Thing 17 - Podcasts

This is one of the 23 Things that I use on a regular basis. I’ve listened to podcasts (and their sibling, vodcasts) since I’ve owned an Ipod. It is not too dissimilar from stuff found on Youtube… in fact many podcasts (video at least) are duplicated across the two platforms.

I checked out Podcast and Podcastalley and found that they have pretty much have the same offerings. The two resources pretty much mimicked ITunes’ offerings as well. Since I have an IPod and ITunes installed, I get all of my podcasts from that platform. It is easy to subscribe/unsubscribe (click a button) and ITunes automatically puts the current podcast (or however many back episodes you designate) on to your player. Podcast and Podcastalley work similar, but require using a web browser and ITunes together to make the magic work. Using ITunes cuts out the middle man for me.

I listen to podcasts from NPR such as All Things Considered, various news and book discussions, and News from Lake Wobegon (Prairie Home Companion). I also do a few entertainment casts from the G4 network called Attack of the Show, as well as one of my all time favorites, Ask a Ninja.

I like having this type of information on my IPod as it enables me to bring a bit of the internet with me where I go. It means I don’t have to be strapped to my PC for stuff when I’d rather be sitting at a coffee house. I can listen to the podcasts driving to work, on break and at the gym. For me the mobility that podcasts offer in conjunction with a player is fantastic.

Do I want to do my own Podcast? Nah. I’ll pass on that. I have other hobbies and interests to keep me entertained.