Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Ipod, Itunes, and Podcasting

So, have you ever made a large purchase, then been the victim of buyer's remorse? You say to yourself, "What was I thinking?"

Well, I recently purchased an iPod and I'm pleased to say I have no such feelings. I love it. It has become my little travel buddy between Ogden and Logan, comforting me with music, photos, and especially podcasts.

I thought about reviewing the iPod, but I'm quite certain that I am the last living person to buy the little device, so I won't bother.

What I will review are a few of the podcasts I've been listening to. I'll keep it brief since I know you have the rest of the Internet to get around to viewing (when you get to this page, it's time to stop).

Podcasts:

Free Talk Live - 4 stars. I've only listened to a few episodes, and while politically they are right up my alley, they too often come across as raving, perpetual whiners. There may be a time for enpassioned speach, but usually clear, brief, logical statements do a better job.

Ebert and Roeper - 5 Stars. Yes, THE Ebert and Roeper. This is what a podcast should be like! It's 20 minutes long. It's to the point. Nothing wrong with these bad boys. You can subscribe through the iTunes service.

Open Source - 4.5 Stars. This is another great podcast. The only 'downside' is the fact that they take calls. I'm all for experts getting to the point, and a friendly discussion, but often when callers start coming in it just gets a bit tedious. If you want audience participation, set up a discussion board. Open Source is an hour long.

Quirks and Quarks - 5 Stars. I've only listened to a few, but another great podcast. 20 minutes long, interesting topics. Very nice podcast.

TWiT - 4.5 Stars. Great podcast. The only reason this didn't get 5 stars is because it's a mite long, and it has John C. Dvorak, AKA The Troll. I've blogged about him before.

Skepticality - 2 stars. This is a popular blog, but I find it tedious. If they boiled it down to 20 minutes it would be very interesting. I also don't much care for the personalities.

Science Friday - 4.5 stars. NPR on your iPod. That sends shivers up my spine just typing it.

Diggnation - 3 stars. Interesting topics, but childish personalities.

Ok, that is enough for now...

3 comments:

Maria said...

I didn't know that you could subscribe to programs on your IPod. I'm not even halfway done converting my music to Itunes and I'm sick of it. I am seriously considering paying someone to do the rest.

Anonymous said...

I recommend checking out Berkeley GROKS.... it's the best science show I've listened to, though I haven't tried Quirks and Quarks.

Andy

Marion Jensen said...

Thanks for the heads up, I'll give it a try.