Podcast listener

So for one of my classes, we are supposed to listen to a podcast called On the Media every week and then do a short write-up about one of the topics that interested us. When I first heard about podcasts all the way back in 2004 (or so), I felt they were for older people and was not really intrigued by them. I have listened to a few podcasts since that time in 2004 and before I took my current class, but I never really found them that interesting.

Well one day in the library I realized I had left my computer at home. Instead of going to a campus computer I decided I would just listen to the On the Media podcast from my phone while in the library. When I was about to download the episode, I noticed the iTunes list of top podcasts. I thought I could check out some of the podcasts that were in the top 10 list.

One of the podcasts that I have now started to love is Radiolab. For those of you who don't know about this podcast, it is hosted by two guys named Jad Abumrad and Robert Kurlwich. They explore mostly scientific topics. The first episode I listened to was called "Escape." This hour-long episode focused on 3 stories of Escape. The first was about a man, Christopher Daniel Gay, who has escaped from jail about 13 times and is trying to change his life. The second segment was about the Voyagers 1 and 2 , the furthest objects from Earth that are man-made. The third segment focused on a blind man who tried to escape his traumatic childhood after discovering he could whistle the dial-tones on a telephone and as a result would go on to work for a telephone company.

Anyway, podcasts are actually kind of neat and they are pretty accessible, especially if you have a smartphone. I may write more about this particular podcast, Radiolab, in the future so stay tuned...