An Intro to Podcasts

Podcast are radio shows distributed on the internet. They are free and cover thousands of topics. They can be downloaded on demand but it can also be suscribed too. This means that shows or episodes are downloaded automatically when they are released.

This can be done through iTunes and automatically synced with an iPod, or with any capable RSS feed manager.

They are made by hobbiests, enthusiasts, entertainers…basically anyone with a mic and a computer. My daily hourly bus rides would not be the same if I did not have my podcasts on my phone to listen too.

Recommended Podcasts

A lot of the podcasts I listen to are tech and IT related because Podcasts are created and made available by computers, so they are usually about the tech industry, and it’s hard to keep up with everything in the tech world, and these daily podcasts help.

The podcast network I rely on during the week is TWIT, or This Week in Tech, at www.twit.tv. They offer several shows, covering everything from latest news, listeners questions, to Mac and Windows specific issues.

Video Podcasts

Several popular Podcasts also come in video form, replacing much of the time I used to watch TV. For more entertainment focused, video podcasts Revision3 is a giant. Their production values and content is unmatched, and their show hosts are experienced. My favorite Revision3 shows are Diggnation, which covers the highest ranked, user-submitted stories on Digg.com, and The Totally Rad Show, which covers the latest Movies, Games, TV-Shows, and Comic Books.

A terrific app I use to find and automatically download video podcasts is Miro. It is open-source, continually being updated, and a great source of the latest and most popular video podcasts.

I cannot get enough of podcasts and find myself listening to or atching them for hours a day, whether it be when I’m on the bus, taking the dog for a walk, working, or even going to sleep.