Thing 21: piratical

I have difficulty with Podcasts. I love the idea of being able to take a really good radio show and listen to it at a more convenient time, because I'd always miss things on "real" radio. But then it turned out, even with the option of listening to something any time I wanted, whenever suited, I still didn't listen.

Listening on the bus is stupid, because it's too noisy. Can't listen at home - too noisy. Can't listen at work - people hardly think I'm paying attention now.

All of which has taught me - I am not reayd for podcasts. At least, it's a bad idea for me to pay for them.

That said, one of the most rewarding podcasts I've ever listened to is WNYC's Radio Lab, which is an hour-long show along the general theme of science. It's very nicely produced, with each episode following a theme like "sleep" or "placebo". It's tied together with music and doesn't have any kind of rigid structure or feeling of being forced. This is a testament to how well made it is - effortlessness takes a lot of work.

I did some nerd-book related searches on Podcast.net and came up with a couple of interesting feeds - The Comic Geeks and WFMU's The Speakeasy with Dorian. And over on Podcastalley.com I tracked down Geek Brunch. Nerding it up, yo.

But like I said, I'm not ready to commit to podcasts yet. I think it's the lack of moving images that makes me so likely to do something else. I'm sure I'll get better.