Sunday, June 08, 2008

Podcasts - Finding the Best Ones

Sometimes if you see me around town, you may notice a pair of headphones attached to my ears. People probably think to themselves that a man of my years should not be trying to act like a teenager listening to his favorite hip-hop music. Well, if you do see me with my headphones on, I am more-than-likely listening to a podcast on a subject that interests me.

As you might guess, my favorite podcasts center around either technology or photography. However, if you see me laughing out loud, you know that I am listening to "Car Talk" from NPR. Those two guys really are funny. Anyway, I found that podcasts are a great way to fill in my "spare time" when I am not writing a blog, working on photographs or doing some other work that requires my complete attention (and silence).

Ever since I purchased my iPod Classic a few months ago, I realized podcasts are a great way to spend a lot of my free time...learning more about the subjects that interest me. I originally bought my iPod for music, and I still use it for that, but podcasts are becoming more predominate use of my time. When I go for my daily walk, I usually now listen to a podcast rather than old time rock and roll. Frankly, podcasts can be more interesting than music, and since I really hate to exercise, they really do make the time go faster. It is similar to using Books-on-Tape when driving long distances on roads you have been on many times. The time and miles go much faster. The distinction is that audio books or music are mostly for entertainment...podcasts are for learning.

When I purchased my iPod, I also installed Apple's free music organizing program, iTunes, on my computer. Besides organizing one's music, it can also be used for videos, photographs, Internet radio channels (tons of those), and, of course, podcasts. What is even more useful is that when you find a good podcast, they usually have a link where you can subscribe for free using the Apple's iTunes Store. You click on it and iTunes will automatically download your chosen podcasts as they are released. Of course, when you plug your iPod into the computer, iTunes will sync with your iPod automatically and load the new podcast (and erase those that are no longer wanted) onto your device.

So, with all this in mind, here are some interesting places to go to read about and subscribe to podcasts, either to listen on your computer or portable music player.

CNet Podcast Central - A complete list of their large assortment of technology podcasts. Many are interesting, my favorite right now being "The Real Deal." But I have not sampled them all.

TWit TV - This is the home of several great technology-based podcasts (and now some video podcasts) by Leo LaPorte. If you ever watched Tech TV's Call for Help or other shows, you will remember Leo as he is an engaging personality who really knows his stuff. Most of his shows feature other knowledgeable folks from the world of tech. My favorites are The Tech Guy, This Week in Technology (TWit), and Windows Weekly.

NPR Podcasts - If you want interesting subject matter done by knowledgeable people on a wide variety of subjects, head over to the National Public Radio Podcast Directory. I've never counted the number of podcasts that they offer, but it is a very large number. This is where I get my Car Talk fix.

Podcast Alley - I am fairly new to this site, but they list over 41,000 different podcasts. With so many, there is probably a ton of not-so-interesting podcasts, but it is worth a look. I find their subject listings to be rather limiting.

Podcast Search - Uses Google to find podcasts by subject. It did a nice job on a couple of my searches.

Yahoo Podcast Search - This used to be a great place to look for podcast by subject matter, but now they list a lot of other audio material when you do a search, so you may have to cull through a lot of garbage to find what you are looking for. It's too bad.

Tips from the Top Floor - One of the first photography podcasts, mostly aimed at amateur photographers. Chris Marquardt knows his stuff and is a great guide for the non-professional.

Photography Podcast - Produced in Montreal, this show is sometimes a little more in-depth and advanced than Tips from the Top Floor, but definitely worth a listen if you like photography

With all this information, you should find some podcasts that might be very useful for whatever interests you. Give podcasts a listen in your free moments.

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