For the past couple of months or so I’ve been really getting into Podcasts. Not as something I would do personally, but instead enjoying the labors of others. I started out listening to some of these on a Windows XP box using I-Tunes however have since switched over to mainly using my Linux (Kubuntu Edgy Efft) Laptop since I carry that to and from the office on the train. I’ve played with a couple of podcast programs on Linux and have settled on gPodder as my reader of choice. It’s not the absolute best program but it does all I need it to with a relatively minimal amount of fuss. I could think of a couple of improvements to make to it, but I’ll save those for the developers and see what they have to say.
I highly recommend the following podcasts to anyone. Read the description and if you haven’t already done so, check them out.
Diggnation – News and Technology Video Podcast. Two guys sitting around drinking beer and talking about the most dug stories on Digg.com. Since they’re both from the old ScreenSavers show from TechTV it’s mostly tech related news, however they still manage to talk about other things both on and off topic. It’s highly amusing with plenty of back episodes to keep you amused.
GeekBrief.TV – Technology Video Podcast. The adorable Cali Lewis talks about recently released or soon to be released tech items ranging from Video Gadgets to Cell Phones, and most recently Wii items. She cute, bubbly and they always show outtakes from her show which always manage to amuse me. I have personally used her GoDaddy.com promo code and managed to save myself come cash on two recently purchased domain names, and have just picked up a box of Splenda Flavor Blends to try in my coffee at work. Advertising does work!
Ask a Ninja – Comedy Video Podcast. – I gave this podcast a try on a suggestion from Diggnation (not directly unfortunately) and have to admit it has grown on me. There are a couple of episodes which are hilarious but most of them are just mildly amusing. Check them out and see for yourself.
Food Guru – Culinary Video Podcast. A chef based out of Iowa (who knew?) does a GREAT podcast for any cooking fans out there. All episodes are about 90 seconds long and simply throw out an idea, the list of ingredients, how to combine/cook them, and what to do to add garnish or pizazz. For the complete recipe with ingredient amounts and a written step by step walk through his website has all the details. I have tried a number of his ideas an they always turn out fun. He has a lot of available episodes so just download them all and give them a look.
Matt’s Today in History – History Audio Podcast. I listen to the next 3 audio podcasts when my laptop battery begins to die or all I have on hand is my mp3 player (so it’s my step-son’s mp3 player, but who’s really worried about the details). I personally like Matt’s the best, the topics are informative and well researched and always relevant to the day they’re made available. He does a great job in getting them out on time and is always available to plug a fellow podcaster whenever possible.
History According to Bob – History Audio Podcast. Another history podcast with the occasional video podcast thrown in for variety. Bob is a history professor from the Midwest and brings his venerable amount of knowledge as well as his love of history to his podcast which always make it entertaining. As a history major in college, listening to him is like being back in the classroom again, but this time without all that cumbersome reading an annoying tests.
Mugglecast – Harry Potter Audio Podcast – unfortunately this is the podcast I listen to least, not because it’s the least interesting, but because the episodes are all over an hour and after all the rest of the podcasts, I just don’t have the time to keep up with it. However if you’re a fan of the Harry Potter series, this is definitely worth a listen too.
If you have any podcasts that you enjoy, please feel free to let me know and I’d be happy to listen to it and if I like it, I’ll throw out a plug. Thanks.
