Saturday, May 10, 2014

Some more podcasts

I thought I would mention a few more podcasts that I have been enjoying.  I'll try to remember and not talk about something I've already covered.

You may wonder how I have time to listen to a lot of these podcasts, but it's not that hard.  If I'm working in a quiet enough neighborhood, I can burn through several hours worth in one day.  Also, due to a bone-headed management decision, about half of my work days every month require me to find a shady out-of-the-way spot to park and do nothing for 3-4 hours (I've been finding all the best, most secluded city parks--preferably the ones with restrooms).  I also have a long commute, so it all adds up to a lot of down time.  Sometimes I use my time-killing time to read a book or watch stuff on Netflix on my phone, and I still have plenty of time for listening to podcasts.

Cabinet of Curiosities (also here).  Usually runs around 15-20 minutes per episode, and covers odd stuff.  Sometimes supernatural, sometimes conventional but just plain weird.  You can download pretty much all the archives from those links, but I don't think either site is still being updated.  Current episodes can be had by following Cabinet of Curiosities on Facebook.

Daily Knowledge Podcast -- Quite short, about 5-10 minutes each, about why and how certain things are the way they are, from the folks behind the Today I Found Out website.  Recent episodes include "why inhaling helium makes your voice sound higher" and "where the phrase 'pleased as punch' comes from."

Damn Interesting -- A podcast about interesting things from the website of the same name.  Recent episodes include how absolute zero was determined and the history of the potato.

The Lovecraft Geek -- Lovecraftian scholar (and scholar-in-general) Robert M. Price answers questions about H.P. Lovecraft and his writings sent in by listeners.  Not really any set length to this one, so far they seem to run about an hour or more each.

Mysterious Universe -- Usually about 45 minutes to an hour or more each.  Two guys discuss various recent news, books, and so forth about paranormal stuff, with an occasional interview.  Fortunately, they don't believe everything they hear and they are quite amusing and entertaining.  If you are a hard-core skeptic, you probably won't care much for it, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a little while for the sake of entertainment, it's pretty good.

The Paranormal Podcast -- On the other hand, this one apparently accepts every ridiculously outlandish claim made by anyone without ever calling B.S. on them.  I still find it enjoyable, and it gives me a chance to keep my skepticism well-honed.

Skeptoid -- Skeptoid is a dedicated debunker podcast, covering paranormal, conspiracy theories, and things that many people accept as "common knowledge" but which aren't really true.  Some recent episodes dealt with black-eyed kids, the death of Glenn Miller and aromatherapy.

Star Trek:  The Continuing Mission -- This is not a podcast, but more of a "radio" drama, about the starship Montana, a ship from about the time of TOS that gets thrust forward through time into about the time of TNG.  There were seven episodes made several years ago, and they are about to release an eighth episode any day now.  It's supposed to have a Lovecraftian theme.

Illusion Travels by Streetcar -- This is an odd one.  Each "episode" usually runs 2 hours or more.  It's brought to us by the same guy behind Radio Free Gunslinger, which I have mentioned previously.  A group of cinephiles sit around discussing...cinema, but with frequent digressions into other topics which are often humorous and/or interesting.  I myself am not a cinephile, and at first I only listened to it because it was made by Tom Sutpen (the Radio Free Gunslinger guy).  But for some reason I have found it very enjoyable and always look forward to getting hold of the next episode.  To paraphrase Zapp Branigan, never have I been so fascinated by a topic which I care so little about.