While this is a bold claim it does seem to have merit. The site is packed with all kinds of resources including lots of free audio books, university course, language lessons, pod casts and much more. 

You'll find Open Culture's home page at  http://www.oculture.com or you use the links below to view the site by category. Either way I'm sure you'll find something of interest, I know I did and I'm sure I'll be visiting there again many times in the future.  

Enjoy

Audio & Podcasts

• Free Audio Books
• Free University Courses
• Foreign Language Lessons
• Ideas & Culture
• Music
• News & Info
• Science
• Technology
• Travel
• University – General
• Business School
• Law School

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlOKkxS4mog&eurl=http://www.facebook.com/inbox/&feature=player_embedded

Just imagine being able to use this time to improve your business or advance your career. This is where spoken audio recordings can play an important part in your professional life. With the use of today's technology the busy professional can actually benefit by using this time to listen to business books, business seminars, sales and marketing lectures and podcasts from successful business people.

Business audio books are an ideal mentoring tool and can motivate and inspire today's business professional. A great example of this is the audiobook version of Michael E. Gerber’s business classic “The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work And What To Do About It” read by the author himself. This is of course just one example of the many audio resources available today and here are 5 others that should be in your audio library:

1. “How To Win Friends And Influence People” – by Dale Carnegie

One of the most important aspects of any business is the fact that PEOPLE are a crucial part of its success. This is true in almost every aspect of human activity, and especially in business. We need people to keep our businesses going and growing. Not just the people that bring us new sales and new customers, but also the people that make the sales possible, the people who deliver our products, handle complaints, run the administrative aspects of the business, and so on. To be able to succeed in business and other areas of life, we all need to know “how to win friends and influence people”. That’s why this incredible book by Dale Carnegie is a “must have” for any person in business. With the power of the information contained in this classic book, you can learn not just how to influence people so that they bring in more sales for your business, but most importantly how to win staff, suppliers, customers and prospects over as friends to help you make future sales possible. This book is available in audio book format, so you can enjoy listening to it in the comfort of your car while driving or commuting.

2. “E-Myth Mastery” – By Michael E. Gerber

Michael E. Gerber is the world’s leading small business guru and bestselling author of the phenomenally successful “The E-Myth Revisited”. In this audiobook version of his follow up book, “E-Myth Mastery”, Michael Gerber presents the next big step in entrepreneurial management and leadership. This audiobook presents a practical, real-world program that can be implemented in real-time in your business. The E-Myth credo — Don’t work IN your business, work ON it — is spelled out here in the seven essential disciplines followed by every leader of a world-class enterprise. Each discipline provides the leadership keys for unlocking success in the critical areas of business development: Leadership, Marketing, Finance, Money, Management, Client Fulfillment, Lead Conversion and Lead Generation. E-Myth Mastery is the ultimate business development program that will help you recover your passion and turn your company into a world-class operation — a turn-key machine for the money and satisfaction that only a successful entrepreneur can enjoy.

3. “Zig Ziglar’s Secrets Of Closing The Sale” – By Zig Ziglar

All of us are involved in selling every day. Whenever we present a product or a principle, inform a client, or instruct a child, we are engaging in the art of effective persuasion. Zig Ziglar is America’s master of the art of selling and in this audiobook, he explains proven, practical sales techniques all of us can use every day. He also provides vital strategies for specific closes, hundred of sales questions, and dozens of persuasion procedures to help everyone sell their ideas, or themselves. No matter what your age, gender, occupation, or lifestyle, these proven techniques from America’s selling sensation can work for you.

4. “Winning” – by Jack Welch

Jack Welch knows how to win. During his forty-year career at General Electric, he led the company to year-after-year success around the globe, in multiple markets, against brutal competition.

5. “10 Steps to Prepare & Deliver a Powerful Presentation” – by David Julian Price

Ideal for:

* Presentations to colleagues at work;
* Technical presentations;
* Presentations to meetings at clubs, associations or local government;
* Sales presentations;
* Speeches at weddings, birthdays or special events.

Please visit the following link for more information on these and many other downloadable business audio books that can give you the competitive edge.

The other day I posted about a Free Christian Audio Book website that offered synthesized audio books using TextAloud software. Today I got to thinking that many of you may not be aware of the many other uses of that software so today I'm going to talk a little more about how it can really help save you time.

TextAloud 2.0 is the most popular text to speech software available today and version 3 which is due out very soon promises many new features.

TextAloud can save you time in many ways, it can read your email for you, read web pages, reports, text from almost any text document and  much more. TextAloud can also save your reading tasks to MP3 or Windows Media files ready for playback on your iPod, PocketPC, or even on your TV with Tivo's Home Media Option.

Just think of how much more productive and/or entertained you'll be wherever you go with this text reader. If you haven't listened to computer generated speech recently, I think you'll be amazed at how human-like the latest voices really are.

But don't take my word for it you can download a free trial version of TextAloud from their website and give it a try for yourself. Also available on their website is sample recordings of many of the premium voices.

Business people, students, educators, writers, lawyers, homemakers and busy people from all walks of life find TextAloud to be an essential tool they use every day. It's been featured in The New York Times, PC Magazine, Writer's Digest, on CNN and more.

So head on over to their website and check it out and while you're there you can don't forget to check the other time saving software titles they offer such as NewsAloud, WeatherAloud and StocksAloud you can also read what others have to say about this software. Some of the user testimonials give some really innovative ways to use this software.

Enjoy 

While you're at the store you can also use the advanced search tool and search for titles in other prices as well. Simply click on Advanced Search in the search box, on the next screen you'll see a drop down arrow in the price field, click on that drop down arrow to reveal your options, make your selection then click the Search Button. How cool is that?

So what are you waiting for click on the link above and claim some real bargains. 

Happy shopping!!! 

Enjoy

Mystery and Suspense

• The Dogs of Riga By: Henning Mankell
• The Overlook By: Michael Connelly
• Play Dead By: David Rosenfelt
• The Suspect By: John Lescroart
• The Tin Roof Blowdown By: James Lee Burke

Well there you have it, and remember if you'd like to see AudioFile's complete list of 45 must-read audiobooks you can use this link.

Below are my favorites from AudioFile's list of 45.

Fiction 

• War & Peace By: Leo Tolstoy

Non Fiction

• State of Denial By: Bob Woodward

Another audiobook that AudioFile included in this category is The Secret By: Rhonda Byrne and although it's not one of favorites I wanted to include it here with a question for you. Do you believe that this book should be listed in the Non Fiction category? Please add your comments about this controversial audio book below.

Biography & History

• China Road By: Rob Gifford
• Einstein By: Walter Isaacson

Family Listening

• Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant By: Jack Prelutsky

Stay tuned I'll add the next categories shortly.