prevent heart disease and other illnesses through changes in lifestyle and diet. He also points to the numerous ways in which diet and exercise can actually help to treat existing illnesses including cancer. Dr. Ornish addresses carbohydrates and fats and their relation to the obesity epidemic in America, along with ways people can lose weight and still be healthy. This talk is full of great pointers for improving your health. It is available on MP3 download and streaming video from TED.com.

52. The 20th Century on Trial: Norman Mailer

In one of Norman Mailer’s last public appearances (he passed away a few months later in November of 2007), this acclaimed author talks about his complex relationship with America. He looks back at his own literary career and offers his ideas on existentialism. Towards the end of the interview German author Gunter Grass joins him in conversation and they discuss Adolf Hitler who was the subject of Mailer’s final novel The Castle in the Forest. In this interview Mailer conveys his sharp wit and clear insights that were with him until the end. This talk was moderated by Andrew O’Hagan and conducted at the New York Public Library. It is available on streaming video from FORA.tv.

53. Is it Possible to Live with Total Lucidity? with Huston Smith & Jiddu Krishnamurti

In this great pairing between two spiritual thinkers in 1968, Huston Smith interviews Jiddu Krishnamurti on the question of how to live more lucidly in a world that seems determined to stifle inner clarity. As Krishnamurti sees it, the main reason human beings find it difficult to achieve true lucidity is due to a viscous cycle wherein fear has given rise to authorities that foster constant violence and division, both within ourselves and with regard to other people. During the course of this discussion that runs over the allotted 30 minute limit, Smith proves to be an able (and one might add, patient) spiritual sparring partner, carefully following Krisnamurti’s key points and countering when he finds certain ideas unclear.

54. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on Flow

Check out this TED talk from psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who authored the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Csikszentmihalyi talks about how he became interested in psychology after World War II when he heard a lecture by Carl Jung. Csikszentmihalyi eventually began his psychological study of how average people become extraordinary which he attributes to the idea of “flow” when one become completely involved in an activity for its own sake. Csikszentmihalyi provides many examples of individuals who have tapped into this “flow” state. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

55. Herbert Benson: The Relaxation Revolution

Learn about the science behind the beneficial effects of mind/body relaxation! Dr. Herbert Benson is an American cardiologist, a bestselling author on health and well-being, and the founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In this talk Dr. Benson discusses his latest book Relaxation Revolution which details the science behind the benefits of relaxation practices such as meditation, yoga, and repetitive prayer. While traditional medicine focuses on surgery and medication, Dr. Benson explains that more and more studies are showing the significance of stress and the importance of relaxation when it comes to holistic mind/body health. This talk is available on the Forum Network on streaming video through YouTube.

56. Neil Armstrong Hosts NASA 50th Anniversary Documentary

Neil Armstrong, who will forever be known as the first person to walk on the Moon, passed away at the age of 82 this passed away in 2012. In commemoration of Neil Armstrong and the whole NASA space program, NASA TV has posted to YouTube their documentary on the 50th Anniversary of National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Hosted by Neil Armstrong and featuring dozens of great American astronauts and scientists, this 90-minute documentary gives us a whirlwind tour of NASA since its formation in 1958. The documentary features amazing imagery and classic footage from the history of NASA, and it is available to watch on high definition video. From the Apollo missions of the 1960s, the Skylab space station of the 1970s, the Space Shuttle of the 1980s, the Hubble Telescope of the 1990s, and all the way up to the creation of the massive International Space Station in the 2000s, this documentary is a great introduction to the history of NASA complete with fun popular music of each era. Enjoy this look back at some of the greatest scientific achievements in the past 50 years.

57. Lewis & Tolkien: Scholars and Friends by Christopher Mitchell

In this streaming video released by UCTV, we are given a glimpse of the friendship between renowned authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Using diary entries, letters among friends and other direct sources as a basis, speaker Christopher Mitchell illustrates how a mutual religious faith between the two men formed the crux of their creatively fruitful relationship. A study first and foremost in how friendship can change lives, this is a must for anyone that wishes to learn more about two authors that have remained enduringly popular.

58. Introduction to Psychology by Professor Paul Bloom

Take PSYC 110 with Professor Paul Bloom at Yale University and learn the basics about your mind and brain. Bloom is the author of numerous books and popular articles including his most recent book How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like. He’s a very good lecturer as well and in this course he’ll introduce you to key psychological topics like Freud, Skinner, language, consciousness, memory, emotion, sex & motivation, morality & the brain, and mental illness. Throughout the course he brings in numerous guest lecturers as well. You can watch this 18-hour course on YouTube or download it on audio & video through the Yale website. Note: To download this course you’ll need to click “SESSIONS” or “VIEW CLASS SESSIONS” on the Yale website.

59. 25 Life Purpose Lessons from Sounds True

Sounds True has launched a wonderful section of their site that features 25 Life Purpose Lessons to help you grow in your passions, your career, and your wealth. With 5-15 minute audio lessons from Sounds True’s best business & wealth teachers such as Rick Jarow, Mark Albion, John Mackey, Fred Kofman, and Vicki Robin, these 25 life lessons will propel you with vision & motivation. They’ve thoughtfully divided these lessons up into three sections.

60. The Surprising Science of Motivation by Daniel H. Pink

Learn how to better motivate yourself and others in this recent popular TED Talk. In this talk writer Daniel H. Pink lays out the facts about what drives the best results in business. In study after study any work that requires creative problem solving does not benefit from external rewards such as money. Only mechanical tasks benefit when there is reward and punishment, but when creative solutions are required, workers are more motivated when they feel there is intrinsic value to what they are doing. Pink lays out some of the ways businesses have benefited by implementing policies to encourage the best in right brained, creative thinking. This talk is available on MP3 download and streaming video from TED.com.

61. Worrying Well: How Your Brain Can Turn Anxiety and Stress Into Calmness and Confidence by Martin L. Rossman

In this audio & video presentation from UCTV Martin L. Rossman, MD takes a look at good worry and bad worry and the stress and anxiety bad worry can cause. He examines what is going on in the brain with these emotions and how we can use the power of the healing mind to reduce stress and anxiety. At the end he leads the group on a guided imagery meditation for reducing stress. This talk is available on MP3 download from the UCTV website and on streaming video from YouTube.

62. A Beautiful Mind: Genius, Madness, Reawakening by Dr. Sylvia Nasar

Listen to the truly inspiring story of mathematician John Nash as told by the author of A Beautiful Mind Dr. Sylvia Nasar. In this amazing one-hour lecture Dr. Nasar tells of the rise of John Nash as a genius in mathematics and his eventual downward spiral into paranoid schizophrenia which was followed by an amazing resurgence from his mental illness in his later years culminating in winning the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994. It’s a remarkable story and a must-watch lecture if you’ve never seen it before. Dr. Nasar delivers the story with clarity and heartfelt emotion. It is available on streaming video from MIT World.

63. Karen Armstrong in Conversation with Alan Jones

Watch 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.

64. Christopher Hitchens and Rabbi David Wolpe: The Great God Debate

In this debate Christopher Hitchens and Rabbi David Wolpe take a look at many aspects of religion starting with answering “What is God?” and then arguing the various merits of the religious and secular worldviews. Rabbi Wolpe argues that religious belief leads to more basic goodness for the individual and for society as a whole as believers are more charitable and do more good works than non-believers. Hitchens argues that much of religious practice is wicked such as missionaries who prosthelytize to those who are weak and vulnerable. It’s a very well conducted debate with both sides contributing strong arguments. This debate is available on streaming video from YouTube.

65. Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel Siegel

In this hour-long talk delivered at Google, author and brain researcher Dr. Daniel Siegel explains his definition of the what the mind is. He takes us on a quick overview of the functions of the brain, from the spinal cord all the way up to the prefrontal cortex where he argues that the uniqueness of humans stems from. From his research and experience Siegel lays out nine integral functions of this part of the brain including reflective awareness, empathy, morality, and more. He then talks about his discovery of mindfulness and how the practice of mindfulness cultivates all these functions of the middle prefrontal brain. Dr. Siegel expresses his hope that along with reading, writing, and arithmetic, the 4th of reflection would be taught in education to help cultivate mindfulness and healthy brain function. This talk is available from Google and can be watched on YouTube.

66. Emerson and the Examined Life

Hear America’s former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky read passages from the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson in this special event commemorating Emerson’s 200th year. Pinsky and Emerson scholars Richard Geldard and David M. Robinson discuss the life and practical philosophy of Emerson and the ways in which his essays still speak to us today. Pinsky reads from classic essays such as Self-Reliance, The Oversoul, and The American Scholar. This tribute to Emerson is available on streaming video from the Forum Network.

67. Neil deGrasse Tyson: The Pluto Files

With the Pluto Files, Neil deGrasse Tyson regales the audience with the story of how he became the central figure in the debate over whether or not Pluto was an actual planet. Since the most distant body in our solar system was humbled to “planetoid” status, he’s received angry letters from school children and teachers alike, which he feels is indicative of how protective we are over our nearest planetary neighbors. Ultimately, he argues that Pluto’s “demotion” has led to a breakthrough debate over planetary definitions, which in turn has broadened our grasp of how to research, classify, and explore the universe.

68. Faulkner at Virginia: An Audio Archive

Take writing classes from the great American author William Faulkner! In 1957 and 1958 Nobel Prize-winning American novelist William Faulkner served two terms as the University of Virginia’s first Writer-in-Residence. During this time Faulkner spoke and answered questions at many of the writing and literature classes and these lectures were recorded on audio. In these classes Faulkner speaks about his craft and what he feels the role of the writer is. He also answers questions about his novels and comments on many writers of the 20th century. Throughout the talks he reads a dozen times from eight of his works. Also featured in the archive are addresses he gave at numerous university events. This audio archive is available from the University of Virginia on streaming audio through Quicktime. The audio quality varies, but for the most part it is very listenable. An invaluable resource for anyone interested in literature!

69. 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.

70. Modern Art History by Dr. Parme Giuntini

Watch 13 lectures from Modern Art History course which is being offered through YouTube from the Otis College of Art and Design. In these lectures Dr. Parme Giuntini, Director of Art History at Otis College of Art and Design, covers many schools of modern art including (in the order they developed) Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Art Nouveau, and more. She also provides the political and social context which these art movements arose from. Enjoy this free, 5-hour introduction to Modern Art from the Otis College of Art and Design.

71. Richard Feynman: The Messenger Lecture Series

The great 20th century physicist and teacher Richard P. Feynman now has a free physics lecture series online courtesy of Bill Gates. Gates purchased the rights to these 7 lectures and is now distributing them through Project Tuva which features the lectures as enhanced videos complete with annotations and transcripts. There are 7 hour long lectures contained in Project Tuva. Enjoy this course with one of the greatest physics teachers of all time.

72. The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela

This 2-hour PBS FRONTLINE documentary covers Nelson Mandela’s amazing life story, from his radical political activism in Johannesburg as a youth to his over 20-year imprisonment, and then to his remarkable rise as the President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 in which he presided over the dismantling of apartheid. This documentary features excellent footage from all periods in Mandela’s life along with interviews of the people closest to him. It’s a story that must be heard to be believed. Watch this superb documentary from PBS online.

73. Einstein & the Mind of God

In these downloadable episodes presented by American Public Media, various experts go in depth on Albert Einstein’s religious views and how they informed his incredible achievements. Topics discussed include the Einstein’s concept of time and eternity, his belief in a non-personal God and how all of this has contributed to modern science. This series is a great way to reacquaint yourself with Einstein’s massive contribution to human understanding and the underlying spirituality that infused every breakthrough. It is available on streaming audio and MP3 download from the On Being website.

74. Dan Ariely: The Upside of Irrationality

Use irrationality to help you overcome bad habits and achieve your goals. Behavioral economist Dan Ariely’s bestselling book Predictably Irrational showed how people frequently make irrational decisions regarding their health, their spending habits, and much more. In this lecture Ariely talks about his latest book The Upside of Irrationality where he shows the negative and positive effects of irrationality and how we can use irrational means towards our own rational objectives. He tells of experiments and examples where irrational incentives were used to help fight global warming, to motivate people to take care of their health, and to prevent people from texting while they’re driving. It’s one of the most fun lectures we’ve listened to all year. This lecture is available on streaming video from YouTube.

75. Nietzsche v. Jesus Christ by Dallas Willard

In this lecture delivered at Stanford University philosophy professor and Christian author Dallas Willard looks at the ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche and Jesus Christ in relation to our current worldview. He summarizes some of the core ideas of Nietzsche such as the death of God and the will to power and how they were exemplary of the trends in philosophy in the late 19th century. He contrasts Nietzsche’s thinking with the ideas of objective truth and the existence of a world created by God which have been the tradition of Christian thinking. He posits that no individual has ever found fulfillment through the practice of Nietzsche’s will to power and encourages listeners to take seriously the intellectual ideas of Jesus and find out if their truth applies to reality. This talk is available on streaming and downloadable audio & video from the Veritas Forum.

76. Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability

Watch this powerful TED talk by author and researcher Brene Brown. In this insightful talk, she tells the story of how her social worker research lead her to study shame for over 6 years. Convinced she could use her data to deconstruct and control shame, she eventually came to a much different conclusion. She saw that the people who have a sense of love, belonging, and worthiness, also had a sense of vulnerability where they did not know the outcome of their decisions. This led to Brown having a “breakdown” in her own ideas of shame and worthiness, which lead to even more insight into how we numb our emotions to avoid vulnerability. Enjoy yet another great talk from TED.

77. Ken Blanchard: Lead Like Jesus

Management expert Ken Blanchard has authored over 35 books including the bestseller The One Minute Manager. In this recent talk from Biola University, Blanchard teaches leadership lessons from the Bible and Jesus Christ. He talks about the importance of all leadership to shift from self-serving to serving others. He provides many examples of this type of leadership in action such as the customer service expertise and values of Southwest Airlines. Blanchard’s lessons can applied in almost any area of leadership including business, church leadership, sports coaching, and the family. This 1 hour and 20 minute talk is available on streaming video from YouTube.

78. Zaadz: 50 Things I’m Going to Do Today by Brian Johnson

One of our all-time favorite audio downloads is 50 Things I’m Going to Do Today. Written and narrated by Brian Johnson, CEO of Entheos.com, “50 Things” is a great collection of tips to live your life by. Ranging from “Hit The Rock” and “Pay Your Bills with a Smile” to “Act ‘As If'” and “Embrace Opposites,” you’re in for a real treat if you haven’t listened to this already. And if you have it’s probably time for another listen. Enjoy!

79. The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie & Joseph B. Esenwein

Before Dale Carnegie penned How to Win Friends and Influence People, he co-author The Art of Public Speaking with Joseph B. Esenwein in 1915. This book has finally been recorded on audio by a group of volunteer narrators at Librivox. The unabridged audio book runs 19 hours and contains 31 chapters for how to improve your public speaking. The last 15 sections of this audio book are real speeches by famous men to function as a study aid. Download this free self help classic available on Librivox.

80. God, The Universe, and Everything Else with Stephen Hawking, Arthur C. Clarke, and Carl Sagan

Stretch your mind with this great roundtable featuring Stephen Hawking, Arthur C. Clarke, and Carl Sagan. Host Magnus Magnusson asks the big questions about topics like the Big Bang, black holes, time travel, extraterrestrial life, and God. It’s a fascinating 50-minute discussion that’s not to be missed!

81. David Allen: Getting Things Done

In this Google Talk David Allen introduces some of the ideas in his bestselling book and time management system Getting Things Done. He provides advice on dealing with email, creating to-do lists, and getting into the right quadrant in order to get the most done. He includes many nuggets of wisdom from the decades he has spent studying and perfecting his system of time management. This 45-minute talk is available on streaming video on YouTube.

82. The New Psychology of Depression with Dr. Danny Penman and Professor Mark Williams

From Oxford University comes this 3-hour series covering “The New Psychology of Depression”. Dr. Danny Penman and Professor Mark Williams (co-authors of the book Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World) discuss the global health problem of depression and the current methods for treating it including medication and therapy. They then discuss Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) which Professor Williams co-developed. They describe what MBCT is and the success that it has had in preventing relapse of depression in the many studies that have been conducted throughout the world. Anyone who has experienced depression or knows someone who has should listen to this great series on the latest information about treating depression. Note: To play the podcasts click the Download File links.

83. Earth and the Universe by Professor James Kaler

This is the first lecture from the Modern Scholar course Astronomy I: Earth, Sky and Planets taught by Professor James Kaler. In this lecture Professor James Kaler puts Earth in perspective within the solar system, the galaxy, and the whole universe. He covers what makes a planet and the diversity of planets in our solar system discussing their size and their distance from the sun. Professor Kaler provides dozens of awe-inspiring facts about our solar system in this fascinating introductory astronomy lecture. This lecture is available for MP3 download on LearnOutLoud.com.

84. The Infinite Mind Interview with Kurt Vonnegut Live from Second Life

In 2007 American author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. passed away at the age of 84. Watch one of his last interviews which was conducted by John Hockenberry of The Infinite Mind series, and recorded live in the virtual on-line community called Second Life. It’s a thoroughly entertaining interview with questions from the Second Life audience and Vonnegut’s thoughts on America towards the end of his life. He also discusses his final work which is a collection of essays entitled A Man Without a Country. This streaming video is offered by The Infinite Mind and is available through YouTube.

85. Mindfulness as a Foundation for Health by Thich Nhat Hanh

Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh recently led a 3-hour workshop on mindfulness at the Googleplex and this entire workshop can be viewed on YouTube. After about an hour of music and introductions, Thich Nhat Hanh gives a talk and answers questions for two hours. He provides many insights of how people can incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives from walking to eating to washing the dishes. Listen to the wisdom of 85-year-old monk Thich Nhat Hanh and his message of mindfulness and peace.

86. Allen Ginsberg Poetry Readings

Allen Ginsberg’s Howl is ultimate beat poem, and what better way to experience it than listening to Ginsberg read it himself. PennSound features two recordings of Ginsberg reading Howl, one from 1956 (the year he published it) and one from 1995 (a few years before his death). PennSound also features Ginsberg reading some other of his classic beat poems like Kaddish and Wichita Vortex Sutra. All these poems are available to download on MP3.

87. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

It’s time to pursue some ambitious reading (and listening) goals. You may want to read one of the great American novels Moby Dick by Herman Melville. The Moby Dick Big Read project has now completed all 135 chapters of the novel with high quality recordings from great actors and everyday people. Some of the celebrities reading the chapters include Tilda Swinton, Stephen Fry, Simon Callow, Tony Kushner, John Waters, Sir David Attenborough, and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Ready to listen to a free unabridged recording of Moby Dick? Listen to Herman Melville’s epic whaling tale, available on MP3 download.

88. Alain de Botton on the Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

Philosophical writer Alain de Botton discusses his latest work The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. For writing the book he surveyed ten different jobs and came up with many interesting observations about working in today’s society. For instance he found that much of the time at work people aren’t actually working, but that they are still working long hours. He also found that highly specialized work forces often perform the best, but when it comes to the individual they tend to lack a sense of meaning. Watch Alain de Botton make many more of these observations on this streaming video from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation available on FORA.tv.

89. America’s Changing Religious Landscape

In this insightful program presented on NPR’s Speaking of Faith, host Krista Tippet interviews historian Martin Marty about America’s changing religious focus. With a firm command of the subject based on years of research, Marty identifies where and when Protestant values became politicized, and how this gave rise to the modern fundamentalist movement in the 1980s. Marty’s carefully cultivated data reveals a country that is still quite spiritual, and a future that is difficult to predict now that religion has become so central to the national discourse. This program is available on streaming audio and MP3 download on the On Being website.

90. The Weight of the Nation

In this excellent HBO documentary series being offered for free through YouTube, HBO filmmakers focus on the American obesity epidemic. Throughout the documentary health and nutrition experts are interviewed along with everyday people that are overweight or obese. The filmmakers travel the whole country to collect stories about all sorts of topics related to food and obesity. The documentary is in four parts but the episodes are basically all separate documentaries unto themselves so you can choose whichever ones you’re most interested in. The documentary series starts out in “Part 1: Consequences” cataloging the massive health consequences of obesity from heart disease to type 2 diabetes. They look at why since the 1980s the amount of overweight and obese individuals in the US has risen to over two-thirds of the population. In “Part 2: Choices”, the documentary takes a turn in the self-help direction focusing on what individuals can do to combat obesity including reducing caloric intake, eating healthier, and exercising more. Many obese individuals who have significantly lost weight are interviewed and they present the many creative ways in which they have gone about losing weight and keeping it off. In “Part 3: Children in Crisis”, the documentary turns its eye on the astonishing rise of childhood obesity and the many health dangers posed by this epidemic, including the sobering fact that this younger generation may have shorter life spans than their parents. The episode covers the pernicious and predatory marketing of junk food to children, the sad state of school lunches, and the decline of required physical education in schools. It also looks at how certain parents are getting involved in these matters and taking active roles confronting obesity when it comes to their children. In “Part 4: Challenges”, the documentary covers the history of the food industry in the United States and the current climate of food production we live in. It looks at the fast food industry and the cheap processed foods that are keeping prices low, but escalating health care costs in the long term. The role of government is addressed as they continue to provide farm subsidies for corn, soy, and the cheap foods that are generally contributing to making the population obese. In the end the nation faces a series of difficult challenges when it comes to addressing obesity, but this documentary does offer some signs of hope.

91. Creativity, Leadership, and Divine Compensation by Marianne Williamson

Marianne Williamson speaks with a purpose in this talk she recently delivered at Google headquarters. She talks about the need for the folks at Google and technologically-advanced people everywhere to shift their consciousness into a service-minded role when using technology. In our wealthy country of the United States, Marianne reminds us that there are more African Americans imprisoned today than there were slaves in 1850 and that one in every five children in the U.S. struggles with hunger. She speaks with urgency for the fortunate employees at Google (and the rest of us who are living comfortably) to take massive action towards alleviating suffering in our country and around the World. At the end of the talk she fields a number of good questions from Google employees. This talk is available on streaming video on YouTube.

92. The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.

The Elements of Style is a small guide written by William Strunk, Jr. that teaches the two fundamentals of good writing: how to choose the right words and how to compose them together without wasting space. The book was later revised by Strunk’s student, E.B. White into a second edition that has become a classic. Before expanding the book in 1959, White fondly remembered the 1918 edition as a “forty-three-page summation of the case for cleanliness, accuracy, and brevity in the use of English.” Since succinctness is one of the major points stressed in The Elements of Style, we recommend listening to this Librivox version of Strunk’s original text first before moving on to the later editions. Even at 43 pages, you get everything you need to begin writing clearly, economically, and powerfully. Download this free audio book from Librivox!

93. Richard Thaler on Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

In this Authors@Google talk, notable behavioral economist Richard Thaler talks about his book Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness . He explains behavioral economics and how behavioral economists often have different ideas about the way humans act than other economists. He then goes into the basics of Nudge by demonstrating that through little changes in the environment individuals and organizations can create dramatically different outcomes through what he calls “paternal libertarianism”. He gives many examples of ways that this works in everyday life and it will certainly get you thinking of little changes you can make in your own life or in your workplace for influencing behavior. This program is available on streaming video through YouTube.

94. Existentialism in Literature and Film by Professor Hubert L. Dreyfus

This is one of the first full courses we featured from the University of California-Berkeley entitled “Existentialism in Literature and Film”. UC-Berkeley really revolutionized education by offering over 100s of their lecture courses for free. The “Existentialism in Literature and Film” course, taught by professor Hubert L. Dreyfus, cuts right to the roots of existentialist thought, looking at the works of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, and examining Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov in depth. It’s an excellent philosophy course and it’s free!

95. Israel and Palestine After Disengagement: Where Do We Go From Here? with Noam Chomsky and Alan M. Dershowitz

Listen to one of the liveliest debate we’ve ever heard between Noam Chomsky and Alan M. Dershowitz over ways to find peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has been going on for almost a century now. These two prominent intellectuals have been writing on the conflict for a number of decades and it makes for a very engaging debate regardless of where you stand or how much you know about the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. Dershowitz argues that the Palestinians should’ve accepted the terms during the Camp David Summit in 2000, and that now is a critical time for reaching a peace agreement. Chomsky feels that the terms offered the Palestinians at Camp David were unreasonable and that a two-state solution should follow the ideas presented at the Taba Summit in 2001. The debate goes into many other areas surrounding maps, human rights, and terrorism, along with lots of interesting questions asked from the audience. This debate was conducted at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics in 2005, and it is available on streaming video C-SPAN video.

96. Joseph Grenny on Change Anything

Joseph Grenny is the co-author of the book Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success. In this talk delivered at Google, Grenny discusses many of the findings of their research on change and presents a new way of thinking about how to change habits in one’s life. While many people assume that the inability to change is due to lack of willpower and that most people have to hit rock bottom with their bad habits before they can change, Grenny gives us a different perspective. He posits that we don’t have to work harder at change but that we have to be smarter at learning about all of the factors contributing to our bad habits. By recognizing six different factors that contribute the most to one’s habits, we can then come to a better understanding of our habits and come up with creative ways to change our environment or our state or mind in order to enable lasting change. He gives many great examples and shows video clips of people who successfully changed their personal and professional life for the better. This 50-minute talk is available on streaming video from YouTube.

97. Harvard University Commencement Address: A World Split Apart by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

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 available on YouTube.

98. Story of Freedom in America by Professor J. Rufus Fears

Professor J. Rufus Fears was a as an American historian, scholar, teacher, and author, who was best known for his many courses he taught through the Teaching Company that produces The Great Courses. Now you can get one of his “great” courses absolutely free from the University of Oklahoma through iTunes U. In a series of 18 dynamic audio & video lectures supplemented by downloadable documents, Professor J. Rufus Fears tells the story of how America’s vision of freedom became a model for the entire world. As Fears argues in the first lecture, one of the main reasons America has endured is because the founding fathers used lessons from the past to make decisions in the present and plan for the future. This sense of what works historically and what we should avoid has given the great American leaders (from Jefferson to Lincoln to FDR) a sturdy precedent that can be used as a tool to forge ahead. With that established, Fears says the purpose of the course will be to reflect upon the lessons provided by major turning points in American history and how we can use this history to tackle the problems the world faces today. Enjoy this course from a truly great professor and historian.

99. Edward O. Wilson on MeaningOfLife.tv with Robert Wright

Watch this streaming video from MeaningOfLife.tv featuring two-time Pulitzer Prize winning biologist Edward O. Wilson. Host Robert Wright questions Wilson on many of his ideas including his once controversial thesis of sociobiology in which he argued that the human mind is shaped as much by genetic inheritance as it is by culture. Wright questions Wilson on his beliefs as a materialist, a biological determinist, and a secular-humanist. Wilson provides his opinions on intelligent design, free will, and how science and religion can potentially come together in order to save life on earth. This interview serves as an excellent introduction to the ideas of this highly influential biologist.

100. Deepening Intimacy: Essential Insights for the Most Important Relationship of Your Life

Sounds True has launched a new FREE video event series entitled “Deepening Intimacy: Essential Insights for the Most Important Relationship of Your Life”. This 16-part series features Sounds True founder Tami Simon speaking with relationship experts like John Gray, Harville Hendrix, and many more. In the first interview which lasts about 50 minutes, Tami interviews Harville Hendrix and his wife Helen Hunt as they discuss ways to keep a relationship vital. Their emphasis is on bringing zero negativity to a marriage and the ways they worked with negativity in their own relationship. Join in on watching this 16-part video series to help you enhance your intimate relationships.

101. Free Guided Meditations from the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center

Listen to and download free guided meditations offered on MP3 from the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. These eight introductory guided meditations are led by Diana Winston who is the Director of Mindfulness Education at the Mindful Awareness Research Center. Try out breathing meditations, body scan meditations, and loving-kindness meditations.

102. Listening to Music by Professor Craig Wright

Probably the best free course online for learning how to gain appreciation classical music is this free course from Yale entitled simply “Listening to Music”. Professor Craig Wright, who is the author of the textbook Listening to Music, teaches the class starting with the basics of appreciating music from the understanding of pitch, rhythm, instruments, melody and harmony. He then dives into the various classical forms such as sonata, rondo, fugue, and so forth, expanding into works by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and much more. It’s an amazing free course available on audio and video.

103. Human Action: A Treatise on Economics by Ludwig von Mises

Download what is considered to be Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises’ magnum opus entitled Human Action: A Treatise on Economics. In this book Mises argues for laissez-faire capitalism and concludes that the free-market economy serves as the foundation of civilization. Over the course of 39 chapters Mises provides a comprehensive outlook of his economic philosophy which has been influential up to the present day. This unabridged audio book is professionally narrated by Jeff Riggenbach. It is available on MP3 download from the Mises Institute site and can be played and downloaded directly on our site as a podcast.

104. The Value of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell

Listen to the ideas of the great 20th century philosopher Bertrand Russell on “The Value of Philosophy”, which comes from the final chapter of his 1912 book The Problems of Philosophy. In the essay he lays forth his conviction that although philosophy cannot come to any certain answers regarding the questions it asks, these questions are important in that they enlarge our views of the universe beyond the narrow viewpoints of practical men, who are concerned solely with the material world. The piece is well read by Paul Sunderland. You can now download this excerpt directly from LearnOutLoud on MP3!

105. Dr. Deepak Chopra on Spiritual Solutions

Author Deepak Chopra recently stopped by at Google and gave this talk on his latest book Spiritual Solutions. The thesis of his book is that no problem can be solved at the level of awareness in which it was created. In this hour-long talk he discusses some of the ways we can overcome contracted awareness and enter the realm of spiritual solutions. The last half of the talk he answers questions about being overwhelmed with global problems, remote viewing, and near-death experiences.

106. 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.

107. Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times: Conversation with Studs Terkel

Author and radio broadcast personality Studs Terkel passed away in 2008 at the age of 96. In this hour long streaming video interview, Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler interviews Studs later in his life. It is a fascinating and funny interview which covers much of Terkel’s life and his philosophy on life in America. He also openly expresses his opinions about the media and the politicians today. Although in his 90s at the time, Terkel lucidly reminisces about his life and the lessons he has learned from it. This video is available to stream through YouTube.

108. Creativity: The Mind, Machines, and Mathematics: Public Debate with Ray Kurzweil & David Gelernter

Two computing experts argue about the limits of Artificial Intelligence in a streaming debate hosted by MIT World. Inventor and electronics pioneer Ray Kurzweil defends his opinion that in the near future, the technology will advance far enough for humans to model the brain digitally and maybe even crack the mystery of human consciousness. Taking the opposing view, computer scientist David Gelernter argues that even after man has managed to create an artificial copy of the brain’s complex biological machinery, it doesn’t mean that this man-made brain will be “conscious” in the way human beings understand each other to be. The debate escalates from there, with intriguing questions posed on our current understanding of consciousness, what the brain’s chemical makeup contributes, and what this might all lead to when we begin to integrate our physical bodies with artificial augmentation.

109. Anthem by Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand’s books are made for audio. In these busy times very few people have the time to sit down and read The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged. But get these audio books and pop them on in your car while you’re commuting and you can finish them up in a month or two. It’s a great testament to the opportunity represented by audio learning. If you would like to check start off with a more bite-sized portion of Rand’s wisdom check out ThoughtAudio’s production of Anthem, one of Rand’s earlier novels. Anthem sets the stage for what’s to come in Rand’s later works. It’s an entertaining science fiction novella and a great introduction to Ayn Rand’s philosophy. This audio book is available on MP3 download through ThoughAudio.com and narrated by Michael Scott.

110. Margaret Atwood: Lannan Readings and Conversations

With the dry wit that has come to make her a literary icon, Margaret Atwood reads selections from her work and discusses writing in this audio download released by the Lannan Foundation. At times bleak, often humorous and always probing, Atwood’s work is devoted to exploring the underbelly of modern experience, with special attention given to how the future may take shape if current dubious trends continue to their natural conclusion. While the material she presents is in some ways sobering, Atwood maintains a satirical tone that offsets it all, revealing a writer that is ultimately optimistic, self-deprecating and always searching. This event is available on streaming audio and MP3 download.

111. Authors at Google: Rick Steves

In this talk at Google Rick Steves attempts to boil down 30 years of traveling advice in 1 hour. He focuses on Europe but many of his suggestions can be applied to traveling anywhere in the world. Getting beyond the advice of how to find cheap hotels and good deals, Steves seeks to teach travelers how to make their vacations a meaningful experience which takes in the authentic culture of a place. He talks about ways to avoid tourist crowds and broaden one’s perspective by going to some of the not so familiar places nearby major destinations that can provide some of the riches cultural experiences. With a little research and preparation travelers can avoid paying top dollar for guided tours that might show some of the big sights but often isolate you with other tourists and away from the people of the region. He gives many, many excellent tips that he’s learned over the years along with talking about some of his favorite European travel destinations. This Google Talk is available on streaming video on YouTube.

112. American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation by Jon Meacham

Newsweek editor and historian Jon Meacham discusses America’s historical treatment of religion in this lecture provided by The Miller Center of Public Affairs. The author notes that the founding fathers were deeply aware of how many great nations fell apart due to religious sectionalism. In an effort to mitigate this problem and yet allow everyone in the country the freedom to worship, Meacham traces how giants like Jefferson, Franklin and even Lincoln implemented decisive policies on American religious life that we still argue over today. This talk is available on MP3 download and streaming audio.

113. The Iliad by Homer

Listen to Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem The Iliad, translated by Samuel Butler. Learn about the wrath of Achilles, the Greek hero of the Trojan War, along with a whole cast of Greeks, Trojans, and gods that battle throughout the final year of the siege of Troy. Attributed to Homer in the 8th century B.C., The Iliad stands as the oldest work of European literature still in existence. It is read by a number of different volunteer narrators at LibriVox and the quality sounds pretty good for each of them. It is unabridged with a running time of 14 Hrs. 30 Min. and is available on MP3 download through Librivox.org.

114. Howard Zinn with Special Guests: Lannan Readings & Conversations

In this recorded event from the Lannan Foundation, Howard Zinn introduces dramatic readings from Voices of a People’s History of the United States which is a companion to his A People’s History of the United States, and features speeches, letters, poems, songs, memoirs, and protests from voices of resistance throughout American history. This live event features Jane Fonda reading Susan B. Anthony, Marisa Tomei reading Emma Goldman, and many more renowned actors reading from activists throughout American history. This recording is available on streaming audio. Lannan also offers it on as an Enhanced Podcast that contains photographs as well as Chapter Markers that allow you to jump directly to individual readings from this Lannan event.

115. The Buddha: The Story of Siddhartha

Watch this superb 2-hour PBS documentary on the life and teachings of the Buddha. The first half of the documentary covers the Buddha’s life from his sensual life as Prince Siddhartha to his departure into the ascetic life, and then to his awakening. The second half of the documentary covers many of the Buddha’s key teachings. This documentary features insights from Buddhist teachers such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin, and American Buddhist writer Robert Thurman. The documentary in narrated by Richard Gere and features many great visuals to accompany the story of the Buddha.

116. Nutrition and Physical Activity for a Lifetime by Christina Economos

Get some sound health advice from professor Christina Economos of Tufts University as she delivers this hour-long lecture at the Chautauqua Institution. First she addresses some of the health issues facing the United States focusing primarily on obesity and the improper balance of bone, muscle, and fat as people age. She then talks about actions individuals can take in regards to their nutrition and physical activity that can lead to dramatic improvements in all areas of one’s health. Professor Economos references many studies and provides specific recommendations for the human body’s need of exercise and nutrition. She recommends strength training, fruits & vegetables, and many other natural ways for people to live healthy into old age. This lecture is available on streaming video from FORA.tv.

117. The Coming Collapse of the Middle Class by Elizabeth Warren

Check out this popular lecture from YouTube EDU featuring distinguished law scholar Elizabeth Warren. Delivered six months before the peak of the financial crisis, professor Warren sets out to explain why maintaining a middle class living is a much riskier proposition than it was 40 years ago despite the fact that women have entered the work force. She goes through the hard data of what Americans are spending their money on and sees financial debt, housing costs, and health care as major factors which have led to this age of financial anxiety for middle class families. This lecture is available on streaming video from UCTV through YouTube.

118. In Depth with Tom Wolfe

In this streaming video from C-SPAN’s BookTV, Tom Wolfe talks about his career as writer from The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby which he wrote back in the 1960s all the way up to his latest novel I Am Charlotte Simmons which explores the college campus life in the present day. He fields call-in questions from people across the United States and tells us the secrets of his craft. Indeed, no writer today is as fun to listen to as Tom Wolfe.

119. Eleanor Roosevelt: Address to the United Nations General Assembly on the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948 and ratified by 48 nations. In this speech delivered by the former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, she lays out the aspirations of the declaration with the hope that it will become the “international Magna Carta”. She emphasizes that the declaration is not a binding treaty or law, but rather a moral standard of achievement for all nations concerning basic principles of human rights and freedoms. This speech is available on MP3 download and streaming audio from AmericanRhetoric.com and streaming video from YouTube.

120. Everything I Know About Writing by Anne Lamott

In this fun talk about writing, Anne Lamott provides as much writing wisdom as she can jam into an hour. Encouraging everyone to write almost everyday, she provides suggestions for how you can carve out time to write and also what you can write about. She says you should always have paper on you because you can never get down on paper what you don’t remember. There are many other helpful hints to writers in this entertaining talk from Anne Lamott.

121. AM Focus by Dr. Patrick Porter

Listen to this 13-minute visualization & relaxation process for focusing in the morning from Dr. Patrick Porter. Dr. Porter guides you through positive affirmations for your day. Combined with soothing music, this audio program is a great way to begin your week. This free audio download was published through our TeachOutLoud service and is available on MP3 download through LearnOutLoud.com. For more by Dr. Patrick Porter check out his author page: Over 20 Downloads by Dr. Patrick Porter.

122. The Skinny on Obesity

Watch this great new series from UCTV Prime called “The Skinny on Obesity”. This 7-episode series (lasting one hour total) features Dr. Robert Lustig and two of his UCSF colleagues who look at the obesity epidemic and what has been driving it in the last 30 years. Dr. Lustig’s previous UCTV video “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” went viral and has received over 5 million views to date. In this new series Lustig’s message is presented in an even clearer and more powerful way with the help of animations and documentary footage. He presents the science of obesity, debunking the idea that “a calorie is a calorie” and showing how the massive increase in fructose and sugar into our daily diets has led to a skyrocketing obesity epidemic which contributes to our most common diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. These short videos explain how sugar consumption and obesity have now become a major public health concern in the same way that drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol are through their unavoidability, toxicity, abuse, and negative impact on society. A must-watch from UCTV!

123. Financial Markets Course by Yale Professor Robert Shiller

Robert Shiller, Yale professor and the 2013 Nobel Prize winner for Economics, teaches an open course on Financial Markets via Open Yale Courses. A renowned founder of the field of behavioral finance, and an innovator in incorporating psychology into economics, Shiller argues that to learn about finance is to learn about the basic technology for doing things. Taught by a master in the field, this course is an up-to-the-moment analysis of how the current worldwide market operates, with special emphasis on how regular people were affected in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. You can watch it on YouTube or download it on audio & video on the Open Yale Courses website.

124. Sheryl Sandberg on Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Sheryl Sandberg has served as the chief operating officer of Facebook since 2008, and she now has a bestselling book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. In this hour-long interview Chicago Tribune vice president Joycelyn Winnecke interviews Sandberg about her book and about the role of women in leadership positions. Sandberg informs us of the statistic that only 5% of Fortune 500 companies are run by women and why she feels it is a problem that so few women are in leadership roles. She tries to bring out into the open many of the double standards and unmentioned issues surrounding female leadership, such as the frequent dislike of women as they get more successful and the reference to leading women as “bossy”. This is talk is available on streaming video through YouTube.

125. Alpha Break

Listen to this free 12 Min. MP3 download offered by Effective Learning Systems. This spoken word program is designed to put listeners in a relaxed state both mentally and physically. It can be used again and again at any time during the day. Download this free MP3 from LearnOutLoud.com.

126. The Origin of the Human Mind by Martin Sereno

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!

127. John Gray: Why Mars and Venus Collide

In this talk from Book Passage, bestselling relationship book author John Gray talks about his book Why Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Stress. Gray describes biological and psychological differences in men and women that show how they differently deal with stress. He points to ways that stress can be reduced through relationships and by recognizing the differences in what causes men and women stress. This talk is available on streaming video from FORA.tv.

128. Art History Survey

Dr. Vida Hull’s “Art History Survey” course covers the history of painting, architecture, & sculpture from the Renaissance all the way up to the 20th century. This 36-hour course is neatly divided into lectures that focus on specific artistic periods such as the Italian Renaissance, Dutch Baroque, Impressionism, and so much more. Dr. Hull also focuses certain lectures on individual artists from Leonardo da Vinci to Rembrandt, and many more giants of Western art history. The lectures are recorded specifically for video with clear slide show presentations that present the works of art in detail. Dr. Vida Hull presents the material with passion and clarity and it sounds like the best free introductory art history course out there!

129. The Prayer of St. Francis

Before starting your week, listen to this moving prayer by St. Francis of Assisi. In his short, yet profound prayer, St. Francis asks God to make him an instrument of peace and love, acknowledging that it is in giving that we receive. This prayer is read by Brian Johnson and can be listened to on MP3 download or streaming audio through LearnOutLoud.com.

130. Introduction to Your Mind: Two Guided Meditations

Before you plunge into action this week, start things off with these two free guided meditations. They were published by Mi Ka El Mindchanger through our TeachOutLoud service. Through these two 10-minute meditations Mi Ka El leads you through the practice of mindfulness meditation with insights on how to transcend your thoughts & feelings and come into awareness of your true Self. These excellent meditations can be downloaded on MP3 through LearnOutLoud.com and listened to again and again. Thanks Mi Ka El for this great free resource!

131. Daniel Goleman on Focus: The Secret to High Performance and Fulfillment

Daniel Goleman is the author of the bestselling books Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence, and he now has a new book out: Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence. He recently gave a talk on this book at Intelligence Squared in London. In this talk Goleman speaks about our digital age and the ability of technology to continually distract us and steal our attention. He goes into the psychology of paying attention to ourselves and others, and how the ability to focus and pay attention is essential to success in our personal and professional lives. He speaks briefly on mindfulness and the importance of practicing paying attention, particularly among the technologically-obsessed youth. After his talk Goleman fields tough questions from the British audience. This talk is available on the Intelligence Squared YouTube channel.

132. A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles Shields

With her upcoming second novel, we had to feature this talk on author Harper Lee. Biographer Charles Shields provides a rare glimpse of the author of To Kill a Mockingbird in this lecture provided by Books Inc. on streaming video through FORA.tv. In this summary of his biography of Harper Lee, Shields discusses the many twists and turns he had to take once it became apparent that his subject would not cooperate. What emerges from his research into Lee’s life is the portrait of an uncompromising woman that managed to channel her childhood experience in the deep south into an American literary classic.

133. Introduction to Macroeconomics and Microeconomics by Professor Peter Navarro

This is the first lecture from the Modern Scholar course Principles of Economics: Business, Banking, Finance, and Your Everyday Life taught by Professor Peter Navarro. In this lecture Professor Navarro talks about the basics of macroeconomics and microeconomics. He provides numerous real life examples about how both macroeconomics and microeconomics affect our personal and professional lives. Professor Navarro is able to articulate a number of economic principles in a clear and concise way that is relevant to everyday life.

134. Jane Austen vs. Emily Bronte: The Queens of English Literature Debate

Two advocates and a group of gifted actors pit Wuthering Heights author Emily Bronte up against the works of Jane Austen in this streaming lecture provided by Intelligence Squared. Professor John Mullen argues that in Jane Austen’s novels, readers get formal brilliance, incredible dialogue, consistent humor, and biting social commentary that has made her work highly relatable beyond the historical period in which they were written. Writer Kate Mosse contrasts Austen’s work with Emily Bronte’s single novel, arguing that in one book, Bronte was able to transcend stories of marriage to get at the eternal, ethereal aspects of love. The debate is given up to the audience to ultimately decide who is the queen of English letters, with entertaining, funny, and interesting results.

And we’re reaching some sort of character limit on this blog so we’re just going to list the last 15:

135. Dr. William Dement on Healthy Sleep and Optimal Performance

136. Matthieu Ricard: Habits of Happiness

137. Romeo and Juliet by Professor Harold Bloom

138. The Art of Original Thinking by Jan Phillips

139. How Cancer Begins by Professor Robert Weinberg

140. Authors@Google: Michael Lewis

141. The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman

142. Beyond Freakonomics: New Musings on the Economics of Everyday Life by Steven D. Levitt

143. What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr

144. Cornel West with Amy Goodman: Lannan Readings & Conversations

145. Intelligent Design: Is it Science? with William A. Dembski & Lee Silver

146. Monday Again?!: Four Essentials For A Healthy Lifestyle by Marquese Martin-Hayes

147. Dr. David Agus on A Short Guide to a Long Life

148. How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett

149. Walter Isaacson on The Innovators

150. A Peaceful Warrior Brings His Zaadz to Life: Brian Johnson Chats with Dan Millman

Here’s to 10 more years!




July 11, 2014

What is Global Warming? Talks on Audio & Video

Climate change is now a burning issue as we enter the first decades of the 21st century. With this list of free audio and video resources, LearnOutLoud.com asks “What is Global Warming?” In this selection of lectures and recorded discussions, various pundits explore the worldwide problem of climate change from a scientific and political perspective, and offer solutions for how we might avert global catastrophe. Topics include a history of global warming, how we can decrease our dependence on oil and fossil fuels, and Al Gore’s 15 ways we can avert a climate crisis. Learn more about how scientists and politicians are working to save the earth by clicking any of the links here:

1. Global Warming

The University of Chicago presents a full course on the history, science, and possible future development of Earth’s climate provided in a series of 23 video lectures taught by Professor David Archer. The first half of the course covers the basic physics, such as how the climate of the earth is determined by the energy of the sun, and what role green house gas emissions play. The second half talks how carbon helped form life, why the sun has provided such a stable global temperature, and other delicate details that make the planet hospitable for life. By the end of the quarter, Archer will talk about the toll human activity has had on the eco-system and what we can do to avoid future problems. The entire course offers a top to bottom education on the latest science behind global warming.

2. American Denial of Global Warming

In this streaming talk provided by UCTV, science historian Naomi Oreskes shows how mainstream views on global climate change developed and became more politicized throughout the 20th century. Oreskes begins by tracing how the earliest green house gas studies were conducted in the 1930s, and how by the 1960s, many leading voices in the scientific community on both sides of the political spectrum were making dire predictions about future climate change. Citing that many Americans still believe there is a controversy within scientific circles over the reality of global warming, she argues that this confusion is partly due to a concerted effort made by a few politically-driven organizations to muddy the issue. What would drive these groups to argue against an issue that could have such dire consequences for humanity? Oreskes has some interesting answers.

3. Global Warming in Earth’s History

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

4. Field Notes from a Catastrophe

The hard facts of our changing climate are detailed in this sobering digital download lecture presented by WGBH. Here Journalist Elizabeth Kolbert and author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe explains how scientists first identified the possibility of climate shift over 100 years ago and then she traces scientific research up the present day, concluding with an undeniable portrait of what Earth will look like in the coming decades. What was once the realm of speculation is now an imminent threat, as scientists announce record temperatures every year; here you will find out what’s happening and what can be done for future generations. This lecture is available on streaming video through YouTube.

5. Al Gore: 15 Ways to Avert a Climate Crisis

Al Gore lays out 15 ways to avert climate crisis through our personal and professional lives. He plays a brief slide show and provides examples of many of the ways that these steps are being used in action. Speaking to a business audience at the TED conference he also points out important steps that businesses can take to influence climate change. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

6. Winning the Oil Endgame

Author Amory Lovins lays out his plan to help America kick the oil habit in this instructive lecture released by MIT World. In a matter of fact style that drives home the point that change is obviously upon us, Lovins shows how cars, planes and other vehicles can be made to run without fossil fuel after a one-time investment from the major U.S. manufacturers. He then shows how a firmer commitment made by business men and politicians would lead to not only greater financial returns and more efficient vehicles, but a cleaner, brighter future. Check out this free lecture on streaming audio & video from MIT World.




June 27, 2014

Writing Advice from Authors and Experts on Audio & Video

If you are an aspiring writer, LearnOutLoud.com has collected a helpful list of free audio & video titles featuring writing advice from various authors and experts. Starting with educational resources, we include instructions on how to speak and write correctly, and tips from grammar girl on how to improve your writing from the ground up. You’ll also hear from authors such as William Faulkner, Stephen King, Allen Ginsberg, and Margaret Atwood on what it takes to write professionally and how they developed their own writing careers. Click on any of the links below to begin your writing journey:

1. Everything I Know About Writing

In this fun talk about writing, Anne Lamott provides as much writing wisdom as she can jam into an hour. Encouraging everyone to write almost everyday, she provides suggestions for how you can carve out time to write and also what you can write about. She says you should always have paper on you because you can never get down on paper what you don’t remember. There are many other helpful hints to writers in this entertaining talk from Anne Lamott.

2. How to Speak and Write Correctly

Listen to this classic text on how to speak and write correctly in English. The author Joseph Devlin purports that the book “is merely an effort to help ordinary, everyday people to express themselves in ordinary, everyday language, in a proper manner.” Published in 1910 this book is still useful for learning how to create sentences, use figures of speech, write letters, and more. This download is available from Librivox.org on MP3 download and it is read by a number of their volunteer narrators including David Barnes, Kara Shallenberg, and Hugh McGuire. Start improving your writing and speaking today!

3. Faulkner at Virginia: An Audio Archive

Take writing classes from the great American author William Faulkner! In 1957 and 1958 Nobel Prize-winning American novelist William Faulkner served two terms as the University of Virginia’s first Writer-in-Residence. During this time Faulkner spoke and answered questions at many of the writing and literature classes and these lectures were recorded on audio. In these classes Faulkner speaks about his craft and what he feels the role of the writer is. He also answers questions about his novels and comments on many writers of the 20th century. Throughout the talks he reads a dozen times from eight of his works. Also featured in the archive are addresses he gave at numerous university events. This audio archive is available from the University of Virginia on streaming audio through Quicktime. The audio quality varies, but for the most part it is very listenable. An invaluable resource for anyone interested in literature!

4. Discussion on Writing with Stephen King

Best-selling horror author Stephen King is joined by his wife Tabitha and youngest son Owen to talk with students in Washington, DC about the importance of reading and writing in this streaming lecture hosted by BookTV. After taking time for each of the Kings to read from their most recent work (including the recently adapted Under the Dome) the three answer questions from eager high-school students about what inspires them, what scares them and what keeps them writing. All three Kings share an abiding love for reading, which Stephen argues is a key component for anyone that is seeking success in life. This discussion is a must for any King fan, and serves as a wonderful introduction to the work of his talented wife and son.

5. Grammar Girl’s Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writing Podcast

Grammar Girl’s Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writing is a podcast devoted to helping listeners improve their writing skills. Taking a nuts and bolts approach, these short podcasts clarify common errors in English grammar in precise detail. If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you should use lie or lay in a sentence, or if that comma splice was used correctly, this podcast will give you the answers. Listen to over 100 podcasts from Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty.

6. Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs Class

In this archive lecture from Naropa University recorded in 1984, beat poets Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs discuss their views on writing. Burroughs fields questions from Ginsberg & the students on a wide variety of topics, and he delivers many amusing responses and anecdotes. This lecture is available on streaming audio and MP3 download from Archive.org.

7. Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing

Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood talks about her Canadian roots and the development of her career in this streaming interview hosted by BookTV. In this discussion, Atwood tries to give listeners an idea of the regional differences that make Canada distinctive from America. She also goes into the elements of feminism that have cropped up in her work, and how she’s been able in some ways to make a career out of mashing genres that are typically stigmatized by serious critics. Dry-witted and friendly, Atwood offers an unpretentious look at how she developed her talent in an interesting era for female authors.

8. Book Writing for Fun and Profit

This free audio book was published through TeachOutLoud service recently and we’d pass it on as our free resource of the day. In this 2-hour audio book, author Brian Scott provides helpful advice for writing your book, getting it published, and then making a profit from it. Topics covered include what publishers look for in a book, how to self-publish, how to packag physical books and e-books, and much more. The narration is a bit robotic and it might be computer-generated, but if so it is some of the best computer-generated narration we’ve heard. Thanks to Payday Publishing for offering this audio book for free. Download this free audio book on MP3 directly through LearnOutLoud.com.




June 27, 2014

Learn About Astronomy on Audio & Videos

The planets, stars, and what might lay beyond have been a topic of extreme fascination for us ever since early man first looked up into the heavens. With this list of 10 free audio and video titles, LearnOutLoud has put together an awe-inspiring way to help you learn more about astronomy. Topics covered include an overview of the cosmic landscape, an intro to stars, black hboles, and even something on how wormholes might help us figure out time travel. Big names in the field, such as Cosmos host Neil deGrasse Tyson help answer cosmic queries and Richard Dawkins takes us on a tour of the queerer corners of the universe. Look to the sky and explore the cosmic neighborhood by clicking any of the links below:

1. Earth and the Universe

This is the first lecture from the Modern Scholar course Astronomy I: Earth, Sky and Planets taught by Professor James Kaler. In this lecture Professor James Kaler puts Earth in perspective within the solar system, the galaxy, and the whole universe. He covers what makes a planet and the diversity of planets in our solar system discussing their size and their distance from the sun. Professor Kaler provides dozens of awe-inspiring facts about our solar system in this fascinating introductory astronomy lecture. This lecture is available for MP3 download on LearnOutLoud.com.

2. The Cosmic Landscape

In this interview with Dr. Leonard Susskind offered by the Commonwealth Club of California, the noted physicist discusses the latest discoveries that are helping us better understand the Universe. Using accessible analogues, Susskind explains how the mysterious existence of a universal dark energy is altering previously held concepts of how human life came to be. Using an accessible and humorous style, Susskind manages to explain incredible concepts such as Multiverses and String Theory in a fashion that is both easy to understand and exciting to consider. This interview is available on streaming video from FORA.tv.

3. 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.

4. Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Death by Black Hole

In this talk Tyson muses on why he’s always getting questions about natural disasters. Starting with a detailed description of what might happen to someone unlucky enough to get sucked into a Black Hole, he then discusses the more realistic threat of asteroids impacting the earth. He asks his colleagues why we often run from these potential disasters, when we might productively devise a means of stopping them from happening in the first place. After all, this is the 21st century!

5. Stephen Hawking Asks Big Questions About the Universe

Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking’s recently had his 70th birthday! We’re celebrating this amazing scientific mind by featuring his 2008 TED talk in which he addresses some of the big questions about the universe such as: How did the universe begin? How did life begin? Are we alone?

6. CBC Radio: Quirks and Quarks Complete Show Podcast
CBC Radio: Quirks and Quarks Segmented Show Podcast

One of the best science podcasts available is Quirks and Quarks from CBC Radio. Host Bob McDonald speaks with scientists around the globe about the latest in science, technology, medicine and the environment. They feature two podcast feeds: one of the complete hour-long show and one that breaks the show up into its three or four topical segments. In the latest podcasts McDonald explores the science of the brain in love in both humans and other animals, and he speaks with three different authors about the legacy of Charles Darwin. Subscribe to this podcast from CBC Radio.

7. What is a Star?

This is the first lecture from the Modern Scholar course Heavens Above: Stars, Constellations, and the Sky taught by Professor James Kaler. Professor James Kaler shares his genuine awe and lifelong fascination with the stars in this opening lecture. He describes what a star is and provides a lot of info about our closet star, the Sun. Kaler covers the colors, brightness, and sizes of stars, the history of stars, and the number of visible stars in our night sky. The lecture will help you put things in perspective in relation to our vast universe. This free lecture is available to download exclusively through LearnOutLoud.com on MP3.

8. Cosmos: A Personal Voyage

This thirteen-part television series was written by astronomer Carl Sagan, his wife Ann Druyan, and astrophysicist Steven Soter. From the very first episode called “The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean” Sagan takes us on a wonderful voyage across the cosmos as his spaceship travels through the universe’s hundred billion galaxies, the Local Group, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way, the Orion Nebula, our Solar System, and finally the planet Earth. Sagan also describes the Cosmic Calendar and where humanity lies on its 13.8 billion year timeline. Watch all 13 hour long episodes of the original 1980 television series.

9. Black Holes, Wormholes and Time Travel

In this streaming video presented by Vega Science Trust, physicist Paul Davies gives viewers a crash course on current scientific theories surrounding time travel. In this video you will see how scientists like Albert Einstein and Carl Sagan have broadened our understanding of how to bend the very fabric of space-time. Find out how the discovery of black holes and wormholes have given us a new way to utilize the cosmos in order that we may someday peek into the future.

10. Neil deGrasse Tyson: The Pluto Files

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses his newest book on Pluto’s recent demotion in this humorous interview conducted at the Los Angeles Public Library. In a style all his own, Tyson describes the uproar created when he helped demote Pluto to a new class of planetoid, even going as far as to cite letters from school children decrying his stance. He also goes on to answer many pressing (and not so pressing) scientific questions; including the role science has played in the Bush administration, and whether or not the world will end in 2012. This talk is available on streaming video from FORA.tv.




June 25, 2014

Learn About Evolutionary Biology with these 7 Talks

The theory of evolution is one of the keystone concepts in modern biological science. With this list of 7 talks, LearnOutLoud.com has selected a great list of free audio & video designed to help you learn about evolutionary biology. Collected here you will find several talks about evolution’s founding father Charles Darwin, as well as discussions that trace his theories into the modern era. Speakers and topics include primate specialist Jane Goodall, a concise introduction to dinosaurs, a history of human behavioral biology, and much more. Get started by clicking any of the links provided below:

1. Human Behavioral Biology

Certainly one of the best courses we’ve added into our new Free Courses Collection is Stanford University Professor Robert Sapolsky’s course on “Human Behavioral Biology”. Sapolsky is an award-winning professor, superstar lecturer, and author of numerous books including Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: A Guide To Stress, Stress Related Diseases, and Coping. His course on “Human Behavioral Biology” is so good that The Great Courses (formerly The Teaching Company) invited him to teach the course for their customers in an audio & video course entitled Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality. We’ve purchased and listened to that course in its entirety and it’s incredible! Now the course is being offered for free on video from Stanford University and it seems like basically the same course except more! The Teaching Company course runs 12 Hrs. and the free video edition at Stanford runs 36 Hrs. The course comprehensively covers human behavior from the perspective of biology from an in-depth look at the nervous system, limbic system, and hormones to the latest discoveries in neuroscience, genetics, and human evolution. Sapolsky attempts to give you a well rounded picture of the biology of human behavior today. And after that, he then takes a look at certain human behaviors which can be examined from this perspective including lectures on human sexual behavior, aggression, language, schizophrenia, and what makes up for the individual differences in humans. This 25-lecture course is available on video on YouTube.

2. The Life of Charles Darwin

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

3. Edward O. Wilson

Watch this streaming video from MeaningOfLife.tv featuring two-time Pulitzer Prize winning biologist Edward O. Wilson. Host Robert Wright questions Wilson on many of his ideas including his once controversial thesis of sociobiology in which he argued that the human mind is shaped as much by genetic inheritance as it is by culture. Wright questions Wilson on his beliefs as a materialist, a biological determinist, and a secular-humanist. Wilson provides his opinions on intelligent design, free will, and how science and religion can potentially come together in order to save life on earth. This interview serves as an excellent introduction to the ideas of this highly influential biologist.

4. Jane Goodall on What Separates Us From the Apes

In this TED Talk from primatologist Jane Goodall, she discusses her many years spent with chimpanzees in Tanzania and the many ways in which she and other researchers have discovered that chimpanzees are similar to humans. From their ability to make tools to their emotional lives, Goodall lays out the characteristics of chimps that may make us second guess how they are viewed and treated. She then talks about how chimpanzees are being endangered and she connects this to the many ways in which the diversity of life and our environment are being threatened. At the end of the talk she gives reasons for hope by telling of some of the courageous acts of young people throughout the world that participate in the Roots & Shoots program she started. This talk is available on streaming video and video download from TED.com.

5. The Uniqueness of Humans

Delivered to the Stanford University graduating class, Professor Sapolsky sets out in just 30 minutes to describe the ways in which humans are separate from the rest of the animal kingdom. Topics discussed include aggression, theory of mind, and the golden rule. He ends the lecture on an inspiring note sharing how humans are the only species that can view a seeming impossibility and dedicate their lives to making it happen. This lecture is available on streaming video and downloadable MP4 video (click on the description on the YouTube page to access the MP4).

6. Charles Darwin: Evolution & Wonder

Charles Darwin turns 200 years old today and 2009 marks the 150th anniversary of his publication of On the Origin of Species. In this show from Speaking of Faith, host Krista Tippett speaks with Darwin biographer James Moore about Darwin’s relationship with religion and the spirituality of the natural sciences. Moore argues that Darwin was not attacking the idea of God with his theory of evolution, but was pointing to the mystery and complexity of the natural world. This talk is available on streaming audio and MP3 download through the Speaking of Faith website.

7. Introduction to Dinosaurs

This is the first lecture from the Modern Scholar course Behold the Mighty Dinosaur taught by Professor Michael Drout. In this lecture Professor John Kricher provides a concise overview of what modern science currently knows about dinosaurs. A lifelong dinosaur lover, Kricher explains the basic facts, including size and weight ranges, dinosaur intelligence, and how they have survived into modern day in the form of birds. Ever since the first fossils were identified in the early 19th century, our dinosaur knowledge has evolved rapidly, and this lecture represents the most current developments.




June 13, 2014

Gain Classical Music Appreciation from these Free Talks and Courses

For all you music lovers out there, we’ve collected this list of classical music and opera appreciation audio & video titles. We’ve included a course from Yale on how to understand Western music, introductions to many opera with San Diego’s show Opera Talk, and a debate that pits Verdi vs. Wagner hosted by Stephen Fry. This selection also includes Robert Greenberg on his definition of music, Oliver Sacks on music’s relationship to the brain, and more titles with musical examples to help you listen as you learn. Get a rounded introduction to classical music, key composers, and different musical styles by clicking any of the links below:

1. Listening to Music

Probably the best free course online for learning how to gain appreciation classical music is this free course from Yale entitled simply “Listening to Music”. Professor Craig Wright, who is the author of the textbook Listening to Music, teaches the class starting with the basics of appreciating music from the understanding of pitch, rhythm, instruments, melody and harmony. He then dives into the various classical forms such as sonata, rondo, fugue, and so forth, expanding into works by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and much more. It’s an amazing free course available on audio and video.

2. San Diego Opera Talk

Watch great introductions to operas with San Diego Opera Talk from UCTV. Host Nick Reveles covers over 30 of the greatest operas of all time in these 30 minute programs. The format of the show examines the composer and how the opera came to be, and then goes into the plot of the opera. Reveles then interviews an expert on each opera to provide further insight. He also sits down and the piano and breaks down musically some of the opera’s highlights, along with pointing out some of the greatest recordings of each opera. It’s an excellent free introduction to specific operas.

3. Music: Heart, Soul and Dollar – Robert Greenberg

Listen to this thrilling lecture delivered by charismatic professor Robert Greenberg and offered by the Chautauqua Institution. Dr. Greenberg has recorded more than 500 lectures on a range of composers and classical music genres for The Great Courses. In this lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, Dr. Greenberg provides his definition of music and gives examples of what constitutes as music that deserves our attention. He also talks about three performances that were forthcoming at the Chautauqua Institution, covering pieces by Dmitri Shostakovich and Johannes Brahms. This lecture is available through FORA.tv on streaming video. You should also check out the amazing courses that Robert Greenberg has done for The Great Courses: Robert Greenberg Courses from The Great Courses.

4. Benjamin Zander on Music and Passion

Lift your spirits with the power of classical music! 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.

5. Verdi vs Wagner: the 200th birthday debate with Stephen Fry

Watch this debate over the two giants of 19th century opera. Hosted by Stephen Fry and complete with a full orchestra playing some of each composer’s finest works, this debate serves as a nice introduction to the life and music of Verdi and Wagner. Norman Lebrecht argues that Verdi is ultimately the more popular composer and not without good reason. Philip Hensher argues that Wagner is the more complex composer who is able to bring to his stories the emotional characters that a novelist can. Great selections of music from each composer are inserted throughout the debate.

6. And these aren’t directly about classical music but they’re just fascinating:

Music and the Brain Video Series on YouTube

Music and the Brain Audio Podcast

Watch or listen to this great series from the Library of Congress on streaming video or audio podcast. Project chair Kay Redfield Jamison convenes scientists and scholars, composers, performers, theorists, physicians, psychologists, and other experts to talk about cognitive neuroscience and music. Here are some of the lectures in the series:

“The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature”: In this short talk, author Daniel Levitin suggests that in human history music came before language, and that throughout history music has almost always been accompanied by movement.

“Depression and Creativity Symposium”: Kay Redfield Jamison, Dr. Terence Ketter, and Dr. Peter Whybrow take a look at depression and bipolar disorder and their possible connection to creativity. They specifically discuss artists like Vincent van Gogh, Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn.

“The Mind of an Artist”: Cognitive psychologist Michael Kubovy and composer Judith Shatin suggest that language and music are very closely related in the brain, and Kubovy shows findings on the brain’s reaction to different types of music in comparison to the cognition of language.

“Music, Criminal Behavior, and Crime Prevention”: Norman Middleton of the Library of Congress Music Division starts the lecture with providing examples of how music has been used in regards to preventing crime and treating criminals. Then Dr. Jacqueline Helfgott talks about ways of discouraging criminal activity and anti-social behavior through the use of music in different environments.

“Wellness and Growth: Acoustic Medicine and Music Therapy”: Jayne Standley, director of the Music Therapy Program at Florida State University, introduces music therapy and the many ways it has been applied in the medical profession while showing video examples of successful music therapy.

Enjoy these and many more lectures on “Music and the Brain” in this series of talks from the Library of Congress.

And a bonus talk by Oliver Sacks on music and the brain:

7. 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 through FORA.tv.




June 5, 2014

Remembering September 11th, 2001 and Its Aftermath in These Free Audio & Video Resources

In this carefully selected list of audio & video resources, we remember September 11th, 2001 and its aftermath. Starting with a historical trace of what happened on that tragic day, we present an audio version of the 9/11 Commission report and archived audio that tracks how the event unfolded. This list also showcases a large collection from various lecturers, political leaders, and social scientists as they attempt to unpack why 9/11 happened, and how the world has changed in its wake. Speakers include Lawrence Wright, Thomas Friedman, and more as they assess Osama Bin Laden’s legacy, discuss Islamic Terrorism and scrutinize US National Security policy in the 21st century. Learn more about 9/11 and how America and the rest of the world responded by clicking any of the links below:

1. The 9/11 Commission Report

To mark the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that have come to define the modern era, today we’re featuring The 9/11 Commission Report put together by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. This report was issued in 2004 and details the findings of the Commission after interviewing over 1,200 people in 10 countries and reviewing over two and a half million pages of documents. The report looks at the events leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks and it outlines a strategy for the War on Terror. This unabridged audio book was read by volunteers at Librivox and is available to download through their site.

2. 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.

3. 9/11 Major Speeches and Interviews

To mark the anniversary of the terrorist attacks that have come to define the modern era, we present the 9/11 Major Speeches and Interviews available on streaming audio from The American History Center. These speeches & interviews represent September 11th directly as it happened: through various news dispatches, Pentagon briefings, and statements made by the President and other governmental officials. Here you will listen to how the shock of what happened gave way to the slow realization of who perpetrated the attacks, and finally how the American people rallied to face a new kind of threat. Relive recent history and remember an event that has come to shape our daily lives to the present day.

4. The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism

Political scientist Robert Pape identifies the main causes that lead to terrorism, in this informative streaming video discussion hosted by Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler. Here Pape traces the history of this particular tactic of suicide terrorism; an epidemic of what was once guerilla-led violence that has now taken on a more complex dimension in the post 9/11 world. After pointing out its origins, and sketching out the character of the people that perpetrate these attacks, Pape then offers his opinion on how the U.S. and other world leaders should address the issue on a strategic and diplomatic level. Watch this fascinating lecture offered for free and available on YouTube.

5. The Threat of Nuclear Terrorism

Currently terrorist groups show no qualm in the active pursuit of nuclear weapons. In this lecture presented by the University Channel, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NIT) spokeswoman Laura Holgate provides a historical record of how the world’s nuclear powers have maintained their stockpiles and then illustrates how any lapse in current security could have dire consequences. Holgate finally discusses what the NIT has done to create a database of who wants weapons, who could provide them, and what can be done to assure they do not succeed.

6. U.S. National Security in the 21st Century

For this presentation provided by University Channel, spokesmen from the Princeton Project on National Security give listeners the results of a two-year investigation into the current state of American national security. In an effort to come up with a coherent foreign policy strategy, the speakers give their recommendations based on a new world order that contains multiple threats as opposed to the single opposing force presented during the cold war. What comes out as a result of this assessment is an illuminating debate on how to restructure the UN, and how America’s ideals are changing in the new era. This talk is available on streaming video from the University Channel.

7. Lawrence Wright on The Looming Tower

Author Lawrence Wright digs into the cultural roots of what makes a terrorist in this streaming video lecture provided by Google. Here Wright explains how marginalized young men have been molded into an army bent on reclaiming their religious heritage in the face of Western encroachment. It is precisely this sense of alienation that the author argues needs to be addressed before any meaningful change can be made in the War on Terror. This talk is available on streaming video from YouTube.

8. Thomas Friedman: Exploring the World After September 11

Bestselling author Thomas Friedman discusses what September 11th means for the world in this streaming video lecture provided by FORA.tv. First outlining who the 9/11 hijackers were, Friedman argues that many of these educated young men were disillusioned by the incongruity between Mideast poverty and the West’s rampant affluence. Friedman feels that as a religion, Islam is now at a turning point where it can either follow Osama Bin Laden’s lead and stay aggressively static, or evolve to meet the reality of a world where belief systems must reside together in a global community. Though recorded just a year after 9/11, Friedman accurately predicts the pitfalls the U.S. would later face when conducting their war on terror, and the massive influence the internet has had in democratizing the Middle East.

9. Conversations With History: Michael Scheuer

Former Chief of the CIA’s Bin Laden unit Michael Scheuer talks with Conversations With History host Harry Kreisler about the state of U.S. Foreign Policy and the terrorist threat. Scheuer is the author of numerous books on Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the War on Terror. He discusses America’s history of dealing with Osama Bin Laden starting in the 1990s and the efforts and failures of both the Clinton and Bush administrations at killing Bin Laden. He provides a good insider view of how the CIA and the president deal with terrorist threats. He goes on to criticize current U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East and in particular the handling of the Iraq War. It’s an expert opinion from someone who has been on the front lines of fighting terrorist threats for decades.

10. Conversations With History: Steve Coll

In this Conversations With History interview host Harry Kreisler talks with Pulitzer prize winning author of Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden Steve Coll. After 20 minutes of discussing his journalistic methods, Coll tells the story of the rise of Radical Islam in Afghanistan and how America’s abandonment of the region after the Cold War led to a precarious situation with Pakistan supporting the rise of Radical Islam in order to gain leverage against India. Out of this rise of Radical Islam came the harboring of figures such as Osama Bin Laden. Scheuer suggests some of the key points at which the events leading up to the attacks could’ve been handled differently which would’ve most likely prevented 9/11.