We haven’t visÂitÂed the list of iTunes’ top eduÂcaÂtionÂal podÂcasts since April. So it’s time for anothÂer look…What we’ve got here is pretÂty much a case of “plus ça change, plus c’est la mĂŞme chose.” Or, put difÂferÂentÂly, even though two months have passed, it is still forÂeign lanÂguage lesÂson podÂcasts that are rulÂing the day, parÂticÂuÂlarÂly podÂcasts that will teach you SpanÂish, French and ItalÂian. Also, the ever popÂuÂlar “GramÂmar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for BetÂter WritÂing” is still holdÂing strong. The one major new addiÂtion is a free audio book of Pride and PrejÂuÂdice. Audio books have almost nevÂer appeared on this list, so the #2 posiÂtion of this podÂcast tesÂtiÂfies to the endurÂing popÂuÂlarÂiÂty of this great Jane Austen work. LastÂly, it’s worth menÂtionÂing that no audio from uniÂverÂsiÂties has made it into the top 25. There is someÂthing just a litÂtle bit wrong with this picÂture, wouldÂn’t you say?
The trouÂble with Judas is that if he was carÂryÂing out God’s plan, was he realÂly evil? The point has been made everyÂwhere from semÂiÂnarÂies to Jesus Christ, SuperÂstar, but it sudÂdenÂly became more urgent with the redisÂcovÂery of a putaÂtive Gospel of Judas in 2004. ReliÂgious scholÂars Elaine Pagels and Karen King have a new book out on the subÂject (reviewed this week in the New York Times). ReadÂing Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the ShapÂing of ChrisÂtianÂiÂty seems to take a midÂdle-of-the-road approach, arguÂing that the gospel (writÂten in the third cenÂtuÂry AD, not by Judas himÂself) takes a critÂiÂcal posiÂtion against the hegeÂmoÂny of the earÂly ChrisÂtÂian church. Whether that vinÂdiÂcates the most famous betrayÂal in narÂraÂtive hisÂtoÂry is a tough one–Pagels and King argue that it all depends on how attached Jesus realÂly felt to his body. To find out more, check out this podÂcast Pagels and King gave at San FranÂcisÂco’s Grace CatheÂdral, or lisÂten to their interÂview with TerÂry Gross on NPR.
This is a book that needs no introÂducÂtion, but we will give it a short one anyÂway. PubÂlished in serÂiÂal forÂmat between 1918 and 1920, James Joyce’s Ulysses was iniÂtialÂly reviled by many and banned in the US and UK until the 1930s. Today, it’s wideÂly conÂsidÂered a clasÂsic in modÂernist litÂerÂaÂture, and The ModÂern Library went so far as to call it the most imporÂtant EngÂlish-lanÂguage novÂel pubÂlished durÂing the 20th cenÂtuÂry. Although chronÂiÂcling one ordiÂnary day in the life of Leopold Bloom in 1904 Dublin, Ulysses is no small work. It sprawls over 750 pages, using over 250,000 words, and takes over 32 hours to read aloud. Or, at least that’s how long it took the folks over at LibÂrivox. In the BloomsÂday traÂdiÂtion, a cast of readÂers parÂticÂiÂpatÂed in the project, offerÂing creÂative readÂings with “pub-like backÂground noise.” The audio files can be downÂloaded as many indiÂvidÂual mp3 files here, or as one big zip file here.This is not the only free audio verÂsion of Ulysses. There is anothÂer not quite traÂdiÂtionÂal verÂsion put out by “PaigerelÂla” (iTunes — Feed). And, while you’re at it, you might as well check out a readÂing of “AraÂby” (iTunes — Feed), a short stoÂry from Joyce’s colÂlecÂtion, DublinÂers. It’s proÂvidÂed courÂtesy of Miette’s BedÂtime StoÂry PodÂcast. Next up, we hope is a nice readÂing of Finnegan’s Wake.For more free audio books, includÂing many good ones from LibÂrivox, see our Audio Book PodÂcast ColÂlecÂtion.
When uniÂverÂsiÂties first startÂed develÂopÂing their podÂcast colÂlecÂtions, a good numÂber took their audio archives — the many lecÂtures and talks they had recordÂed over the years — and uploaded them onto iTunes. Now, months latÂer, some instiÂtuÂtions are turnÂing to their video archives. Most notably, MIT has givÂen users access to video podÂcasts takÂen from its ambiÂtious OpenÂCourseÂWare iniÂtiaÂtive. (HarÂvard has done someÂthing simÂiÂlar with its series, Harvard@Home, although the colÂlecÂtion is conÂsidÂerÂably smallÂer.) MovÂing these videos onto iTunes makes perÂfect sense. While it’s unlikeÂly that many will watch these videos on their actuÂal iPods, it seems safe to assume that new audiÂences will get exposed to these colÂlecÂtions and be conÂtentÂed with watchÂing these clips on their comÂputÂers at least, or perÂhaps on Apple TV down the road. iTunes has become a dynamÂic marketing/distribution platÂform, with massÂes of users flockÂing to it and disÂcovÂerÂing new conÂtent along the way. For instiÂtuÂtions like MIT, shiftÂing conÂtent onto iTunes streamÂlines their efforts to get their conÂtent noticed, which makes the project a no-brainÂer with no downÂside. For more on the MIT OpenÂCourseÂWare iniÂtiaÂtive, click here. For info on the recent inteÂgraÂtion of iTunes U with iTunes, click here.See our comÂplete UniÂverÂsiÂty PodÂcast ColÂlecÂtion.
Almost 20 years ago, Salman Rushdie pubÂlished his fourth novÂel, The SatanÂic VersÂes, nevÂer realÂizÂing how this litÂerÂary event would change his life. The AyaÂtolÂlah KhomeÂiÂni, the spirÂiÂtuÂal leader of Iran’s reliÂgious and politÂiÂcal revÂoÂluÂtion, saw in the book “blasÂpheÂmous” depicÂtions of the prophet MuhamÂmad, and then handÂed down a fatÂwa callÂing for Rushdie’s death. For the next decade, Rushdie was driÂven underÂground, makÂing only infreÂquent appearÂances in pubÂlic. And it wasn’t until the late 90s that things simÂmered down, the death threats subÂsided, and the writer returned to livÂing a semi-norÂmal life. Then came this past week …BuckÂingÂham Palace announced Queen Elizabeth’s plans to knight Rushdie, makÂing him Sir Salman, and it all began again. RecallÂing the DanÂish carÂtoon conÂtroÂverÂsy that swept the MusÂlim world in 2005, rankÂing politÂiÂcal offiÂcials, from Iran to PakÂistan, have revived the threats against the British-IndiÂan novÂelÂist as well as Britain, takÂing the Queen’s knightÂing as an intenÂtionÂal slight against Islam. The mere fact that Rushdie is a splenÂdid writer whose body of work goes well beyond The SatanÂic VersÂes nevÂer quite figÂures into the picÂture, howÂevÂer. (Try givÂing Midnight’s ChilÂdren a read to see what I mean.) You can get more on Part II of the Rushdie Affair here and here, and you can also watch Rushdie readÂing from The SatanÂic VersÂes below.
No, you came to the right site. We’ve simÂply moved to WordÂPress and we’ll be spendÂing the comÂing day doing some last minute fix ups. If you see any big probÂlems, please don’t hesÂiÂtate to let us know. Thanks for your patience. And a big word of thanks goes out to Eric “Herr DokÂtor” OberÂle for his help on makÂing this switch hapÂpen, and to Emma HipÂkens for her design work.
If you haven’t quite gotÂten the last episode of The SopraÂnos out of your head (clearÂly, I haven’t) … if you’re still mulling over what hapÂpened durÂing those closÂing moments, then you may want to peruse a TV writer’s intriguÂing and informed take on whether Tony got whacked in the last episode. There’s a lot of good analyÂsis and interÂpreÂtaÂtion here. For an alterÂnaÂtive view, you can also lisÂten to this week’s podÂcast from TV Talk Machine. Here, Tim GoodÂman, who writes for The San FranÂcisÂco ChronÂiÂcle, and Joe GaroÂfoli mull over which interÂpreÂtaÂtions hold water, and which don’t. Plus, you can also read GoodÂman’s blog entry — “SopraÂnos” finale: What realÂly hapÂpened” — and the many readÂer comÂments, reacÂtions and theÂoÂries at the botÂtom of the page.Now, with this chapÂter of teleÂviÂsion hisÂtoÂry closed, HBO is hopÂing to start anothÂer new and imporÂtant one with John From CincinÂnati. If you don’t have cable, you can watch the first episode here in its entireÂty. Good thinkÂing HBO. Have they found anothÂer SopraÂnos? I’m not too optiÂmistic. Have a look and see what you think.
New techÂnoloÂgies often have uninÂtendÂed uses. Take the Ipod as a case in point. It was develÂoped with the intenÂtion of playÂing music (and latÂer videos), but its appliÂcaÂtions now go well beyond that. Here are 10 rather unforeÂseen, even surÂprisÂing, uses:
1. Train DocÂtors to Save Lives: A new study preÂsentÂed at the annuÂal meetÂing of the AmerÂiÂcan ColÂlege of CarÂdiÂolÂoÂgy indiÂcates that iPods can douÂble interns’ abilÂiÂty to idenÂtiÂfy heart sounds that are indicaÂtive of seriÂous heart probÂlems (i.e., aorÂtic or mitral stenoÂsis). By using the iPod to repeatÂedÂly lisÂten to recordÂings of norÂmal and abnorÂmal heart beat patÂterns, interns can effecÂtiveÂly hear when someÂthing is going awry.
Or how about this for anothÂer medÂical appliÂcaÂtion: Will Gilbert, who heads up the bioinÂforÂmatÂics group in the HubÂbard CenÂter for Genome StudÂies, stores the entire human genome on his iPod. As you can read in Wired, he has found that the iPod is a great way to store the gene sequence, all 3 bilÂlion chemÂiÂcal letÂters of it, and, comÂpared to using a netÂwork, he can access data more quickÂly with the litÂtle Apple gadÂget. [Thanks to one of our readÂers for pointÂing this one out.]
2. Bring CrimÂiÂnals to JusÂtice: On an experÂiÂmenÂtal basis, a UnitÂed States fedÂerÂal disÂtrict court has startÂed using iPods to hold copies of wireÂtap transÂmisÂsions in a large drug-conÂspirÂaÂcy case. Why? Because it’s easÂiÂer than storÂing the recordÂings on casÂsette tapes or CDRoms; the defenÂdants and attorÂneys can access and work through the recordÂings with ease; and it can all be done in a secure enviÂronÂment.
3. Get YourÂself Into SeriÂous Shape: Many jogÂgers love how their iPods can proÂvide enterÂtainÂment that will spice up a monotÂoÂnous rouÂtine. But probÂaÂbly few know that you can use the iPod to plan trainÂing routes for their runs. TrailÂRunÂner lets runÂners do preÂciseÂly that. This free proÂgram helps you plan your route and then loads your iPod with maps, disÂtances, and time goals.
4. Tour Around Great Cities: iSubÂwayMaps lets you downÂload subÂway maps from 24 major cities across the globe. They range from New York City, Paris and Berlin to Moscow, Tokyo and Hong Kong. (Get the full list here.) To take advanÂtage of these maps, your iPod will need to supÂport phoÂtos, but that shouldÂn’t be a probÂlem for most recent iPods.
We’ve also talked recentÂly about a venÂture called SoundÂwalk that proÂvides engagÂing, someÂwhat offÂbeat audio tours of New York and Paris (plus Varanasi in India). In New York, they offer indiÂvidÂual tours of LitÂtle Italy, the LowÂer East Side, Times Square and the Meat PackÂing DisÂtrict, among othÂer places. In Paris, they take you through the Marais, St. GerÂmain, Pigalle, Belleville, and the Palais RoyÂal. Each audio tour is narÂratÂed by a celebriÂty of sorts and can be downÂloaded for about $12.
5. CalÂcuÂlate the Right Tip: If you’re a litÂtle math chalÂlenged, you can use your iPod when you’re out to dinÂner to calÂcuÂlate the corÂrect tip. TipÂKalc helps you figÂure out both the tip and the grand total on your bill, and it even lets you split your check up to five difÂferÂent ways.
6. Record Flight data: AccordÂing to a report in Flight GlobÂal, a comÂpaÂny called LoPresti Speed MerÂchants has announced plans to use iPods as flight data recorders in light airÂcraft. The litÂtle white box will serve as the “black box” withÂin the airÂplanes and will have the abilÂiÂty to record over 500 hours of flight time data. Does this mean that iPods can surÂvive plane crashÂes? Who would have thunk it.
7. Throw a MeanÂer CurveÂball: Jason JenÂnings, a pitchÂer for the HousÂton Astros, startÂed using a video iPod last year to review his pitchÂing frame by frame and to improve his overÂall techÂnique. He also reviews video of all opposÂing batÂters before each game. Since incorÂpoÂratÂing the iPod into his trainÂing, he has since seen his ERA go down, and othÂer teams — notably the MarÂlins and Mariners — have looked into using the iPod in simÂiÂlar ways.
8. Learn ForÂeign LanÂguages: iPods are becomÂing more comÂmonÂplace in uniÂverÂsiÂty classÂrooms, with stuÂdents using them to record lecÂtures, take notes, and even creÂate elecÂtronÂic flash cards. (See in depth artiÂcle here.) The gadÂgets are also being used to help stuÂdents forÂmalÂly study music and learn forÂeign lanÂguages. Now, if you’re a regÂuÂlar Open CulÂture readÂer, you’ll know that you don’t need to be a uniÂverÂsiÂty stuÂdent to learn forÂeign lanÂguages with the help of an iPod. With the help of our podÂcasts colÂlecÂtion, you can pick up most any lanÂguage on your own.
9. Learn to Love and Buy Wine: Here’s a novÂel way to get introÂduced to wine. For $35, you can downÂload an audio file called Mark Phillips Wine Guide onto your iPod. This primer will, among othÂer things, teach you how to describe, taste, and buy wine, and you’ll come away with a cerÂtain je ne sais quoi.
10. Test CheatÂing: Yes, unforÂtuÂnateÂly techÂnolÂoÂgy can be used for bad as well as good. It was wideÂly reportÂed just this past week that stuÂdents are apparÂentÂly using the iPod to cheat on exams. DurÂing tests, they’ll apparÂentÂly sneak earÂbuds into their ears and tap into valuÂable forÂmuÂlas, class notes, voicÂes recordÂings, etc. OthÂers will even write out crib notes and enmesh them withÂin song lyrics.
Bonus: The iPod as FlashÂlight: DurÂing the major blackÂout in 2003, many New YorkÂers improÂvised after nightÂfall and used the light genÂerÂatÂed by their iPods to get around their apartÂments. It was a makeshift way of doing things. But now there is a more forÂmal way of using your iPod to light your way. For about $13, you can purÂchase Griffin’s iBeam, an attachÂment that will quickÂly turn your iPod into a comÂbo flashÂlight and laser pointÂer. As they say, be preÂpared.
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