My most recent technology purchase was an iPod Touch, a considerable step up from my old, chunky MP3 player. It has lots of fun features, not least an addictive touchscreen game, but undoubtedly the best thing about it is how it handles podcasts. If I'm honest, I don't find iTunes the most instinctive programme in the world, and I have terrible trouble with my music on it since most of them are compilation albums and the tracks all come out in the wrong order. But when it comes to podcasts, iTunes is hard to beat, and they all show up beautifully on my touch.
I have subscriptions to twelve or so Radio 4 podcasts, which is essential for me, since the only thing the Touch doesn't have is a radio. I've been a Radio 4 listener since I was 13, and it's an impossible habit to break, so having something that will easily handle lots and lots of podcasts is just wonderful. In fact, I specifically bought the 32GB version so that I could keep the programmes on there for as long as I wanted.
My favourite podcasts are probably In Our Time and the Friday night comedy, but I also love More or Less and The Bottom Line. I tend not to listen to current affairs ones, since by the time I get round to listening to them, they're usually very out of date. A more recent discovery is iTunes U, and I'm still getting used to that one. The lectures are very good, but they lose something when you can't see the visual aids. Having said that, the Romp Through The History of Philosophy lecture is just brilliant, and I really enjoyed the Reception of Classics one as well. I miss studying, and being able to listen to actual lectures - not just talks/interviews put on for the sake of podcasting - is an absolute joy. My next stop is to investigate the BodCasts and some lectures from other universities, which I also think are a great idea. It'll be interesting to (for example) compare classics teaching here at Oxford to somewhere like Harvard or Sydney. My main problem with this kind of thing is that my eyes are bigger than my ears and things can languish on the 'unlistened to' list for a long time before I remember I've got them. Having said that, I could honestly fill my iPod with just Radio 4 podcasts and 2 or 3 music albums and be happy for months to come.
I'm devoting an hour or so to exploring 23 Things blog sites and have found yours totally engrossing to read. It definitely qualifies for my 'Best of 23 Things' folder in Google Reader. Also, as a fellow Radio 4 addict who has never owned an MP3 Player, partly due to being overwhelmed by the vast choice, your blog has given me a renewed urge to just go out and buy one. Listening to Radio 4 programmes on the bus sounds like such a great alternative to other people's mobile phone conversations. Keep blogging!
ReplyDeleteHi Kath! Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying reading. I'm finding it fascinating to see what other people make of 23 Things, especially since I already use so many of the tools. There's so much that's just part of my everyday life, but which are new to so many others.
ReplyDeleteBeing overwhelmed seems to be a common problem for a lot of people, and I think it does require some discipline and effort when you first start using a new tool. But the Radio 4 podcasts are definitely worth the effort! Hope you find good things to listen to :)
Thanks to this weeks 'things' I've discovered the joys of Radio 4 podcasts, the only problem is that I don't really want to listen to them when I'm at a computer. Perhaps it is time to dig out my long forgotten MP3 player? My only worry is that the poor old Sony and its terrible software won't handle podcasts well.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about software, but I found a pretty good work-round when I had my old Creative brick, sorry, Zen. Juice is a great podcast manager, and it saves the files to folders on your computer. You can then use pretty much any software you like to upload them as normal MP3 files. I used Winamp, which wasn't great, but coped just fine. Lifehacker had a piece recently on the best Podcast managers, so that might be of some help?
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