Over the past year I've become more and more dependent on my iPod. I primarily listen to podcasts and some audiobooks. I listen in the car, sometimes at work (if I'm doing some mindless task) and I even listened while I got my allergy shots today.
I thought I'd share some of my favorite podcasts (at least the ones that I think will appeal to a wide audience). If you have an iPod and are using iTunes to sync just click on the links below to go to the podcast directly in iTunes. If you don't have a iPod and want to listen on your computer, iTunes is a quick and easy way to do so. All of the podcasts listed are completely free. You can listen to any of the podcasts without subscribing however if you like the podcast you can subscribe to have iTunes download new episodes automatically.
This American Life
This podcast is a re-broadcast of the popular public radio program. Each episode is a series of stories set on a common theme. Hosted by Ira Glass, this is probably one of the best radio show on the air today. Listening via a podcast is great because you can choose the time that best fits your schedule. The only draw back to this podcast is that the iTunes store only has the most recent episode available.
If you don't want to listen via the podcast you can also visit
http://www.thislife.org/ to play episodes directly from the show's web site.
The Moth
The Moth features true stories told live onstage without notes. Most of the stories on The Moth are less than 20 minutes long and very engaging. iTunes currently has about fifteen episodes available and the podcast is updated every Monday. Unfortunately The Moth is only available for download as a podcast (i.e. you can't play it directly from their website.) Also if you listening via iTunes please note that some of the episodes are marked "Explicit".
Radio Lab
Another public radio show, Radio Lab is a bit quirky and the subject matter can get a bit deep however the stories are very informative. If you happen to check this one out and can't quite "get in it", try a different episode (I recommend listening to Diagnosis). Radio Lab can also be found at their website:
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/.
This list is just a small sample of some of the great content that is freely available via the Internet. iTunes is a great place to find more podcasts. All the podcast I listed are audio podcast, however there are lots of great video podcasts too (video podcasts are usually much larger in size.)
If you listen to any of my picks, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Does any one else have a favorite podcast?