Podcast reviews

The wealth of podcasts available on iTunes made choosing a few to sample for class quite a daunting task. My iPod is finally up and running again thanks to an iTunes bug fix from apple support, so I listened to these podcasts on my 80 gigabyte iPod Classic. Here's a few I found that interested me, and what I thought of them:

1. NASA video podcast
This podcast is updated every so often when NASA has interesting footage or stories to report on. I was disappointed to find that this podcast was mostly raw footage without editing or commentary. Both the endeavour launch and landing episodes only featured the raw footage of the space shuttle landing. In a seperate podcast, I found a summary of Endeavour's mission. I will continue listening to this podcast because I am interested in following NASA as the shuttle program draws to a close at the end of this year.

2. Modern manners guy quick tips for a more polite life podcast
Without a doubt the most interesting podcast I've yet listened to. This one is audio only, but that's all it needs. The podcast is in the self help section (which I need alot of), and features tips to live a more polite and courteous life. These podcasts range from how to sympathize with an acquaintance if someone they know dies to the in and outs of teenage courtship. I found these podcasts to be very useful, and I will definitely continue to listen to them. My biggest problem with this podcast is the first minute or so is usually an advertisement. However, I can fast forward until I reach the actual content.

3. iTunes Indie Spotlight:
This audio podcast highlighting new independent music on iTunes has very little narration. The podcast consists of several clips of different songs by various artists, and on the iPod screen it says which artist is playing. The weekly podcasts rotate between several genres, such as singer/songwriter and dance/electronic. I quickly became bored listening to this podcast, which runs between 10-15 minutes. The songs seemed to run together and all sounded the same. Some background on the artists I was listening to would have made it more engaging.