Podcasts and audiobooks have changed my life.
As such, I have so much to say about them that this started out as one post and became a completely different post...so I'm dividing it into two. This will be about the impact of podcasts and audiobooks on my life, and the next in this line will be on their impact on publishing.
Once upon a time I spent my hour driving each way to work in a miserable state, reduced to listening to news radio with the god-awful commercial breaks every two minutes (and worse, worked into the regular conversation), or to the torture of catching an interesting Fresh Air interview 2/3rds finished already or starting at a time that I'd miss the second half because I'd arrived at work and had to get out of the car.
I'd do household chores in boring silence, or listening to a radio from another room, but with the same basic issues.
And then the glorious day of podcasting arrived. I first got hooked by listening at my desk while working. The first addictive podcast I recall was, of all things, about board game design; the two hosts would do 2+ hour interviews with German game designers. It was totally obscure and totally wonderful. What radio station on the planet would provide this perfectly targeted material?
From there I moved to using an iPod Classic to listen to audiobooks in my car; my commute went from ad-filled drudgery to entertaining and illuminating, as I consumed books more frequently than I'd been able to since my teenage years.
So far, so good. A healthy use of new technology and new media to improve my life. But I couldn't get enough. If I found myself washing dishes or cleaning the bathroom or walking to the corner market and I wasn't listening to something, it seemed a criminal waste of time. I started using an iPod Nano to listen to podcasts around the house; I couldn't do so much as take a pee without trying to get in a couple more minutes of whatever I was currently listening to.
The addiction had me in its grips, and I spent a large percentage of each day listening to one iPod or another. I'd like to say I recognized the problem, entered a treatment program and conquered it -- but to do so would involve giving up podcasts and audiobooks, so forget that.
I started with mostly computer gaming podcasts. I've listened to a large number, and now that GFW Radio is no more, my favorite by far is the Gamers With Jobs podcast. I'm also working my way through the Brainy Gamer Podcast.
I still listen to a good number of gaming podcasts, but in the meantime I stumbled into more nutritional fare as well, such as the excellent Skeptic's Guide to the Universe and Skeptoid podcasts, which help keep me on top of science news and sharpen my skeptical faculties.
Of complete surprise to me was to discover a heretofore completely unknown deep interest in a surprising subject, economics. Not the "What's the GDP today and will stocks go up tomorrow?" type, but the questions of how people make decisions and allocate their resources, interest, and time. The best economics podcast I know of is EconTalk with Russ Roberts. Eye opening and completely accessible discussions that can really change your perspective on the world.
Also covering economics, as well as many other subjects, is the Cato Institute podcast. The Cato Institute is a staunchly libertarian institution, but don't let that turn you off if you have a different political view: They are an open-minded group, and the only organization I know of that has someone speak on a topic, then has one or more people offer criticism of the first speaker. They invite Republicans, Democrats, socialists -- well, anyone to speak or criticize. I can't imagine another ideologically-based organization that opens itself to people who disagree as much as Cato does. I have great respect for them, and wish more organizations followed their lead.
On the entertainment side, Escape Pod is a podcast science fiction magazine featuring a story each week. They provide excellent work from newcomers and famous professionals alike; the stories are never read by the author, but usually by some experienced podcaster.
And there are so many more...see my podcast sidebar for an excellent selection.
Then comes audiobooks...
Aw screw it -- I'll do that one in another post, and this will be a trilogy. It's what the marketing people tell me is the smart way to go.
