Casting for pods

Warning! Hella long post to follow!

I am the editor of our department's bimonthly newsletter. We write about personal technology, not work related stuff. Over the months, we have written what I think are some interesting articles. The last issue featured a life-changing article for me. One of my coworkers wrote about podcasting.

I know that I've explained to y'all that this is the reason why I broke down and bought an mp3 player. Now that I've been listening to podcasts for almost two months, I thought I'd give you an overview of the whole podcatching process and which podcasts I've found interesting.

Podcatching:
There are two main pieces of software you can use to subscribe to podcasts. Wait. Maybe I should explain a little better what a podcast is.

Podcast:
Wikipedia defines podcasting as:

"Podcasting is the method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio programs or music videos, over the Internet for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. The distribution format of a podcast uses either the RSS or Atom syndication formats.

The term podcast, like "radio", can mean both the content and the method of delivery. The host or author of a podcast is often referred to as a "podcaster".

Podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their files, however a podcast is distinguished by its ability to be downloaded automatically using software capable of reading RSS or Atom feeds.

Usually the podcast features one type of "show", with new episodes either sporadically or at planned intervals, such as daily or weekly. In addition to this, there are podcast networks that feature multiple shows on the same feed.

Podcasting's essence is about creating content (audio or video) for an audience that wants to listen or watch when they want, where they want, and how they want."

So basically, a podcast is a do-it-yourself radioshow. Some of them feature music, others feature people talking. The talk shows can be broken down into game shows, educational shows, call in shows, or just people spouting their opinions.

Podcatching (redux):
So, there are two main pieces of software you can use to subscribe to podcasts. Both allow you to look through directories of podcast shows based on how popular they are to other people. Both will automatically check your subscribed to shows to see if a new episode has been published. If there is a new episode, the software will just download it without bothering you. Both allow you to listen to shows either on your PC or on an mp3 player.

1. Juice (formerly called iPodder) - This software is mp3 player agnostic, so if you don't have an iPod, you may want to choose this one. I don't know if Juice is any different from the version of iPodder that I used for a few weeks. iPodder was better than iTunes at general screen refreshing. It was also better at notifying me when there was a new episode of a podcast. iTunes will download new episodes, but it isn't always obvious which podcasts got new episodes unless I sit there and watch the whole download process (and who wants to do that?).

2. iTunes - Since buying my iPod, I've switched over to iTunes. One thing that used to make me crazy about iPodder was that I couldn't tell which files I'd already listened to. I understand that marking a file as "listened to" isn't a big deal with songs, but it is huge deal with podcasts. I typically only want to listen to a podcast once. That functionality and its easy connectivity to my iPod make iTunes the clear winner for me.

3. www.audible.com - I do want to mention one pay service. First I should say that most of the podcasts available through the other two pieces of software are FREE! I just started using this pay service to get two shows I used to listen to on public radio. I will talk about the shows later on. But for now I wanted to mention that this is a service that sits on top of your podcatcher software. (It's supposed to work natively with iTunes without the Audible Manager software, but I can't get that to work.) You can pay for audiobooks or podcasts per file. Or you can sign up for a yearly subscription to get discounts on those same files. Either way, their audiobooks are still much cheaper than books on CD that you buy from B&N (which I used to do).

My Shows:
I should explain that I drive quite a long way to work. I have about a 90 minute round trip commute. I listen to most of these shows in the car or while cleaning the house. So while it may look like I listen to a lot of shows, I have the time to do so. I'm going to list them in order of how excited I get when a new one appears on my PC. I'm not going to list the shows that I've already unsubscribed from, lots of shows got only one listen. I'm linking either to the show or the actual RSS feed for the show.

1. The History Channel's Digging for the Truth - (updated rarely, but usually two or three shows at a time) The audio journal of host Josh Bernstein. This podcast is a companion to the actual TV show played on the History Channel. After each episode of the TV show, Josh records 6 - 14 minutes worth of behind the scenes info. This is the only podcast that I do not delete the files after I've listened to them. I actually give a little shout if I see that there is a new episode waiting on my PC. I love this television show. Somehow this Jewish survival expert and I see the world through very similar eyes. Everything he says is just riveting (or maybe it's his eyes that are riveting - naw, I can't see those in the podcast).

2. CNET.com's Buzz Out Loud - (updated daily) Admittedly, this is one that may appeal more to me than to any of you. This podcast of "indeterminate length" (usually between 25 - 35 minutes) is how I stay tuned in to what is going on in the world of technology. But this show also happens to be fairly entertaining. The show features Tom Merritt, Veronica Belmont and Molly Wood (who calls in at the crack of dawn every Tuesday on our very own Dave FM). These people basically have my dream job. They get to play with new technology and broadcast their opinions on a radio show style podcast. They even get paid to blog. The down side? They live in IMMORAL SAN FRANCISCO! Shocking.

3. Brini Maxwell's Hints for Gracious Living - (updated whenever she feels like it, weekly, monthly, whatever) This is soooo not me, but I adore this podcast. Usually lasting no more than 6 minutes, this podcast is a throw back to the glamour of the 60s. Brini Maxwell uses her almost disturbingly effervescent voice to help people rediscover a bygone era. (This show is totally Julie and her sister.) I giggle through the whole thing because I just can't believe she's for real. I recently found out that Brini had a show on the Style Network which is "on hiatus." There is a DVD of the first season that I am considering buying for the sheer kitch of it all.

4. A Spoonful of Russian - (updated when the weather permits) Natalia is a former Ukranian teacher, now a mother of two living in the States, who is putting her teaching skills to good use in a podcast. She uses her 9 year old daughter in the lesson conversations to prove that adults can't speak Russian as well as her children. Of all the podcasts I listen to, this one has the best supplemental website. Natalia puts a lot of energy into making the show notes appealing, even using photographs of items she talks about. It's all this quality that makes the show less frequent. Natalia and her family live in New Orleans and were hit by Katrina right after she began her podcast. They are recovering, but rebuilding takes precedence over the show. One of the things I don't care for as much is that she always includes a Russian song at the end of the lesson. So far all the songs have been from the 50s and are very "Russian." (In other words, BORING.) The song also pushes a normally 6 - 10 minute show into an almost 18 minute show (but not if you fast forward through it).

5. NPR: Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me - (updated every Monday) NPR is the first place I looked when I began podcatching. I love public radio, but as I said earlier, I only listen to audio in my car. There are some great NPR shows that come on when I'm not in my car. "Wait Wait" is one of those (though not my most favoritist). I was really looking for "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know," but couldn't find it. Then I looked for "Says You," but couldn't find that either. I think I even looked for "Car Talk," but couldn't find that. I settled for this show and it is pretty good. This is a panel/game show featuring a small variety of really funny panelists, like Mo Rocca and Paula Poundstone (who is still hi-larious despite having been "nowhere" for the last few years). In fact, if these panelists weren't so funny, I probably wouldn't spend 47 minutes listening to this show every week. The show turns the week's headlines into witty games. And sometimes, if it weren't for this show, I wouldn't know what was going on in the world. So if I have to listen to the news, I may as well be entertained by it.

6. A Way With Words - (updated - I don't know - should be weekly) Martha Barnette and Richard Lederer talk to the San Diego (I think) area about English and all the great words in it.
This 50 minute show is very witty. They also get to the heart of word issues that have been plaguing people for years. Why do people in Wisconsin say "come with" when they really me "come with me?" Richard and Martha can tell you why.

7. NPR Shows - (updated weekly) NPR has a variety of shows where they pull together stories on related topics from the previous week. I subscribe to "Technology" and "Pop Culture". They also have shows where they highlight one or two really interesting stories from the week: "Driveway Moments" features a story that was so good people couldn't get out of their car until it was over. "Station Showcase" features a really interesting story produced by a local public radio station (as opposed to the national station). I also subscribe to their "Sunday Puzzle" podcast which is just the 7 - 8 minutes from "Weekend Edition" featuring puzzlemaster Will Shorts and his caller. Naturally, "really interesting" is a matter of personal opinion, so I don't always listen to these shows. But I subscribe so that I at least have the choice. Sometimes I fast forward through uninteresting segments of "Technology" or "Pop Culture." You can find all of these shows at www.npr.org, search for podcast.

8. It's Those Foreigners - (updated randomly) Jim Curtiss is an American living and writing abroad. His 5 - 12 minute podcast is about various experiences he's had dealing with cultural differences in foreign lands. Sometimes I feel that Jim doesn't push himself to be as witty as he could be, but sometimes he nails it. I've only been listening to it for about a week. I especially liked his story about "The Mad Russian" playing baseball in Prague. On his website you'll find a link to his podcast and examples of his writings.

9. The Real Deal from CNET - (too new to have an update schedule) Tom Merritt from cnet's Buzz Out Loud has his own podcast. I don't know if there is a consistent theme to his show, but so far he's had really useful information. He's already done two How-To shows that I would like to syndicate: "How to Start a Blog" and "How to Start Podcasting in About an Hour." I would love to create a podcast. I don't know what I'd talk about, but at least thanks to Tom I know how to do it (and he explained it all in less than 12 minutes!).

10. TV Guide Talk - (updated weekly) Four TV Guide staffers get together to talk about what happened on the most popular shows of the week. Clocking in at just over an hour, this is a long show. I only listen with half an ear. I perk up when they start talking about a show that I actually watch, usually Gilmore Girls or Boston Legal. I'm usually working on my computer (maybe even posting on the blog) while they talk about Everwood or Lost or Alias or Prison Break or 24 or Veronica Mars. I tune back in when the fourth person finally speaks up about movies. Maitland usually only has time to talk about one or two movies. Sometimes they're movies I want to see, more often than not, no. But it is her recommendation that validated my desire to see "Stick It." According to Maitland, it is very witty and much more clever than your average teenage movie. So there. But she did warn adult men not to go see it alone for fear that they would look "creepy." I concur.

11. CBS News - Andy Rooney - (updated ?) Never a big fan of 60 minutes, I am surprised to discover that I enjoy Andy Rooney's podcast. Andy rants for 2 -5 minutes on various topics: newspaper articles, crap his fans send him in the mail, things he finds in his medicine cabinet, girl scout cookies... Uh, does this sound like anyone's blog we know? Hmmm. I've been borrowing Andy Rooney's schtick and I didn't even know it. He's been audioblogging for years but no one has credited him with starting the genre.

Now I have to start grouping podcasts together into categories. I don't listen to the following podcasts on a regular basis either because they aren't regularly broadcast or because they don't consistently feature stories that interest me.

12. History Related - There are two history podcasts that I will listen to if I'm really bored or if a topic just jumps out at me (like Tiananmen Square did). One is creatively called "HistoryPodcast", the other is more ostentaciously named "12 Byzantine Rulers: The History of the Byzantine Empire." The HistoryPodcast is produced by one guy. He researches a random subject from the not too far distant past, writes a term-paper-ish script and reads it to his listeners. The one time his girlfriend subbed for him was the most painful thing I've ever listened to. The podcast with Byzantine twice in its name (ByzSquared) is more narrowly focused on the Roman emperors during the Byzantine period. This is a period of history about which I know very little, so I'm looking forward to listening to these episodes. I just need to be in the right frame of mind (not distracted by a new Buzz Out Loud) for it.

13. Technology Related - I know I've already listed a couple of technology podcasts, but there are two more that are less important. One is on probation: "this WEEK in TECH" or tWiT. At over an hour, it's really long and the guys aren't that witty (the unforgivable sin). But this seems to be one of those podcasts that all other geeks listen to, so I almost feel like I have to listen to it. I'm being very judicious about the topics and only listen when it looks interesting. The other is more interesting, but only the technology segment. It is a Seattle based public radio show called "The Works with John Moe." John's 53 minute show features three segments, only one of which is about technology. So I can usually skip out after the first 20 minutes. He's covered some really interesting topics, including blogging and wikis. It feels relevant to my life.

14. News Related - CBS podcasts interesting segments from both Good Morning America and 60 minutes. When the topics are interesting, I listen. If they aren't, I delete.

15. Hollywood Related - The "Hollywood Wrap" is a local talk show where a guy interviews big stars about movies they're in. It's powder puff fluff. I may drop this one soon. The other is far more interesting - "The Treatment." I'm not sure who produces it, but it is an in-depth discussion with a current film-maker. They put out a new one today for Ed Norton. I can't wait to listen to that.

16. Travel Related - I'd like more for this category. So far I only have 2 minute segments from Arther Frommer, published by CBS. While I swear by Arther's guides and website, his podcasts leave something to be desired. He also talks too fast, somebody needs a lesson in modulation.

17. Random - There's another Russian language podcast called "Tanooshka" that I am just saving up. The whole thing is in Russian and I'm not quite ready for it yet. My fear is that once I am, I'll discover that it is really boring. The one episode I listened to, the girl was talking about her daily schedule - fascinating. Oh wait, isn't that what I do? I'm also storing up two (count 'em, two) podcasts related to the defunct TV show Firefly. The ones I really want to listen to are broadcasts of interviews featuring the shows creator, stars or various behind the scenes people. These are saved for really rainy days or really long car trips.

And I think I'm done. Thanks for reading this far. Go forth and catch your own pods.

Oops, not quite done. I forgot to tell you about the two shows from audible.com that I'm acutally paying to listen to.

1. Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know - (updated weekly) This 2 hour show would be number two or three on my list if I mixed the not-free shows in with the free ones. On top of my $9.95 yearly subscription to audible.com, I paid something like $32 for 12 months worth of this show (some of which will be reruns). That may sound extravagant, but seriously, this is the show that made me addicted to public radio. As I wrote in an email to the show when I couldn't find the podcast link, "Michael Feldman is more addictive than Crystal Meth. Please support by habit. Be my drug dealer and give me access to his show in podcast format." Surpisingly, a few short hours later, I received an email from one of the shows PA's telling me that I could buy the podcast at audible. That's all the justification I needed to get an audible account. I am back on my drug and feeling quite satisfied. (Oddly enough, Michael's another Jew who's style of witty banter I completely identify with. Was I meant to be a modern day Rebekah? Am I not married because I don't know any Jewish men in real life? Excuse me. I think I'm moving to New Yawk or Jerzsee.)

2. Says You - "A Game of Words and Whimsy, Bluff and Bluster." Another game show featuring two panels of guests on the topic of words and language. The host randomly assigns points for real or witty answers depending on how many clues he had to give the team before they got the answer. Proving that this 30 minute show is more about fun than winning, simply being right more often than the other team may not make you the winner. I paid almost as much for this show as I did for Whad'Ya Know. It is almost as good, but not quite.

NOW I am done. And done.