Blog Jones

Have you heard The Seanachai yet? If you haven’t, you’re missing out on the best podcast out there, period.

[Brief Interlude to define podcasting for the uninitiated:

Put simply, a podcast is an easy way to subscribe to audio content. Just like a newspaper subscription brings you written content every day, a podcast brings you audio content on a regular basis. Whenever the podcaster publishes a new mp3 file, the podcasting software automatically downloads it to a folder on your hard drive.

From there, you can either put the files on an mp3 player, burn them to a cd, or just listen to them, just like any other mp3 files. Some podcasting software will even automatically load them onto your mp3 player for you. (What convenient times we live in!)

You subscribe to a podcast with a program like Doppler or iPodder or any of the other programs listed here. I use Doppler myself.

End Interlude]

Now, there are many kinds of podcasts, although most are spoken-word rather than music. Some, like the Rip-n-Read Blogger Podcast, are about current events. Others, like the CIO Podcast and the Slashdot Review are about technology issues. Others are about business issues, like 800-CEO-READ Podcasts, still others are about spiritual issues, like those at Godcast.org. The Seanachai is in a different category altogether: It’s very entertaining short fiction.

In fact, here’s a new 60-second commercial that he’s created to promote the podcast. Go listen, then come back.

…

My personal favorite stories are The King of the Lendu, A Very Slow Getaway, and his St. Patrick’s Day Episode.

Now, fair warning for the easily offended, since my audience does consist primarily of conservative Christian BJU students: The author does occasionally curse, so don’t play it too loud in the dorms. (Personally, I’ve decided that people curse, and that you’ll cut yourself off from a lot of good content–like the Seanachai–if you don’t learn to ignore it. Besides, you can’t go through life expecting the whole world to change its behavior because it offends you. But I do realize that others don’t feel the same way; hence the warning.)

It’s really a great podcast, full of very interesting and entertaining stories. And hey, it’s free! What more could you ask for?

Oh, one more podcast to mention: If you prefer hearing some of the classics, I recommend Tim Aldrich’s readings of Sherlock Holmes stories. He’s already completed A Study in Scarlet and is in the process of reading The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

Podcasts definitely make my commute to BJU much more entertaining.