During my time in China I have learned to love podcasts. Everywhere in this city takes roughly an hour to get to by mass transit. Initially this resulted in some strain in the relationship between my Ipod and I. With so much of my time spent traveling from one destination to another, my music library started to seem very small. I felt like I was hearing the same 2,000 songs over and over. This of course was because I was hearing the same 2,000 songs over and over. While 2,000 songs might seem like a lot, try listening to them on shuffle everyday for three hours. Factor in that there are about 200 songs I don't really like that much and usually skip.
That's where the podcasts come in. I never boarded the podcast train back in the United States. It seemed like a fringe culture for techies, listening to shows about computers and coding. I started with news podcasts which seem to be most people's gateway drug to the podcast subculture. Suddenly I realized I could find podcasts about things that interested me, such as baseball and international business. Then I started hitting the hard stuff when I moved over to NPR podcasts.
Before getting hooked on NPR podcasts, my opinion of National Public Radio had as much to do with boredom as radio programs. The mental images conjured by stories of Lake Wobagen didn't really perk my interests, in fact they did just the opposite. I now know the error of my ways. NPR shows might be boring to listen to while driving in a car, but they are perfect for my commute based around foot and rail transportation.
My favorite NPR podcast is a show called Snap Judgment. The program consists of three to five short stories, usually performed by their writers. I now find myself eagerly waiting for episodes. I am also really enjoying NPR's news related game shows, such as Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me and Ask Me Another. It's fair to say I'll be donating during this year's Pledge Drive. I am shooting for the mug with an optional tote bag.
Note: This blog post was made possible by readers like you.
That's where the podcasts come in. I never boarded the podcast train back in the United States. It seemed like a fringe culture for techies, listening to shows about computers and coding. I started with news podcasts which seem to be most people's gateway drug to the podcast subculture. Suddenly I realized I could find podcasts about things that interested me, such as baseball and international business. Then I started hitting the hard stuff when I moved over to NPR podcasts.
Before getting hooked on NPR podcasts, my opinion of National Public Radio had as much to do with boredom as radio programs. The mental images conjured by stories of Lake Wobagen didn't really perk my interests, in fact they did just the opposite. I now know the error of my ways. NPR shows might be boring to listen to while driving in a car, but they are perfect for my commute based around foot and rail transportation.
My favorite NPR podcast is a show called Snap Judgment. The program consists of three to five short stories, usually performed by their writers. I now find myself eagerly waiting for episodes. I am also really enjoying NPR's news related game shows, such as Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me and Ask Me Another. It's fair to say I'll be donating during this year's Pledge Drive. I am shooting for the mug with an optional tote bag.
Note: This blog post was made possible by readers like you.
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