Apple and PodCast Recommendations

In the last six months I have received some great suggestions regarding interesting and engaging (and sometimes useful) Podcasts. The milieu of options for PodCast--and the inherent hit-or-miss nature of the medium--often makes it difficult to locate and stay dedicated to a series that fits one's schedule, travel patterns, etc. Here are a few I have recently become fixated with, ordered from 'must-hear' on down to 'useful, but passable':

1. This American Life: I have been listening to this cast for years, previous to it's second life as a podcast. A consummate stand-by to millions of listeners a week, this unassuming program headed by the ubiquitous Ira Glass is a relevant and stimulating success every week without being elitist or detached. I also highly recommend the Emmy-winning (for it's first and second seasons) Showtime series versions as well.
2. NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!: A radio news quiz taped each week in downtown Chicago at the Chase Auditorium (the same building in which Drew works), is intelligent, fun and addictive, especially at the end of the work week. I rarely let a few days go without listening, and have seen the show live twice. The rotating panel of judges Including Mo Rocca, which you might recognize from the MTV "I Love the 80's" and other series) are all hilarious and the guests are always intriguing and fun. Last time we attended, Drew and I met Dennis Leary, in person, who was on the show promoting his new book.
3. WNYC's RadioLab: This is a binge podcast. RadioLab is the next best thing to This American Life that radio has put out in a long time. Addressing common phenomena--love, zoos, memory, placebo--through the vehicle of science, this fantastic podcast is always stimulating. It places science back where it should be in Everyman's lives, contextualizing and explaining our common experience in a meaningful and relate-able way. If you download none of these, download RadioLab. NOTE: not a multitasking kind of podcast.
4. APM's A Prairie Home Companion's News from Lake Wobegon: Excerpted from Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, these unscripted meditations/stories of Midwestern life always seem to strike a thoughtful chord with quirky humor.
5. The New Yorker Fiction Podcast: For the more literary, The New Yorker produces this podcast about once a month, letting one of it's current Fiction contributors choose a favorite short story from the archives. It is then performed by the current contributor, with a discussion of the work and author following with the Fiction editor of the magazine. Sometimes the discussions are dry, but the selections and performances are like literary truffles: tough to make, but sweet, short and satisfying in that brevity. The performance factor is particularly crucial in most cases; some favorites episodes include "Home for the Holidays" and "The Wood Duck."
5. NPR's Sports with Frank Deford: I hate sports in all of it's incarnations...except when addressed with the wry irony of Frank Deford. These are only a few-minutes humorous reflections on a current sports issue or event, but it is really Deford's literary style and delivery that makes it all the worth-while. Usually you can catch it, if you are a morning NPR listener, during the newscast on Tuesdays, depending on your station, or in it's Podcast form.
7. Grammar Girls Quick and Dirty Tips: In the self-improvement vein, this is one of the best podcasts out there, and now even lives as codex. Clever and useful everyday tips to improve your writing, no matter your field or necessity, this is a podcast for every person. My roommate and I are big fans, actually, and once we were talking about a particular usage at a bus stop, and a fellow traveler interrupted us to say that we should look into this very podcast. He ended up being a high school English teacher and used the podcast with his students.
8. Savage Love Podcast: Sex-columnist Dan Savage persona has always emanated from the page, whether via his weekly column (see The Reader: Chicago for locals) or his many print books. It is no different for the podcast, done weekly in which the forlorn call in to sometimes scathing, sometimes humors, but most often rational and successful advice. Think David Sedaris in sound-bite form responding to relationship (hetero and homosexual) issues.
9. NPR's Live Concerts from All Songs Considered: This cast is on the list because for an active music listener, this is the best bargain on the web. Once or twice a month All Songs Considered, another of NPR progeny, posts entire concerts (usually 2+ hrs) to the podcast, many with extended interviews with the performers at the end. The cast isn't limited, so you can download shows all the way back through early 2007. Some of my favorites include: The Frames, The Black Keys (2x), The Swell Season, Polyphonic Spree, Stars, Spoon, Nickle Creek (#1, if only because they do sensational covers of Spears' "Toxic" and Jackson Five's "I Want You Back"), The Raconteurs, Radiohead, and Of Montreal.
10. Just Vocabulary: Over the summer I became a junkie for this 'cast as I was in the thick of GRE preparation. A daily dose of two vocab words has become more of a staple now, working towards my own personal betterment by trying to increase my vocabulary. Most often the case is you are familiar with the context in which the word would fall, but not the exact meaning itself. Not a podcast for all, but definitely effective and beneficial in small doses.

New Podcasts Recently Recommended
1. The Moth: Often borrowed on This American Life, this podcast features premiere storytellers from across the country, including Garrison Keillor, and this week, comedian Mike Birbiglia.
2. Ted Talks: In video and audio form, this podcast consists of 20-minute interviews from the TED conference, interviewing interesting people from all niches of art, culture and design.
3. Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: I have been listening to this general history commentary podcast for a few months, but has yet to pass judgment. Any opinions?

And finally, a humorous video, Apple-related, from our friends at The Onion, thanks to Aja.


Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Inauguration Fun Facts Slide Show

With this hyped inauguration on our heels, I wanted to share this slideshow grandma forwarded me regarding the historiography of the event. Click here: have fun.

Britt Back in the News

I try to promote my good friend Brittany Petersen's writing and publishing as much as I can. Especially in this economy, any senior is college is essentially f***ed when it comes to employment this spring, particularly when in comes to the humanities, media, and business. I guess in that case, who is safe, huh? Well, all of the Finance and Accounting major will have to starve right along with the artists this year. Is it bad that I feel slighted vindicated with my major choice of study with the knowledge?

In light of all that, Britt has got a new column with North By Northwestern, and you can find her first installment here. It has a little something for all.

Blog Update

Hello, all.
I have been holed up for the last 2.5 days getting over a cold, so now that I have a little extra strength and time, I have uploaded a series of neglected photos from the last quarter. A heavy course load and graduate school applications strapped me for time, but I should be much more diligent in the coming months. I should have lots of great shots in the next few weeks with the Christmas/New Year holiday, especially considering that I leave for Hawaii this Sunday. I haven't been home in over a year, so I am especially excited to see friends and family. In this post I have listed and linked back to some of the more interesting posts I have put up today since August, which I hope you will enjoy:

Last True Day of Summer
Ben Folds and Missy Higgins @ Congress
Northwestern Wildcats vs. Michigan State
Last Fall at DePaul 08
Mark and Jordan's Wedding
Amadeus at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
Ryan and Friends at Brownstones
Halloween '08 at the Dollhouse
Birthday Celebrations for Cinthya
Birthday Celebrations for Drew
First Snowfall at DePaul 08
Holiday Theatre Fun with Drew

Britt back Blogging

Check out her newest post for PCMag, here.