What do you do with all of the little moments in life that are between all of the big stuff we do every day? A walk from the office to your car or 20 minutes on a treadmill don’t exactly require our full attention. Instead of zoning out, you can now take those mundane moments and engage your mind to learn about something new, courtesy of iMinds.
iMinds bills itself as an audio encyclopedia. With 72 tracks at launch, the company offers well-produced audio content on a variety of subjects in a similar format to an encyclopedia article. Think of this as a concept launch, though, as iMinds has plans for hundreds of titles across 12 knowledge areas such as Art, Science, History, Math, Pop Culture, etc. They can be purchased individually or a discounted bundles through iTunes and Audible.com.
culture_largeThe company sent a copy of all the available 72 tracks for review. They included titles such as Culture Jamming, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, UFOs, The Bubonic Plague, and l’esprit de l’escalier. In encyclopedic fashion, an iMinds track discusses an idea as fully as we’d expect from a written source, and they research and fact-check their articles before production. If you think listening to someone give a history lesson would be boring, you’re wrong. The voice talent is pleasant and the production itself adds to the experience with a subtle electronic music bed that ebbs around the voice over and help to define sections within the title.
The content, too, is well chosen. Putting together an audio-encyclopedia is a very broad undertaking. Collecting their ‘articles’ in the various categories has helped to define what their concept is and how they’ll move forward. iMinds has chosen their selections to be a cross between popular topics of the day, such as Lehman Brothers and Flash Mobs, and general knowledge topics. These selections help broaden your knowledge about what people are talking about today and a topic to learn about just for the satisfaction of knowing it.
So is the iMinds experience effective? I have a lot of podcasts on my iPod that I use mostly on car trips. These are, for the most part, episodes of This American Life and I listen to them when I want something engaging that isn’t music. But those are 60 minute podcasts and aren’t appropriate when I want to go on a walk during my lunch break or the short car ride home. In that respect, I really enjoyed the format and length of iMinds and the ability to take away knowledge on topics I hadn’t learned about since school, if ever.
But sometimes I found myself wanting more information than iMinds could offer. For example, their piece on The Great Fire of London was informative on this historic event. But I’ve never been to London and the scale of the fire was lost on me as they described streets and neighborhoods that were destroyed in the blaze. Hitting up wikipedia.com afterward helped, but it illustrated that not all content could translate strictly to an audio form.
On the whole, however, the product is great. As a direct resource for information, it’s hard to compete with online resources. But as a way to keep your mind fresh while out and about, look no further.
Wired: Convenient and informative. Well produced. Fairly inexpensive when purchased in bundles.
Tired: Topics which require references to maps, charts, etc. do not translate well to a purely audio format.
By Chuck Lawton
]]>When it comes to exercise, running is a last resort. The farthest I’ve ever run is just over 5K, and that was in high school. I’ve never experienced “runner’s high,” mastered steady breathing, or even managed to shake the feeling that I would rather be doing just about anything besides another lap. Part of the problem was always my overactive mind, which is very adept at justifying my inertia, every thud on the pavement inspiring another reason I should be alphabetizing my spice collection instead.
iMinds may have just changed all that. The Sydney-based company has come out with a catalog of eight-minute downloadable trivia tracks designed to freshen up your general knowledge on such topics as the Federal Reserve and Film Noir, as well as more esoteric ones like the Barbary Pirates, Krumping, and even Eternal Truths. After taking it and myself for a test run around my neighborhood, I was shocked to find that I’d run, well, much farther than I’d gone in a long time. The topics I listened to were meticulously researched, breezy, and set to music that sounded like the Discovery Channel at its most thrilling. A disquisition on Crop Circles was over before my hamstrings had loosened up. Not only was I distracted enough to run without a sense of impending doom but I was interested, too. (iMinds accompanied me to work the next morning.) While I won’t be signing up for a marathon anytime soon, iMinds, which will continue to release hundreds of new tracks in the coming years, will be my informed companion whenever the spirit moves me to try for that extra lap.
—Megan Conway
]]>And iMinds wants you to be prepared: The company, which provides “eight-minute MP3 knowledge grabs” on a variety of subjects, is now offering a six-track Berlin Wall Collection so you listeners can “pepper their dinner party banter with interesting factoids” about the wall. Included on the subject list: Rise of the Berlin Wall, the Iron Curtain, Crossing the Berlin Wall and German Reunification.
Olivia Wood, founder and managing director of iMinds, tells Culture Monster: “The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 is one of the most significant events in recent world history that most of us were able to witness on television, but I’m sure many people would like to learn more about the rise of the wall, the wider context of global relations at the time and the wall’s eventual demolition. This is where iMinds comes in. Our bite-size knowledge grabs are the perfect way to get up to speed on general knowledge topics on-the-go or in your home.”
Not to be outdone, Culture Monster would like to offer its own Berlin Wall cocktail-party factoid: Did you know that in Berlin the anniversary will be commemorated with a symbolic wall made entirely of giant dominos, which will — as dominos tend to do — fall at the appropriate moment? Read more about that project in this article from Der Spiegel.
— Diane Haithman
]]>NEWARK, NJ. – October 13, 2009 – To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9th, iMinds, creator of eight-minute MP3 knowledge grabs, has released a Berlin Wall Collection, featuring six tracks that teach and entertain listeners about the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall while they are on-the-go. The iMinds Specialist Berlin Wall Collection, available through Audible.com and the iTunes Store, provides a foundation of knowledge that contextualizes the upcoming anniversary and provides listeners with the knowledge to pepper their dinner party banter with interesting factoids.
“The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 is one of the most significant events in recent world history that most of us were able to witness on television, but I’m sure many people would like to learn more about the rise of the wall, the wider context of global relations at the time and the wall’s eventual demolition,” said Olivia Wood, founder, iMinds. “That’s where iMinds comes in. Our bite-size knowledge grabs are the perfect way to get up to speed on general knowledge topics. Simply download on to your MP3 player and you can populate your playlist with practical knowledge as well as pop.”
The iMinds Specialist Berlin Wall Collection features six eight-minute MP3 audio tracks: Rise of The Berlin Wall, East Germany, The Iron Curtain, Crossing The Berlin Wall, The Fall of The Berlin Wall and German Reunification. Each title focuses on a core element of the historic event, the collection gives a strong overview in under one hour. The tracks are sold as a collection of six for $3.99 via Audible.com/iMinds or via the iTunes Store. All titles are also available individually for $0.99.
iMinds MindTracks are designed to provide a well-rounded subject overview of a general knowledge topic. iMinds employs a mix of professional researchers, writers and topic experts to produce high quality content designed specifically for the spoken-audio entertainment format. All iMinds MindTracks include high quality voice-over artists mixed with a sound-scape of music and sound effects to keep listeners engaged. iMinds vets all content through a three-layer editing and fact-checking process to ensure the highest level of accuracy possible.
iMinds currently offers more than eighty titles across 12 main categories of interest: Ideas & Concepts, Politics, Law & Business, The Arts, History, People & Places, Medicine & Inventions, Sports & Action, Crime, War & Conflict, Pop Culture, Science & Nature, Culture & Religion, and Mystery & Conspiracy.
iMinds MindTracks are sold in collections of six tracks for USD $3.99, twelve tracks for USD $5.99, thirty-six tracks for USD $14.99 or seventy-two tracks for USD $24.99. Individual iMinds MindTracks are $0.99 each.
Media Contact:
Contact: Alexis Wilson or Mike Schroeder
Phone: +1(212) 564-3665
Email: iminds(at)launchsquad(dot)com
iMinds Contact:
Email: info@iminds.com
Web: www.iminds.com
Twitter: @iMinds_com
NOW you can listen to something more edifying than a pop song on your MP3 player.
IMinds, a new company based in Sydney, has released a catalogue of eight-minute audio books that deliver information rather than jingles.
The first 72 of the so-called MindTracks are available for download from Audible.com or Apple’s iTunes, and work with any MP3 player.
The company hopes to have hundreds of MindTracks available by the end of next year.
Topics range from The Federal Reserve and Epidemics through to the History of Whaling and Film Noir.
Broad categories covered include ideas and concepts, politics, law and business, the arts, history, people and places, medicine and inventions, sports and action, crime, war and conflict, pop culture, science and nature, culture and religion, and mystery and conspiracy.
Christina Harcar, director of editorial business development at Audible.com, says MindTracks should appeal to a broad range of consumers.
“It’s a new way for busy people to get up to speed on a new topic and increase their knowledge,” she says.
Each iMinds track will be priced at about $1.99, with discounts for buying six or more.
]]>In an attempt to capitalize on people’s short attention spans and ever-increasing dependence on iPods and other MP3 players, a new company, iMinds, has launched a series of eight-minute audiobooks that offer compact overviews of general knowledge subjects ranging from the history of whale hunting to creationism. There are currently 72 iMinds MindTracks available for download at Audible and the iTunes store, and iMinds plans to roll out hundreds more by the end of 2010. The audiobooks, or “tracks,” are available in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia.
Tracks cost $0.99 each, or customers may buy them in bundles, paying $3.99 for six, $5.99 for 12, $14.99 for 36 or $24.99 for 72. The tracks cover 12 categories: ideas and concepts; politics; law and business; the arts; history; people and places; medicine and inventions; sports and action; crime; war and conflict; pop culture; science and nature; culture and religion; and mystery and conspiracy. Initial titles include The Federal Reserve, Epidemics, D-Day Invasion, Seven Wonders, Film Noir, Stockholm Syndrome, and Evolution.
Olivia Wood founded iMinds in Sydney, Australia, earlier this year. She had previously worked in magazine publishing in Australia and at NewsLink, an Australian book retailer, and wanted to create a place for nonfiction content to be formatted for MP3 players. iMinds employs researchers, writers and topic experts to create content, and editors and fact-checkers to ensure accuracy. Voice-over artists read the content against a backdrop of music and sound effects. The company does not collaborate with book publishers for content. A spokesperson said that in the future, iMinds may partner with other content producers, but currently that is not a main objective, nor does it have plans to release its content in print or e-book format.
Wood believes iMinds MindTracks are “the perfect companion for busy MP3 owners who utilize technology to get the most out of life.” Additionally, as part of an initiative called The KUE Project, iMinds will send tracks free of charge to any nonprofit, library, school, teaching college or non-government organization that qualifies.
The company has hired a national PR agency and is working with Audible’s marketing efforts. MindTracks went live earlier in September, and while the company would not release the number of downloads, a spokesperson said that in the U.S., so far both the Anime and Film Noir tracks have landed on iTunes’ Arts & Entertainment Top 100 list. Christina Harcar, director of editorial business development at Audible, called iMinds “a compelling new category of content that will appeal to a broad range of consumers.”
]]>Allow me to lay a scene: It’s 7:00 am. The kids need to be fed and bundled off to school. The toast is burning. The cat just knocked a pile of papers off the counter, and you’ve got a big presentation to give in an hour and you haven’t even begun to prepare. Okay, so that bit of fiction certainly doesn’t describe all of us, but there is a universal truth to it: our lives are busy and hectic and we have little in the way of spare time. So how can we ever find the time to actually learn something new?
This list of web-based resources will point you toward web sites that will help you learn how to do new things, stay on top of current events, and learn about topics where your current knowledge may be lacking. And these resources will do all that in under 10 minutes each day. Do you know of any other sites where people can absorb quality, new information in under 10 minutes? Add them in the comments!
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4. iMinds
The just-launched iMinds publishes original, short audio podcasts about liberal arts topics (such as history, economics, current events, and business) that are approximately eight minutes in length each. The idea is to allow people to learn new things, from a credible source while on the go. The tracks are available via iTunes and Audible.com for 99 cents each, while longer, multi-track lessons are sold for $3.99 (6 tracks) up to $24.99 (72 tracks).
The iMinds concept of delivering short, high quality audio books is sound, and we think they offer an interesting way for busy people to absorb new information. The Australian-based company is adding one to two new tracks per week and plans to have several hundred audio books on a variety of topics available by the end of 2010.
iMinds on Mashable: 10 Sites To Learn Something New in Under 10 Minutes a Day
]]>Australian-startup iMinds is hoping to re-create the experience of reading an encyclopedia, except on your iPod. The startup is launching audio-versions of encyclopedia entries, with topics such as “The Federal Reserve,” and “D-Day Invasion,” that can be downloaded fro, Audible.com or iTunes.
Currently, there are 72 different “MindTracks” available that give a well-rounded subject overview of a general knowledge topic in a variety of subject matters including politics, sports, pop culture, science and more. Each track is eight minutes and costs $0.99 cents on iTunes.
IMinds’ CEO and founder Olivia Wood says she created the tracks for people to gain quick, yet informational, “snacks” of information during their commutes or at the gym. She says that iMinds has already gained considerable traction in foreign countries, like Japan, as a tool for learning the English language. IMinds faces competition from the many non-fiction audio books on iTunes but what may set iMinds apart is its short length.
TechCrunch: iMinds Launches Audio Encyclopedia Tracks For Learning On The Go
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