The Great Courses
Recorded lecture series on history, science and economics, on disc or by subscription
Recorded lecture series by academics, sold since 1990 on tape, DVD and download and now streamed by subscription, a service that traded for a few years as Wondrium. A course runs from a dozen to several dozen half-hour lectures on one subject: geology, the history of economics, the Roman republic, how the immune system works. People watch on a treadmill or in the evening in place of television, and the format suits anyone who wants a structured tour of a field before reading the books. Individual courses are pricey to buy outright; the streaming plan is a modest monthly fee.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Bill GatesDoes it
Microsoft co-founder · Gates Notes reading lists
He says he has watched a lot of lecture series online. In his 2023 holiday list he was still recommending Timothy Taylor's three economics series on Wondrium to friends and family, more than a decade after he first watched them.
Source: Gates Notes: Great books, courses, and music for the holidays
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or productivity.
- App$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Website and app blocker
Software that makes distracting sites genuinely unavailable on a schedule
Backed by 2 of 44 stacks: 0 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - AppFREE, no costBacked by 1 of 44 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
- App$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.Backed by 1 of 44 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
- HabitFREE, no cost
Daily reading
A fixed daily reading block, usually books rather than feeds
Backed by 19 of 44 stacks: 17 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Early rising
A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
Backed by 9 of 44 stacks: 8 do it, 0 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Deep Work
The case that uninterrupted concentration is a rare and valuable skill
Backed by 5 of 44 stacks: 0 do it, 5 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
App entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.