Top 10 Podcasts to Keep You Well Informed

Podcasts are a relatively new way to stay up to date with news and information from around the world. These downloadable media files are usually recorded and released daily or weekly and can cover a wide range of topics, from gardening tips to the stock market to the daily news. By downloading podcasts, listeners can have show ‘episodes’ stored directly on their computer or mp3 player to listen to as they please. Many listeners use these shows to keep up to date on news, explore some of their favorite topics, or just as pure entertainment. Here we have included some of the best podcasts for staying informed so that you can tap into the most relevant, accurate, and enjoyable shows available.

1. Newsweek On Air: This podcast discusses different issues around the world, as covered by Newsweek Magazine. The most recent article covered the public approval ratings of President Obama, Aids progress and protests, Cuban prisoner politics, and movie reviews. The podcast is published weekly with occasional bonus interviews and coverage published in-between regular reports.

2. This American Life: The most popular podcast in the country, This American Life tells stories from around America that center on a particular theme. These stories often include interviews and are delivered in Acts. One show will include an average of 3-4 Acts. The various episodes, which are released every week, cover a full range of topics from babies being switched at birth to life aboard an American aircraft carrier, and everything in between.

3. Christian Science Monitor: Although a religious woman founded the Christian Science Monitor, the publication itself is not a platform for evangelizing. In fact, many consider the Christian Science Monitor to be one of the most unbiased news resources available, challenging readers to view subjects from multiple perspectives. This podcast is an additional resource that allows readers to listen to reports via radio shows.

4. NPR: Morning Edition: No matter what you are interested in, NPR will be able to deliver. One of the best shows that covers a wide range of topics is the NPR Morning Edition. This two hour morning podcasts prepares listeners for the day by updating them with the most current news. The rest of the NPR site is worth exploring as well, as the site provides links to podcasts like Planet Money, Your Health, and Culturetopia. News and politics are covered extensively, but don’t forget to peruse the music and entertainment sections for great information on books, movies, and musicians.

5. BBC: Newshour: The Newshour podcast is presented twice a day, every day, keeping listeners updated on the most relevant news from around the world. For those who can’t dedicate an entire hour, excerpts from the show are included in a shorter show called Global News. In addition, the collection of podcasts at the BBC podcast website is astounding. Some of the shows included are Farming Today, Gardener’s Corner, Sportsweek, and the Sunday Religious News. There are hundreds of podcasts to choose from, so create a search depending on the topic nearest and dearest to your heart in order to find informative podcasts that match your individual interests.

6. NYT: Front Page: Monday through Friday the host of the Front Page, James Barron, presents all of the top stories from the New York Times. The podcast offers only a short recap of world news, making it the perfect podcast for those who want to squeeze a quick news update into a busy schedule.

7. 60 Minutes: This wonderful podcasts allows listeners to get the full interviews and stories from 60 Minutes in a downloadable mp3 format. With 82 Emmy nominations in the show’s history, 60 Minutes has proven itself as a leader in international news. Now listeners can learn more in-depth information on the go with some of their favorite correspondents.

8. The Weather Channel: Storm Watch: Do you know that one person who always seems to know what the weather will be like this upcoming weekend? Or who randomly throws out facts about storms raging miles away? Perhaps they tune in to The Weather Channel Storm Watch podcast, a podcast that is updated eight times a day to bring listeners the most updated weather information available. The podcast covers the lower 48 states and the tropics.

9. Market Watch: For those who like to keep up to date with the ups and downs of the stock market, Market Watch is a short daily podcast that covers stock market movement, economics, and investment trends. This is one of the top podcasts for economic news, and is easily one of the most reliable methods of keeping up to date and in the know when it comes to the stock market.

10. Car Talk: If you are an individual who wants to become more informed on cars, look no further than Car Talk. Hosted by hilarious car enthusiasts, Car Talk covers a huge range of information on cars. Callers are free to call in to get their car questions answered or they can just sit back and enjoy the wide range of information presented to bulk up on their car knowledge.

Alex Kearns is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on online degrees from accredited colleges for Guide to Online Schools.

A Hospital For…

Hey all,

Again I just have to apologize for the lengthy break between posts; I’ve been extremely busy, with school starting in a few days. So this will be another quick one, but I thought I had to show this to somebody, because it’s about the quirkiest thing I’ve ever seen.

Apparently in Chandannagore, India, there’s a man who runs a hospital…for fish.  This is about as specialized as you can get in medicine.

Patit Paban Halder gives this sick goldfish an injection while millions of other dying goldfish are saying Hello to the toilet.

Just remember…when you visit this hospital, try not to mention sashimi.

Look at a gallery of pictures of Halder’s amazing fish nursery here.

Do you have any thoughts or questions about this post?  Why not strike up a conversation in the comments below?  We’re happy to hear your opinions!

Phreakers

When I use the phone, I usually don’t think about the risk of others listening in on my conversation.  I don’t think about the possibility that others might hack into my phone line and use my phone number to dial 911.  Like many others, I don’t care about these dangers, and reveal my thoughts and feelings to the person on the other end, without thinking of the chance of a middleman listening to my every word.

Well, one article changed my attitude about phones.

A blind and overweight boy, Matt Weigman used his extremely sharp sense of hearing to learn everything he could about phones.  At age 14, he hacked his way through AT&T and Verizon networks, learning secrets such as user passwords and identification numbers.  By age 15, he had begun to send S.W.A.T. teams to innocent families.

The amazing story of Weigman’s powers over the telephone tells readers not to ignorantly reveal information over the phone or join suspicious phone parties.  In this technology age, loosely revealing information over the telephone can be extremely dangerous.

I thought I’d share this article with you, to demonstrate the lack of security in the most-utilized form of communication, and to tell you all to be careful when using technology, such as the telephone and the Internet.

Read the article here and tell us what you think!  Leave a comment below telling us your reactions.  I know I got a shock when I learned about everything Weigner was able to do, all from his bedroom.

Message for Geeks!

I have recently discovered the capability to allow our readers to write for our blog!  If you have something that you just have to share, click on the Write for us! tab on the top.  There is absolutely no commitment.  If you feel like only writing one short article about something interesting you found today, fine.  If you want to write every month, go ahead.  We just want to gather the opinions and views of our fellow geeky brethren.

The instructions are all in that page.  All you need is a WordPress account, and then we can validate you as a Contributor.  So what do you get out of this?  We will credit you for writing your article, and we will put your username and blog (if you have one) to a sidebar on the right, so readers who are interested in your article can check out your stuff.  For more information, head over to the Write for us! page.  And thanks again!

Why I don’t like Apple

For some reason, I have never fallen in love with any Apple product.  I know, the iPod is a ubiquitous mp3 player, and people often use the two terms “iPod” and “mp3 player” interchangeably.  But I am one of the few who decided to get a Microsoft Zune instead of an iPod.  Of course, I pondered over which music player I should get, and seriously contemplated getting the iPod.  But the design never really won me over, and I find myself happy enough with my Zune.

This goes for all Apple products, too.  The Macs and Macbooks are great pieces of hardware, to be sure, but they’re so overhyped and expensive that to me, they’re not worth it.  Plus, after spending a month using an iMac, I found that I disliked the OS.  Perhaps I’m just more used to Windows.

So really, why do I dislike Apple products?  One part of it is probably familiarity.  I’ve grown up using Microsoft Windows, and I love the layout (though admittedly Vista sucks).  It’s extremely customizable, and everything is clear and functional.  The Mac OS, however, focuses too much on the design and not enough on the functionality and ease of use.

And the iPod, oh the iPod… People have ridiculed me because I chose the Zune over the iPod touch.  But what I realized was that the iPod touch is just a bit too widespread.  It’s meant for too many things.  If I wanted something that could do almost anything through applications, I would buy a tablet PC or an Archos 5.  All I wanted was an mp3 player that could play my music.  I don’t want too many functions when it comes to an mp3 player.  Don’t get me wrong, the iPod touch and the iPhone are great for people who do many things while listening to music.  But hell, all I want is MUSIC!  I don’t need applications, or a GPS system, or a browser.  Zune does fine the way it is.

And so, my experiences with Apple and Microsoft products have shown me that I am more satisfied with the way Microsoft handles things with its products.  Apple’s the master of design, of course, but the purpose of their products just isn’t clear.  The reason I want a computer is because I need something functional, convenient, and customizable to do my work; I don’t care about design as long as it’s reasonably comfortable.  The reason I want an mp3 player is to listen to music and podcasts, not to use apps or check mail.

Another point I want to make: Apple products don’t necessarily have high quality.  The quantity of people who preorder the Apple products before they are even released just shows that there are many who buy Apple products purely because it’s from Apple.  Those who actually patiently wait for the reviews and compare between brands learn that the Mighty Mouse isn’t all that great, the Zune has a better interface, etc. etc.  What bugs me is that there are so many who expect Apple products to be great without really considering other products and reviews.

There’s my rant about Apple.  This was a kind of spur-of-the-moment post, after reading Wired’s article called iSuck: Apple’s Five Worst Products, Ever.  Give it a skim, it’s pretty interesting.

What do you think?  Am I right in disliking Apple products, or am I totally off the mark?  Comment below and share your opinions!

Flesh-eating plants

*Bloody human head not shown*

In what appears to be the most terrifying discovery in the field of botany to date, two British scientists have recently discovered a plant that devours rats.  Apparently this horrendous plant lures rats into its mouth and then dissolves the poor animals with acidic enzymes.

What escapes me is what goes on in the rat’s mind that would make it want to enter such an ugly plant’s mouth.

If you want to read more about the N. attenboroughii click here.

In other news, A Geeky Life proudly introduces its newest author, “Plat”!  We are considering setting up a functionality for readers to submit content to publish on this blog.  Stay tuned to keep updated!

Have any comments about today’s post?  Why not start a discussion by posting a comment below?

Norwegian Recycling

Album Cover

I just have to show you this.

Yesterday while fooling around on Youtube, I discovered a Youtube user cappapie who makes awesome remixes of popular songs.  Using a melody of a certain song, he finds other songs with snippets of the similar melody and fuses them into the tune, dubbing this new genre Norwegian Recycling.  No kidding, this is perhaps the most creative type of music I’ve come across.

Take a look at his website, Twitter, and blog.  I especially recommend that you check out Viva la Viral, a fusion of seven songs to the tune of Viva la Vida.

What do you think of his Norwegian Recycling? Leave a comment to share your thoughts!