The Ipod Revolution - are you getting the most out of it?
Well, the Ipod and other MP3 players have been with us for a number of years now. These devices have really revolutionised our lives by enabling you to take your music collection on the go.
But it would be interesting to know if most people are using these to tune out or to tune in? What do I mean by this, you may ask. Well, it you think about it people use music to pass the time or to relax. Actually, amongst the most common uses would be to fill dead time, time on the tube (commutting), to block out background noise or just to have background noise when your home alone. But does this dead time need to be filled with "nothing''?
Now don't get me wrong listening to music is great, but I simply thing that people are overlooking the educational capability of the Ipod. There are a wealth of audio books, lectures, language course and news programmes that are available, which enable a person to turn dead time into productive educational time. I actually also find listening to interviews very relaxing and a long audio book is a great companion when on a long run that may take a couple of hours. I ran my first half-marathon listening to Stephen Covey's 7 Habits and suprised myself when the 21kms were behind me. Also the other day on 60 Minutes I learned about how Starbucks came to greatness or the basis for the Colbert Report (one of the greatest comedy shows out at the moment).
Now many free Podcasts are easily available via Apple's Itunes, but you will have to do a bit more hunting to find lectures and language courses. Most of these are also free, but sometimes you may need to invest in buying a few.
Some of my favourites include:
- Podcasts: CBS News 60 Minutes, Buzz Out Loud by Cnet, Newsweek on Air, Winecast (entertaining Minnesota guy talking about wine), The Ricky Gervais Show (comedy), Nobody Likes Onions (comedy), triple j's Hack Daily (Australian radio)
- Language courses: Anything by Pimsleur
- Lectures: Anything by The Teaching Company
The next time you grab your Ipod to kill some time, think about using it expand your mind (love that saying).