For some time now we have all had the pleasure of “time shifting" TV shows. We use the TIVO or DDR to record conflicting shows or watch a show that is not on at a convenient time. I cherry pick sections of Letterman, Leno, Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Kimmel the next day instead of some prime time fare...without commercials. Now I am listening to more recorded radio, podcasts and audio books than TV. Some friends tell me they have trouble concentrating when the audio book is playing. Others say they multitask all the time so bring on more distractions.
The iPhone and DROID make it easy to subscribe to free radio content targeted to my interests. I have been a big Howard Stern fan for 20+ years. My friend Danny Seagren sent me cassette tapes of Stern's early years on WNBC in NY. Now I own a Sirius radio that will record this show so I can play it at my convenience.
Many of these podcasts are offered in video or MP3 format. I see no advantage to using the extra bandwidth for talking head video on my Zune HD.
I go for morning walks, frequent plane rides and car trips. I have a collection of podcasts, radio and audio books to pass the time.
Podcasting has become so popular they have their own "networks." The pioneer of all things podcast in my book is Leo Laporte. He has a dozen "shows" http://twit.tv/ in audio or video with tech, health and cooking interests. Adam Carola http://www.adamcarolla.com/ACPBlog/category/podcast/ is developing his rag tag network. Most radio show hosts (Hanity, Maddow, O'Reiley) all supplement their radio/TV shows with a web site and podcasts.
CNET http://www.cnet.com/podcasts/ podcasts include daily tech updates and reviews. I subscribe to “Buzz Out Loud” daily.
One off beat podcast I listen to is John C. Dvorak and Adam Curry "No Agenda” http://noagenda.mevio.com/. John has been a tech writer for more than 25 years. His "Cranky Geeks" is always amusing with notable guests every week. Listeners voluntarily contribute money to off-set production costs from $1.50 a month.
Try the Google Reader programmed to follow these and other hosts' bloggs and podcasts in one place. You can see my list: http://www.google.com/reader/shared/production.director.
Let me know what podcasts you like.
Ray
