A while ago, I offered some thoughts on podcasts I've been listening to. Here's a few more I've discovered since then (and that I like):

Sixty-second science - From Scientific American comes this podcast which is, as the name suggests, about science and also very, very short. Each episode is about one minute and eleven seconds, when you tack on the introduction and the the conclusion -- but the scientific content is top notch and enjoyably written. I dig it! A

RadioLab - kind of funky, disharmonic, self-indulgent production, but sometimes it really, really works. I really enjoyed the recent episodes about blinking and parasites. A-

Science podcast - From Science magazine comes a podcast to compete with the Nature podcast. The two are different: While they have in common interviews with scientists publishing groundbreaking research in the two respective journals, Nature's podcast is goofy, well-produced, and fun. Science's podcast is kind of stodgy and stiff by comparison. B-

Skeptic's Guide to the Universe - From the New England Skeptical Society comes this hour-plus-long podcast on science news and exposing pseudo-science for the bull$#@& that it is. I really like the format, although it must be said none of the five regular panelists are geologists, and they occasionally get stuff wrong like when the Cambrian was, or whether there is bauxite on the moon. Still, some great insights and perspectives. Thanks very much to Bryan for recommending this one to me: it has enriched my commute immeasurably! A

Labels: podcasts and vodcasts

For a few months now, prompted by a comment on one of my blog posts from fellow geoblogger Bryan, I've been listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast. It's pretty darned good. Last week, the team interviewed Seth Shostak, senior astronomer for SETI, who made an offhand statement that there was "plenty of bauxite" on the Moon. Considering that the moon's anorthosite has plenty of aluminosilicate minerals, but none of the tropical rains required to produce a secondary concentration of gibbsite, bohemite, and diaspore, a.k.a. bauxite, I wrote in to compliment the show in general but correct this one small tidbit. This week on the show, they acknowledge my correction, though (of course) they mis-pronounce my name. It starts at 25:35 into the podcast. Ah well -- my own little cross to bear. Glad to help advance human understanding of geological processes!

Labels: astronomy, minerals, moon, ore, podcasts and vodcasts, science and society

I've been really digging my iPod. Yeah, yeah: "late adopter" and all that. But it's really cool!

The podcasts and vodcasts (video podcasts) available for free are diverse and awesome, and I'm finding them much more interesting, rich, and deep than traditional radio. I've got music podcasts, science podcasts, story podcasts, and humor podcasts. In the interest of sharing the love, here's what I'm listening to:

All Songs Considered - From NPR, an every-few-days podcast showcasing new and interesting music from a wide variety of genres, often accompanied by insightful commentary from host Bob Boilen and his guests.

Morning Becomes Eclectic - From KCRW in Santa Monica, California, Jason Bentley (no relation) hosts an excellent radio show of... well... eclectic music. The only shows they podcast are the ones where guest artists are performing live in the studio, but that's fine by me -- there's some real gems here. (Although, I'll admit that I miss the former host Nick Harcourt.)

The Moth - An incredible storytelling podcast featuring one person per episode telling a true story, live onstage & without notes. These are incredible tales from our fellow humans: people who have experienced surreal, heartbreaking, or uproarious things, and know how to describe them to others. An absolutely inspired series. Five stars!

Wait, Wait! Don't Tell Me! - The oddly informative NPR news quiz show. Invariably funny, sometimes hilarious. Hosted by Peter Segal, accompanied by luminaries like Carl Kasell, P.J. O'Rourke, and Tom Bodett.

USGS CoreCast - A weekly podcast from the United States Geological Survey, wherein stilted-sounding hosts interview scientists about their work, usually related to some story that's in the current news cycle. Mediocre listenability, but often interesting content.

Nature Podcast - From the acclaimed journal Nature comes this hip, well-produced podcast that features several hosts (male, female, British, American) interviewing scientists about their recent Nature publications and why they matter. Sometimes they give background information, too -- to bring listeners up to speed before the interview. It's detailed enough to be satisfying for a professional scientist, but not stiff or formal. Two thumbs up!

Central Washington University Natural Science seminars - Video of seminars on cool topics like mammoth digs, etc.

American Meteorological Society Climate Change video: Environmental Science seminars - These are a series of science seminars put on by the AMS on Capitol Hill for the benefit of policy makers, captured on video. I often try to attend, but if I miss one, I can get it via the iPod.

The Ricky Gervais podcast - From the talented British comedian comes this sporadic podcast which varies tremendously in content and satisfaction from one episode to the next. When this one is on while I'm driving to campus, the ones that leave me guffawing are the ones where Ricky and Stephen Merchant talk with Carl Pilkington. The three of them have a remarkable style of mutually-insulting comedy.

You can get all of these for free, searching on iTunes. Enjoy!

Labels: environmental, geology, humor, music, news, podcasts and vodcasts, science and society

For those of you who missed it, here's video of Mike Tidwell's talk at NOVA last Thursday.

Labels: action, climate change, global warming, maryland, nova, podcasts and vodcasts, politics, virginia