Things 15, 16, and 17

Thing #15: You Tube
 The Joy of Books 

YouTube is a pretty entertaining application. I have used it for a few constructive things over the years; such as learning how to cast on knitting needles or hearing the appropriate pronunciation of a word in another language. However, most of the time I use it for purely entertainment purposes. This is where I watch my movie previews and geek out to travel topics. I have a great time "researching" places that I would like to visit. I had no idea that YouTube EDU existed! The amount of high quality, educational videos offered is staggering. I saw lectures from Harvard, Yale, and MIT. I also did a bit of searching for language lessons. I would really like to keep practicing French, but I do not want to pay for lessons. YouTube EDU will be an excellent venue for independent study.

Thing #16: OneClick Digital
Since we are now using OneClick Digital for our digital audio needs instead of NetLibrary, I completed this portion using the new service.
This is the official first day of summer, and summer means relaxing outside with some literary fluff. So I recommend my favorite silly mystery: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris. This book is perfect to sit in the sun and listen to with a large glass of sweet tea (she is a southern author, after all). Here are some stastics on this title:
Author: Charlaine Harris
Duration:  8.5 Hours
Release date: March 11th, 2008
Language: English
Book 2 of 13 in the Southern Vampire Series
Rating: Four stars out of five


Thing #17: Podcasting
 I do not have much experience with podcasting, but after sampling several offerings I can see that it can be entertaining and educational. After browsing through several recommended podcasts (Merriam-Webster's word of today was amative, by the way), I decided to do a bit of my own exploring. I found Amateur Traveler, Chocolate & Zucchini's favorite cooking podcasts, and Copenhagencast. These three sites had many excellent podcasts; I especially enjoyed my Danish lessons on Copenhagencast. The narration was top notch, the information was very useful, and the topics were kept interested. While I did end up enjoying these Podcasts, I really can't see myself keeping up with them regularly. Of course, it is good to know what is available for those days that nothing good is playing on the radio.