Various Speed Reading Techniques
by Melvin Ng
The ability to speed read is an important skill
in today's world, where - whether we are students
or at work - we are often expected to read hefty
amounts of materials on a daily basis. As a result,
improving your speed reading technique is something
each and every one of us should not only do, but
maintain. What, then, are speed reading techniques?
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AUDIO BOOKS
Audible Books: The Evolution of Story
Telling
by Jesse S. Somer
In the days of old, stories were usually told orally from
a tribal storyteller or one of the wise elders or chiefs.
The next progression in storytelling came with the first
hieroglyphics and visual representations of actual and
mythical events. After that came the evolution of written
languages and alphabets, eventually culminating in the
printing press that appeared only a few hundred years
ago. Books have become the main medium for people to tell
both tales of fiction and reality and they literally (no
pun intended) have taken over the world. Millions and
millions of books have been written, read, stuck in huge
libraries, worshipped, banned, censored, and even burnt
because of their perceived potential and powerful effects
on societies. The previous century saw the advent of film
that brought 'life' to many books and subsequently have
become one of the most popular forms of entertainment
in our world. Now however, with the Information Age have
come E-books, and a very exciting new arrival: audible
books. Audible books have ensured that books will still
be one of the main storytelling mediums for generations
to come.
The Internet has brought so many new ways for us to communicate
with each other, but here I will focus mainly on the area
of literature. If you aren't good at typing, or have some
kind of illness that prevents bodily movement, there are
now voice recognition software packages that turn your
voice into words on the monitor and thus the sheet of
paper. On the other hand, there is now technology that
uses voice synthesis to convert text into spoken audio
for audio books.
Recently I went on a trip by car with my parents for the
first time in many years as I had the opportunity to get
to visit my girlfriend as she lives in the same city as
they were visiting. The reason why I haven't travelled
with them for so long is that our personalities often
clash and in a confined space over a length of time it
can become unbearable for all those involved. I was still
a little dubious of the trip ahead but my Dad said that
he had an audible book that we could listen to on the
way through his Apple Ipod. He has a connection called
Itrip that you connect from the music device to the cigarette
lighter and then the book is heard through any unused
radio frequency. This particular story was meant to be
a science fiction novel called 'Ender's Game' by Orson
Scott Card. I hadn't read Sci-Fi in a long time so I wasn't
really looking forward to it, but my Dad assured me that
his friend had told him that it was very good.
Well, let me tell you the story was very engrossing indeed.
All three of us were hanging on every word from the multiple
narrators (an interesting way to hear a story told) that
meant that we couldn't even discuss our opinions on what
we thought was happening (the story wasn't very straightforward)
until we made it to food, gasoline, and rest stops. This
meant none of the arguments of old as well as friendly
conversation when communication was possible. The coolest
part of all was how the time of the journey just seemed
to flow by. Usually the eight hour (each way) trip could
be quite tiring with one becoming impatient at the monotony
of the landscape; farms and pastures can become one huge
blur after a while. This time however, story unfolding
gradually mile after mile, the climax of the plot building
slowly, we almost didn't want the trip to end as it would
mean the end of the storytelling experience.
This could have great ramifications for the humans of
the future, don't you think? Imagine what it could mean
for keeping children happy, calm, and even the added educational
opportunities. There are many places to find audible books
but the most famous is www.audible.com. There are thousands
of texts there separated by genre as well as having 'book
club' and 'award winning' lists. They cost money of course,
but if you become a member you receive discounts that
mean that most are no more expensive than paper books.
A lot of the classics are there as well as children's
books and recently published texts. There are probably
a hundred different genre categories and sub-categories
altogether. If you've got a book of your own that you
want to turn into an audible, check out www.nextup.com.
Maybe you've never been much of a reader but you've always
enjoyed it when people have weaved magical tales that
cause you to fly away to other realms and realities. For
whatever reason, go check out audible books, they may
just open another door of perception.
About the Author
Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer likes to read and write and watch stories,
now he can hear them too. |
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