In Praise of Shorter, Structured Podcasts

Feast at Home / Starve on the Road - Day 107

Earlier today, I walked over to the River Cuale Cultural Center.




Rather than music, I listened to podcasts today. Nothing beats BBC's Global News for it's depth and breadth of coverage. I think I also listened to some of an episode of CBC Spark and one NPR Planet Money.

I am practicing being able to move to a temporary, Canadian provider when we return next month. In Canada, I have been rather spoiled with an unlimited data plan. It was only $10 per month when combined with my very old, grandfathered annual phone plan. Unfortunately, that really doesn't make much sense now as we're going to be in Canada only seven months a year.

I shall see if I can get away with very little data usage. I'll put the music and podcasts on my phone when I'm near my home WiFi. I will try to enjoy the same amount of audio as I used to when streaming it. I am outside with big headphones on a lot, a whole lot.

I'll choose a different pay-as-you-go service provider from May until November in order to have a mobile number.

Sure Sounds Like Two Months - Day 60

It was a weird sort of weather day. It remained largely overcast but bright. It was cooler but sweaty because of a little humidity. As I began to think about what to post today, it occurred to me that we've already been in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for two months.

In our time here, we've had just one rainy morning. I know the rainy season is mid-June through mid-October. As a general rule, it's now supposed to be dry. The nearby hills look a little less verdant than when we got here. You know, I wouldn't mind having a real tropical drencher, a few hours of really heavy downpour. Perhaps, I'm homesick and used to the days-on-end drizzle of coastal British Columbia. Here, the rain would be warmer. Bring it on!

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I spent part of the day consuming audio. As an educator, I recognize the audio-learner in me. I process information easily when hearing the spoken word.

So, the newly discovered NPR One app is a godsend. Radio is finally catching up with how the world is changing. To an end user, it may seem like listening to an NPR station, but if you discover what is really going on, this is an enormous change. It is not streaming a broadcast. It is not a podcast which really only updates the timeshifting capabilities.

Instead, each story now arrives as an individual file. This makes it easy to have customized arrangements based on different criteria. The stories flow like a personalized program. Some can be based on what one has searched for or what one has marked as interesting (read: favourited). It also becomes easy to share an item.


I must admit that I have listened to more public radio since finding the app three days ago, than I ever have. I get so sick of the one-track mind of CNN. Also, BBC may have global resources but the news only comes a long form chosen by editors for podcasting. I might not have an interest in one story in the middle of a twenty-minute segment but have no way to easily skip though it. Lastly our own CBC seems to have fewer and fewer reporters covering international or local stories. To me the network has started looking pretty much like news from any US network with a wee bit more Canadian coverage.

There are only few things that a publicly-funded organization can do better than the private sector; radio seems to be one of them. NPR One is providing a groundbreaking use of technology in information delivery!

Reflections on the Porch

It feels as though I am just being lazy with blog entries now! This week, I seem to be happy in letting the photos take centre stage, so to speak.

Summer has a way, perhaps, of doing this to me. I can sit back and contemplate. I am like the old person in a rocker, except the view is from the balcony and not a porch.

I think that old New England porches deserve a poem or literary tribute. Having just typed that phrase caused me to run to Google. There's a sad fact of having so much information on hand at effortless beck and call: one can avoid sustained self-directed thought because of the, oh so simple, diversions. In fact, I ended up listening to this NPR podcast only because of the words that escaped extemporaneously from my fingers. It ended up being about southern porches.

Sigh. I guess I'll go back to sit on my balcony.

I'm All Ears

Hum. Wonder when I last blogged about podcasting? I'll add the label to the bottom of today's entry and we'll see what pops up after I have finished. I started the day by sending a note to Lynne Thomas. I had shared several podcast I thought might be of interest to her over the past few months. Today, I wrote to ask if she was an active podcast listener. Some people simply don't have the time to listen. Others lack the patience. She mentioned the name of a specific Android app in her response. As I typed out a rather large response, I'll just enter it as today's entry. You know, two birds and all that.

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I used to use Google's Listen that was tied to Google Reader for podcast selection, but the company is dropping the latter from it's arsenal of web properties. I may have tried the one you suggested until it stopped automatically downloading and started telling me to pay for that functionality. I can stream live from the Net in most daily travels, but I like having the latest episodes on my phone via wifi before I leave the house. This iPP app, I started playing with, uses Apple's podcast directory for quick scanning and adds. It also seems simpler to locate and subscribe than other apps. The developer does seem to require a lot of updates though.

Thanks for telling me about The Moth. I added it and had never heard of it. I just walked back from uptown listening to Think. It is from Texas or somewhere but sometimes has very interesting topics. I listen to about 30% maybe. The one on fighting depression seems interesting.

I always start the day with BBC Global News. There are two episodes per day and sometimes it is the same as all the American chatter but often they still have 'real reporters' in the places they're covering.

The intersection between techie and sociology is a place where I've not found too many others (in my entire life). So, I like CBC Spark. Also from here, I'm always saving science stuff as homework for students from Quirks and Qwarks. I prefer the segments to the complete show.

I do a bit of NPR too. I like Planet Money. Pop Culture Happy Hour is weekly. I usually have an episode of Click and Clack on my phone for those times I don't want to think too much.

Now you will have me exploring some of the ones I used to listen to a lot. Scientific American has a whole slew of 60 Second ones which I sometimes even use for listening exams, etc.

Keep me up-to-date if you turn into a podcast fiend and find others. When there is more of a selection, I can choose what to listen too. The days of listening / watching something just 'cause it is on, are over.

This message is so long, it may be blog fodder for the day.

Stay cool! Oh, when are we going to all get together?

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The Master's Voice Today

On one of my walks today, I wore my ugly, square, bright-orange headphones. I looked a little dorky but I've hardly ever been considered a fashion plate as it stands.

I put a different podcast app on my phone after lunch and wanted to try it out while walking to Pier Park. The sun had been out when I walked uptown this morning, but by mid-afternoon it had become grey and rather nippy. Listening to the news, I happened upon a BBC Global News segment on Bitcoin. It occurred at 17 minutes and 30 seconds.

I was thinking about how audio was now the stuff of computers. My tiny reel-to-reel tape recorder which I received for my tenth birthday, just wouldn't have been able to keep up with the way we can throw around mp3 files today. I guess it's not too surprising, actually, that there have been technological advancements made in the intervening 43 years!

I went on to work with additional computer audio files this afternoon while correcting student assignments. The same orange-headset was on when I went through all 16 of the most recently completed tasks saved on an SD card. My COMM 030 students had created them during class in our BCIT computer lab and copied the files to server which can be accessed through the Internet. I downloaded them right from the comfort of my home. Life changes, so schools must too.

Making the World a Little Smarter

I spend between 45 minutes and an hour every day walking. Generally, I have a 5 lb. ankle weight strapped to each leg. Going uptown and back is no longer nearly as difficult as it used to be. After coming back I jump briefly in the shower and then settle into my building's hot tub to stretch a bit.

During my hike up the hill, I have on a pair of over-sized headphones. I'm a little proud to be one of those silly looking folks. Rather than listening to music though, I get the opportunity to listen to around seven hours of my favourite podcasts per week.


Weekends on All Things Considered - 2012.09.30

From 12:40 to 30:50 minutes there's an interesting segment on online courses and distance learning in higher education. My particular area of education, communications skills, requires group interaction. I'd be a little frightened of the future, if my job involved speaking in a lecture hall in front of a few hundred students though.

Birds of a Different Feather

I just spent forty-eight minutes and thirty seconds listening to an interview with Tony Cragg. It's a little sad but before hearing the podcast, I really hadn't a clue as to who he was. I found his ideas absolutely fascinating and his demeanor interesting. Listening to him at all was a bit of an accident though.

Last week, I was tiring of the small collection of my subscribed podcasts. I went in search of some new audio sources. Somehow I came across a program called Think and added it. At that time I really had no idea of what to expect or even the fact the show originated from North Texas. In fact, didn't check its Internet information until writing this sentence.

I think one of the biggest problems in the world today is that people rarely have to leave their own comfort zones. We have a tendency to conceptualize the world into two sections at best: those who believe like us and all the nasty others. Then, we hang around, almost exclusively, with the former.

Even technology comes to our aid by masking real world choice by allowing us to experience primarily what we already know. I love how Netflix can look at my ratings and suggest titles that I'll probably like. Often, they're spot on. Fortunately, the online video service also allows one to browse. To come across the unexpected is what enriches life. Another example would be the Internet. Right now at your screen, you can pull in data from a vast variety of humanity, but you, like all of us, generally hang around the same comfortable locations, don't we?

If I were to select a topic for three quarters of an hour, I almost assuredly would not have picked an interview with a sculptor. That just isn't in my general frame of reference. I am happy that it was automatically downloaded to my SD card and that I started listening. I must ensure that I always go outside my normal routine. Learning how others think is good. The world would be a better place if others did it too.

Listen: "Seeing Things with Tony Cragg"
9/8/2011

[2011-09-08 13:00:00] How is an artist’s view of the world represented by their work and what is necessary to make the leap to the physical form of an artwork? We’ll spend this hour with award-winning, internationally-acclaimed artist Tony Cragg. His exhibit “Tony Cragg: Seeing Things” opens this weekend at the Nasher Sculpture Center.

The photo used here was kindly shared on Flickr by Verity Borthwick.

Listen Up, Students!

Nowadays, only around 10% of my students regularly carry computers with them to every class. Yet, using our class course-page is mandatory now. I find that all students answer message board questions and keep up with assignments from their home computers.  All my daily handouts are available in PDF format on the BCIT site. I could easily switch over to all electronic assignments.  Perhaps in the fall, for hereon-out, I should move more completely to online class work.

Teaching ESL has never been easier. More specifically, I should say providing a wide-range of examples of speech and accents has never been easier. Thank you, Internet. Podcasts have proven to be a wonderful tool both in and out of the classroom. Nearly any topic imaginable, suitable for my classes, can be found. Sharing is as easy as posting its URL. Students with questions can note the exact minute and second while listening.  I have my netbook in every class now and, of course, wifi is available everywhere on campus.

Here are some of the podcasts which have been assigned so far to my 0005 group this summer:

•	60-Second Earth - Biodegradable Plastics    (Posted on June 12, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Write a ONE-SENENCE SUMMARY of this and the other assigned podcast.
•	60-Second Earth - Honey Bees    (Posted on June 12, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Make a ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY of this and the other listening for your group.
•	60-Second Health - Future Cars    (Posted on June 16, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Similar to the last assignment, please make one-sentence summaries for both of today's podcasts.
•	60-Second Health - Infant Exposure to Pets    (Posted on June 16, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Please come to the next class with one-sentence summaries for both of these 60-Second Health podcasts.
•	60-Second Mind - Hot Baths    (Posted on July 10, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Please write out your one-sentence summary.  The instructor may collect it from you!
•	60-Second Mind - The Blind    (Posted on July 10, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Write a one-sentence summary for each of these podcasts and have them handy to pass in if your instructor asks for them.
•	BBC Global News - eWaste and Illegal Dumping    (Posted on May 17, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.) You may fast forward to the following part:  17:15 to 22:10 minutes. Listen to the section twice.  Each time take notes on specific information.  For example write down exact nouns, places, and numbers.  We will share these in group, so please be prepared!
•	Business Week: Innovation and R & D.    (Posted on July 19, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.) This is a 16 minute podcast.  Listen to it all.  Write down concepts or words that you weren't able to understand by writing the information in a minute: second format.  In that way we can review in class.
•	CBC Spark 152:  Music Created from the Electricity Data    (Posted on June 23, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Please listen to this podcast from 0:00 to 9:48.   Write FOUR SENTENCES explaining what they man created.
•	Car Talk #1122    (Posted on June 02, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.) From the beginning to 10:30 seconds.  Try to collect vocabulary words.  Try your best at spelling them without a dictionary.  We will review these in class.
•	Don't Fear Graduation Handshakes    (Posted on May 24, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Sixty Second Science
•	Infant Sleep Corresponds to Growth    (Posted on May 06, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Sixty Second Science podcast.
•	Malaria Mosquitoes Follow Foot Smells    (Posted on May 24, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Sixty Second Science
•	NPR Business Story of Day    (Posted on July 14, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  This podcast is just about 4 minutes long.  For this one don't write a summary sentence.  Rather, please make an outline of the interview.  Try to gather the quesions used and the answers in point form.
•	Planet Money: All Things Considered - Why We Tip?    (Posted on June 28, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.) For this link, you will see a page with information.  Please read it first.  After listening to the 5 minute podcast, write a 25 word statement on your personal tipping habits.
•	Quirks and Quarks 2011_04_23    (Posted on May 12, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Listen to just the first topic: The World's Oldest Toothache.  From 1:50 to 9:50 minutes.  There will be lots of new and unfamiliar vocabulary.  Yet, listen for what was found, how it relates to people today, and the finding that might be important for today's medical doctors.
•	Spark in the Summer:  Twitter Strangers    (Posted on May 29, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.) This is a 21 minute podcast.  Please give yourself quiet time to listen to the whole episode about Twitter.  If you find you mind wandering, stop.  Note the time and go back and listen to the remainder after a break.
•	The Know It Alls - Dog's Mouths    (Posted on July 05, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Listen to this podcast.  Get the general idea of both assigned episodes and have notes to discuss in class.
•	The Know It Alls - To Tell the Truth?    (Posted on July 05, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Listen to both assigned podcasts and take notes.  Be ready to discuss in groups.
•	Urban Birds Boast Big Brains    (Posted on May 06, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Sixty-Second Science podcast.
•	VOA - Science World 0305A    (Posted on June 07, 2011 by Dennis Hurd.)  Please listen to the first 5:26 minutes of this podcast.  It discusses the fight against AIDS for 30 years now.  As you listen make a comparision chart.  Include some of the differences in treatment nowadays and in the past.  You may need to listen several times.  Bring in your chart to class.

Freaking Out About Not Geeking Out

Were it not for my daily dose of tech news, I'd come undone.

Today, I thought about the fact I cannot talk nerd with anyone! It was frightening and disturbing. In days of yore, there were computer groups and techie co-workers with whom I could share incoherent jargon. Now my world must be much smaller. I don't know a single person with whom I can discuss things which are core interests. For example, I don't think I know even one acquaintance who listens to Buzz Out Loud. How sad!


Today's Program of Indeterminate Length

¿Qué Es Eso?

I got a pair of bright orange headphones to replace the ear-bud set that came with my phone. They were $2 at Walmart as a closeout, I guess. They seem to do a pretty good job with music and podcasts. The bass is adequate and, as they completely cover my ears, I don't have problems in very noisy environments, like when taking a walk outside. They do look a little obvious though, when I leave my house with them on.

I was wandering around today with Spanish in 10 minutes a day audio files in my phone. I've never taken learning any language very seriously. Yet I'm pretty smart. The good thing about brains is that they are not limited in space. If I want to learn something new, it doesn't necessarily mean that I have to throw out something that's already there!

I must have looked quite the sight though, stumbling through town on a walk while muttering phrases such as: ¿Dónde está el teléfono?

I'm All Ears

I'd feel rather lost without my audio fix of daily podcasts. I feel as though I am continuing to learn because of them. Surely, it depends entirely on a person's choice of subscriptions, but when was the last time you learned something through your headphones?

I really sort of gave up on radio for many years. As an example I have never even put an FM antenna on my home theatre system. Yet, I listen to a great deal of it nowadays. Of course, I now listen at my own convenience and I'm rather picky about what goes into my ears. Most of my shows are downloaded from NPR, CBC, and the BBC. There are literally hundreds of options. I find I often test out new ones, and drop those which I don't enjoy.

First, I use Google Reader on a computer to locate the radio programs I want to listen to. Then, I have set up Google Listen on my Nexus One. That Android app checks for updated episodes of each program and downloads new ones automatically. I can play them in any order, of course.

Hear .. Hear!

I haven't talked about podcasts for ever so long! That doesn't mean I have given up on them though. I curse when I get down to the parking stall and realize I've forgotten to bring an mp3 player with me for the drive to work. I don't mind the drive at all but I figure my time is better spent if I listen to something useful along the way.

For example, BBC's Global News beats the hell out of most daily news programs available around here. I don't want to restate, but I have referred to what passes as news in North America as constant naval gazing. If there's a whole world out there, it surely wouldn't be obvious on the local networks be they public or private. By the end of the BBC Global News, I always feel as if I learned something new. By the end of a CNN or even CBC news program, I feel the only thing I learnt is the official policy stance of that news organization. As well, I pretty much can't get through a week without hearing a few days of Buzz Out Loud on CNet. Lastly Car Talk direct from their fair city of Cambridge MA, or a few other favourites, fill in gaps if regular programs finish before I get home. I often share the episodes which are currently in my mp3 players at Google Reader.

Pulling It All Off the Net

I'm streaming the Chart Show from BBC Radio 1. I'm also downloading an HD documentary called Life: Birds through the desktop BBC iPLayer. Earlier this morning, I spent a little time catching up on this season's ABC TV programs of Brothers and Sisters and Ugly Betty by streaming them through Hulu.

I find myself watching less and less HDTV via our Bell satellite receiver, although it can automatically record programs on the internal hard disc. That technology was exciting back when VHS tape was in its death-throws. Now, not so much. Capturing off the air had merits especially with the time-shifting opportunities of east and west coast feeds.

Now, I want to have everything digital coming into this apartment via the Internet. All television, radio, streaming music, mp3's, photos, video and specific Internet sites should be arriving via broadband. It's no longer a pipe dream (Pardon the pun, please.) Most everything that's necessary could be lined up and built in one afternoon. It is nearly time to dump satellite and build a custom media server. I'd just need to create a special Windows PC. It'd need a capture card to pull in local HDTV over the air. Its audio card would have to output to the home-threatre receiver. A graphics card could plug into the HDMI on the TV only. A card reader would make SD cards containing video and photos available. A Blu-ray reader would make it the major way of watching things still on physical disc.

Using my big screen TV works okay at present. In fact, I'm on both the regular screen and the 42" Toshiba at the present moment. It's just that having a little box under the TV connected to my network would seem like the natural next progression.

Getting Up to Speed

If you follow me on Facebook, you will already know that I spent a fair amount of time this morning continuing to research smartphones. I am in no rush to make a commitment, but I need to get up to speed on the technology. I embedded several videos related to this search on my wall there. (As well as sharing, posting on one's own Facebook wall offers an excellent way to collect personal URLs and links.)

I couldn't help but compare today's type of learning to how I would have had to find out about new equipment or hobbies in pre-Internet days. I have always loved the periodical section of the libraries, sometimes to the exclusion of fiction and non-fiction. I subscribed or bought copies of PC Magazine from the mid-80's to the mid-90's. Obviously in the past, I had to run to find magazines in order to find out about anything new.

Now, there's on-demand media as well as articles and advertisements. I have decided to follow CNET "Dialed In" Podcast. Although I find Nicole Lee's voice really annoying and unprofessional, I want to hear the information she has to share. Click the little screenshot to visit its page.

The End of Solitude

I find it a little ironic I mentioned in yesterday's blog entry that I now always pop in earplugs as I drive to and from the BCIT campus. I mentioned how the drive in seemed like a waste of time without my favourite podcasts. There's a rub and it's a big one.

I couldn't agree more with the discussion about the 'End of Solitude' on the CBC technology podcast called Spark - Eposide 68. In it there's talk about having alone time for introspection. I've ranted about the inane conversations I hear on transit or out in public. Most of the banter seems to be focused on finding out where the other party is at that given moment. I had always commented that it'd be better to shut the damned things off and for the people to just sit and THINK. So, it's not without a little irony that I want to share this episode with you which I first heard when I could have well been unplugged and alone with my thoughts.

I've quoted a passage by Walt Witman here in the past. It goes something like this:

Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. (I am large, I contain multitudes.)

In Your Ear

Old dogs can learn new tricks. Well, maybe they can re-learn old ones.

I was primarily going to discuss how I use Google Reader to collect daily podcasts. On the drive to BCIT, I feel naked if I've forgotten my mp3 player. The trips seems like a total waste of time, if I cannot learn something new a long the way. As I only have about 35-40 minutes of total commute time, I don't have many minutes for programming. Yet, there is a tremendously-wide selection of podcast materials out there. I suppose in a way, one is what one listens to. I find I focus mainly on the BBC's Global News, and a culled selection of science and technology programs.

One doesn't really need a functioning mp3 player if one's at a PC during much of the day. I find I seldom listen when online though. It'd be easy to do so, as I manage my RSS feed of podcast programs using Google Reader. Just downloading several shows before I head out the door takes very little time. Sharing the collection is easy and you can most probably hear what's recently been in my ear buds by clicking on the tiny image of the screen capture. These automatically show up on my facebook wall as well.

Why is this simply relearning old tricks? Although much different in nature and practice, I will never forget my cool, aluminum-cased Sony Walkman of the early 1980's. I may well have bought it when working in Kuwait. It allowed me to first listen alone to audio cassettes through stereo headphones.

Another Auditory Experiment

Today, I'm revisiting whether I will further explore the world of audio books. I have not even considered them in about a year and a half. On the other hand, I am aware how greatly my 'must-hear' news and technology podcasts affect my life. I have always known I'm something of an auditory learner.

I was prompted to return to my city library's page after listening to This Week in Tech. One of the guests talked about how very nice it is to be read to. It may invoke nostalgia for those whose parents or teachers read to them. Or it may hearken back to the more primitive human aspects of storytelling around a fire.

It seems that British Columbia Libraries maintain a centralized website for e-books and audio books. I just loaded some proprietary software and entered my library card number. I checked out a book and downloaded it to my laptop. From there, I was able to easily copy it to my Creative Zen Stone.

Sunrise Alley
Edition: Unabridged
Author: Catherine Asaro
Read by: Hillary Huber

Whereas many of my podcasts are about twenty minutes, this book will take over eleven hours to complete. I'd better get crackin' because it's only checked out until the 30th of the month. After that, the files self-destruct, hopefully not in Mission Impossible style.

Subscription is Free

LINK EXPIRED
This is a repeat graphic which I used in a blog entry before 2009 had arrived. The screen shot showed a few audio files I had shared via Google Reader. I am continuing to provide samples of some of the programs to which I subscribe. This web page provides a good representation of the audio files which are part of my weekly schedule. As mentioned a fair number of times, I listen to podcasts during my commute or when I am out walking for the exercise. Rather than keep a every single episode on the list, I will remove older episodes unless I found the content particularly engaging.

If your tastes are similar to mine, you can click the screen shot, visit the page, and bookmark it. If you'd rather listen to other types of information in the great big world of podcast audio, you might want to set up your own Google Reader page. You can have the audio tracked by creating an RSS subscription. You don't even need an iPod to begin your journey into on-demand audio. Music is a fine diversion, but perhaps you could use your ears to learn something new!

Bridge Figure or Xenophile?

I wrote yesterday's blog entry in the morning. In it, I seemed to be promoting India. Later in the day, on my commute to campus, I listened to a downloaded podcast of the most recent episode of CBC's radio program called Spark. I thought it was strange that there seemed to be a connection. The section about those who connect cultures starts at approximately the 14-minute point.


LINK POSSIBLY EXPIRED
I nearly contemplated running out to buy a new, 120GB Microsoft Zune. How nice to carry around all my music in one place, I thought. However, I might be less inclinded to actually carry the device as it's bigger. My tiny Zen Stone slips into any pocket. The price was so cheap that if I lose it, I'll be annoyed but not angry. I don't really listen to music "on the road" anyways. I want to hear music through my home computer's DTS audio card and from my 5.1 channel HTS.

I only use a portable device to keep up with my favourite podcasts. It works out perfectly, as my drive into work is around 20 minutes. That is a common length of time for a news or technology podcast.