Thing 21: Podcasts

I visited podcast.com and was surprised at the varied topics and level of expertise of the podcasts. I especially gravitated toward the book reviews (including Diana Gabaldon and a reading of a Defoe novel, Roxanna) or educational podcasts (one called ShakesPodosphere was a discussion of early sonnets) and also like the how-tos (how to play piano included a fairly informal discussion of chords, with everyone chiming in from around the country). The most polished podcasts I listened to I found at the online Washington Post site, where I listened to an interview with Oliver Sacks on music and the brain (how music is somehow wired in the brain of stroke victims, even Alheimer's patients). On this same site I found a link to a National Geographic video of elephants in an African wildlife sanctuary that were being systematically poached for their ivory tusks. It was horrible seeing what happens to the elephant families, but was a graphic statement that probably would not have made it to television--the images were amazing. These podcasts are an excellent source for students (lectures, directions) and are also often (not always) entertaining.