Podcasts

I could write a post about babies, but I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to write an introductory post to something slightly less exciting, though quite useful and interesting nonetheless: podcasts.

My in-laws got my wife and me each ipod Nanos for Christmas this year. I was quite pleased, not only because now I'd have something with which to listen to music on my way to school, but also because I'd finally be able to figure out what the big buzz was about podcasts. I'd been hearing about these things for a while, but lacking an ipod or other digital music device, I was unable to explore this particular medium myself. Were they shows? Was it like having a radio or more like listening to a book on tape? These are things I wanted to know.

Well, I'm happy to report that I've ventured into this exciting new realm and found it indeed rich and fruitful. A podcast is kind of like a radio, except you can listen to the shows whenever you want. It is like having a book on tape, except . . . um, it's a lot smaller and easier to carry around than a walkman. Music, philosophy, history! Such a cornucopia of useful and interesting things to listen to! And all free!

However, to a beginner with not much time to spend perusing the iTunes iPod store, the initial scope of selection can be a bit intimidating. This is why, with my limited experience, I've put together a list podcasts to which I subscribe that I think may be of interest to the limited readership of this blog. So, without further ado, the content of "Steve's Ipod Podcast Selections":

Great Speeches in History (http://www.learnoutloud.com/Catalog/History/Speeches/Great-Speeches-in-History-Podcast/21306)

Who wouldn't want to walk to school hearing the speech Socrates gave in his defense before being put to death? Or hearing St. Francis' sermon to the birds? Or Pericle's funeral oration? I know I wouldn't . . . not want to walk to school . . . hearing those. Basically, you can find some great podcasts at LearnOutLoud.com. This is one of them. Every week or so they feature a famous speech read or sometimes from the original recording.

KEXP Song of the Day (http://www.kexp.org/podcasting/podcasting.asp)

I don't know much about contemporary "hip" music, but I'm learning. KEXP seems to be the place for today's indie music snobs, or people like me who would like to be indie music snobs and don't have the time or the money to buy a lot of new CDs. This podcast is pretty self-explanatory, but I like it a lot because of the wide range of music they feature. If you don't like the song today, give it a couple more. You'll eventually come across some random band you've never heard of but now love, and you can be a music snob too. (The point of being a music snob is appreciating bands no one else has ever heard of because they're too ignorant and because you have excellent taste.)

Naxos Classical Music Spotlight (http://www.naxos.com/podcasts/podcastslist.asp)

I didn't know this, but apparently Naxos is the leading classical music label in the world. What I did know is that every couple weeks they release a podcast that highlights some new recording of classical music. The catch is that the podcast is basically a twenty-minute advertisement for this new Naxos album, but along the way you get to hear long selections and a host who gives you some of the history behind the composer or style or collection or whatever. The first one I heard was on the medieval choral music written for the Notre Dame cathedral, and I was hooked. I haven't bought any albums from them yet though.

NPR's All Songs Considered (http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=4819413)

This is another podcast to help you be a music snob. If you like emerging artists (i.e. music that the "cool kids" are listening to) and you can abide a slightly irritating host, I recommend this one. In fact, this is probably #3 of my "top three" podcasts. A new one comes out every Thursday (I like consistency), plus they often have special podcasts of live concerts. A recent concert was Explosions in the Sky, so that's a plus. Another plus is that every year they have a listener-voted best albums list, and for 2005 Sufjan and Bright Eyes were at the top of the list. These are people I can get along with.

The History Network (http://www.thehistorynetwork.org/TheHistoryNetwork/The%20History%20Network.html)

My #2 podcast. I have no idea who these guys are, but they make good podcasts of "essays in military history". Each episode is a complete essay-- no book segments or anything like that. You get to hear about the battle of Marathon or Marshall Zhukov or the Gurkas . . . all sorts of fascinating military history things you never even realized were interesting (except the battle of Marathon, which I'm assuming you already heard about and realized was interesting). The single drawback is that the narrator feels the neccesity of adopting "accents" when he's reading a quote by a person of another nationality. Other than this, a very well done podcast. This week's episode is about Alexander the Great. Hurrah!

The Philosophy Podcast (http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Philosophy/History-of-Philosophy/The-Philosophy-Podcast/19669)

My #1 podcast. Another great offering by LearnOutLoud.com. What's better than being a music snob? Being a philosophy snob! Or at least pretending to be one while listening to excerpts from the works of philosophers while you walk to school. This is not a podcast to listen to while sleepy, but for the most part the readings selected are excellent and the narrators professional. Great "brain floss" for the trip home. It almost is enough to make you go out and pick up one of the books, which is probably the entire point. And if that doesn't sell you, you could always listen to the episode from a few week's back: Bertrand Russel's "The Value of Philosophy". He's convincing.

Well, I hope that helps. Or at least convinces you that your ipod is more (much more) than a portable CD shelf.