John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

Beloved

Slate shipped out its latest book club podcast yesterday: a discussion of Toni Morrison's Beloved. You can download the show here, or sign up for a subscription via iTunes. This episode is about 55 minutes or so, but - believe it or not - it flies by. I played it while I was gutting a room in the house.

Pick yer podcasts

In last week's Surf's Up column, I surveyed some of the ways you can find podcasts, and mentioned a few of the ones to which I subscribe.

In the hopes of finding some new material, I'd like to hear about your favourite podcasts. Which ones would you recommend to someone else?

Even though I open my iTunes each morning to find more than three hours of new material, I'm still looking for more. Admittedly, I already subscribe to a lot ... but that's largely due to some podcasts that run pretty long. (And might be overstaying their welcome: I'm finding I'm listening to them less and less, as their running times are pretty intimidating.)

I'll recommend this one: the daily Slate Explainer podcast, which is a few minutes long and almost always interesting.

What would you recommend? Leave a comment, or drop an email to johngushue AT gmail-dot-com.

This was originally posted on July 7, and has been updated to the top of the queue.

Keeping up with the volume of podcasting

[Surf's Up, as published in the St. John's Telegram on Thursday, June 29, 2006. Click here to read other columns.]

It's summer time, and this gentleman's attention turns to podcasts - a bit more so than usual. I've been subscribing to podcasts for a while now, but with the warmer weather - and the greater likelihood I'll be out for a walk - I'm more likely to get around to actually listening to some of the hours of stuff I've been downloading.

As that implies, I don't and can't listen to all of the podcasts on my computer, let alone what I choose to put on my iPod. Who could? There are untold hours of audio - both home-crafted and professionally rendered - out there, and there are, after all, only so many hours in the day.

However, I'm a curious type, and willing to give something a try. Believe me, my patience has been tested by podcasts that are as long as they are dull. On the whole, though, I can't get over how much stuff I can collect from around the world on so many topics.

One thing we're learning is that many podcasts are succeeding because they serve audiences in a way that radio doesn't - and that applies for podcasts based on radio programming. CBC Radio's Ideas program, for instance, is a venerable institution, but it doesn't draw anywhere close to big audiences. It is, after all, a bit dry.

Curiously, the Ideas podcast ranked No. 2 this week on the iTunes subscription list. Which makes sense, when you think about it; the program specializes in high-quality programming that rewards those who pay attention; with a podcast, the user inherently is more tuned-in than the more passive radio audience at large.

Beyond the top-downloads lists, there are thousands of podcasts on pretty much anything: politics, tennis, genealogy, cancer care, gardening, religion … the list goes on. Quite a few are about, to be frank, the minutiae of the podcasters themselves, but as long as a few people are subscribing, I guess they're willing to ramble on about themselves.

This week, we look at how to tune in to the wealth of sound waiting to be heard.

Canada Podcasts
Canadian Podcast Buffet
If you'd like to start with some home-grown content this Canada Day weekend, start here. Watch for new adds to Canada Podcasts on the left-hand side; sort through thematic arrangements on the right. Canadian Podcast Buffet is a podcast in itself, and a good way to find out about the variety of material you can sample.

Podcast Bunker
Podcast Alley
Indiepodder
As the quality and certainly the quantity of podcasting expands, it's hard to keep up with the volume - in both senses of the word.

Public Radio Podcasts 
CBC Podcasts 
BBC Radio podcasts 
NPR podcasts 
Documentary on One
Virgin Radio Podcasts
Yes, yes, yes … some of the most interesting podcasts are done at people's kitchen tables. But there's value in picking up programming done by the pros, especially when it's from around the world. Public Radio Podcasts is a directory worth bookmarking, and checking from time to time; I've picked up several subscriptions to short, sweet shows that make for great listening. Following that are links to programs available from the CBC, the BBC and National Public Radio - NPR offering dozens of options from across the U.S. (KCRW's music podcasts are favourites.) Documentary on One is from Ireland, and features sporadic but excellent transmissions of documentary features. From the U.K., Virgin Radio offers plenty for music fans.

iTunes
You don't need an iPod to run iTunes (though it probably helps). Apart from making a mint by selling legal downloaded music, iTunes offers a large selection of usually free podcasts. Subscriptions are a total breeze to maintain.

Republic of Avalon Radio
Here's another mention for Jim Fidler's popular podcast from St. John's, which I follow (although I feel it could stand a good bit of editing).

Matt's Today in History
Most days, Matt Datillo sends out a short essay on an episode of world history. As I sip my first coffee of the day and sort out how I'll organize the day, this essay has become part of my morning routine. Perhaps you'll like it too.

Slate's Explainer
One of my favourite podcasts is Slate's Explainer, which consists of a short essay explaining questions arising from current affairs, from the weird sample sizes of approval-rating polls to the sprays used at the World Cup. Sure, you can read it online … but hearing it is better, particularly with the warm tones of narrator June Thomas.

John Gushue is a news writer for CBC.ca in St. John's. E-mail: surf at thetelegram.com.

A podcast for history buffs

I've been subscribing to a feed of Matt's Today in History for more than a month now; most days, Matt Datillo files a brief essay on some element of history. Recent podcasts have included Napoleon's failed assault on Moscow, the Molly Maguires and the execution of Joan of Arc.

The texts are posted to Matt's blog, and you can stream the audio. Look for information on subscribing to the feed. (I like listening to each entry - they range from about five to 10 minutes in length - while I'm getting myself organized in the morning.)

A Radio 3 milestone

CBC Radio 3's podcast moved into its second year by dropping its 53rd weekly issue, and host Grant Lawrence is right -- the band names in the latest edition are unusual indeed. Cities in Dust, Smothered in Hugs, Basement Sweets (arr arr) and Just Barely, to name a few. More details here.

Slate book club podcast

Among the podcasts that turned up in my folder this morning: a Slate book club discussion of Ian McEwan's Saturday, which I'm willing to bet already will be one of the books remembered years from now about post-9/11 life. Here's a link to Slate's announcement of the choice of Saturday for the book club discussion ... look for details on arranging a download.

CBC podcasts

Wednesday marked a bit of a milestone at CBC.ca - we launched a whole series of new podcasts. It's struck many of us as a shame that some terrific pieces get heard once, and then that's usually it - into the vapour. (Well, the archives, actually.) Some pieces, especially the newsier ones, get posted for streaming, but a downloadable podcast will undeniably make it easier for listeners to catch up on their listening, at their leisure.

You can subscribe to the Newfoundland and Labrador podcast here. You'll hear my colleague and friend Jon Soper hosting the weekly roundup of some terrific items produced by CBC Radio journalists. Look also for the link for other new podcasts from across the country.

Four Sevens

Tod Maffin's Four Sevens podcast network is up and running. Get yer downloads!

Rosetta, jump a little higher ...

Hey Rosetta!,  one of the St. John's bands building up a good bit of buzz these days, got the audience-request spot on the CBC Radio 3 podcast which went out last week. The Simplest Thing is the tune; I'm listening to it for the second time as I write this. Nice.

A Gushue podcast

Not me ... the talented one. Brad Gushue (no direct relation) speaks with Telegram sports editor Robin Short in a podcast up this week. Click here to download. A video version is also available for iPods.

A podcast buffet

Make that Canadian Podcast Buffet ... two guys who survey the podcasting scene in Canada. A new buffet went up (or out, depending on how you look at it) on Thursday.

It's a useful podcast to subscribe to, if only because you'll be introduced to other podcasts that you likely have not heard of. (And if you had, you should team up with these guys and help them out!)

New Gervais

The Ricky Gervais show bills itself as the world's top podcast; certainly helps to be famous, eh? (Podcast Alley begs to differ, by the way.) A new episode went up Monday. As before, it's hilarious and definitely not meant for all the family...

Pods for thought

[Surf's Up, as published in The Telegram on Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, and posted here very late indeed.]

The editors of the New American Oxford Dictionary recently announced their choice for word of the year: podcasting.

Podcasting wasn't actually introduced to the language in 2005, but there's no question it was used a whole lot more in the last 12 months than in the year (or years) before that.

The basic point of podcasting isn't that new, either; audio files have been transferred over the Internet for years now.

What is (relatively) new is the ease with which podcasting now works … and the ease with which you can get interesting material straight to your ears.

Podcasting - a playful amalgam of "broadcasting" and iPod - works best when you can subscribe to a particular series, and then have the subscription do all the hard work from thereon in.

So, instead of having to remember the web address of a cool radio show, for instance, and then remembering when it's updated, and then clicking on a link to trigger a download, and then waiting for a download to run its course, and then getting the sound file (usually an MP3) on a player, a subscription does it all for you.

When you plug in your audio player, iPod or otherwise, your subscriptions are automatically updated for you.

And what a difference it makes to actually have a player.

I've been subscribing to some podcasts for months, but only got around to popping the cash for a player recently.

After several audio-packed weeks, I can say this: it's much easier to listen to podcasts when you're out on foot than when you're sitting at your computer.

I listen to British, American, Canadian, German and local material while walking to the store, doing chores, getting some exercise, even putting out the garbage.

We're still at the early days of all this. In a year, I expect the range and quality of podcasts to be greatly superior to what's there now.

Following are some of the podcasts I've subscribed to. Feel free to drop me a line about what you like to listen to.

Podcast Alley
Actually, this is not a particular podcast, but a place to find them by the truckload. You'll find shows from experienced professionals, and you'll also find the most unusual kinds of audio out there. Poke around, and you'll understand why many people feel podcasting is bringing new energy into what we used to think of as radio.

Republic of Avalon Radio
Jim Fidler is world-renowned for his music; he's also developing an international following for his regularly updated podcast, which comes to listeners straight from the streets of St. John's (not to mention his kitchen table, too). The tone is loose and friendly, and I think thousands of subscribers have responded to that. If I could recommend anything, it would be to edit the introductions and chatter.

Quirks, Quarks, more
Quirks & Quarks became the first CBC Radio program to move into podcasting; there are currently three options available during a current trial. More CBC programming may be available in the future. If you would like to see more, take the survey available on the link above. Also available is a mostly-music package of alternative and independent tunes from CBC Radio 3, and highlights from the Toronto regional morning show.

National Public Radio
NPR offers a number of podcast options from this directory -- scores of them, actually. You'll find everything from political reporting to book reviews, essays on religion to tech reviews to interviews with musicians, famous and otherwise.

Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais is rightly regarded as a genius for creating The Office; he continues to make great comedy, and for a limited time is making a free podcast with cohorts Steve Merchant and Karl Pilkington. Be advised: the language gets a bit salty. That said, I laughed out loud on a walk down Water Street, as Pilkington laid out his theories on dinosaurs and pets.

Telycasts
The Telegram's website stepped into the podcasting world last week with an interview with singer Rex Goudie. I naturally signed up for the interview; the audio quality is a bit tough, because it's a phone interview, but I imagine that Goudie fans could care less. I'm looking forward to what else the Tely folks are willing to send out.

Ebert and Roeper
Each weekend, I have my recorder set to catch the weekly TV show featuring Roger Ebert and his sparring partner, Richard Roeper. I have to confess I haven't been bothering much to watch it, though, because I'm finding the audio version of the show - available as a podcast here - suits me about as well. Naturally, I don't get to see the film clips, but I don't think I'm missing much. Besides, catching the show while doing a morning coffee run makes me feel like I'm still in the movie loop.

Le Show
If you know The Simpsons well, surely you can imagine the voice of Bart and Lisa's principal, Seymour Skinner. The man behind that voice (and numerous others) is actor Harry Shearer, who has been doing a Sunday morning radio show in L.A. called, well, Le Show, for many years. You can subscribe to the feed here (or listen to archived shows online).

John Gushue is a news writer for CBC.ca in St. John's. E-mail: surf at thetelegram.com.

Podcasting survey

CBC.ca has a survey up about podcasting and listener habits. It takes a few minutes to fill out. Currently, four podcasts are available on CBC on a trial basis, although there is a great deal of interest in the CBC about extending the service. Have your say to direct where things go next.

The word of the year ...

... is podcasting, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary. Fair enough; even though swapping MP3s has been on the go for years, the term podcasting certainly exploded this year.

And yet ... Well, let's say I howled when I read Alan's appraisal:

If there ever was a movement waiting to die and not be missed it is podcasting. By "podcasting", I don't mean mean internet audio downloadable and probably downloadable maybe by an automated format like RSS as that sort of thing has basically existed since the internet began except for maybe the autoload thing. It is merely saving a file that makes sound to listen to it later and the BBC, for example, has pretty much allowed you to do that for eight to ten years. No, what's new and what is meant by podcasting by most is the amateur version - P2P don't you know - where you can hear people say "um" a lot, talk about how they are going to put a dent in the main street media and then say "um" some more.

The wheat and chaff issue has become pretty clear, and as I dip in and out of the host of podcasts out there (which pop up and die off without warning, much like many blogs themselves), some audio-challenged podcasts don't care what they sound like. Moreover, the choices of the good stuff have been multiplying, and I've been weeding my subscription list to keep up with things.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais will be launching a podcast - a 12-episode one, anyway - Monday, via the Guardian newspaper's site in London. Click here, starting Monday.