September 14, 2005

A couple of fun audio book articles…

I recently came across a couple of articles about audio books and audio learning that I thought I would share:

Audiobooks compute for lengthy commutes (Catchy title!)

Favorite quotes:

“It usually took me an hour and a half to get to work,” she says, “and [the books] made sitting in traffic a breeze.”

“Audiobooks are wonderful tools to help people experience books, whether they’re in a hellish commute or working in the garden,” says Mary Beth Roche, president of the Audio Publishers Association.

Katherine Truesdale, 33, has listened to more than 60 audiobooks while working out at the gym. Otherwise, she says, her exercise sessions would be boring, and she wouldn’t be able to keep up with everything she wants to read.

Roche cites studies that show children can listen to books two levels beyond what they’re able to read in print. And the listening experience helps build their vocabulary, she says, because they hear new words in context.

Did You Hear the One About a 31-Hour Marathon with Tom Wolfe?

Favorite quotes:

I see all of these developments as great supplements to my reading regime, but I wonder if one day, hearing literature will be more common than reading it. Could the printed word ever go the way of the eight-track?

It remains critical that we cultivate reading as a valuable pastime in our culture, starting with the printed page but supplementing with audio from grade school upward.

I can’t concentrate when I listen to audio books at work or at home—my mind wanders. Instead, I use my 15-minute ride to and from work to squeeze in more “reading.”

As they become more popular, I’m hoping bigger stars will be lured into the process. I’d also like to see more cross-pollination between existing audio material and books. Why not, for example, cut in historical voices when appropriate—as Simon & Schuster Audio did when it inserted Harry Truman’s voice into the recording of David McCullough’s biography of that president. The effect is startling—and adds something that can’t be done in print.

Cool stuff! The Audio Learning Revolution has officially begun.

September 13, 2005

“Podcasting Is Taking Off Like A Rocket.”

Steve Jobs unveiled the iPod Nano and new iPod phone (the ROKR) last week to much fanfare. Some interesting statistics came out of the presentation. As Jobs stated, “Podcasting is Taking Off Like a Rocket.”

• After offering podcasts on iTunes for two months, it has 7 million podcast subscriptions.
• iTunes offers 15,000 podcasts and adds 1,000 new podcasts each week.
• 30% of cars will offer iPod connectivity in the US in 2006.

That last statistic is incredibly huge for podcasting and audio learning in general. One of the biggest barriers right now to mass consumer adoption of podcasting is that there isn’t an easy way for most people to listen to their iPod in their car. Most people have CD players in their car and so the only option is to play the iPod through their car stereo using an FM transmitter. This works marginally well depending on where you live and the type of device you are using but it’s still a bit clunky. When people can simply plug a cord from their iPod directly into their stereo and have crystal clear sound this market will explode.

Thanks to Kevin Dugan over at webpronews.com for the heads up on these stats.

September 12, 2005

The Ultimate Audio Cliff Notes

I recently picked up the massive collection “The World’s 100 Greatest Books” which is a collection that consists of 100 45-minute audio abridgements of the greatest books of western literature. I thought they were very well done in terms of their content and giving background to the stories within their historical and literary context. But they were of course very abridged. If you’re majoring in Literature they’d be pretty priceless because whenever you were falling behind in your reading you could likely pull out the disc for the novel you’re needing to catch up on and get a basic understanding of the plot. The summaries are almost strictly plot related with a little character and thematic analysis. The stories move at a brisk pace which you must pay close attention to. For people who want a broad knowledge of all western literature without spending a lifetime reading I consider it a good set to have.

It’s created by Sybervision whose 14 titles we recently added to our site. They also have the “The World’s 100 Greatest People” and “The World’s 50 Greatest Composers” which I’m going to try to track down. And the rest of their titles are on training yourself through Neuropsychological and Neuromuscular methods. Interesting stuff. Check it out:

https://www.learnoutloud.com/sybervision

September 12, 2005

Podcast Show Notes: September 12th, 2005

Confessions of an Audio Learning Junkie for September 12th, 2005

• Intro – Power Walk Right in the Middle from mashuptown.com

• Introduction
  -Direct Link to the Show
  
  –Link to Feeds for Audio Learning Revolution podcsasts

• New Sound Studio!
  -Photos of New Sound Studio [Site]
  -Comments or Questions about New Studio [E-mail]

• Katrina
  –Link to Blog Entry
  –Link to Katrina PSA

• Amazon vs. Audible.com

• Site Updates
  –Link to Newsletter
  –Link to Podcast Directory
  –Link to Free Audio Directory
  –Link to “Supreme Court: Past, Present and Future
  –Link to Shakti Gawain Author Page

• Learning Out Loud at the Airport

• Participate in Our Community
  –Link to our Blog
  –Link to our Forums

• Outro – Goodbyes by Rob Costlow

September 12, 2005

Dead Time Learning

I was listening to the Marketing Online Podcast today and heard the hosts use a great term: Dead Time Learning. Dead Time Learning refers to time that you have where you’re not really doing anything else and you could be learning. Commuting is probably the #1 opportunity for Dead Time Learning that most of us have. Exercising is another great time. You can even be a Dead Time Learner when you’re doing chores around your house, brushing your teeth, making dinner, etc.

My guess is that most of us probably have at least two and probably more like three or four hours each day of Dead Time Learning time. For instance, my morning thus far has consisted of the following:

-1 1/2 hours spent in traffic after dropping my friend off at his hotel (gotta love LA traffic). My Dead Time Learning? Dan Millman’s audio course The Path of Self Discovery.

-An 8 mile jog on the beach. My Dead Time Learning? The Marketing Online Podcast (where I learned the term “Dead Time Learning”!), The Diggnation Podcast (love those guys!) and a couple of podcasts from Podtech.net.

3 hours worth of Dead Time Learning and it isn’t even noon yet!

Now it’s your turn. During your Dead Time Learning time today what will you be Learning Out Loud?

September 11, 2005

Listen & Learn in 10 Quick Steps

Online Today publishes a series called “10 Quick Steps” which are downloadable audio programs that teach ways to do over thirty different things in just 10 Quick Steps. There’s useful ones like “10 Quick Steps to Converting VHS Tapes to DVDs“, there’s techie ones like “10 Quick Steps to Perfect Backups“, and there’s fun ones like “10 Quick Steps to Becoming a Standup Comedian”. They typically run between a half hour and an hour. Check them out:

https://www.learnoutloud.com/10quicksteps

September 9, 2005

Audio Book Sales en Fuego

From the Association of American Publishers:

Another big winner was the audiobook category, which gained 197.9 percent in July ($33.5 million), and 40.5 percent for the year. “We have seen a nice increase in the audiobook category over the years,” says Kathryn Blough, vice president of the AAP. “It’s been pretty steady.” Blough stresses that despite recent reports that in an age of media saturation, people have less time to devote to reading, she doesn’t see audiobooks replacing their printed brethren any time soon. “We’ve seen steady growth on the print side,” she says. “I think the growth in audiobooks is due in part to the exciting varieties of titles out now.”

(Here’s the complete article.)

People have less time for reading? An exciting variety of titles out now? I guess it’s time to Learn Out Loud!

September 9, 2005

Holy Crap, the Ipod Nano!

I won’t lie, I held out on buying an iPod cause I just couldn’t justify the expense. I wanted one, we all do: who wouldn’t want to have their whole music collection in one place? Anyway, I received one as a gift and I don’t know what I was doing without it. Its like every toy I ever had as a kid consolidated into the palm of my hand.

What am I getting at? Well, now all those toys will take up the place of a fingertip with this new iPod Nano that just came out. Look at the picture man, this thing is the width of a pencil, no joke. I don’t know how insane things will get with ipod sizes, but it’s almost becoming like this parody I saw recently. Soon the ipod flea will be real and maybe, just maybe I’ll end up with one. Apple isn’t selling iPod’s anymore, they’re selling lifestyles. When they get to a $50 price point, even my Grandma Doris will have one.

September 8, 2005

Brian Tracy Wants You to Learn with Audio

From a recent Brian Tracy newsletter:

Your mind is your most precious asset. You must be continually working to increase the quality of your thinking. One of the best ways is to turn driving time into learning time. Listen to educational audio cassettes in your car. The average driver according to the American Automobile Association, drives 12,000 to 25,000 miles each year, spending 500 to 1000 hours that you spend each year in your car. That is the equivalent of 12 1/2 to 25 forty-hour weeks. This is the same as two full university semesters spent behind the wheel of your car each year.

If you did nothing but use that traveling time as learning time, this decision alone could make you one of the best educated people of your generation. Many people have gone from rags to riches simply by listening to audio programs as they drive to and from work.

Wow. I can’t think of a much better endorsement for audio learning. Think about it. If all you did is use drive time as learning time you would be one of the best educated people of your generation. Pretty powerful stuff…

And if you’re interested in following Brian Tracy’s advice who better to listen to than Brian Tracy himself. We have a complete selection of Brian Tracy audio and video material (100 titles!) at the following page:

Brian Tracy Audio and Video Titles

September 7, 2005

Shakti Gawain Author Page

I just put up an author profile page for Shakti Gawain. While I was working on her biography I became rather interested in her concepts. She basically says what we want can be made manifest through mental will. In other words, the physical can affect the spiritual and become physical again. Does that make sense? Let me go over it again, there are parts of the body that we can utilize to affect parts of the mind, once the mind is stimulated, our world can be made to change. That’s some pretty provocative stuff. If anyone knows more about her work, I’d love to talk further and get some recommendations if possible.