Mmmm...Podcastilicious

As everyone else has been doing this, I figured it was time for me to give it a whirl. So here are the podcasts I listen to at least semi-regularly. I love podcasts. They keep me sane on my drive to work and help the day go by so much faster. Plus it keeps me up to date on news and goin's ons. Though most of them deal with tech and sci-fi stuff, but hey: That's what I'm into. So without further ado, here we go. Oh, BTW, you can get all of these off of iTunes for those with iPods.

• This Week in Tech (TWiT) - This podcast is great. It's run by a bunch of ex-TechTV hosts and technology journalists. The main character, so to speak, is Leo Laporte who plays host and at time mediator between the other eccentric personalities such as Kevin Rose (one of the brains behind Digg.com) and PC Magazine columnist John C. Dvorak (who gets NO SPAM!!!). Always sharp, witty, interesting, and at times brutally honest.


• Major Nelson's Blogcast - Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) is the Director of the Xbox Live Programming division at Microsoft. He has great inside info on the Xbox 360, and has done some very interesting interviews with many of the minds behind the Xbox, including one of my former Computer Science section leaders at UofA, David Shaw. If you're into gaming, especially Xbox, this is a good one.


• Science Friday - This is the podcast version of the highly popular NPR show. It deals with everything from medical advances, global warming, technology trends, and even the ethics of highly controversial science subjects. This is one of those podcasts that make you just feel smarter.


• Security Now! - This is another of the many podcasts by Leo Laporte. Leo does this podcast with Steve Gibson, a computer security expert. This is a very technical podcast that looks at all manner of threats, from viruses to Windows vulnerabilities. Leo really helps keep the show understandable for us mere mortals because, while he's a techie like myself, he's not a hacker or a coder and always asks the right questions to help the listeners understand what Steve babbles about.


• PotterCast and MuggleCast - It's probably fairly obvious what these two shows are about. I listed both together because the hosts of both shows do a lot of crossover, each appearing on the other's show. They even did a live podcast in New York after the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Good stuff if you're a Harry Potter fan.


• Spaceship Radio - I have to admit, I love classic radio shows. "War of the Worlds" was always one of my favorites. My Dad had a set of tapes of old radio shows and I used to listen to them all the time. This podcast plays only sci-fi or fantasy related shows (usually episodes of X-1). Plus there is a smattering of great original shows as well. I mean, where else can you hear radio dramatizations of Ray Bradbury and Phillip K. Dick stories anytime you want?


• Skepticality - This is just a good, smart, talk show. The hosts Derek and Swoopy (not her real name, obviously) talk about subjects such as crop circles, bigfoot, the Illuminati, urban myths, etc. They have great skeptical insight on all sorts of cool stuff. Derek recently had a stroke, so he's just now getting back on his feet, but he's doing much better.


• The Signal - A podcast dedicated solely to Firefly and Serenity two of my favorite shows/movies of all time. Not much new content lately, but a good show nonetheless.


• Matt's Today in History - This is another one of those "smart" podcasts. Matt Datillo makes a (usually) daily podcast about a significant historical event that happened today. It can be anything from the last century, to events from Greek and Roman history as well. Each show is only about 4-10 minutes long, so it's great if you miss a few because you can listen to two or three at a time and not be overwhelmed.


• Michael and Evo's Slice of Sci-Fi - This is by far one of the funniest and most entertaining podcasts I've ever heard. These guys are nuts about sci-fi, everything from movies, TV shows, and even the ubiquitous Star Trek novels. The best part? This is a local, home-grown podcast picked right off the vine from Phoenix Arizona.
  

Now I also listen to a few podcasts which are called "podiobooks." They're full-length novels that are released in podcast form, usually once a week. These are great for car trips or just sitting in bed and listening. You can find all of these at Podiobooks.com.

• Earthcore - Ok, this is one of the best stories I've ever heard. You just have to check out the site and subscribe as I just can't do it justice. Scott Sigler is a god.


• Ancestor - This is Scott Sigler's second podiobook, and it's just as good as Earthcore, though a bit shorter. It just finished this week so you can subscribe now with no waiting!


• The Pocket and the Pendant - If any of you have ever read any of the "A Wrinkle in Time" books, you'll love this one. It's very similar in style and touches many different genres, such as sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, and even drama. There's even a little "Lord of the Flies" mixed in there as well. Great book.


• Brave Men Run - Just started this one, so I can't give you a good synopsis of it (or even much of an opinion) but it's good so far.

Whew! That was a long list, but well worth it. I love these shows and don't mind at all writing about them. Now if you don't mind, I need to watch UofA kick the crap out of ASU in basketball.

Cheers.