FREE/BARGAIN - Audiobooks - 2015

[skinmaan]

From the PRH Facebook page:

Exercise never sounded so good! Download free short story playlists for your next fitness session.

Download here: http://snapp.to/1LfFfZd

In addition, just a reminder (posted here) - get your free copy of Beatrix Potter's and T. Burgess "The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Stories" on July 28 (next Friday).

Enjoy!
skinmaan
Your audiobook bloodhound

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

It looks like they have disabled downloading for these "samples" on both the audio and video files. No download option on the web site or app. Guarantees I will never spend my money with them since I can't fully evaluate their system.

I'm sorry that you're having the difficulty. To others reading this: did any of you have the same problem?

I had not downloaded my audio and video, yet, so I went ahead and tried. It worked. The videos appeared in "My Library." I started playing one of them.

Since I already have an account, I can't replicate what you did. I would suggest this possible workaround, if all else fails: go to the The Great Courses website. Sign up for an account. Return to the website that I gave in the initial post for the free lectures, and try obtaining the audios and/or videos as an account holder. The way to do that is to click on the link that says "existing customer?," in the box where you provide your information, and go from there.

I caught your characterization of the lectures as "samples." ha. The Great Courses does give free samples, different ones each month, in fact. These present ones differ in that 1) there are more than one lecture of the same course, and 2) the lectures that they have selected seem to fit together well, making a unified whole (versus having some just randomly thrown together); it seems to serve well as a mini-course on the subject.

Good luck.

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I'm sorry that you're having the difficulty. To others reading this: did any of you have the same problem?

I don't have any option to d/l or play on that page. According to their FAQ page, I should have the ability to d/l on the right-hand side of each one under My Library. The problem is that option isn't there. I can play them just fine. Is to possible to feel cheated after not spending a dime?

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

I don't have any option to d/l or play on that page. According to their FAQ page, I should have the ability to d/l on the right-hand side of each one under My Library. The problem is that option isn't there. I can play them just fine. Is to possible to feel cheated after not spending a dime?

I notice that you use an Android tablet and a Kindle KB. I wonder if this applies to those devices: "Currently, you cannot download directly to most devices such as iPad or iPhone, but you can copy your course lectures to your computer, then to your device."

It goes on to say that you have to download to a computer, first, and then transfer to the devices. If you've tried that and followed all of the other instructions and suggestions, without success, I suggest that you call 1.800.832.2412 and ask them for help. The few times that I've called them for help they've been very knowledgeable and helpful.

While you're on the phone with them, be sure to register your complaint about Neil deGrasse Tyson downgrading Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet. I'm getting up a movement for everyone to call them and flood their lines until they begin to see the light . . . . er, planet. ha.

[koland]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

I don't have any option to d/l or play on that page. According to their FAQ page, I should have the ability to d/l on the right-hand side of each one under My Library. The problem is that option isn't there. I can play them just fine. Is to possible to feel cheated after not spending a dime?

Well, the promo page says " Stream these video and audio lectures to your computer, or access your Digital Library from our free apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Kindle Fire, and see for yourself why The Great Courses is the leader in lifelong learning."

So, I don't see that "download" is assured on these (although you did get to set download preferences when creating an account).

On my library page (http://www.thegreatcourses.com/digital-library/account/), I have a "listen Now" button. If you don't, perhaps you are having Flash issues (it is disabled on some browsers, for security reasons).

If I click on Free Lectures - Audio Collection, I can also listen to the exact lecture, so you might try that.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by koland

Well, the promo page says " Stream these video and audio lectures to your computer, or access your Digital Library from our free apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Kindle Fire, and see for yourself why The Great Courses is the leader in lifelong learning."

So, I don't see that "download" is assured on these (although you did get to set download preferences when creating an account).

On my library page (http://www.thegreatcourses.com/digital-library/account/), I have a "listen Now" button. If you don't, perhaps you are having Flash issues (it is disabled on some browsers, for security reasons).

If I click on Free Lectures - Audio Collection, I can also listen to the exact lecture, so you might try that.

Okay. I don't know if this will solve anything, but it's another few pieces of information.

First of all, while I'm thinking about it, I turned off Flash to see what would happen. All that I notice that has changed is that a message is on the video and audio playback window (or whatever it is called) telling me that I need to install Flash. As far as I can tell, everything else stayed the same.

Comparing the playback page (or whatever it's called) for the Tyson audio and the audio of courses which I have paid for, I only see one difference. On the page for a course which I have paid for, at the far right of each lecture that's listed, there is an option to "Play," followed by "Right Click to Save" (this must be where you download the lecture). On the page for the Tyson course, there is at the far right "Play," but "Right Click to Save" does not appear.

The upshot: you can stream the Tyson audios and videos, but you cannot download them, from my library of The Great Courses.

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

The upshot: you can stream the Tyson audios and videos, but you cannot download them, from my library of The Great Courses.

Exactly - they crippled the d/l option.

[connie2000]

Here is the email I received from Customer Service at The Great Courses:

"Thank you for your email and your question.

The free lectures in your digital are for streaming only, they cannot be downloaded. We have recently updated our Android app so the lectures can be cached on the app to listen offline. If you do not have the most recent version of the app that allows this, please go to the Google Play store to update the app. Please let us know if you have additional questions at this time.

Thank you for your interest in The Great Courses."

If someone has the android app and can figure how to download, please let me know.

[connie2000]

Last email I received:

"Thank you for your response. I have inquired with our digital team and I’m afraid that the free lectures cannot be cached on the app. I apologize for my mistake, these are streaming only regardless of the device. Please let us know if you have additional questions at this time.



Thank you for your interest in The Great Courses."

Too bad.

[GtrsRGr8]

All righty. I've come up to a workaround to the GC situation. It's guaranteed to work. Here it is. Are you ready? Just buy the course at GC! It's only $64.95 for the audio, and $94.95 for the video. ha.

Of course, I am not serious. For one thing, this is a "Bargain" forum, and that's no bargain. Unless you happen to be Bill Gates (who uses these courses, by the way), to whom $94.95 does not amount even to pocket change.

Now, to be serious (well, mostly anyway) . . . . Do you remember me mentioning that there's never a need to pay full price for one of their courses, because discounts and sales abound? And that most of the time you can get them from resellers at a much cheaper price than The Great Courses offers them?

I stated that if you wanted to know more about this to PM me, and that if the interest was great enough I would make a post about it. Well, no one wrote. But, I'm going to tell you some information concerning that, anyway. If you're still listening.

Our friends at Audible offer the same exact course for only $6.96, if you're a member, and $9.95 if you're not! And, since you will own them, you can download the fire out of them.

I know, you had your hearts set on a downloadable freebie, though. Sorry about that. It seems like it is just not to be.

But, look at it this way: you don't really want the course--much of the information in it will be obsolete in five years anyway. It would be like having a 2010 dead-tree (paper, physical) World Book Encyclopedia, without any of the yearly supplements. You know how crummy that would be. You don't need that.

And, of course, the course won't give you any information about the new discoveries concerning the PLANET Pluto.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

All righty. I've come up to a workaround to the GC situation. It's guaranteed to work. Here it is. Are you ready? Just buy the course at GC! It's only $64.95 for the audio, and $94.95 for the video. ha.

Smart a--

PS: I've been liberated from the nursing home thanks to my insurance company. Now I'm back home (been away for a month), not healed completely, so I get home care for a bit; and I've got my computer back. Posting from a tablet is horrible. That's why my posts have been short with little embellishments. Now I can get back to tidying up the OP and becoming more active in this thread again. God bless my insurance company.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Smart a--

PS: I've been liberated from the nursing home thanks to my insurance company. Now I'm back home (been away for a month), not healed completely, so I get home care for a bit; and I've got my computer back. Posting from a tablet is horrible. That's why my posts have been short with little embellishments. Now I can get back to tidying up the OP and becoming more active in this thread again. God bless my insurance company.

Ace? Smart ace?

Glad to hear of your progress. It will be nice to have you back to your "old self" on the thread.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Ace? Smart ace?

Glad to hear of your progress. It will be nice to have you back to your "old self" on the thread.

Nice try. Guess again

Thanks; I appreciate that.

[GtrsRGr8]

I've got what I think is a great free audiobook for you.

It is The 4-Hour Chef, by Timothy Ferriss. It is a "New York Times bestseller" (I suppose that refers to the book, as I am not aware that the NYT does a bestseller list for audiobooks).

A company by the name of "StackSocial" is offering it. I have actually purchased an item or two from them, and do not remember any negatives associated with dealing with them.

Surprisingly, Audible does not sell it (apparently). So, I'm going to tell you about the Amazon ebook, and let you extrapolate about the audiobook from it. The ebook is rated 4.5 stars, from 1,721 reviews. It is Amazon's #1 best seller in culinary arts and techniques books. The ebook is a hefty 672 pages, so expect the audiobook to be a long one to match.

The subtitle for the ebook, at least, The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life tells you a lot about what the book is about. I've got a fuller description, from Amazon, at the end of this post.

Here's the Stack Social webpage where you can get the audiobook. You will need to set up an account with them to download the audiobook. But, I think that you would enjoy getting news about their freebies (example: another freebie being offered at the present time is the Leawo Blu-Ray Player. It is very highly rated. It retails for $60.)

Audiobook Description
WHAT IF YOU COULD BECOME WORLD-CLASS IN ANYTHING IN 6 MONTHS OR LESS?

The 4-Hour Chef isn’t just a cookbook. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure guide to the world of rapid learning.
#1 New York Times bestselling author (and lifelong non-cook) Tim Ferriss takes you from Manhattan to Okinawa, and from Silicon Valley to Calcutta, unearthing the secrets of the world’s fastest learners and greatest chefs. Ferriss uses cooking to explain “meta-learning,” a step-by-step process that can be used to master anything, whether searing steak or shooting 3-pointers in basketball. That is the real “recipe” of The 4-Hour Chef.

You'll train inside the kitchen for everything outside the kitchen. Featuring tips and tricks from chess prodigies, world-renowned chefs, pro athletes, master sommeliers, super models, and everyone in between, this “cookbook for people who don’t buy cookbooks” is a guide to mastering cooking and life.

The 4-Hour Chef is a five-stop journey through the art and science of learning:

1. META-LEARNING. Before you learn to cook, you must learn to learn. META charts the path to doubling your learning potential.

2. THE DOMESTIC. DOM is where you learn the building blocks of cooking. These are the ABCs (techniques) that can take you from Dr, Seuss to Shakespeare.

3. THE WILD. Becoming a master student requires self-sufficiency in all things. WILD teaches you to hunt, forage, and survive.

4. THE SCIENTIST. SCI is the mad scientist and modernist painter wrapped into one. This is where you rediscover whimsy and wonder.

5. THE PROFESSIONAL. Swaraj, a term usually associated with Mahatma Gandhi, can be translated as “self-rule.” In PRO, we’ll look at how the best in the world become the best in the world, and how you can chart your own path far beyond this book.

[booklover6]

Welcome home, Monkey! Have a banana!