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GtrsRGr8 · 03-05-2016, 07:18 PM

I'd like to share my pick for the best listen/best value audio in the non-fiction choices in Audible's current $5.95 sale.

It is Redefining Reality: The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science, a course from The Great Courses company. It consists of 36 lectures of approximately 30 minutes each; that ends up being 18 hours and 6 minutes. It is rated 4.6 (695) at Audible and 4.5 (28) at The Great Courses' website.

I have bought lots of courses of theirs from them and Audible for quite a few years and except for one course (I didn't like the topic as much as I thought that I would), I thought that all of the ones that I have listened to thus far were excellent. I have not bought and listened to this one, but it is in my shopping cart at Audible right now.

Folks, this course is regularly priced $219.95 at The Great Courses (it's that selling price currently)! That makes this course only 3% of the regular price at The Great Courses' website. "No one" ever buys at full price at The Great Courses (okay, maybe Bill Gates (who does purchase and listen to The Great Courses' courses)), however. There are always sales of one kind or another at which you can purchase them for much less. But you see the point. At Audible, the regular price is $51.95 (just one credit, however). But even at that price, the sale price of this course is only 11% of what you would ordinarily pay for it at Audible. Do you see why this is my pick for the "best value" in the Audible sale?

As if that is not enough of a deal, The Great Courses throws in an ebook, too. It's the Course Guidebook, in pdf format. I've found them to be extremely helpful in courses that I've purchased.

Of course, for it to be a "best listen" for you, the course has to be on a topic that you're interested in. Here is the course description, from The Great Courses:
No subject is bigger than reality itself, and nothing is more challenging to understand, since what counts as reality is undergoing continual revision and has been for centuries. For example, the matter that comprises all stars, planets, and living things turns out to be just a fraction of what actually exists. Moreover, we think that we control our actions, but data analytics can predict, with astonishing accuracy, when we will wake up, what we will buy, and even whom we will marry.

The quest to pin down what's real and what's illusory is both philosophical and scientific, a metaphysical search for ultimate reality that goes back to the ancient Greeks. For the last 400 years, this search has been increasingly guided by scientists, who create theories and test them in order to define and redefine reality. And we have developed the power to alter our own reality in major ways - to defeat diseases, compensate for disabilities, and augment our intellect with computers. Where is that trend going?

Experience the thrill of this exciting quest in 36 wide-ranging lectures that touch on many aspects of the ceaseless search for reality. From the birth of the universe to brain science, discover that separating the real from the illusory is an exhilarating intellectual adventure.

Scientists and philosophers are not alone in grappling, at an intellectual level, with reality. Some of the most accessible interpretations are by painters, novelists, filmmakers, and other artists whose works not only draw on the latest discoveries but also sometimes inspire them. Explore examples such as Alice in Wonderland, pointillism, cubism, surrealism, and reality TV.

And since dealing with reality is an experience we all share, this course is designed for people of all backgrounds.

This and much more information, including a list of the lectures and a description of each one (by mouse rollover) is at the webpage at The Great Courses for this course.

Here is the direct link to the course's webpage at Audible.

Remember: the sale ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on March 6.

03-05-2016, 07:18 PM	#379
GtrsRGr8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,334 Karma: 27815322 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Southeastern U.S., ya'll Device: Kindle; Kindle (10.1.1) for PC; Kindle Cloud Reader	I'd like to share my pick for the best listen/best value audio in the non-fiction choices in Audible's current $5.95 sale. It is Redefining Reality: The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science, a course from The Great Courses company. It consists of 36 lectures of approximately 30 minutes each; that ends up being 18 hours and 6 minutes. It is rated 4.6 (695) at Audible and 4.5 (28) at The Great Courses' website. I have bought lots of courses of theirs from them and Audible for quite a few years and except for one course (I didn't like the topic as much as I thought that I would), I thought that all of the ones that I have listened to thus far were excellent. I have not bought and listened to this one, but it is in my shopping cart at Audible right now. Folks, this course is regularly priced $219.95 at The Great Courses (it's that selling price currently)! That makes this course only 3% of the regular price at The Great Courses' website. "No one" ever buys at full price at The Great Courses (okay, maybe Bill Gates (who does purchase and listen to The Great Courses' courses)), however. There are always sales of one kind or another at which you can purchase them for much less. But you see the point. At Audible, the regular price is $51.95 (just one credit, however). But even at that price, the sale price of this course is only 11% of what you would ordinarily pay for it at Audible. Do you see why this is my pick for the "best value" in the Audible sale? As if that is not enough of a deal, The Great Courses throws in an ebook, too. It's the Course Guidebook, in pdf format. I've found them to be extremely helpful in courses that I've purchased. Of course, for it to be a "best listen" for you, the course has to be on a topic that you're interested in. Here is the course description, from The Great Courses: No subject is bigger than reality itself, and nothing is more challenging to understand, since what counts as reality is undergoing continual revision and has been for centuries. For example, the matter that comprises all stars, planets, and living things turns out to be just a fraction of what actually exists. Moreover, we think that we control our actions, but data analytics can predict, with astonishing accuracy, when we will wake up, what we will buy, and even whom we will marry. The quest to pin down what's real and what's illusory is both philosophical and scientific, a metaphysical search for ultimate reality that goes back to the ancient Greeks. For the last 400 years, this search has been increasingly guided by scientists, who create theories and test them in order to define and redefine reality. And we have developed the power to alter our own reality in major ways - to defeat diseases, compensate for disabilities, and augment our intellect with computers. Where is that trend going? Experience the thrill of this exciting quest in 36 wide-ranging lectures that touch on many aspects of the ceaseless search for reality. From the birth of the universe to brain science, discover that separating the real from the illusory is an exhilarating intellectual adventure. Scientists and philosophers are not alone in grappling, at an intellectual level, with reality. Some of the most accessible interpretations are by painters, novelists, filmmakers, and other artists whose works not only draw on the latest discoveries but also sometimes inspire them. Explore examples such as Alice in Wonderland, pointillism, cubism, surrealism, and reality TV. And since dealing with reality is an experience we all share, this course is designed for people of all backgrounds. This and much more information, including a list of the lectures and a description of each one (by mouse rollover) is at the webpage at The Great Courses for this course. Here is the direct link to the course's webpage at Audible. Remember: the sale ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on March 6. Last edited by GtrsRGr8; 03-05-2016 at 11:22 PM.