Podcasts, or How I Got Carried Away Again

Sunday, January 6, 2008
I love Podcasts. It seems like every week I find a new 'cast or three to subscribe to. Here's my current list:
  • Astronomy Cast
  • Astronomy.com Podcasts
  • Hidden Universe HD: NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope
  • Hubblecast HD
  • NASACast Video
  • NASACast: Space Shuttle and Space Station Video
  • NASACast: Universe Video
  • National Geographic's Atmosphere
  • Nature PBS
  • Nova Vodcast PBS
  • NPR: Fresh Air
  • NPR: Live Concerts From All Songs Considered
  • NPR: This I Believe
  • Riding With Robots Podcast
  • Science Talk: The Podcast of Scientific American
  • The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe
  • SkyWatch
  • Slacker Astronomy Podcast
  • Slacker Astronomy Video Podcast
  • SPACEGEEK Video
  • What's Up in Astronomy

All of these can be found on iTunes.

My problem is that when I subscribe to a new show, I don't just download that week's episode. I feel I have to go back and download every available episode so that I don't miss anything. This has resulted in my currently having 497 episodes sitting in my iTunes, waiting for me to listen/watch. This will take me months to get caught up, and of course I haven't stopped finding new and cool podcasts to subscribe to.

It reminds me of my "to read" pile. I make these grand decisions that I'm not going to buy any more books until my "to read" pile is less than 3 shelves long. And then a new book comes out by John Scalzi, Greg Bear, Lois McMaster Bujold, Robert Sawyer, blah, blah, blah, and wham! I have even more to read.

Hello, my name is Janiece, and I'm a Podcast/Book-a-holic.

7 comments:

Jeri said...

You know, I've never gotten into podcasts - nor vcasts - because I'm too darn impatient.

I'm a visual learner and a speed reader. If I'm going to find out more about - say, the physics of the sound barrier - I'll do text-based research so I can skip around and find the part that interests me. It's sort of a random access interface for me.

But when I go to audio and video material, I can't skip around, and I'm limited to the speed & sequence at which the creator presents the material. It's usually way too slow and the stuff I wanted to know is in the last 1/3.

I have done a very few audio books - comedy like Jon Stewart's America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. They're a good accompaniment to a road trip.

Janiece said...

Jeri, I usually listen/watch while I'm also doing something else. That sort of mitigates the boring bits and slow pace, since I'm multi-tasking.

Anne C. said...

I like the multi-tasking aspect as well -- while knitting or cooking, or when I was in school, drawing.
I remember things visually (can look at a map and remember, etc.), but I'm finding that when studying for exams, I actually learn better while listening. I imagine that developed as a time-saving technique. Learning something in class was much quicker than learning from the books. I hate reading about something I have no interest reading about. Ruins the delight of reading.

Janiece said...

Anne, I tend to listen when I'm working on other things (as long as they're not too complex). If a topic in the 'cast piques my interest, I may google it and learn more through reading.

Tania said...

I have a podcast problem too. I listen to them in the car and at work. Audiobooks I like, but I have a better time with something funny and lightweight. For your amusement, and disturbing insight into my hobbies, here's my list of podcasts (though I might add a few of yours to my queueueueueue).

Adventures in Scifi Publishing
The Amazing Show starring James Randi
Bon Appétit Audio Podcast
Despair, Inc. Audio Podcast
Escape Pod
Ethicist
IPR : Irrational Public Radio
iTricks.com Penn and Teller Notes
KCRW's Good Food
KCRW's Left, Right & Center
MAKE Magazine: MAKE Podcast
Midwest Teen Sex Show
The Naked Scientists
NPR: All Songs Considered
NPR: Books
NPR: Food
NPR: Intelligence Squared
NPR: Kitchen Window
NPR: Satire from The Unger Report
NPR: Sunday Puzzle
NPR: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
The Onion Radio News
PRI's Studio 360
PRI's The World: Global Hit
Rick Kleffel:Agony Column
Salon.com: Conversations
Savage Love Podcast
They Might Be Giants Podcast
This American Life
The Time Traveler Show - Interviews and Vintage Fiction
Tor Podcasting
Washington Week Podcast | PBS
A Way with Words
Well Told Tales

Janiece said...

Tania, clearly you didn't understand the nature of the problem. Since I posted this, I found a bunch more I wanted to listen to, and my backlog is up to 790. And now I have your list - of which I think I just have to listen to 5-10.

Thanks a lot...

Tania said...

I'm an enabler dear. Just an enabler. I've been adding your astronomy ones to my list. Drat you.