Invasion of the Pod People

Coming Soon....

2006-06-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

The interview with Mike Rugel, who is responsible for the "Uncensored History of the Blues" podcast will be delayed until this weekend due to jury duty. My deepest apologies for the delay.

This Week: Museums

2006-06-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

Museums come in all shapes and sizes. Some focus on natural history, local history, military history, history of music or on just about any subject that someone can think of. It would be impossible to see them all and some of them are so small you might not even know they exist. This week we look at three museums that are using podcasts to showcase some of their collections.

Title: Australian War Memorial Exhibitions
Average Length: About 2 and half minutes
Number of Episodes: 12
Frequency: Posted just once on 12/15/06
Podcasters: Curators and historians of the memorial
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: www.awm.gov.au

The Australian War Memorial is located in Canberra, which is between Sydney and Melbourne on the south east coast of Australia. Each episode is dedicated to one item in their collection. They go into the significance of the item, how it was acquired and the history behind it. Curators and historians take turns each episode and all of them do a great job making the information interesting. These are ideal to load up on your iPod and listen to while in the memorial or just to learn a little about Australian history without ever going there. One particular episode about the uniform of Sister Vivian Bullwinkel is an awesome story of how this nurse survived the most unbelievable circumstances. I'm shocked the story has never been made into a movie. On all counts, this is a well-made podcast and I look forward to the next set of episodes to be posted.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: A "Can't wait to hear more!"

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Title: Every Object Tells A Story
Average Length: About 1 and a half minutes
Number of Episodes: 12
Frequency: Posted twice on 11/14/05 & 3/13/06
Podcasters: Curators and historians of Victoria & Albert Museum
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: www.everyobject.net

Every Object Tells A Story is project that collects stories about objects that people value. It is produced by the Victoria & Albert Museum with Ultralab and Channel 4. While everyone is encouraged to submit their stories, so far it has only been about objects from the Victoria & Albert Museum. The early episodes are a little crudely put together and don't have any introduction or conclusion so they seem a little abrupt. The later episodes are a much higher quality with the two curators that do them giving a bit more information. I'm interested to see if any other museums eventually contribute, but not enough to subscribe to this podcast.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: B "Needs to put forth more effort"

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Title: Uncensored History of the Blues
Average Length: About 18 mins
Number of Episodes: 17
Frequency: About every 2-3 weeks
Podcasters: Mike Rugel with the Delta Blues Museum
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: R - Songs contain sexual and drug references
Website: www.odeo.com

The Delta Blues Museum is located in Clarksdale, Mississippi and has been a stand-alone museum since 1999. Mike Rugel plays blues songs recorded in the early part of the twentieth century. Each episode has songs about a particular theme such as cocaine, lesbians, poker, inadequacy and church just to give some examples. Some of these songs contain strong language, almost shockingly so when you realize when they were recorded. These are songs you will never hear on the radio, which is a shame since some of them are truly amazing. Whether you are a fan of blues music or not, it's interesting to listen to what people were singing about back at the turn of the century. Rugel does a great job putting the songs in context and giving some interesting information about what he plays.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: A "Top of the Class"

Stay tuned next week for an announcement about this site and this Thursday for an interview with Mike Rugel from the "Uncensored History of the Blues" podcast.

Powering off.

Review: Tips For Travelers

2006-06-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

No matter what your travel experience may be, it is always helpful to get tips and tricks to save yourself from painful and sometimes costly mistakes. Gary D. Bembridge has "been there and done that" and is offers his experience. Each podcast focuses on a location or in this case a method of travel.

Podcast: Tips for Travelers: The Travel Destination Podcast
Episode Title: First Time Cruising (Tips for Travelers 1)
Length: 19 minutes 35 seconds
Date Recorded: 9/27/05
Podcasters: Gary D. Bembridge
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: www.tipsfortravellers.com

It begins with a brief introduction stating it is "the travel podcast of first hand experience by and for people with a passion for travel." Gary explains that this episode will focus on cruising and specifically tips for people who have never been on a cruise. The reason for this subject comes from an email he received from a reader of his long running travel blog, which has been published in several UK newspapers. The person had read a review Gary had written about a cruise line and wondered if he had any tips for a first time cruiser. The rest of the episode is broken down into the top ten tips that Gary recommends.

His first tip is "Research! Research! Research!" It's important to know what you are getting into. Two examples he gives include one woman who was complaining about how big the ship was and a couple who were disappointed by the lack of entertainment. He recommends not only checking out the website for the particular cruise line, but also exploring his three favorite independent websites.

His next tip is to not worry about getting seasick either before or after getting on the ship. He elaborates on why there is little need to worry with the way the ships are designed these days and what can be done if it does become an issue. Tip number three is get there early and check everything out. There is a boarding order depending on the type of room that has been booked. Instead of settling in and unpacking, take the opportunity to investigate the ship and get an idea of where things are located.

His fourth tip is going to the late seating for meals and sitting at the largest table possible. Gary finds that the people are livelier at that time than at the early seating. You learn how buying individual drinks and rounds for the table works, some of the pitfalls going to this seating and how dinner is slightly different. The fifth tip on this topic is related, which is to talk to people. He gives a few conversation starters and why they work.

Tip number six is to embrace the experience and get dressed up (and what that entails). Some ships are more lax than others about what is appropriate for formal night events. His seventh tip is to watch the extras (such as renting a tux for a formal night or charging a candy bar to the room) as the costs do add up, but can be managed.

His eighth tip is to stay on the ship and pick and choose which ports are worth checking out. This gives you time to relax and not rush off to meet a tour group. Also, he reminds us that this will mean places like the pool area and casino will be less crowded.

His ninth tip is about tipping. Some ships have gratuity included while others do not. There is an etiquette to this which includes when to tip and how much to give.

His final piece of advice is to plan for the following day using the newsletter the cruise line gives you each day. He recommends checking out the evening shows.

He wraps up the "Top 10" section and ends the show with a review of a book on cruising. "Cruise Ship Blues: the Underside of the Cruise Industry" written by Ross A. Klein. After reading the description on the back of the book, he gives it a lukewarm review explaining that it basically just states the obvious and describes it as "fluffy."

This is the first episode that he podcast, but you would never be able to tell. The audio quality is very good, he speaks clearly and concisely without going off topic and the material is both interesting and informative. The rest of the episodes are of this same high quality.

Download this Episode: YES
Subscribe to this podcast: YES
Episode Grade: A "Outstanding!"

If you would like to read more of an overall review of the entire podcast series, please click HERE.

Please come back next week and check out the interview with Mike Ruegel from the "Uncensored History of the Blues" podcast.

Powering off.

This Week: Travel

2006-06-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when people's thoughts turn to escaping from the daily grind. Whether your vacation takes you across the planet or across city limits, it's always nice to get some advice on where to go, what to see and how to save money and headaches. The following podcasts help with what you need to know about traveling to various destinations, or at least they try to.

Title: Tips for Travelers: The Travel Destination Podcast
Average Length: About 22 minutes
Number of Episodes: 25
Frequency: Every 2-3 weeks
Podcasters: Gary D. Bembridge
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: www.tipsfortravellers.com

Gary Bembridge gives a first hand account of his experiences traveling to various locations. Each episode focuses on a different place such as Hong Kong, Paris, Zimbabwe, Santa Monica, Bangkok and also a few episodes on cruise lines including a voyage on the Queen Elizabeth 2. The knowledge that he shares is both interesting and useful. He gives critiques of where he has stayed, where he has eaten and attractions that are worth checking out. He has very helpful little sections like "Top 10 Useful Tips" or "Top 10 Places to Visit" in a particular city. He also give tips on what to do if you are there for work or vacation. He speaks clearly and doesn't ramble or go off topic. This is a great podcast for those who find themselves on a plane or train for business or for fun. Overall, his podcast is well done on all accounts and I am adding it to my subscription list.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: A+ "Great Work!"

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Title: Geography for Travelers - Travel & Tourism Podcast

Average Length: About 25 minutes
Number of Episodes: 35
Frequency: Every 1-2 weeks
Podcasters: Alan A. Lew
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: www.travelgeography.blogspot.com

Alan Lew is a professor of geography in Arizona. He mentions early on that these podcasts are for his students, but he's gotten sponsors and spiced them up with music since he started. After 35 episodes, he has gotten a little more comfortable with speaking. However, he still sounds as if this is a class he has been teaching every semester for decades on autopilot. I can't say I learned much because I started to drift off. The information is hard to find interesting because of his monotone delivery, droning on about tons of facts with little context as to how it would apply to a tourist. There is great potential in this topic because geography of an area could prove interesting, but it needs something to give it more life than the seamlessly endless monotone lecture that it is now.

Time Worthy: No
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: C "Needs to work harder."

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Title: On the Road with eTravelogue
Average Length: About 15 minutes
Number of Episodes: 7 (without subscription from iTunes)
Frequency: Weekly
Podcasters: eTravelogue
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Fair (lots of static)
Language: G
Website: www.ontheroadwithetravelogue.blogspot.com

Sponsored by eTravelogue.com, a website designed to help people plan road trips, the episodes are made up of phone interviews with representatives of various historic places in the US. Places like national parks, museums, historic battlefields and other educational type locations. The interviews give you a bit of background, information on what to do while you're there and reasons to visit. This podcast is perfect for the history buff or the parent looking for educational places to take the kids. Since they are phone interviews, the quality of the audio is full of static at times, making it hard to listen to. It's not interesting enough to subscribe to. However, if you are looking for informative places to check out on your vacation, this podcast has good suggestions.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: B "Slightly above average"

Stay tuned next week for podcasts that highlight three different museum collections.

Powering off.

Interview: Living in Las Vegas

2006-06-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

This week we are speaking with Scott Whitney (SW) and Melissa Whitney (MW), who are responsible for the "Living in Las Vegas" podcast. It's a weekly podcast that gives a unique perspective to Las Vegas.

Daisy Timm (DT): Welcome. You have been doing the "Living in Las Vegas" podcast since January. How long before that did you move there?

SW: Thank you, Daisy. We moved to Las Vegas on August 1, 2005.

MW: We bought our Las Vegas house in October 2003 and the construction was completed on March 15, 2004.

DT: What made you decide to make to live in Vegas? Were there any other cities you considered?

SW: As of June 2005, both of our kids had graduated from high school. With our oldest already in college and our youngest going to college in the Fall of 2005, there wasn't much reason to stay in California and continue to pay the high cost of housing. We choose Las Vegas because we love the weather and the housing prices, compared to California, were very favorable. As an example, our Las Vegas house is 40% of the price of our California house and 60% larger! Nevada is also very friendly from a business perspective. And, finally, there is no personal income tax in Nevada.

MW: I think we were up for a change and it was really exciting. I think the kids are over the shock of the move and handled it really well. I still miss my friends in California terribly but they will be friends for life and we are doing a good job staying in touch. Everyone loves to visit Las Vegas so we've had tons of visitors!

DT: Do your kids listen to the show?

SW: They will occasionally listen to the show, but, as you might expect, I don't think listening to their parents blather on about living in Las Vegas is on the top of their list of things to do! (I think parental units stop being cool toward the beginning of high school!)

DT: You talk on the podcast about buying a brand new house and customizing it down to the type of the hinges on the doors. If you had it to do over, would you still do all that work or would you get something that was all ready to go as is?

SW: I would. Although there is a lot to deal with when buying a new construction home, it was really fun picking out how we wanted our house appointed. Plus, the new-home-smell simply can't be beat!

MW: There were definitely days I questioned our decision to go the new construction route. I'm really glad that we did and I love our home. I recently went house hunting here in Las Vegas with Scott's mom and her husband. They wanted a resale house and there were a lot of great homes in that market as well. We did a lot of work upfront and were able to enjoy our home immediately whereas I think buying a resale home may require more upkeep, repairs, etc after move in. Either way, in Las Vegas, there are many great housing options, even high-rise condos, which have been sprouting up near the Strip.

DT: In this day and age of blogging, what made you decide to do a podcast instead?

SW: I have a pretty strong audio background and thought that, from an entertainment perspective, I could create a better product doing a podcast. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to produce a show that, from a content perspective, had the feel of a well-produced commercial radio show. That explains why our podcast features sound effects, music bumpers, and theme songs throughout the show.

MW: Scott is definitely the creative genius behind the show. I'm along for the ride and loving it. I had not even heard of podcasting until Scott told me about it and at first I was not sold on the notion of them. Scott had done a podcast relating to music maybe a year or so ago and it did really well. That got me interested in this medium and it's been fun to be involved. The podcast is really something we enjoy doing together.

DT: Since you have an audio background, were you able to post your first episode easily? Did you consult any guides or websites?

SW: The first podcast I ever distributed was actually the Great Relaxation Music podcast (which has since podfaded due to scheduling conflicts). Because the production of our podcast is similar to how I would record a song for a CD, that piece of the puzzle was pretty straightforward. Prior to posting that first podcast, I read Apple's "How to place a podcast on iTunes" document which provided more insight into the RSS/XLM component. I also looked at the RSS code of other podcasts (can't remember which ones) to check the proper layout of that file.

DT: Were there any podcasts that inspired you?

SW: Funny thing is, before doing our own podcast, I really didn't know much about ‘em. After doing what we do, I have become a fan of the Podcast Brothers show.

DT: What's your favorite part about podcasting? What do you dread?

SW: Great question. I get a kick when Melissa and I are talking about something and we fall into a "groove", meaning, the topic is funny, entertaining and flows naturally. From an inspirational perspective, far and away my favorite part of Podcasting is the listener feedback.

MW: We have so much fun doing this together which is my favorite part and we hope that we are helping others looking to move to Las Vegas or those who already live here. I also like that it gives us a reason to get out there and explore and try new things here in Las Vegas. Scott is the technical guy, I'm technically challenged, so all the production is done by him. I'm afraid I'm not much help there. I guess I would dread the day he asks me to do something technical.

DT: How much time does it take to prep, record and post each episode?

SW: From writing the script/outline to announcing the show's availability to our mailing list, it takes three to four hours to produce a show.

DT: Throughout the episodes, you seem to have the perfect music to go with the Vegas theme. Where did it come from?

SW: The show's intro music is something I wrote for just for the show. The exit song, "Gin and Tonic" is off of my "Guitjazzathon" CD. The other bumpers are from various websites like the freesound project.

MW: Scott is being very modest here. He is a very talent musician and even has recorded several CDs. It's one of his passions. He is also very passionate about the Living in Las Vegas podcast so he is always looking for a way to make it better. Just the other day he told me he thought we need a music intro to our main subject since we had music intros for "Hot and Horrible" and "Melissa's Job Search". Next time we recorded a podcast, he had it done. The first time I heard the music intro for our main subject was during that recording and it was perfect.

DT: Do you listen to any other podcasts?

SW: I listen to the Podcast Brothers on a regular basis. I'll occasionally listen to Keith and the Girl (I am amazed these two can do so many shows a week!). I tend to seek out podcasts that talk about the business of Podcasting.

MW: Scott calls me in to his office regularly to listen to podcasts that he finds. I'm not a regular listener to any one podcast yet. I hope to do some research and find some podcasts on gardening in the desert. That would definitely be helpful with all the landscaping we've been doing.

DT: Thanks so much for talking with me. I look forward to your further adventures.

You can check out my overall review of "Living in Las Vegas" here.

Stay tuned next week for an episode review of "Trips for Travelers."

Powering off.

This Week: City Guides

2006-06-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

This week's focus is on city guides for Las Vegas, Atlanta and San Francisco. Every city has its own personality and flavor. While reviews and articles are helpful to learn about a city, sometimes you learn more from personal accounts of people who live there. Their viewpoints give a unique perspective whether you are interested in visiting or moving there.

Title: Living in Las Vegas
Average Length: About 33 minutes
Number of Episodes: 17
Frequency: Once A Week
Podcasters: Scott & Melissa Whitney
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: PG
Website: http://www.livinginlv.com/index.cfm

Hearing the opening introduction, you can almost see the neon lights flashing from your iPod. Scott and Melissa are a married couple who moved from the Bay Area in California to Las Vegas last year. They share their experiences of buying a brand new house, checking out restaurants and shows, getting around town, getting jobs and other things they have learned since moving there. They show you the side of Vegas you never see when you just go there to gamble. The show is fun to listen to mainly because of their chemistry and banter. Scott's fondness for corny sound effects just adds to the Vegas type atmosphere of the show. In addition to enjoying yourself, you also learn from the things they did right and wrong. If it weren't for my complete loathing of hot weather, they'd make me want to move there.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: A "Top of the Class"

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Title: Atlantacast
Average Length: About 46 minutes
Number of Episodes: 9
Frequency: No Pattern
Podcasters: Brent
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Fair
Language: PG
Website: http://www.atlantacast.com/

I think Brent's attempt for this show was to introduce you to restaurants and places around Atlanta, but I'm not exactly sure because his podcasts sound like long answering machine messages that he is leaving for one of his friends. They are difficult to sit through without wondering where he is going with his story. He doesn't explain who the people are that he references. He spends more time on detailing the food that he ordered than on an overview of the restaurant and experience itself. Maybe if he got someone else to host with him, it wouldn't sound so much like rambling on with no point. After a few episodes, he starts adding songs to break up his ramblings. If you think the songs he chooses are about Atlanta or are local bands, you may be right and you may be wrong. I couldn't say, because all he says is the name of the band and song title. No background. It's frustrating because I would love to know more about Atlanta, but this just has poor planning and execution.

Time Worthy: No
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: D "Will be held back if no improvement is made"

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Title: Field Trip
Average Length: About 28 minutes
Number of Episodes: 8
Frequency: Weekly, but last episode was 3/3/06
Podcasters: Doug Favero
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Poor
Language: PG
Website: http://faveroso.com/?ABCDEFGH

The first three episodes are unbearably bad. The sound quality is practically non-existent. San Francisco is a city rich with culture and there are tons of things to talk about that are interesting. However, Doug spends his first episode talking about the docks and giving random statistics about what the US imports and exports. It's as bad as the worst field trip you remember as a kid. His second show starts with a toilet flushing, which sums up the whole episode right there. The remainder of the episodes sound like he is either asleep or stoned. Such a phenomenal let down, as there is so much I would love to hear about San Francisco beyond going to a Macworld convention and a trip to a medicinal marijuana dispensary.

Time Worthy: No
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: F "Pull out the Dunce Cap"

Next week, come back to check out travel tips from three different podcasts just in time for summer vacation. Come back this Thursday for an interview with Scott & Melissa Whitney from "Living in Las Vegas."

Powering off.

Review: French For Beginners

2006-06-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to learn French or maybe brush up on what you have learned in the past? French For Beginners is a free podcast to teach you French from the most basic greetings on up.

Podcast: French For Beginners
Episode Title: French For Beginners - Lesson 1
Length: 12 minutes 29 seconds
Date Recorded: March 10, 2006
Podcasters: Alexa Martin & Adam Smith
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: http://frenchecole.libsyn.com/

Alexa introduces herself and explains that she has been teaching French to primary school children and adults for fifteen years. She gives a quick overview of what to expect from the podcast, which includes learning the basic words, how to write the date, days of the week, months, numbers, colors and very simple French. Eventually, she will teach putting together sentences, how to describe yourself and how to have a very short and simple conversation with a friend. The end of every vocabulary lesson will have a short quiz and the answers will be given on the following podcast. The end of every podcast will have Adam with reviews of French films.

The vocabulary lesson begins with learning how to say "hello," "my name is" and "how are you?" She lets you know that it is best to repeat out loud the words you are learning and not to feel embarrassed doing so. Alexa then goes into the answers to "how are you?" that you can give such as "I'm good," "I'm okay" and "I'm not okay." She repeats things a few times, but you may want to go back and listen a few times before moving on.

The next section is about asking and answering the question "where do you live?" The possible answers given are France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, England and the United States. She lists off the countries in French and asks if you can figure out which is which. Then moves on to the question "what is the weather like?" and the possible answers such as "it is sunny" and "it's raining." She quickly recaps all of the French words that have been covered in the first half of the episode and recommends you listen to it a few times until you are comfortable with those words.

The vocabulary lesson ends when she explains that what you have learned so far is more traditional, but the French also use slang words. Alexa gives us the equivalent of "hi" instead of "hello." After that she hands over the rest of the episode to Adam.

Adam explains he will be doing a segment each episode called "Movie of the week," which will include his recommendations on French movies that you should seek out and watch. He recommends a 1986 film called "Jean de Florette" directed by Claude Berri starring Gérard Depardieu, Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil. This film about a tax collector, played by Depardieu, who inherits land and tries to set up a new life, but his plans are disrupted by envious people cutting off the water to his farm. Adam says that it has a dark ending which is "very French." It's worth watching for the musical score and the beautiful images of southern France. He gives it a 9 out of 10.

Alexa finishes up the episode with a three question multiple choice vocabulary quiz. She gives the English and you have to pick how to say it in French. The answers are given in the next podcast.

The twelve and a half minutes go by quickly, and it's enough to decide if this is the type of French class that will work for you or not. The vocabulary sheet that downloads with the podcast is only a page and it has all the words that are covered so you can see how they are written. It's very basic and you can check off the words as you go or use them to practice. There is plenty of space on the page to make notes if you like.

I took French in high school and found this to be a nice little refresher as well as a good place to start learning from the beginning.

Download this Episode: Yes
Subscribe to this podcast: Yes
Episode Grade: A "Tres Bien!"

If you would like to read more of an overall review of the entire podcast series, please click HERE.

Please come back next week and check out the interview with Scott & Melissa Whitney, who do the "Living in Las Vegas" podcast.

Powering off.

This Week: Learning a Foreign Language

2006-06-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to learn a foreign language, but didn't have the time or money to take a class or get the tapes? Well, you are in luck. Now podcasts can help you learn at your own pace for free. This week we take a closer look at three foreign language podcasts - Mandarin Chinese, Russian and French.

Title: ChinesePod/Learn Mandarin Chinese
Average Length: About 13 minutes
Number of Episodes: 12 (available without a subscription on iTunes)
Frequency: Every Day
Podcasters: Ken Carroll & Jenny Zhu
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Very Good
Language: G
Website: www.chinesepod.com

Ken Carroll is an Irishman living in China. Jenny Zhu is a native of Shanghai. Together they have a fun educational podcast for people interested in learning the language. The lessons focus on useful and fun subjects such as flirting, asking people about their interests, telling drivers to slow down and the hardships of job-hunting. They have different podcasts depending on how much knowledge you have of the language. English is spoken at the beginning of every episode explaining which level that episode is (newbie, elementary, intermediate or advanced). Newbie is for those who know that China is a country and little else. They are completely in English except for those words or phrases you are learning. They give you a little background and repeat the words over and over again. The next level is elementary, which is where the basics get expanded upon and you learn to put sentences together and ask questions. Beyond that, the levels progress to intermediate and advanced decreasing the amount of English spoken. Through iTunes, there are examples of the different levels. Once you know where to begin, go to their website and download the episodes on your level. The podcasts are free to listen to, additional materials like the grammar bank, lesson transcripts and homework require a paid subscription. The price varies depending on how many months are purchased at a time. I suggest checking out a few on your level to see if this is something you wish to pursue. I enjoy their back and forth banter and how they make learning Mandarin Chinese far less complicated than it seems.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: A "If my high school French classes were like this, I'd be able to say more than hello."

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Title: A Spoonful of Russian
Average Length: Varies between 5 & 10 minutes
Number of Episodes: 15
Frequency: Weekly, but random weeks are skipped
Podcasters: Natalia Worthington
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: www.speakrussian.blogspot.com

Natalia Worthington is a Russian native who lives in New Orleans and has decided to help people learn her native tongue. The episodes start on the most basic level. She uses her children and husband when practicing conversations giving a relaxed feel to the lessons. On her website, she shows how the words/phrases look. Occasionally, she will instruct you to look at her site as certain words or letters in the alphabet are mentioned during the podcast. Sometimes some of the phrases aren't repeated enough, so I was forced to rewind more often than on other language podcasts. Otherwise, Natalia is a good teacher and provides a casual classroom for you to learn. You may notice that the lessons are posted rather sporadically. There is a good reason for this. She began this podcast just before Katrina hit New Orleans. They were forced to evacuate and then she took time off to take care of all the damage. The podcasts are slowly getting back on schedule and well worth checking out.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: B+ "Honor Roll, here she comes"

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Title: French For Beginners
Average Length: About 20 minutes
Number of Episodes: 12
Frequency: No Pattern
Podcasters: Alexa Martin & Adam Smith
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: www.frenchecole.libsyn.com

Alexa Martin is a French woman living in England. Adam Smith assists with some of the conversational segments and gives reviews of French films at the end of every podcast. The first podcast starts at the most basic level and expands from there. The beginning of the next podcast always has Alexa repeating some of what was learned in the previous lesson. I really was impressed with the way the next lesson uses what you have already learned so she can use more and more French and less and less English. She also has a quiz at the end of the vocabulary lesson, and the answers are given during the following podcast. I find that this makes it feel more like a class and I paid a bit more attention so I could pass the quiz. While these quizzes aren't graded, there is still a sense of accomplishment when you can pass them. A pdf file of the vocabulary used in each lesson downloads along with the podcast episode. This is different from other podcasts where they direct you back to their site. Between hearing the words and seeing how they are written, I find that this is a good self-contained podcast to really help you learn French.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: A "Gold star worthy"

Stay tuned next week for spotlights on Las Vegas, Atlanta and San Francisco from the perspective of people who live there.

Powering off.

Interview: I Read Comics

2006-05-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our second interview here at "Invasion of the Pod People." This week we are speaking with Lene Taylor (LT), who is responsible for the "I Read Comics" podcast. It's a biweekly podcast that gives a girl's perspective on comic books.

Daisy Timm (DT): Welcome. I must admit it's a rarity to find a girl that reads comics. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only girl at the comic book store that wasn't dragged in there kicking and screaming. How did you first get interested in comics?

LT: I grew up with two older brothers who loved comics and a dad who was a science fiction freak. We were the kind of family that sat down to watch Star Trek together. I spent many many hours reading through stacks of Silver Age comics (both Marvel and DC) that my brothers had bought. (I think the first comics that I bought were Little Archies. I still have them.) I was away from comics for a long time but got back into them in the early 90s, when a friend gave me her Love & Rockets collection. By that time I was living in Berkeley and I started going to Comic Relief, where I discovered the indie scene. So as far as the mainstream goes, I have a lot of catching up to do, and I don't have to wait for the next issue of Watchmen to come out.

DT: What made you change from a reader to a reviewer over at the Lincoln Heights Literary Society?

LT: I'd been peripherally involved in LHLS since it began. Ginger Mayerson and I met through Trek fandom years ago and I knew she had a great idea. We started getting a lot of stuff sent to us, including comics, and I always felt bad that I couldn't write more reviews!

DT: Did some of your readers from the Lincoln Heights Literary Society follow you over to podcasting or vice versa?

LT: Yep. Ginger has done a great job promoting the show at LHLS and I try to send people back there every chance I get. Sometimes there's great synergy, as when I talked about "Y: the Last Man" and provided a link to Ginger's review. I think her review was discussed more than my podcast!

DT: How many subscribers do you have these days? Do you get emails and feedback from them?

LT: It's hard to say - I don't have very sophisticated tracking software, so I can't tell exactly how many people download a new show. But it looks like the number of downloads is around 500 when I put up a new show. I do get wonderful email and comments on the blog for every show. I've gotten great suggestions and fascinating information about the books I've talked about - in addition to the email from people who don't like or understand what I'm doing. Why do those people write to me? I'm actually a bit tired of fanboys telling me it's sexist to dig Barry Smith's Conan the Supermodel.

DT: Since you have a bit of a background in writing, why did you decide to do a podcast instead of a blog?

LT: Talking seems easier than writing. When I'm writing for publication, I spend an awful lot of time massaging the language to make it just so, and I didn't want to spend weeks writing one review of an Ultimate Spider-Man trade. I like getting up and talking in front of an audience, and after years of teaching linguistics to college freshmen, I figured I was bulletproof.

Podcasting also seemed like a medium that would be fun to play in, and I like learning new technology. Having a Powerbook made everything several thousand times easier for me.

As for doing a podcast at all, I just thought it was ridiculous that there were like ten different comics podcasts out there, and not one involved a woman. I figured that I knew enough and had strong enough opinions to make this work - hey, I'm a woman and I read comics! And, yes, part of me feels like I need to stand up for all the women who read comics, and seek out the good comics and complain about giant inflatable tits.

DT: What's your favorite part about podcasting? What do you dread?

LT: My favorite part is getting it uploaded and being able to relax for a while. The worst part is worrying that I haven't done enough research about a book or a creator. I like to be informed.

Oh, and email. I LOVE email.

DT: Unlike other podcasts, you have some lovely music that separates your different sections. Where did that music come from?

LT: It's all music composed by the Diva herself, Ginger Mayerson, and performed by various talented artists. All of it is available for download on her website (http://gingermayerson.com). I really wanted to use some instrumental music that was interesting and relaxing and elegant, and Ginger's music fits that bill perfectly. As I said at the beginning of one of the first shows, it classes up the joint.

DT: You've mentioned on the show that you listen to various other comic book podcasts. Which ones are your favorites? Any non-comic book related ones?

LT: I don't have time to listen to most of the comics podcasts these days, but here are the usual suspects: Komics Kast, Comic Geek Speak, Around Comics, Comic Makers, Collected Comics Library, Geekspeak, and Comicology.

On the non-comics side, I always listen to Harry Shearer's Le Show, The Ricky Gervais Show, Are We Alone? (from the SETI institute), Reel Reviews, and Penn Radio (Penn Jillette's radio show).

DT: I'm a fan of Penn Jillette too and will have to check out his podcast. Thank you so much for talking with me to day. It has been a real pleasure. I look forward to your future podcasts.

You can check out my overall review of "I Read Comics" here.

Stay tuned next week for an episode review of "French For Beginners."

Powering off.

This Week: Comic Books

2006-05-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

Comic books and their readers have both matured over the years. No longer are comic books just for children. Unfortunately, their reputation keeps the general public thinking of them as summer movie fodder with nothing but super heroes and larger-than-life villains. It's no surprise that fans tends to shy away from the general public and focus on their own comic book section of the world. Comic book podcasters interview the creators and discuss what is going on in the various comic book universes and try to avoid people who think that "Fantastic Four" was an accurate comic book movie. Below are three examples of the many comic book podcasts for comic book readers.

Title: Wordballoon: The Comic Creators Interview Show
Average Length: About 50 mins
Number of Episodes: 6 (available without a subscription)
Frequency: No Set Pattern - Every Couple of Days
Podcasters: John Siuntres
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Fair
Language: PG-13 for Language
Website: http://wordballoon.blogspot.com/

After 15 years as a broadcast journalist in Chicago for CBS, Fox Sports and ESPN, John Siuntres has decided to combine his experience with his love of comics. His professional background really shines through as I always learn a lot from the interviews and find myself telling others about it. My favorite so far was an amazing interview with Jeph Loeb ("Batman: Hush"), who discusses the recent loss of his son, leaving "Smallville" and joining "Lost" as a writer/supervising producer, not to mention his comic work. Siuntres has also interviewed Brian Michael Bendis ("Powers"), Geoff Johns ("Infinite Crisis"), Bill Willingham ("Fables") and Brian Azzarello ("100 Bullets"), just to drop a few names. He asks them about the process, the background, working with others in the industry and future projects. The only drawback to the show is the less-than-perfect audio as most of the interviews are done over the phone. It's occasionally distracting, but not enough to deter you from listening.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: A- "Honor Society Candidate"

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Title: Fanboy Radio Podcast - The Comic Book Radio Show
Average Length: 10 mins with several full 1-hour episodes
Number of Episodes: 64
Frequency: Weekly
Podcasters: Scott Hinze & Oliver Tull
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: PG
Website: http://fanboyradio.libsyn.com/

Fanboy Radio started as a comic book-centric radio show that broadcasts from a radio station in Forth Worth, Texas. In July 2005, they began repackaging sections of their show into podcasts. It began as ten-minute clips of their more notable interviewees: Joe Quesada (Editor-in-Chief of Marvel), Scott Kurtz ("PVP" webcomic), Stan "The Man" Lee, Chris Ryall (Editor-in-Chief of IDW), and has recently extended to an hour. They are very heavy on Marvel with some DC and just a splash of the independents for flavor. Scott and Oliver interview more from a fan perspective and tend to keep their questions on the light and fluffy side. Scott, especially, will occasionally talk more during the interview than the interviewee. The show is more than just interviews and the longer shows have discussions about what's going on in the world of comics. Unlike some of the other shows, it is very family friendly (kids could listen to it) because it doesn't get too critical or in-depth.

Time Worthy: Occasionally
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: B "Satisfactory"

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Title: I Read Comics
Average Length: About 37 mins
Number of Episodes: 30
Frequency: Every 2 Weeks
Podcasters: Lene Taylor
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good except during interviews
Language: R for Language and Sexual Content
Website: http://ireadcomics.blogspot.com/

The opening of each episode describes the overall theme best, "Yes, it's another comics podcast and the big difference is I'm doing it and I'm a girl. That's right, a girl who reads comics." Girls who read comics are a lot like male nurses. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it and it's not unheard of, but it's just not what you are used to seeing. This podcast is comprised of more reviews and comic book discussion than interviews. Taylor is very well spoken and gives solid criticism about mainstream, independent and manga comics. I don't have the same taste in comics, but I do enjoy hearing about new and/or unusual titles. Some of the comics she references and reviews are about homosexual relationships. Her frank language is refreshing from some of the other comic book podcasters who try to make the mainstream fans as happy as possible.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: B+ "Solid Work. Gold Star Worthy"

We have now finished an entire month of entertainment based podcasts. Next month will have podcasts that focus on travel. Next week's installment will kick it off with podcasts that teach various foreign languages.

Come back this Thursday and check out our interview with Lene Taylor from "I Read Comics." Be there with bells on!

Powering off.

Review: NPR: Pop Culture

2006-05-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

NPR (National Public Radio) is responsible for hours upon hours of programming ranging from politics to pop culture. Often thought of as a station for the upper class requiring a college degree to even understand what they are saying, this particular podcast series puts the "Public" in National Public Radio. Since it isn't all Top 40 and tabloid current events, the events that they cover are made up of things you never would have heard about otherwise. Every episode of this podcast is comprised of clips from other shows on NPR's broadcast station.

Podcast: NPR: Pop Culture
Episode Title: NPR: Pop Culture for Sunday, 23 Apr 2006
Length: 26 mins 43 secs
Date Recorded: 4/23/06
Podcasters: NPR
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: www.npr.org

This episode begins with a segment on a 2 Disc CD collection of the rarest early blues and country records called "The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of: The Dead Sea Scrolls of Record Collecting." Debbie Elliot from NPR's "All Things Considered" interviews Richard Nevins, President of Yazoo Records. They play a couple of clips from the CD including a recording by the "Kentucky Ramblers" recorded in the late 1920s that no one knew existed until it was found by pure chance. They discuss collecting, the questionable sanity of record collectors, some of the songs that are on it and how they were found. Both Nevins and Elliot have a warm playful tone and a good back and forth. They give you enough information to decide if this is something worth seeking out if you're interested, but don't dwell too long if blues and country just aren't your thing. The whole segment only lasts about nine and a half minutes, and the time flies right on by.

The next segment is on a new Turner Classic Movies documentary called "Stardust" about the life and times of Bette Davis that launches an entire month of her movies on the station. They cut together clips of dialogue of the interviewees from "Stardust," talking about Davis. Scott Simon from NPR's "Weekend Edition" then interviews the director, Peter Jones, and actress Gena Rowlands. Rowlands talks about meeting Davis for the first time and how Davis called her a "big tall moose." Jones discusses the story Davis told about why she wasn't in "Gone With The Wind," the hatred between Davis and Joan Crawford on "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and how she was an actor first and a movie star second. Rowlands talks fondly about how Davis was headstrong and full of life even toward the end of her life. Between Jones and Rowlands, a sense of the tone of the documentary comes across. Being the film geek that I am, I set my Tivo to record it after listening to this.

Next Scott Simon interviews Janet Shprintz, who is covering the Anthony Pellicano case for Variety magazine. Pellicano and six co-defendants have been indicted on 112 counts of wire-tapping, bribery and conducting illegal wiretaps. Shprintz lists off some of Pellicano's "victims," which include Sylvester Stallone, Gary Shandling and Mike Ovitz. Ovitz and Brad Grey also seem to have hired him to spy on various celebrities as well. Pellicano was mainly hired to dig up dirt on celebs to later be used against them. Things that scandals are made of – sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. Shprintz talks about the origin of the case, which was all brought to light while a reporter was investigating possible mob ties to Steven Seagal. This is a nice little recap of the story, which has been plastered all over the tabloid news lately.

The episode ends with Sarah Hepola discussing ending her blog on NPR's "Day to Day." She reads sections from her article in "Slate" magazine where her last blog entry was announced. She explains that she used blogging as a way to write everyday and work up the courage to someday write a novel. Unfortunately, that backfired and she found blogging kept her from writing her novel instead of inspiring it. It was just a giant distraction. Book editors approached her, but quickly disappeared when she didn't have anything more to show them. Eventually, it got to be too much and she quit. She equates it to losing a traveling partner, someone she could to turn to and share a thought. It's an interesting look at blogging and the reasons why people do it.

Download this Episode: Yes
Subscribe to this podcast: Yes
Episode Grade: A "Worthy of sibling's reputation"

If you would like to read more of an overall review of the entire podcast series, please click HERE.

Please come back and check out the comic book podcast reviews next Tuesday and don't miss the interview with Lene Taylor from "I Read Comics" available here next Thursday. And thank you for your support.

Powering off.

This Week: NPR Entertainment

2006-05-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

NPR (National Public Radio) is, according to Wikipedia, "an independent, private, not-for-profit membership organization of public radio stations in the United States." Now, some people probably think this is for the upper class intellectuals and is nothing but monotone DJs discussing literature and politics. That is if they've ever heard of NPR at all. Well, this week will look at three of their podcasts that are about music, movies and pop culture. No right or left wing commentary in these shows, just entertainment info.

Title: NPR: All Songs Considered
Average Length: About 30 minutes
Number of Episodes: 5 (available without a subscription through iTunes)
Frequency: Weekly
Podcasters: NPR hosted by Bob Boilen
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/?ft=2&f=37

"All Songs Considered" started as an online show in January 2000 and began being broadcast as podcast in August 2005. Originally designed as an offshoot of another NPR show called "All Things Considered," it has really found it's own voice. Bob Boilen gives us a great mix of music that we have forgotten about, never knew existed or had heard about, but never checked out on our own. I personally have found a handful of bands from this show including Artic Monkeys, Spoon, the Decemberists and Ray Davies. Each song gets an introduction that includes a little trivia, background or insight on the artist or song. When they have permission, they play the whole song instead of just a clip. They whole song is always available to listen to on their website if you do want to hear more than just a clip. Bob occasionally makes a comment about what he thinks about it and I generally find myself agreeing. A well-done show that people looking for new music will love and appreciate.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: A "Hang on the fridge for all to see"

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Title: NPR: Movies
Average Length: 40 minutes
Number of Episodes: 5 (available without a subscription through iTunes)
Frequency: Weekly
Podcasters: NPR
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: http://www.npr.org/templates/topics/topic.php?topicId=1045&ft=2&f=1045

This podcast is made up of clips from NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." It takes movie news, reviews and interviews and rather sloppily slaps them together and offers them as a podcast. There isn't a flow from one piece to another. It would work much better if they put some effort into making it feel more like a stand-alone show than a clip show. Also, I found they used the same interview of Ang Lee and piece on "The New World" in two different episodes. Someone appears to be asleep at the wheel. However, despite the format, it does occasionally have some interesting interviews and reviews of upcoming movies. I would just keep an eye out for something that might interest you.

Time Worthy: On occasion
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: B- "Not living up to family reputation"

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Title: NPR: Pop Culture
Average Length: 22 minutes
Number of Episodes: 5 (available without a subscription through iTunes)
Frequency: Weekly
Podcasters: NPR
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: http://www.npr.org/templates/topics/topic.php?topicId=1048&ft=2&f=1048

This podcast also is made up of clips from NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." The clips flow together harmoniously to give you news, stories and interviews on such topics as movies, music, television, art and literature. It really highlights the quality NPR puts into their shows. I really enjoy the information that I normally wouldn't have come across otherwise. I would love to see this turn into its own program much like "All Songs Considered" did with its own host instead of just being a clip show. I think this is perfect to listen to out on a Sunday morning walk as a nice little recap of entertainment info for the week.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: A- "Deserves an extra desert at dinner tonight"

So now you know that NPR isn't just for the Fraiser Cranes of this world. Stay tuned next week when we look at podcasts about the comic book industry. With all these adaptations to movies, they aren't just for geeks anymore.

Powering off.

Interview: Lostcasts

2006-05-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our first interview here at "Invasion of the Pod People." This week we are speaking with Brian Linder (BL), John Keehler (JK) & Robert Stone (RS), who are responsible for the Lostcasts, it's a weekly podcast about ABC's hit series "Lost."

Daisy Timm (DT): Welcome guys. I just would like to start by saying that I am a huge fan of the show. The three of you have a great chemistry together which makes the show so good. How long have you known each other?

BL: I've known Robert for about 5 years and John for about 4.

JK: We were all working together when we started the podcast.

DT: When did you each first discover "Lost" and what changed you from a viewer to a fan? Was it love at first sight?

BL: I watched bits and pieces of the pilot when it first aired, but it didn't take right away mostly because of how hectic my life is at 8pm on weekdays. That Christmas I started watching the reruns and got sucked in. Then I got TiVo and followed it closely from that point on.

As far as becoming a mega-fan, I happen to have a lot of friends that are huge "Lost" fans who were on the forums before I knew there were "Lost" forums. So it was greatly their influence pulling me from casual viewer to forum crawling podcaster.

JK: I was hooked from the pilot. It stood out as something different, and I immediately started comparing it to "Twin Peaks"...which I watched religiously. I haven't missed an episode since.

RS: I discovered a few shows into the first season. I eventually caught up thanks to all the repeats. It was love at first sight, I enjoyed the characters and the story. Most of all, I enjoy the fact the writers assume the audience is intelligent and will make connections. I expect it from HBO shows, but not a network show. The network is usually going to dumb a show down to hit the lowest common denominator.

DT: Who first suggested doing a podcast and why not a blog instead?

RS: I think it was John's idea, but I sat across from Brian so he is the one who asked me if I was interested. I don't blog, I'm a poor writer so I wouldn't have participated in a blog.

BL: I think that was me. We had been talking about podcasts a lot and wanted to experiment with one. We were also talking about "Lost" a lot. Add the fact that "Lost" already had a large online community and it seemed like a podcast would go over well for that audience. So the Thursday after episode one season two, I told John we should do a "Lost" podcast and by that afternoon he put the blog up. John and I were in from the start and we had asked a handful of other folks if they would want to join in and Robert was the only one who took us up on it. Then we recorded our first show that weekend. I may have had the initial idea, but John is really responsible for the format and actually putting everything together. Without him, it would still just be an idea that I had back in Sept 2005.

JK: I don't think it was me. Every morning after the new "LOST" episode aired, we would get into these deep conversations about theories and speculation. It was that conversation we wanted to get across with a podcast. I don't think we could do that with a blog.

DT: Was it as easy or hard as you thought it would be?

BL: Technically, it's pretty easy and I thought it would be easy. You just make an audio file and then post it. But John did all the tech stuff like getting the RSS feed setup, getting it set up on iTunes and finding a place to post the casts for download. So, with John doing all that initially, it was very easy for Robert and me.

RS: The show offers so much to talk about it's easier than I thought it would be. I still don't do enough or as much as Brian and John do.

JK: I was pretty shocked at how easy it was to start. Even the tech stuff wasn't difficult. The only thing I was really worried about was audio recording, since I didn't have any experience with it. But we got a really simple setup using free recording software (Audacity) and a good USB studio microphone (Samson CO1U). The microphone makes a HUGE difference. I would recommend that anyone thinking of doing a podcast put the money into the microphone. Of course, we've been tossing around the idea of doing a video podcast, so I might have to put my foot in my mouth very soon.

BL: The tough part is the research: Filtering through all the forums and reading hundreds of worthless and duplicate posts to find one good little bit of insight. But that's gotten easier over time as our audience have started sending us some of the best info out there so we don't have to search as hard. Our audience is much smarter than us, so the closer we stick with them the easier it is for us.

JK: I'd say we spend about as much time talking to our listeners as we do researching. We try to make it a point to reply to every single email, and that's taking quite a bit more time these days. But it's important for us to give our listeners a voice. We look to them for direction on the show, and take their comments and ideas seriously.

Ultimately, we want the podcast to be valuable to them. That's one of the reasons we spend so much time researching, and it's also one of the reasons we delay the recording of our podcast. We wait to see the conversation develop, for theories to be debunked, and for Easter Eggs to be found. It's one of the things that makes our podcast unique.

BL: Also getting used to being a kind of talk show person took some time. Trying not to talk too fast. Making sure my thoughts come out with a beginning and an end so we don't talk in circles or trail off into nonsense.

We're still working on that stuff, but we're getting better. Also, knowing how much non-"Lost" banter we should have. Ultimately, we look at Lostcasts as a show that people listen to because they love "Lost" and not because they love us, so we try to stay focused on the TV show and not make it the Robert, John and Brian show. And that's sort of become our niche in the "Lost" podcast realm I think.

DT: What's your favorite part about it? What makes you do it each week?

BL: I've got a lot of things I like about doing the cast. A lot of listeners say they like to listen because it's like they're sitting in a pub with three friends that happen to know a lot about "Lost." And that's what I like about it too. John and Robert are two friends I really enjoy hanging out with so that's the best part about it.

What makes me do it each week is our audience. They're a great group of people. They're really decent, humorous and intelligent. And the fact that this podcast has become a part of their weekly ritual is something I have a lot of respect for. We've got a listener in New Zealand who tells us they like to have our podcast for their Sunday nature hikes and that impresses me. So, I don't want to let that listener down. I want to have the podcast up early enough on Saturday to make his or her (I don't remember if it's a guy or a girl) Sunday hike. When our schedules don't work out and we can't do the podcast on Saturday it's a drag to read all the comments of people out there wondering when the cast will be up. I don't want to leave them hanging. We've got listeners all over the world in every nook and cranny you could imagine and knowing they're out there waiting for us is a pretty big incentive.

RS: Hanging out with Brian and John. Getting to chime in with wise cracks when they are really geeking out on something.

JK: One of my favorite parts of doing this podcast is learning about what Robert and Brian have found. We research stuff separately, which means we tend to find different things. Brian and Robert always manage to dig up something that I had no clue about. It's fun to discover those things in the middle of recording the podcast.

As far as why we keep doing the podcast; I love the show, and there's always something to talk about. But we have a fun time recording the podcast, too. I've said before that I wouldn't be doing the podcast if it were just me behind the microphone.

DT: You've mentioned on the show that you listen to the official "Lost" podcast. What other podcasts do you listen to? Any non-"Lost" ones?

BL: I don't actually listen to the official "Lost" podcast (I tend not to enjoy the hosts). And I don't listen to any of other "Lost" podcasts for that matter and don't know much about them (doing a podcast about "Lost" is enough "Lost" for me).

JK: I listen to every episode of the official "Lost" podcast, and some occasional episodes of other "Lost" podcasts. "Lost" podcasters are actually a kind of tight group, and many of our listeners say they listen to other "Lost" podcasts as well. Oddly enough, I really don't listen to our podcast at all, unless I was out of town that week, or couldn't make the recording.

BL: US Senator Barak Obama does a weekly podcast that's ground breaking in its openness for a politician with that high a profile. I love KCRW and take their Morning Becomes Eclectic, The Treatment, and Metropolis podcasts. And I'm a huge fan of This American Life so I'll grab that podcast as well. But mostly I listen to music where Matisyahu, The Flaming Lips and Mason Jennings are pretty high up in the rotation these days.

JK: I really like the Channel Frederator podcast, as well as Diggnation. KCRW has a ton of great podcasts, and I'm also following a few of the G4 TV podcasts, since I don't get it on my TV at home.

RS: The Onion Radio News, Ricky Gervais, Slate Explainer, Across the Sound.

DT: Well guys, thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions. I have a thousand more, but you have a podcast to put on.

You can check out my overall review of "Lostcasts" here.

Stay tuned next week for an episode review of NPR: Pop Culture.

Powering Off.

This Week: Lost

2006-05-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

ABC's "Lost" contains various mysteries that evolve as the show progresses. There are literally thousands of theories about what is going to happen and how everything is connected. This has spawned several different podcasts that range from pure recaps to light discussion to the nitty gritty details that make up many, many theories.

Since I keep each installment to three reviews a week, there will be many more installments of various "Lost" podcasts reviewed in the future. I decided to start with the two official podcasts and my favorite podcast.

A quick note about the "(available without a subscription)": Some podcasters need to keep a limit on how much space is allotted for archiving past episodes. They only keep a few available for individual download at a time. However, if you have a subscription, once they are downloaded then they remain until you choose to delete them. This seems to be most common among the official podcasts as opposed to the ones done by people from their homes.

Title: ABC News Gets Lost
Average Length: 1 min 40 sec
Number of Episodes: 5 (available without a subscription)
Frequency: No pattern at all
Podcasters: ABC News
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: G
Website: www.abcnews.go.com

Lame. Lame. Lame. The idea was to have a recap of an episode so you could get caught up if you missed one. It uses both a narrator and clips from the show to tell you things that you could learn from watching the commercials. They make no mention of whose back-story it was, nor any kind of notes on what new information might have been revealed. It's too short and tries to be too slick. And to add insult to injury, you don't even get the full amount of time because they use the last 30 or so seconds as a commercial for whomever sponsored the podcast. Lame. Lame. Lame. They also seem to have updating issues as they only have 5 episodes at a time with no rhyme or reason to when they are posted. It is a waste of space on the internet super highway.

Time Worthy: No
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: F- "If a lower grade was available, I would give it."

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Title: The Official Lost Podcast
Average Length: About 24 minutes
Number of Episodes: 5 (available without a subscription)
Frequency: Weekly
Podcasters: ABC, Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: PG
Website: abc.go.com/primetime/lost

Each episode starts the same with a few narrator comments, clips from an interview with one of the cast members and then Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse discuss the most recent episode and answer audience submitted questions. The interviews are light and fluffy usually talking about the actor more than the character. I'm torn on the Damon/Carlton interactions. On the one hand, it's the actual producers of the show and occasionally they do confirm or deny a rumor or two. On the other hand, they go off on weird tangents that make little sense. They seem uncomfortable about being there which gives the show a clunky feel. I think they are trying to be morning radio show hosts instead of just talking to the fans like the other "Lost" podcasts seem to do. But they do occasionally slip in things that fans need to watch for in upcoming episodes. I understand that they can't answer a lot of the questions that people submit without revealing too much, but they could be less sarcastic and try to find better questions to read. If you listen to other "Lost" podcasts, some of them do reference the useful information heard here. You might want to just listen to those instead of trying to suffer through these.

Time Worthy: No
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: C- "Needs to learn to copy off of other people’s papers."

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Title: Lostcasts
Average Length: 1 Hour 10 minutes
Number of Episodes: 30
Frequency: Weekly
Podcasters: Brian Linder, John Keehler & Robert Stone
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: PG
Website: www.lostcasts.com

They start with an outline of exactly what their episode will cover, any general information or news about their podcast and address any listener comments from the previous week. They don't waste time on recapping, instead they go right into discussing the various sections of that week's "Lost" episode. They do their research by reading several different "Lost" forums plus some general internet research. Credit is always given where credit is due. On their website, links to sites they reference get posted for you to easily find. Theories from all walks of life are discussed, including their own. On weeks where there are reruns, they usually do episodes revolving around the larger overall theories. They don't try to act like radio personalities with lame jokes. I find myself genuinely laughing out loud more than a few times during each episode. Their personal lives are rarely mentioned and they seldom stray too far off topic. You feel like you're sitting there with them just hanging out and talking about the show. A big plus is how much they listen to the feedback and try to make as many people happy as possible. After a few episodes they moved their spoiler section to the end of the show and now let you know when to log off if you don't want to hear them. This is a must listen for all "Lost" fans. I can't recommend it enough.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: A++ "When grading on a curve, this is the kid you want to beat up after class for setting the curve so high."

Don't worry. There will be more "Lost" related podcasts to come in the next few weeks. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface.

Stay tuned next week when we bring you reviews of some of the various NPR podcasts. Believe it or not, they aren't as boring as you would think.

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Review: Train Wreck: The Making of Clerks 2

2006-05-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first installment of the "Invasion of the Pod People" episode review. Every other Thursday will have a review of a specific episode from one of the podcasts reviewed earlier that week. And on with the show...

Kevin Smith began his career directing the indy hit, "Clerks." Now after directing seven movies under his View Askew production company, he is returning to his roots by directing "Clerks 2." This podcast documents the process of making a Kevin Smith movie from rehearsal to the premiere. Each episode either introduces various crew/cast members as well as explains their roles, or has random production clips set to music or has funny stories from set. I picked the episode below to review because it actually introduces the team behind the podcast.

Podcast: Train Wreck: The Making of Clerks 2
Episode Title: Behind the Curtain
Length: 6 minutes 6 seconds
Date Recorded: January 1, 2006
Podcasters: Kevin Smith/View Askew
Audio or Video: Video
Quality: Good
Language: R for Language
Website: www.clerks2.com

It begins with Mike "Smalls" Cecconi introducing himself as well as explaining that this episode will be about Zak Knutson, Joey Figueroa and the process of making the documentaries that are being podcast.

Mike and Joey come across as two people you would expect to find in a biker bar. They start off by teasing Smalls, who is now the cameraman, and introduce themselves, occasionally cursing throughout the whole 6 minutes. Then instead of crashing beer cans on their heads like you would expect, they go into some of the technical specs on the equipment that they use to put everything together and walk you through the process.

After Joey gives a little tour of the office, he hands it over to Zak, who goes into detail on the computer and the program he edits with. He tells us roughly how many hours he has to work with and how great everyone on set was to help show what goes into making a View Askew film. Even though filming of "Clerks 2" is complete, they will continue to cut clips together so there are new podcasts each week up until the premiere of the movie.

As a little taste of what's to come, they show us a short montage of clips from upcoming episodes. They are careful to avoid spoilers while still showing the fans something they want to see such as the footage from the "Quik Stop" in New Jersey. Just like the rest of the episodes from this podcast, it is well cut together.

After the montage, Joey reappears to end the episode by almost apologizing for it not being more glamorous. It's just them in an 8x8 room trying to make the fans happy and keep it as fresh as possible.

While they do go into some details, I wish they would have spent a little more time on things like how long it takes to cut the clips together, how they got this job, if Kevin approves them before they are uploaded and how long they have been working on this project so far. It does give the broad strokes of the process and it's more than we have seen about the behind the scenes stuff that goes into the DVD extras. Plus, I enjoy seeing the faces that go with the names on the scrolling end credits of a movie. I just wish they gave us just a bit more info.

All in all it's a good episode to watch because you see the personalities that are putting this podcast together not to mention a sneak peek at what's to come.

Download this Episode: Yes
Subscribe to this podcast: Yes
Episode Grade: B "Honor Roll candidate if continues to improve"

If you would like to read the overall review of the entire podcast, please click HERE.

Please come back and check out the "Lost" podcast reviews next Tuesday and don't miss the interview with the guys responsible for "Lostcasts" available here next Thursday. Until then...

Powering off.

This Week: Kevin Smith

2006-05-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first installment of "Invasion of the Pod People." Each week will revolve around a theme. Without further ado...

Kevin Smith has had a cult following ever since he directed the indy hit, "Clerks." His company View Askew has produced several movies, not to mention hosting several websites such as Newsaskew, Moviepoopshoot and My Boring Ass Life to name a few. He has an army of fans so it's no wonder there are more than a few podcasts devoted to him and his works. And being a geek himself, he is currently producing a podcast to promote his new movie "Clerks 2."

Title: Train Wreck: The Making of Clerks 2
Average Length: 4 minutes
Number of Episodes: 58
Frequency: Weekly
Podcasters: Kevin Smith/View Askew
Audio or Video: Video
Quality: Good
Language: R for Language
Website: www.clerks2.com

If you ever wondered what it would be like to work on a Kevin Smith film, this is the podcast for you. It is made up of short behind-the-scenes videos from the production of "Clerks 2." Some clips focus on introducing various crew/cast members as well as explaining their roles, some are random production clips set to music and others are random stories from set. Nothing super insightful to the filmmaking process, but a lot of fun to watch how everyone interacts. They are good about not showing any spoilers and bleeping anything plot related. I've been a fan since the beginning and I'm familiar with a lot of people from past productions because of how much Kevin references them in his Q&A sessions, so for me this feels like hanging out with friends you don't get to see that often.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: Yes
Grade: B+ "Keep up the Good Work!"

*************************************

Title: CastAskew
Average Length: about 20 minutes
Number of Episodes: 3
Frequency: Last episode was 9/27/05
Podcasters: Rob and Rachel Unck
Audio or Video: Audio only
Quality: Fair
Language: PG
Website: www.castaskew.com

Rob and Rachel are a married couple from Seattle who decided to share their love of Kevin Smith by podcasting out of their home. While they seem like nice people, they sound like bad actors reading from a script. Not only did it seem like Rachel was forced into doing this, but I have a hard time buying she's a Kevin Smith fan at all. She completely lost me with her interpretation of "Chasing Amy." I can't even begin to tell you her point. On the other hand, I don't doubt that Rob is a genuine fan, but he is completely uncomfortable in front of a microphone. What insight he might have gets lost in their banter. They don't give you any new information, a fresh viewpoint, or anything else that would make this worth your time. It doesn't help that it seems they have abandoned the idea of doing the show entirely - the last episode was late September of 2005.

Time Worthy: No
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: D+ "Needs to work harder in class."

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Title: Radio Askew
Average Length: 40 minutes
Number of Episodes: 34
Frequency: Weekly
Podcasters: Will Wilkins and Scott Kramer
Audio or Video: Audio
Quality: Good
Language: R for Language
Website: www.radioaskew.com:88

Will Wilkins began the podcast by himself and Scott Kramer joined him around episode five. In the beginning, the episodes were a little haphazard both in format and in frequency. It has since found its rhythm. Much like Kevin Smith, it's heavy on the pop culture. Will and Scott have a good chemistry and make the show very enjoyable. Some shows are a little heavy on audio clips. Some clips are from interviews from outside sources and others are recorded specifically for this podcast. Several episodes are recorded during Kevin Smith signings and those episodes are fun the first time. I would rather see fresh material from Will and Scott than hearing more of the same from different signings. The rest of the episodes give all the dirt about what is going on not only with Kevin Smith, but with the people who have worked with him in the past. If you are familiar with NewsAskew, consider this an audio version of that site. All in all, if you are a Kevin Smith fan you will enjoy this podcast. You just might want to skip some of the episodes from the signings.

Time Worthy: Yes
Subscription Worthy: No
Grade: B "Above average, but room for improvement"

I hope you found this first review helpful and informative. Please let me know what you think by posting in the comments section. Stay tuned for next week when we get "Lost."

Powering off.

The Invasion Continues...

2006-05-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

"Invasion of the Pod People" began its steps toward world domination this past Tuesday with an overview of iPods, podcasts and plans for coming weeks. These weekly installments will be overviews for both those new to podcasts as well as people who are more than familiar.

When I got my iPod last Christmas from my more than gracious bosses at my day job, I had no idea what I should download first. I spent a few months fumbling around trying out different things. I looked for review sites, but couldn't find any that told me what I wanted to know. After kicking the idea around for a while (and a good kick in the butt from some friends), I decided to start this site. I want you to have what I didn't. A place that each week suggests what you should listen to while grocery shopping or hiking or on that business trip.

The podcast phenomenon is slowing growing in popularity, much like blogs have become more common over the last few years. "What's a podcast?" is still a fairly common question when the term comes up in conversation. My goal is to help people learn more about them. I want my readers to not only have an overall idea as to what to download, but to also be better educated on all their many facets. To that end, the Thursday installments will go a step beyond the basics.

The first and third Thursday of each month will have an interview with the podcasters from one of the previously reviewed podcasts. I hope to give insight into who the people are, why they do it and any other tidbits I can get out of them about the subject matter as well as the process. My first interview will be in two weeks with the gentlemen that bring us "Lostcasts" each week.

The second and fourth Thursday of each month will have a review that breaks down one of the episodes from a podcast that was reviewed earlier in that week. This review will be a more in depth breakdown so you will have a better idea of what exactly can be expected from the podcast. Next Thursday's installment will be the first extended review of an episode from Kevin Smith's "Clerks 2" video podcast.

I encourage you to leave comments or email me with feedback and if there is anything you would like to see more or less of in these installments.

If you like what you see here, please tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, the kid that delivers the newspaper, strangers and that guy whose name you should know, but you can never remember it when you see him.

Thank you for coming and please visit us next Tuesday for the first in what is sure to be many weekly podcast reviews.

Powering off.

Welcome to the Invasion!

2006-05-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

Pod people. Maybe you've seen them in airports or jogging down the street or just standing in line. Unlike the pod people from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," two white cords coming out of their ears and connecting to a small square device identify them easily.

They are the proud owners of iPods. iPods are, according to Wikipedia, "a brand of portable digital media player designed and marketed by Apple Computer." This genius device allows you to listen to your favorite music on the go in a much more convenient manner than a plain old portable CD or tape player. Through a program called iTunes, you can upload CDs on to your iPod or purchase music from the iTunes store. Depending on the memory size, it can literally store days worth of media. Certain iPods even have the capability to play video as well as music. Beyond those applications, it has also given birth to a new trend called "podcasts," which is the subject of this website.

Podcasts are downloadable audio or video files that generally follow a radio show type format. Imagine being able to listen to a radio show that has no commercials and is only about a relatively specific subject that you are interested in. Not to mention the fact that you control when you listen to it. Customizable Radio. In the immortal words of the "Hudsucker Proxy," "The future is now!"

Each Tuesday will have new reviews of various podcasts that are free to download. Every Thursday we'll have reviews of a specific episode of one of the podcasts reviewed on Tuesday or interviews with various podcasters talking about the podcasting process.

Here are some of the basics so you can join these pod people (if you haven't already) and a little about what to expect from future reviews.

First of all, podcasts can be listened to without an iPod or even iTunes. You can listen to them or watch them on a computer just as well as on an iPod. Actually, the video is better to watch on a computer since it has a full screen option. There is a website called Juice (formerly known as iPodder) that allows you to subscribe to various podcasts or go to the podcaster's website to download the episodes manually. Some of these websites will also have places for feedback, links and info about the podcasters, which is more informative than the iTunes description. So, have no fear. There is no need to cave to the empire that is Apple just yet.

Podcasts are broken into episodes. You can download them individually or subscribe to them. A subscription is free and it will automatically download new episodes into your computer as soon as they are available. Think of them as magazines. Sometimes you just want to pick one up at the newsstand while others are good enough to be delivered to your home.

Just like magazines, each podcast varies in how often it is new. Some are weekly, bi-monthly, and monthly and some have no rhyme or reason to when they come out at all. Since they are free, people are doing this for the love of it all and their day jobs or personal lives can sometimes get in the way. Even officially sponsored podcasts like NPR can run late or behind schedule. Having a subscription to your favorites will save you some frustration from constantly checking to see if a new episode has come out.

There are so many podcasts out there it's almost overwhelming at times. My reviews will be broken down so you can easily get the info you need. I will not review a podcast if it has less than three episodes available. Three gives you a good idea on what the format of the show is, if they run on a schedule and what to expect from them in general.

Each review will begin with the title, average length, number of episodes and frequency of the updates. I will tell you who the podcasters are, if it's just audio or video, the quality of the recording, if it has clean or explicit language and the website link. My review will include my thoughts on it. I'll end each with if it's worth your time or worth subscribing to and, of course, my rating.

I thought a lot about doing a whole ratings system. Since podcasters tend to be on the younger side, I decided a school like grading system seems the most appropriate. We can't just leave it at that though, so expect to see a little snarky comment alongside the grade.

Now you know a little bit about podcasts and what to expect from this site. Come back again each Tuesday and Thursday to see what I've found for you to check out or avoid altogether. The good, the bad, the podcasts.

Stay tuned for next week to see what happens when Kevin Smith and his fans take their passions to the podcasting realm.

Powering off.

Coming Soon!

2006-04-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Beginning Tuesday, May 2, 2006, this site "Invasion of the Pod People" will begin posting reviews of podcasts every Tuesday and Thursday. Check back then for more details.

For those who do not use RSS feeds, but want to know when new installments are posted, you can add me on myspace or friendster. I will be updating those sites with links to this site with a brief description of the new content every time there is in update. I'm listed as Daisy Timm or through my email address, podpeopleinvasion@gmail.com.

Powering off.