Podcasm

Radio sucks in general, but it sucks a lot more specifically around here since the one interesting station went to that big-ass-playlist format that seems to be sweeping the airwaves. And even that station sucked during drive-time like the rest of them -- chock full o' commercials. Anyway, I'm all about the podcasts these days and here's the current winners in case you're interested:

1. This American Life.
   I was hooked the first time I listened -- almost always compelling, funny, and occasionally touching, but rarely so much that some trucker's gonna pull up beside you and see you crying.
2. Savage Love Podcast
   Yup, just like the newspaper column, but more interactive. One item from this week: He thinks he's a 61-year-old sex machine; she just likes the money he pays her. Should she keep pretending to enjoy the oral sex her sugar daddy insists on giving her?
3. On the Media
   More interesting than you would think it would be analysis of what the media is/is not covering in the past week and in general. But, it's not the usual "media covering media" story where CNN spends 4 hours wondering out loud why they're still talking about Britney Spears, but more like what CNN is missing during those 4 hours, or what some editor in Ohio got in trouble for, or sunshine laws, etc. Good stuff.
4. Car Talk
   Click and Clack... always amusing... great filler.
5. PRI: Selected Shorts Podcast
   This is a fairly new discovery, but the two or three I've caught so far have been excellent. Basically, it's a somewhat but not particularly dramatic reading of a short story or two or an excerpt from a work of non-fiction read by an actor in front of a live audience with no special effects. So far the material has been very good, so I'm keeping it on the playlist.

That's pretty much it... that's generally enough to fill my week of driving. I used to download The Onion's podcast, but it's like 15 seconds and not worth the ipod manipulation for the occasional chuckle. Also, sometimes I'll get the NPR Shuffle podcast, but the above list has been doing it for me of late.