I don't understand what's wrong with multitasking in this context. It is really easy to listen to an audiobook while doing some light cleaning or during commute. I love reading and I'm trying to increase my paperback collection but I think everyone should at least give it a shot, my recommendation would be Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter - it's an awesome experience.
America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
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Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#62I listen to probably 4-5 audio books a month from Audible, mostly fantasy. There's no way I could listen to that many books a month if I didn't do it by multi-tasking. (I also listen to just about every book at 1.5x speed; usually 1x speed is too slow for some narrators)
Here's things I can do while easily following my audio books: cleaning (house, car, dishes, etc.), cooking, brushing teeth, running, driving, cycling (Using a Aftershokz Bluez bone conduction headphones so I can still hear what's around me). The majority of my daily listening time is from cooking and commuting by bicycle (I spend about 45-60 minutes every day cycling).
Things I can't do while listening to audio books: programming, watching multimedia, playing a video game. In other words, things that require high mental concentration. If I try to listen to an audio book while programming, I'll either not follow what's happening in the audio book, or I'll not be able to concentrate on programming.
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#63Sort of a side note, but I've noticed that there are some activities I can do while listening to audiobooks and others I can't.
For instance, during my day job as a software engineer, when I am doing any kind of visual work, audio is easy to listen to. Things like building UIs with web tech like HTML and CSS.
When I am doing anything more traditionally related to software it is a 100% shift, I can't follow a thing.
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#64Audio books saved my sanity when I had a 30 minute commute. I actually looked forward to the drive knowing I'd get to hear more from Off To Be The Wizard.
I had the same feeling with that same series. I used to look forward to my 30 minute commute to/from work. I'd save the book for the commute and it would always be something to look forward to. Have you found any other books similar to that?
I can't speak to that series because I haven't read that one (I've put it on my list though).
Good ones I have read:
The Kingkiller Chronicle - Patrick Rothfuss
Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn (Sadly this trilogy is no longer canon, if that matters to you)
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#65I love audiobooks, and have discovered the wonderful wispersync feature to seamlessly pick up my kindle or audible audiobook, which ever is most convenient. I highly recommend the Aubrey/Maturin series read by Patrick Tull. Currently listening to The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman.
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#66I can only "listen" to an audio book when I am not multi-tasking. Otherwise I find myself zone out of the book, and miss a huge chunk of it, then rewind to the point I thought I missed and rewind too much. Realize I have heard it before and let myself zone out again etc. I realize how inefficient live lectures are and how much I must have missed through my life.
I have the same problem. Even watching youtube lecture videos, I have to rewind so many times (just 10-30 seconds each time usually) that it takes an average of 2 hours to watch a 1 hour lecture video. (Though part of that is because I also pause the video frequently, either to take pen-and-paper notes, or spend time thinking while trying to understand the concepts). Live lecture is a total disaster for me now. I don…
I'm reminded of Tyler Cowen's (and many other people's) advice about reading difficult books
plow through it fast the first time, with the expectation that you'll come back and read it again later
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2016/01/que...
I wonder if a similar strategy wouldn't work best for watching youtube lectures
just go straight through the first time, with the expectation that you'll need to watch it a few times to truly grasp it
--------
also the second strategy seems useful too
"2. After finishing the classic, read a good deal of the secondary literature, keeping in mind that you now are looking for answers to some particular questions. That will structure and improve your investigation"
ie - after you've watched a lecture, see if you can find a different source exploring the same topic
sometimes seeing something described in different ways really helps something click
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
> when the other task is one you can perform automatically (e.g. highway driving) Fucking hell no, please do focus your attention on driving.
It's really no different from listening to the radio.
It's not the "listening to audio" bit that's worrying, it's the "task is one you can perform automatically (e.g. highway driving)" which is scary.
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's really no different from listening to the radio.
It's not the "listening to audio" bit that's worrying, it's the "task is one you can perform automatically (e.g. highway driving)" which is scary.
Don't you ever drive somewhere and realize you have no idea memory of doing several of the steps involved in driving? I've been driving ~15 years, and can certainly say that at this point my daily vehicle operations are not all performed with full focus. I still check for traffic, and drive safely, but it is more automatic than just about anything else I do.
Substitute in "riding a bike" for driving, and I bet you do the same.
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#69I want to recommend a great source of free, public domain audiobooks: Librivox.[1] It's like the Project Gutenberg of audiobooks, recorded by volunteers. The quality of their readers varies, but there are some surprisingly good readers on there, such as my favorite so far, David Clarke, who did a superb reading of The Count of Monte Cristo .[2] [1] - https://librivox.org/ [2] - https://librivox.org/the-count-of-monte…
Podcasts were my gateway to Librivox, Librivox was my gateway to Audible.
Librivox is fantastic; however, our copyright laws are just too restrictive. Librivox is the kind of thing that shows the immense value of a robust public domain.
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#70In my personal experience, I have always found it that the books I've listened are the first to fade from my memory. Second came books consumed as ebooks and last, old fashioned paper books. I believe that the act of touching the book, carrying with you everywhere, leaving it on the table, seems to make its content much more memorable for me than reading it as an ebook or listening to it. I find it that I still remem…
Honestly I don't find much difference. I think the quality of the books and the writing matters quite a great deal. A brilliant book is memorable whether you read it or listen to it. Audiobooks tend to be more tied up with my memories of (bicycle) commuting.
I find it easier to listen to dull books rather than reading them, because there's an innate flow of pace with the audio version, rather than having my attention drift, so it's easier to get through the darn thing.