The Best Free Training

Topic: Basic, practical, spoken Spanish language training for people who speak English
Format: Interactive website with slide shows and many, many fun and challenging activities
Reviewer/email: Mike G – greers_pm@yahoo.com

This beautifully-produced, fun, and highly engaging course is part of a whole collection of resources from the BBC that will help you learn to speak Spanish as spoken in Spain. From the website: “Spanish Steps will introduce you to simple, spoken Spanish language. The language you’ll learn will help you to find your way, order meals, introduce yourself, etc and to understand predictable things that people will say to you.”

(Continued in Comment.)

Topic: Architecture and related topics including history, theory, industrial design, urbanism, allied professions, social discourse and the role of architects in contemporary culture
Format: Seven downloadable 45-minute audio interviews in iTunes or MP3 format
Reviewer/email: Mike G – greers_pm@yahoo.com

This is an amazingly wide-ranging collection of interviews from the College of Architecture, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. True, the topic is architecture. But the subjects discussed in these interviews range from “Skateboarding…” to “Castles in the Air…” to “Blowing Things Up…” and more. And all the while the intent is to “… [help] students build a more nuanced and attentive language with which to describe the built environment and their own work…” If you’ve ever wondered about the deeper meaning of the structures around you or if you’ve simply wanted to develop a better knowledge of the language of architecture, these interviews are for you. They will help you teach yourself to see the forms and structures of your “built environment” with better-trained eyes.

(Continued in Comment.)

Topic: How you can (and why you should) train yourself to be more optimistic
Format: 16 minute MP3 download
Reviewer/email: Mike G – greers_pm@yahoo.com

This is a nice, tight little summary of Martin Seligman’s book Learned Optimism. Written and narrated by Brian Johnson, this audio distills Seligman’s work and provides specific examples of how you can apply Seligman’s techniques to your own life in order to become more optimistic and, in turn, happier and more successful. If you’re a pessimist… and tired of the pessimistic world-view… this free audio could begin to change your life in 16 minutes!

(Continued in Comment.)

Topic: How to capture, edit, convert, and share any image displayed on your computer screen
Format: Software product (free) and free 43-page tutorial with lots of graphics and step-by-step instructions
Reviewer/email: Mike G – greers_pm@yahoo.com

With FastStone Capture, if you can see it on your computer screen, you can easily capture it as a *.jpg file — or one of 10 other graphic file formats. From a tiny image smaller than an icon to the entire screen, you can clip it, edit it, and save it or email it. And this great little free software package comes with a free, well-written, and highly detailed tutorial that will have you up and running and snagging images in no time! (The image below was captured and processed using FastStone Capture.)

(Continued in Comment.)

Topic: Electrical and Communications Engineering resources available on the web for students and researchers
Format: Tutorial website with text explanations, annotated links, a “link basket” to create a personalized list of links to investigate, and quiz.
Reviewer/email: Mike G – greers_pm@yahoo.com

The Internet for Electrical and Communications Engineering tutorial is an extensive annotated collection of electrical and communications engineering websites that will help you conduct your own self-study and research in these fields. Though it is published by British scholars, American and international resources are well-represented.

(Continued in Comment.)

Do you find yourself in arguments about the upcoming presidential election? Well, it’s always easier to argue from an informed position! Here are some previously published reviews from this blog that might help you get some objective information and specific answers to your questions:

* Electing a US President in Plain English (a short, fun video about the electoral college)

* McCain versus Obama: Don’t be spun! It’s easy to get the truth
[3 unbiased fact-checking websites.]

* Free Videos: Learn More about Biden, McCain, & Obama

The very first free training product I reviewed on this blog (November 28, 2007) was the amazing little video from Common Craft called “Google Docs in Plain English.” And today I learned that this wonderful “best free training” product has now logged over a million views on You Tube. Congratulations, Common Craft!

Watch it yourself, and see what’s so great about it…
Common Craft Client Video: Google Docs in Plain English

And please visit the Common Craft blog for great business philosophy and many more high-quality, clean, simple, and free videos on all sorts of topics.