Two of our best selling cases are now 20% off, and with our Gadget Vault Rewards program you get an addioional 5% back towards your next purchase.
The eVo3 is beautifully precision crafted from 100% pure high-grade silicone, the iSkin eVo3 snugly guards the iPod with Video from scratches, bumps and moisture while featuring an all-new, ultra-clear, scratch resistant face and screen protector (VISORÙ - Visually Intact Solid Optical ResinÙ) that has been perfectly integrated seamlessly into eVo3Ìs solid and seamless design. The iSkin eVo3 offers moisture-resistance, shock-absorbing capabilities, security and a micro-textured body that provides an anti-slip gripping surface
MSRP $34.95 SALE $27.99
The patent pending Duo for nano design offers the highest level ofprotection for the iPod Nano, the iPod Duo features a dual layershock-resistant silicone skin that guards against bumps, scratches,dirt, and other unwanted elements, ensuring your tunes keep playing no matter where you go.
Constructed of scratch-resistant silicone rubber, iSkin iPod Duo is a form-fitting protective skin that perfectly integrates with the aesthetic appearance of the iPod Nano and simultaneously allows for complete
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/11?osCsid=a472089f941a9374a852e4c4599418f0
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Tivo now FREE after $220 Mail In Rebate
Your TiVo box, powered by the amazing TiVo service, automatically finds and digitally records all of your favorite shows, every time they're on. Every episode of your favorite series. Every Coppola movie. Every home improvement program. Even Dora cartoons! Whatever you choose. All while you're out living life. Plus, only TiVo lets you watch your favorite shows any time, anywhere.
* Record shows from 2 basic cable channels, or 1 basic cable and 1 digital cable channel, at once with the built-in dual tuner (does not support recording from 2 digital cable or satellite channels at once)
* 80GB hard drive provides up to 80 hours of digital recording time, depending on the quality you select
* Pause and create instant replays of live TV
Product Features:
* TiVo finds and records the kinds of shows you want to see based on the WishList you create
* Control live TV with pause, rewind, slow-motion and instant replay functions
* Season Pass recording option automatically records your favorite shows every time they're on
* TiVoToGo transfers allow you to watch your favorite shows anywhere, any time, by transferring them to your notebook PC, Apple iPod with video and other portable devices
* Multiroom viewing gives access to TiVo no matter where you are in your home (requires existing home network and additional networking accessories)
* Schedule last-minute recordings from anywhere on the Web
* Ethernet and USB ports allow you to connect to your home network and provide support for future media-on-demand services like music downloads and streaming video
* Inputs: 1 phone line, 1 stereo audio, 1 RF, 1 S-video, 1 composite, 1 Ethernet 10/100 and 2 USB ports
* Outputs: 1 serial control, 1 IR control, 2 composite video, 1 S-video, 1 RF and 2 stereo audio
* Monthly service fee of $16.95 required for TiVo service
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/12?osCsid=a472089f941a9374a852e4c4599418f0
* Record shows from 2 basic cable channels, or 1 basic cable and 1 digital cable channel, at once with the built-in dual tuner (does not support recording from 2 digital cable or satellite channels at once)
* 80GB hard drive provides up to 80 hours of digital recording time, depending on the quality you select
* Pause and create instant replays of live TV
Product Features:
* TiVo finds and records the kinds of shows you want to see based on the WishList you create
* Control live TV with pause, rewind, slow-motion and instant replay functions
* Season Pass recording option automatically records your favorite shows every time they're on
* TiVoToGo transfers allow you to watch your favorite shows anywhere, any time, by transferring them to your notebook PC, Apple iPod with video and other portable devices
* Multiroom viewing gives access to TiVo no matter where you are in your home (requires existing home network and additional networking accessories)
* Schedule last-minute recordings from anywhere on the Web
* Ethernet and USB ports allow you to connect to your home network and provide support for future media-on-demand services like music downloads and streaming video
* Inputs: 1 phone line, 1 stereo audio, 1 RF, 1 S-video, 1 composite, 1 Ethernet 10/100 and 2 USB ports
* Outputs: 1 serial control, 1 IR control, 2 composite video, 1 S-video, 1 RF and 2 stereo audio
* Monthly service fee of $16.95 required for TiVo service
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/12?osCsid=a472089f941a9374a852e4c4599418f0
Portable iPod video / DVD player
iLuv sure is making it easy to watch videos these days. The iLuv Portable Multimedia Tablet-Style DVD Player gives you both DVD and iPod viewing in one unit, and they make it very simple with both. More than just inputs for the iPod video signal, you can actually plug your 30, 60 or 80GB 5G iPod into a docking unit on the back of the system (your choice of plastic placeholders on the back will accommodate either a 30GB iPod or the 60/80GB models). Make sure your iPod is set to "TV Out" or "Ask" when playing videos (if set it to Ask, you'll need to select TV Out when prompted), select "iPod" on the iLuv unit (making sure it's on, of course), then hit play on your iPod. Simple as that. A plastic cover will protect the iPod when it's in the iLuv, but you do have access to the click wheel (which you'll need, because you still control the video with your iPod even when it's playing on the iLuv screen).
Obviously, that's the selling point of this device, so we have to throw bulk out the window. Most portable DVD players are quite thin, but not the iLuv. It's about 10"W x 6"H x 2.625"D in the center where the iPod sits. It's a bit heaver than most systems, too, so you'll want to use the enclosed stand. Again, though, all of this is necessary to accommodate the iPod in such a simple manner.
The iLuv sports a 7" widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) active-matrix LCD display. Considering that iPod movies are meant to be watched on a screen much smaller than that, the picture doesn't rise much above VHS quality. The 640x480 aspect ratio helps, but if you have older iPod videos at 320x240, they'll look a bit blurry on the iLuv.
DVDs, on the other hand, look great. You can sit two or three feet back of the iLuv and really appreciate the video clarity of a DVD. This is helpful, because you'll often want to have more than one person watching at a time. Your choices for DVD viewing are mostly the same as what you'd get with other DVD players, including multiple subtitle and video angle options. The built-in speakers or the two headphone jacks offer stereo sound only, no 5.1 surround, but that's fine for portability.
The iLuv includes S-video and component video/audio out for viewing your movies on a TV set, which seems kind of counter-intuitive, but isn't at all. Obviously, using the iLuv to run your iPod videos and photos from the iPod to a full TV is helpful, and if you don't have a DVD player, the iLuv can serve that function if you don't mind the loss of surround sound. It's also worth mentioning that the iLuv plays video CDs, audio CDs and MP3 CDs, so the audio and video outputs become more valuable.
To support all the connectivity options, the iLuv ships with nearly everything you need for connecting it to your audio and video equipment as well as to your power sources. You get your audio and video cables (though, sadly, not the S-video cable), you get the power adapter and you get a cigarette lighter adapter. The power adapters are important, too, because you only get about 2 to 2.5 hours on the built-in Ni-MH battery before having to recharge. And finally, you get a remote control (as with the on-device controls, the remote doesn't work with iPod viewing) and an acceptable pair of headphones.
For transport, the iLuv comes with a great carrying case designed to accommodate the iLuv and most of its cables (it's hard to work the power adapters in there, but it can be done). An included strap can be attached for over-the-shoulder carrying, and there's also a strap for the iLuv player itself, allowing you to attach it to a car seat, for example.
And that, by the way, is what makes the iLuv Portable Multimedia Tablet- Style DVD Player so worth it. Why pay the auto dealer for a DVD player when you can buy an iLuv for less, get the iPod compatibility, and be able to remove it from the car when you want to watch it elsewhere. The battery life isn't great, but as long as you're near a power source either at home or in the car, that won't be an issue.
You can get smaller portable DVD players with more features, but the iPod compatibility and overall portability make the iLuv Portable Multimedia Tablet-Style DVD Player well worth the price.
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/14?osCsid=a472089f941a9374a852e4c4599418f0
Obviously, that's the selling point of this device, so we have to throw bulk out the window. Most portable DVD players are quite thin, but not the iLuv. It's about 10"W x 6"H x 2.625"D in the center where the iPod sits. It's a bit heaver than most systems, too, so you'll want to use the enclosed stand. Again, though, all of this is necessary to accommodate the iPod in such a simple manner.
The iLuv sports a 7" widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) active-matrix LCD display. Considering that iPod movies are meant to be watched on a screen much smaller than that, the picture doesn't rise much above VHS quality. The 640x480 aspect ratio helps, but if you have older iPod videos at 320x240, they'll look a bit blurry on the iLuv.
DVDs, on the other hand, look great. You can sit two or three feet back of the iLuv and really appreciate the video clarity of a DVD. This is helpful, because you'll often want to have more than one person watching at a time. Your choices for DVD viewing are mostly the same as what you'd get with other DVD players, including multiple subtitle and video angle options. The built-in speakers or the two headphone jacks offer stereo sound only, no 5.1 surround, but that's fine for portability.
The iLuv includes S-video and component video/audio out for viewing your movies on a TV set, which seems kind of counter-intuitive, but isn't at all. Obviously, using the iLuv to run your iPod videos and photos from the iPod to a full TV is helpful, and if you don't have a DVD player, the iLuv can serve that function if you don't mind the loss of surround sound. It's also worth mentioning that the iLuv plays video CDs, audio CDs and MP3 CDs, so the audio and video outputs become more valuable.
To support all the connectivity options, the iLuv ships with nearly everything you need for connecting it to your audio and video equipment as well as to your power sources. You get your audio and video cables (though, sadly, not the S-video cable), you get the power adapter and you get a cigarette lighter adapter. The power adapters are important, too, because you only get about 2 to 2.5 hours on the built-in Ni-MH battery before having to recharge. And finally, you get a remote control (as with the on-device controls, the remote doesn't work with iPod viewing) and an acceptable pair of headphones.
For transport, the iLuv comes with a great carrying case designed to accommodate the iLuv and most of its cables (it's hard to work the power adapters in there, but it can be done). An included strap can be attached for over-the-shoulder carrying, and there's also a strap for the iLuv player itself, allowing you to attach it to a car seat, for example.
And that, by the way, is what makes the iLuv Portable Multimedia Tablet- Style DVD Player so worth it. Why pay the auto dealer for a DVD player when you can buy an iLuv for less, get the iPod compatibility, and be able to remove it from the car when you want to watch it elsewhere. The battery life isn't great, but as long as you're near a power source either at home or in the car, that won't be an issue.
You can get smaller portable DVD players with more features, but the iPod compatibility and overall portability make the iLuv Portable Multimedia Tablet-Style DVD Player well worth the price.
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/14?osCsid=a472089f941a9374a852e4c4599418f0
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Prepare Your Space for Great Study Habits
Something that has always been very frustrating to me is having the ability to study effectively. It always seemed that no matter how hard I tried there was always something that got in the way of my getting a good study session in so I decided to start from the beginning and make my study habits better so that I could get more out of my learning. The first thing that I did was to prepare my personal study area for more effective learning. Here is what I did.
The first thing that I did was to do a thorough cleaning. I made sure that the area was neat and that the only real things that I had there were the things that would benefit me when I was doing my studying. That meant getting rid of the TV, Ipod, radio and anything else that would keep me from learning. I then made sure that everything that I needed for studying was available and easily accessible. I also made sure that when I was in the study area that everyone knew that I was not to be interrupted for any reason other than emergencies. Unnecessary interruptions are always bad for study because it breaks your concentration and then you need to spend additional time getting back into your subject. A few other things that I was sure to do was to get a comfortable chair, make sure that the lighting was adequate and the temperature was right.
So if you are ready to get the most out of your study then you really need to start at the beginning with the proper preparation. This will get your study session off to a good start and help you to learn more in less time. Future articles will cover other aspects of study habits.
About the Author
For more information on TexasUniversities, CaliforniaUniversities, or the UniversityofSouthFlorida visit our website.
The first thing that I did was to do a thorough cleaning. I made sure that the area was neat and that the only real things that I had there were the things that would benefit me when I was doing my studying. That meant getting rid of the TV, Ipod, radio and anything else that would keep me from learning. I then made sure that everything that I needed for studying was available and easily accessible. I also made sure that when I was in the study area that everyone knew that I was not to be interrupted for any reason other than emergencies. Unnecessary interruptions are always bad for study because it breaks your concentration and then you need to spend additional time getting back into your subject. A few other things that I was sure to do was to get a comfortable chair, make sure that the lighting was adequate and the temperature was right.
So if you are ready to get the most out of your study then you really need to start at the beginning with the proper preparation. This will get your study session off to a good start and help you to learn more in less time. Future articles will cover other aspects of study habits.
About the Author
For more information on TexasUniversities, CaliforniaUniversities, or the UniversityofSouthFlorida visit our website.
7 Unique Ways To Maximize Sales Of Private Label Rights Products
One of the quickest and easiest ways to get started in Internet Marketing is with your own private label rights products. These are completely made instant information products that are created by one marketer but sold to you to use and profit from as your own.
PLR products give you total freedom to change the product or customize it as you wish. The product creator maintains the copyright to the product but otherwise you gain the full rights to do almost anything you want with it and keep 100% of the proceeds for yourself.
You are allowed to make changes to the text such as rewording the document by expanding some key points or summarizing or even completely removing ideas. You can translate the text into another language. You can even transpose the product into another format such as audio. You can even break the product down into an email series or several articles.
Internet marketers love private label rights (PLR) products because they give you a tremendous head start on creating your own products that you can quickly make money from. You don't have to spend weeks or even months creating products from scratch because PLR hand everything to you on a silver platter.
Even with all of the freedom that you have with PLR products most internet marketers are still leaving a lot of money on the table because they miss the opportunity to maximize their sales.
The first step to getting the most out of the PLR products that you invest in is deciding that you will do something different that the hundreds of other marketers with the same products are not doing. You must be unique. Originality gives customers a good reason to purchase a product from you versus another marketer.
Here are seven unique ways that you can set yourself apart from your competition and increase your bottom line selling private label rights products.
1.Create Unique Packages - You can create unique offers that cannot be found anywhere else online by adding newly released PLR products to your own existing material or by creating a different combination of PLR products that no one else has thought of.
2.Original Article Content - One of the benefits of PLR products is that you can break them down and rewrite them to come up with your own original articles. Post them to article directories, forums or blogs. You can even monetize them with adsense or affiliate links.
3.Custom Audio Products - In our busy world, people really go for products that they can download to their computer or ipod and listen to while they do something else or take with them while they're on the go. Use your favorite audio software to create MP3s and you may have a winner just because of the convenience. Check out Audio Acrobat for a super easy way to create your own streaming audios or MP3 files.
4.Expert Interviews with the Author - Just purchased a PLR product on a hot marketing topic? A good way to really boost your sales is by doing an interview with the author or product creator. Interviews give you the opportunity to explore the topic further than may be offered in the product and answer any questions that customers may have about the product.
5.Customized for Specific Business Industries - One of the best ways to sell PLR products is to break out of the Internet marketing niche and make your products relevant and customized to different industries. For instance, let's say you offer a new PLR product on social networking or another hot marketing trend. You could make the product a hundred times more valuable by taking a couple of hours to provide additional information to business or career industries such as real estate agents, doctors, lawyers, consultants, etc. Your additional research adds value to the product and saves busy professionals the time and effort which could easily translate into more sales or higher price.
6.Expand into an Email Course - This is similar to the article marketing tip from the perspective of breaking down the products. However, now you want to preload a series of articles into an autoresponder to create an your own unique email course. Be sure to add affiliate links to each lesson for added profits.
7.Your Own Membership site - A lot of marketers use PLR products to create membership sites. The problem is that they just dump everything into the membership site trying to sell their offer based on the quantity of items offered over the quality. A better approach would be to create a site that focuses on a particular niche and write your own reviews for each item. That would be a far more attractive and certainly a unique offer.
Use any or all of these ideas to spark your creativity and boost your sales of private label rights items.
About the Author
Joanne Mason is an Internet Marketing consultant who specializes in resell rights and niche product creation. Visit PLR-Profits.com for a complete package of 8 PLR products to sell as your own using the ideas presented in this article.
PLR products give you total freedom to change the product or customize it as you wish. The product creator maintains the copyright to the product but otherwise you gain the full rights to do almost anything you want with it and keep 100% of the proceeds for yourself.
You are allowed to make changes to the text such as rewording the document by expanding some key points or summarizing or even completely removing ideas. You can translate the text into another language. You can even transpose the product into another format such as audio. You can even break the product down into an email series or several articles.
Internet marketers love private label rights (PLR) products because they give you a tremendous head start on creating your own products that you can quickly make money from. You don't have to spend weeks or even months creating products from scratch because PLR hand everything to you on a silver platter.
Even with all of the freedom that you have with PLR products most internet marketers are still leaving a lot of money on the table because they miss the opportunity to maximize their sales.
The first step to getting the most out of the PLR products that you invest in is deciding that you will do something different that the hundreds of other marketers with the same products are not doing. You must be unique. Originality gives customers a good reason to purchase a product from you versus another marketer.
Here are seven unique ways that you can set yourself apart from your competition and increase your bottom line selling private label rights products.
1.Create Unique Packages - You can create unique offers that cannot be found anywhere else online by adding newly released PLR products to your own existing material or by creating a different combination of PLR products that no one else has thought of.
2.Original Article Content - One of the benefits of PLR products is that you can break them down and rewrite them to come up with your own original articles. Post them to article directories, forums or blogs. You can even monetize them with adsense or affiliate links.
3.Custom Audio Products - In our busy world, people really go for products that they can download to their computer or ipod and listen to while they do something else or take with them while they're on the go. Use your favorite audio software to create MP3s and you may have a winner just because of the convenience. Check out Audio Acrobat for a super easy way to create your own streaming audios or MP3 files.
4.Expert Interviews with the Author - Just purchased a PLR product on a hot marketing topic? A good way to really boost your sales is by doing an interview with the author or product creator. Interviews give you the opportunity to explore the topic further than may be offered in the product and answer any questions that customers may have about the product.
5.Customized for Specific Business Industries - One of the best ways to sell PLR products is to break out of the Internet marketing niche and make your products relevant and customized to different industries. For instance, let's say you offer a new PLR product on social networking or another hot marketing trend. You could make the product a hundred times more valuable by taking a couple of hours to provide additional information to business or career industries such as real estate agents, doctors, lawyers, consultants, etc. Your additional research adds value to the product and saves busy professionals the time and effort which could easily translate into more sales or higher price.
6.Expand into an Email Course - This is similar to the article marketing tip from the perspective of breaking down the products. However, now you want to preload a series of articles into an autoresponder to create an your own unique email course. Be sure to add affiliate links to each lesson for added profits.
7.Your Own Membership site - A lot of marketers use PLR products to create membership sites. The problem is that they just dump everything into the membership site trying to sell their offer based on the quantity of items offered over the quality. A better approach would be to create a site that focuses on a particular niche and write your own reviews for each item. That would be a far more attractive and certainly a unique offer.
Use any or all of these ideas to spark your creativity and boost your sales of private label rights items.
About the Author
Joanne Mason is an Internet Marketing consultant who specializes in resell rights and niche product creation. Visit PLR-Profits.com for a complete package of 8 PLR products to sell as your own using the ideas presented in this article.
SEO And The Long Tail -Part 1
There's been a lot of talk lately about "The Long Tail", the Chris Anderson book that has become kind of the bible of niche marketing. In his book, Mr. Anderson describes how the blockbuster is quickly becoming a thing of the past as technology (the internet) is allowing businesses to focus or essentially hone in on formerly underserved markets.
Case in point is the music industry. In the old days (10 or so years ago), a band would release an album, the record company would promote it, hopefully radio stations would start playing it and once demand was there, record stores would stock the album. It had to be this way because (brick and mortar) record stores, have very limited shelf space. They simply can't afford to stock very many albums, since only the records that receive radio air play sell more then a copy or two, that's all the record stores can afford to stock.
Fast forward to the 21st century, when high speed internet connections and ipods rule, the entire music industry changed. Now, virtual stores (websites) like itunes can stock an almost unlimited inventory of music. A digital album doesn't take up shelf space, it takes up a few million bytes of super cheap disk space and it can be delivered to the customer's computer/ipod in a few seconds over the high speed internet connection. Today, music lovers can search through millions of songs many produced by completely unknown artists - with no record label, and without any radio airplay and they can buy what they like, when they want to.
The economics of owning a "record store" have now shifted, from only being able to stock a very limited number of titles to being able to stock anything that is or can be saved to a digital format. This makes it economically feasible --in fact highly profitable, to stock titles that may only sell one or two copies per year, simply because there are just so many of them.
So what does all this have to do with SEO?
A lot when you think about it. First anyone who has owned a website for any length of time and has reviewed their websites log files will tell you that a large number of hits they get from search engines come from some pretty unpredictable search terms.
As an example, here are a few actual search terms that one of my sites received traffic for recently.
"car accidents on wantagh parkway nov. 30 2006" "cool places to go to go out and long island" "newsday articles babylon official write about li pilots"
Do you think I tried to optimize for any of these terms? Do you think I could even come close to thinking up any of these terms? Of course not, these terms are simply natural results of the content that I post to this site. This site happens to be about Long Island and these search terms are essentially the long tail search terms of my content. These long tail terms also happen to be much more focused then you would normally SEO for, these are kind of the niches of the niche.
So how do you "SEO" for something that is essentially a happy accident? That's coming in Anatomy of a revolution - SEO And the Long Tail (Part Two).
About the Author
David Olsen has been an Internet Marketer since 1999. In his career he has developed well over one hundred affiliate websites and promoted dozens of products. He is an expert in SEO and writes extensively about it at his flagship website, Affiliate Profit Center. Read about more SEO and Blog Marketing here.
Case in point is the music industry. In the old days (10 or so years ago), a band would release an album, the record company would promote it, hopefully radio stations would start playing it and once demand was there, record stores would stock the album. It had to be this way because (brick and mortar) record stores, have very limited shelf space. They simply can't afford to stock very many albums, since only the records that receive radio air play sell more then a copy or two, that's all the record stores can afford to stock.
Fast forward to the 21st century, when high speed internet connections and ipods rule, the entire music industry changed. Now, virtual stores (websites) like itunes can stock an almost unlimited inventory of music. A digital album doesn't take up shelf space, it takes up a few million bytes of super cheap disk space and it can be delivered to the customer's computer/ipod in a few seconds over the high speed internet connection. Today, music lovers can search through millions of songs many produced by completely unknown artists - with no record label, and without any radio airplay and they can buy what they like, when they want to.
The economics of owning a "record store" have now shifted, from only being able to stock a very limited number of titles to being able to stock anything that is or can be saved to a digital format. This makes it economically feasible --in fact highly profitable, to stock titles that may only sell one or two copies per year, simply because there are just so many of them.
So what does all this have to do with SEO?
A lot when you think about it. First anyone who has owned a website for any length of time and has reviewed their websites log files will tell you that a large number of hits they get from search engines come from some pretty unpredictable search terms.
As an example, here are a few actual search terms that one of my sites received traffic for recently.
"car accidents on wantagh parkway nov. 30 2006" "cool places to go to go out and long island" "newsday articles babylon official write about li pilots"
Do you think I tried to optimize for any of these terms? Do you think I could even come close to thinking up any of these terms? Of course not, these terms are simply natural results of the content that I post to this site. This site happens to be about Long Island and these search terms are essentially the long tail search terms of my content. These long tail terms also happen to be much more focused then you would normally SEO for, these are kind of the niches of the niche.
So how do you "SEO" for something that is essentially a happy accident? That's coming in Anatomy of a revolution - SEO And the Long Tail (Part Two).
About the Author
David Olsen has been an Internet Marketer since 1999. In his career he has developed well over one hundred affiliate websites and promoted dozens of products. He is an expert in SEO and writes extensively about it at his flagship website, Affiliate Profit Center. Read about more SEO and Blog Marketing here.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Want to Make Language Learning Easier? Rhymes to the Rescue!
Learning a foreign language can be enjoyable - but exasperating. Anything you can do to accelerate learning or make language acquisition more enjoyable is a valuable weapon in your learning arsenal. Kathy Steinemann shares a helpful and unique approach to this challenge.
Take a look at the following two sections of text:
*Version 1
The sky is blue today. I'm sitting on the beach. A bully kicks sand in my face. Too bad for him! Here come my bodyguards!
*Version 2
One, two, a sky so blue. Three, four, a sandy shore. Five, six, a bully kicks. Seven, eight, he's sealed his fate. Nine, ten, here come my gunmen!
Now go back and re-read the verses.
Did you notice that you have already started to anticipate what comes next in the second version?
Conclusion: It is easier to memorize rhyming poetry than to memorize prose.
So what implication does this have for learning a foreign language?
If you memorize well-written *modern* foreign language poetry, you can accelerate your learning curve. (Notice the keyword 'modern'.)
Poetry written in the 18th Century may have deep cultural and educational significance. However, words penned to page over 300 years ago will utilize obsolete vocabulary, spelling, and grammar formations.
As an example: consider the popular King James Version of the Bible. If you started using 'thee' and 'thou' in your daily speech, people would understand you - but they would treat you like an alien in a time warp.
You can search the internet for poetry written by contemporary authors. Try searches like:
parallel translation poetry
parallel translation poems
parallel translation poems German English
parallel translation poems French English
parallel translation poetry Italian English
parallel translation poetry Spanish English
Substitute search terms as necessary with the name of the specific language you are studying. Review the webpages you find with a tutor, professor, or knowledgeable person to determine grammar and vocabulary suitability.
Attempt to have the poetry dictated and recorded by a native language speaker. Softly recite the poetry while you listen to the recordings. This will improve your verbalization skills. With luck, you may find online audio for some of the poetry.
Are you a budding poet? Try creating foreign language poems yourself.
No poetic talent? Attempt the following simple approach. If you are learning German, for example, you might produce a 'poem' like this:
the dog - der Hund
the mouth - der Mund
the air - die Luft
the scent - der Duft
to buzz - summen
to growl - brummen
little - klein
clean - rein
to brood - grübeln
to iron - bügeln
You don't have to worry about grammar - just definitions, pronunciations, gender, and spelling. Alcor (alcor.com.au) has several rhyming dictionaries that can assist you with this process.
If you have an audio dictionary on your computer, listen carefully to the pronunciation of each word. There are also excellent online dictionaries with audio.
Now produce your own poetry recording using audio capture software.
- First, dictate each English word or phrase and save as an individual file.
- Next, save foreign language audio clips from your dictionary or from the internet.
- Now load your audio capture software and play the files in the correct order. Try to create short productions of a minute or two in duration.
- Edit if necessary to eliminate excessive pauses or add definite articles.
- Finally, convert to MP3 or WMA. Now you can use your iPod or portable media player for something besides music.
The 21st Century is a wonderful time to be learning a foreign language!
About the Author
Find parallel-translation German-English poetry at: http://www.a-language-guide.com/german-short-stories/ - and other language resources at: http://www.a-language-guide.com/. Kathy is a webmaster and author who writes for 1st Rate Articles: http://1stratearticles.com/ and several other websites.
Take a look at the following two sections of text:
*Version 1
The sky is blue today. I'm sitting on the beach. A bully kicks sand in my face. Too bad for him! Here come my bodyguards!
*Version 2
One, two, a sky so blue. Three, four, a sandy shore. Five, six, a bully kicks. Seven, eight, he's sealed his fate. Nine, ten, here come my gunmen!
Now go back and re-read the verses.
Did you notice that you have already started to anticipate what comes next in the second version?
Conclusion: It is easier to memorize rhyming poetry than to memorize prose.
So what implication does this have for learning a foreign language?
If you memorize well-written *modern* foreign language poetry, you can accelerate your learning curve. (Notice the keyword 'modern'.)
Poetry written in the 18th Century may have deep cultural and educational significance. However, words penned to page over 300 years ago will utilize obsolete vocabulary, spelling, and grammar formations.
As an example: consider the popular King James Version of the Bible. If you started using 'thee' and 'thou' in your daily speech, people would understand you - but they would treat you like an alien in a time warp.
You can search the internet for poetry written by contemporary authors. Try searches like:
parallel translation poetry
parallel translation poems
parallel translation poems German English
parallel translation poems French English
parallel translation poetry Italian English
parallel translation poetry Spanish English
Substitute search terms as necessary with the name of the specific language you are studying. Review the webpages you find with a tutor, professor, or knowledgeable person to determine grammar and vocabulary suitability.
Attempt to have the poetry dictated and recorded by a native language speaker. Softly recite the poetry while you listen to the recordings. This will improve your verbalization skills. With luck, you may find online audio for some of the poetry.
Are you a budding poet? Try creating foreign language poems yourself.
No poetic talent? Attempt the following simple approach. If you are learning German, for example, you might produce a 'poem' like this:
the dog - der Hund
the mouth - der Mund
the air - die Luft
the scent - der Duft
to buzz - summen
to growl - brummen
little - klein
clean - rein
to brood - grübeln
to iron - bügeln
You don't have to worry about grammar - just definitions, pronunciations, gender, and spelling. Alcor (alcor.com.au) has several rhyming dictionaries that can assist you with this process.
If you have an audio dictionary on your computer, listen carefully to the pronunciation of each word. There are also excellent online dictionaries with audio.
Now produce your own poetry recording using audio capture software.
- First, dictate each English word or phrase and save as an individual file.
- Next, save foreign language audio clips from your dictionary or from the internet.
- Now load your audio capture software and play the files in the correct order. Try to create short productions of a minute or two in duration.
- Edit if necessary to eliminate excessive pauses or add definite articles.
- Finally, convert to MP3 or WMA. Now you can use your iPod or portable media player for something besides music.
The 21st Century is a wonderful time to be learning a foreign language!
About the Author
Find parallel-translation German-English poetry at: http://www.a-language-guide.com/german-short-stories/ - and other language resources at: http://www.a-language-guide.com/. Kathy is a webmaster and author who writes for 1st Rate Articles: http://1stratearticles.com/ and several other websites.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)