June 24, 2009

Free Wealth Courses on Audio & Video

Listen to the free wealth building & personal finance audio books, podcasts, and lectures with these 15 free resources on audio & video. For the past many years we’ve featured hundreds of free audio & video resources as part of our Free Resource of the Day Emails. At LearnOutLoud.com, we’re committed to helping you find the best ways to build wealth and abundance in your life. To this end, we’ve collected a list of the top 15 free audio, video and podcast resources dedicated to building your personal financial security. Among the items listed here, you’ll find a wide range of topics covered, including basic wealth principles, how to get debt-free, and where to invest your money wisely. Leading financial advisers, such as Suze Orman and Mary Buffett are included here to give you a well-rounded idea of where you can take the money you have, and build on it to achieve the wealth you deserve. Click below to get started on your path to financial freedom:

1. Millionaire Upgrade

Download this free audio book of wealth advice by Richard Parkes Cordock. Drawing off some of the ideas of Napoleon Hill’s Think & Grow Rich and inspired by the true story of a flight with Sir Richard Branson, Millionaire Upgrade tells the story of man who gets on a plane and sits next to a self-made millionaire who lets him in on the secrets of his business success. The book contains entrepreneurship advice for anyone looking for something more than being a standard employee at a job they aren’t passionate about. It’s narrative structure provides for very enjoyable listening with key lessons emphasized along the way. This audio book is available to download for free from Audible.com, and it’s also available on MP3 audio download from the Millionaire MBA website. We’ve provided links to both on our page.

2. The Fundamental Principles of Personal Wealth

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

3. Money Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a Richer Life Podcast

Money Girl Laura Adams provides some great finance & investment tips on this excellent addition to the Quick and Dirty Tips series of podcasts. She gets straight to the point in clear language regarding the money topics she is covering. In recent podcasts she gives basic tips on optimizing your credit score, getting the best mortgage, starting out in investing, and a whole lot more in over 60 podcasts on the feed. It’s a great way to get clear overview of the often confusing world of personal finance & investing.

4. Wealth Wisdom Podcast

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

5. Acres of Diamonds

We’re continuing to put up free audio books on our YouTube channel! You can now listen to Russell H. Conwell’s wealth wisdom classic Acres of Diamonds through our YouTube channel. Originating from a speech that Conwell delivered thousands of times throughout the United States, this book provides wisdom on finding opportunity and fortune within one’s own community. Russell Conwell was a Baptist minister and an outstanding orator, and his words are well-narrated here by Jon Reiss. Listen to this classic work on how to find wealth and prosperity no matter where you are. It is available to stream for free on YouTube and with a running time of 1 Hr. 15 Min. it makes for an easy YouTube listen. Note: We’ve embedded the YouTube video on the product page to listen to in its entirety. If you want to download it on audio we’re offering it at a low price.

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

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

7. Mary Buffett: The Tao of Warren Buffet

As Warren Buffet’s daughter-in-law, Mary Buffett learned the investment wisdom of Buffet over the course of 12 years and then wrote her bestselling book Buffetology. In this 30-minute talk delivered at Books, Inc. Mary Buffet talks about her latest book The Tao of Warren Buffett and provides some of the basic principles which Warren Buffet uses when he decides what to invest in. Learn the methods which Warren Buffett used to turn $105,000 into $20 billion. This talks is available on streaming video and MP3 download from FORA.tv.

8. Oprah.com’s Money Channel Podcast

Listen to or watch Oprah.com’s Money Channel Podcast. In this podcast Oprah Winfrey chats with financial expert Suze Orman about a financial action plan for 2009. During the webcast listeners call in and ask Orman questions and she provides a lot of sound financial advice in this one hour and 30 minute podcast. She provides tough answers regarding credit cards, personal expenses, and more for surviving in these challenging financial times. Learn about personal finance in this podcast from Oprah.com.

9. Money, Mission & Meaning Podcast

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

10. Science of Getting Rich

A volunteer narrator at Librivox.org has recorded The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles. The book is a cornerstone of personal growth and wealth building. This 2-hour audio book is narrated by Diana Majlinger. About this audio book: This book is a practical manual. It is intended for the men and women whose most pressing need is for money; who wish to get rich first, and philosophize afterward. It is for those who have, so far, found neither the time, the means, nor the opportunity to study this matter deeply, but who want results and who are willing to take the conclusions of science as a basis for action, without going into all the processes by which those conclusions were reached.

11. Free: The Future of a Radical Price (Unabridged)

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. Or you can download the abridged version from the Hyperion website if you enter in your email address. Both versions are narrated by Mr. Anderson himself.

12. Financial Evolution: Inspiration for Debt-Free Living

Download and listen to this free 3-hour audio book written and read by Greg M. Wells who provides a personal account of ways to control your finances and remain debt free. With a background in sales & advertising as well as communications & voice over, Wells is able to provide methods for avoiding the lure of advertising when one cannot afford big purchases. He also delivers numerous methods on how to budget one’s finances and reduce debt. Wells’ narration of the audio book is enjoyable and highly listenable. This free audio book was published through our TeachOutLoud service and is available on MP3 download.

13. Phil Town’s Rule Number 1 Podcast

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

14. Suze Orman at Google

Bestselling author and financial advisor Suze Orman spoke at Google last year delivering a lot of great financial advice with candor and wit. She starts the talk by telling her rags to riches story from living in a van in Berkeley, California and working as a waitress to learning about finance and becoming a top employee at Merrill Lynch. Orman’s advice focuses on the current state of the economy and what to do and not to do when it comes to credit cards, real estate, retirement plans, and a lot of other big personal finance issues. Watch this one hour talk of Suze Orman at Google.

15. Ragged Dick

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

We’ve been sending out our Free Resource of the Day Emails for many years now. If you’ve not subscribed yet, we highly encourage you to do so.

October 28, 2008

Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource for Election Day 2008

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

Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource Page

Here are the individual candidate pages:

Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain (featuring 21 resources)

Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin (featuring 6 resources)

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama (featuring 23 resources)

Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Joe Biden (featuring 12 resources)

Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader (featuring 11 resources)

Constitution Party Presidential Candidate Chuck Baldwin (featuring 3 resources)

Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney (featuring 3 resources)

Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate Bob Barr (featuring 3 resources)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource on Digg.com

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

February 21, 2008

500 New Titles From iTunes U

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

iTunes U

January 23, 2008

2008 Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource

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

Browse our Presidential Candidates Audio & Video Resource

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

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

Here are the candidates for whom we feature resources:

Republican Candidates:
Rudolph Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney

Democratic Candidates:
Hillary Rodham Clinton
John Edwards
Dennis Kucinich
Barack Obama

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

September 25, 2006

Free Resource Highlights: Week 5

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

Farewell to Baseball Address

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

Ideas Lecture: Jared Diamond

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

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

The True King: Tolkien and the Medieval

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

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

Metamorphosis

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

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

September 5, 2006

Go Back to School…For Free

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

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

American Lit 101

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

Art History 101

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

Astronomy 101

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

Business 101

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

Creative Writing 101

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

Economics 101

Economic Analysis – Microeconomics Podcast

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

English Lit 101

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

French 101

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

History 101

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

Italian 101

LearnItalianPod.com Podcast
Let’s Speak Italian Podcast

Law 101

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

Medical 101

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

Philosophy 101

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

Physics 101

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

Poli Sci 101

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

Psychology 101

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

Spanish 101

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

U.S. History 101

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

World Religions 101

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

Happy “studying” from all of us at LearnOutLoud!

August 31, 2006

Free Resource Highlights: Week 3

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

Tragically Hips
Winter Session
Yoga Quickie

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

The Law

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

Harvard University Commencement Address

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

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

SXSW 2006 Interactive Panel Podcasts

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

August 6, 2006

The 6 Best Ways to Learn Physics…for Free

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OK, that should be enough to make your brain hurt for a while.

March 17, 2006

Why Just Audio and Video?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 5, 2006

World Economic Forum Podcast and Webcast

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

Larry Summers
Michael Dell
Bono
Thomas Friedman
Bill Gates
Bill Clinton

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

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

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