The Podcast Review

this is a fairly adequate Supernatural podcast, making a fairly nice complement to the cult tv show.  Episodes run for around 20 minutes, and the talk focuses mainly on the storyline, likes / dislikes, and how the episode fits into the overall ethos of the season.  The two hosts don’t muck around, which is a major hurdle of many fan produced podcasts.  It sticks to the show, and doesn’t waste your time.

The show is current to Season 5, Episode 10 (Abandon All Hope, aired Nov 19) which is the most important thing for a fancast.

good listenings.

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this is one of the most under-listened to podcasts out there.

Basically, it presents the talks of writers and thinkers that have released a new book  recently.  The talks take place in Philadelphia in front of a live audience, and questions are answered towards the end of the the 1 hour allotted.  There are very candid answers.

This talk by David Plouffe (Obama’s campaign manager) is especially insightful and revealing.

audio quality is very good for a live recording, and the range of guests is just exceptional.

add to your listening list now.

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RadoWest is one of the finest examples of radio making the transition to podcast.  They have a generous offering of archives in the iTunes store, and the shows appear quickly and promptly on a daily basis.  The RSS feed is equally well parsed; with a descriptive title and date, and short summary.  The podcast is a daily 50 minute experience and offers up some of the best current affairs and general interest stories out there.  There is an in-focus interview with engaging culture makers, and the host, Doug Fabrizio, is well prepared and asks all the right questions.

Successful podcasts are usually highly focused, or the general interest; it is dangerous to fall in between these two ends.  RadioWest fits the general bill quite well.

this has made my highly protected, and coveted, daily listening list.  Well done Doug.

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I may not know a lot about cars, but I do recognise a good podcast.  This show has been running weekly for about 3 years now, and has just passed the 150 episode mark,  Shows are 90 minutes long, and the basic format is a group of guys talking about the latest car news of the week – this podcast being an adjunct of the main news site – Autoblog.

the show works because of the chemistry of the guys.  They are unabashed fans of all things large, chromy and shiny, and it doesn’t matter if the cars are cheap or pricey – they’ll have their say about it.

one of the beauties about podcasting is that it can get you interested in things that you previously had no concern in.  The voice of passion over-rides all the jargon and specific information – all you hear is the fire in the voice, the argued opinion.  It leads one into a field of knowledge, and before you know it, you’ve become an amateur aficionado yourself.  A rather scary process, but therein lies the power of the podcast – it’s educational power.

as I listen and learn to all manner of things, I can’t help but feel my mind expanding.  That’s why I’m such a true believer is this format.

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this isn’t really a podcast as such, but is a loose collection of audio files.  The last posting was on March 2009.  What it is is a set of 23 talks given by Steve Pavlina, the personal development guru.  It is basically him monologuing in front of a microphone, waxing lyrical about money, careers, and the universe.  The guy is brimming with confidence, and seems to utterly believe everything that he says.  It is an example of true self-belief or ultimate self-delusion.  One can never tell where the line is crossed.

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the talks are energetic and go quickly.  Audio quality is quite good, as Steve makes quite a fuss about his recording equipment.  His wife Erin appears on a few occasions, and says her part on psychic phenomena and relationships.  She seems rather flaky.

whatever you think of the guy, Steve Pavlina has carved out his own place in internet culture – and was especially prominent in promoting blogging as a paying means of survival.  Tapping a few keys at your laptop, and earning big bucks from it?  He certainly shone a light for many people.

Nowadays he has a book and a seminal speaking career.  His site seems rather ancient and out of the times.  I wonder what role he has left to play.

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this is one of the best tech / geek interview shows out there.  The tech sector seems to be brimming with panel discussions on the latest happenings or buzz, but very rarely do you get to sit down and hear an entrepreneur or major player tell it-like-it-is in their own words.  Maybe they are shy of their own voice, or perhaps they view audio as an in-efficient method of conveying their message, but the Tech Interview podcast is a rare beast indeed.

What hooked me initially into Social Nerdia were these 2 shows:  one with John Poza, founder of Woopra, a web analytics company (the interview is much more interesting than his company sounds!) and this other extended discussion with Bob Knorpp, founder of the BeanCast – a very interesting and lively marketing podcast.  Both introduced me to new players, and extended my understanding of the web space as it is; and how quickly it is changing in daily usage.

For these connections, one is thankful.  One meaningful thread can lead one into world’s of opportunities; exploring sub-ecosystems than one did not know previously existed.  Many do their work in quiet, but the work is done nevertheless.  The result is what counts, not the accolades.

a thoroughly enjoyable show from a dedicated geek.

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this is a British skit / comedy podcast that has been running for about 3 years now.  Just passed the 115 episode mark, it is a half hour burst of inanity, with the two hosts Answering all manner of questions from their listeners.  Some write in, others leave a voicemail, but either way, it makes for an oddball Joking Answer that runs down sidestreets and brings in all sorts of tangents.

some questions are:

1) simple, upfront, personal

and others,

2) wholely philosophical and whimsical

it makes for a bit of a gigglefest, and with the producer chiming in with his ‘God-voice’ at times, Helen and Olly keep the show flowing like oil.  The Brits are known for their puffy, light word-and-idea play, and this is a homegrown example.

found myself in some serious LOL moments here.  Careful listening to this podcast in public!

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The ABC is Australia’s national broadcaster (publicly funded) and Radio National is the flagship radio network; producing original, serious content that has wide applicability.  About half of the following programs are very Aussie-centric, but the other half can apply to almost any listener.  There’s plenty here to discover and explore -

360: radio documentaries (rss feed / itunes page)
All in the Mind: consciousness and mental malfunction (rss feed / itunes link)
Artworks: summary of the week’s high art news (rss feed / itunes link)

Australia Talks: daily talk back and call-in show (rss feed / itunes link)
Away!: aboriginal affairs (rss feed / itunes page)
Background Briefing: big ticket current affairs, weekly (rss feed / itunes page)

Big Ideas: lecture series from prominent people (rss feed / itunes page)
CounterPoint: counterviews to the current thinking (rss feed / itunes link)
Edpod: educational news and views (rss feed / itunes link)

Encounter: the clash of morality and modern life (rss feed / itunes page)
Health Report: medical science, weekly (rss feed / itunes link)
Hindsight: looking back at Australian history (rss feed / itunes link)

Late Night Live: lively political discussion (rss feed / itunes link)
Law Report: applied and practical legal matters (rss feed / itunes page)
Life Matters: daily interviews on lifestyle matters (rss feed / itunes link)

Music Show: weekly overview of the professional music scene (rss feed / itunes link)
Science Show: weekly magazine of interesting research from around the world (rss feed / itunes link)
Spirit of Things: earnest questioning of the spiritual path and modernity (rss feed / itunes page)

Verbatim: lengthy interviews with long-lived Aussies (rss feed / itunes link)

shows have a 4 week archive, before the mp3’s disappear into the ABC website.  This is a generous allowance, and strikes a fine balance between accessibility and having to maintain an extended bandwidth presence via the iTunes store.  Very fair.

many of these shows were my mainstays before I discovered the world of podcasting, and I have so many fond memories of a small transistor radio and headphones plugged into my mind.  Many ideas, many worlds opened up via these presenters and guests.  So much to be grateful for.  Hope you can find some joy here.

the ABC Program Site for Radio National

Radio Rookies is an outreach initiative on the part of WNYC – the largest NPR affiliate in the U.S.  The Rookies program aims to bring the voices of teenagers and their stories to a wider public.  They hold one or two workshops a year, where they train youngsters in the art of producing audio, then broadcast the finished product.  The end result is polished, authentic, real, and very satisfying.

The youth of our culture have so many stories to tell, so many experiences that are not represented in the wider media.  The harshness of day to day living – of being in an underclass, being in a family with little money, or being overweight or having a disability – these are the experiences conveyed.  The stories are spliced with audio bites with friends, relatives, and street sounds.  The narration is excellent, as scripts go through repeat edits.

The difference between a raw audio feed and a highly worked radio program is like the difference between a raw vegetable and a prepared steaming vegetarian stew.  Almost unrecognisable.  There are merits to the former (cheap, ‘natural’, unfeigned) but the latter works on all the senses and is a concentrated hit.  Such is the Radio Rookies experience.

I loved listening to these stories – these are real people, telling it the way it is.

Radio Rookies – celebrating our youth.

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