Podcast Suggestion: Myths and Legends Podcast

The Myths and Legends Podcast is becoming one of my favorites. The host, Jason, researches a myth, legend, or fairy tale and tells it during the podcast with some background information for color before, during and after.

He tells the story like that, a story and it's fun and engaging. He's got a good sense of timing and knows when to interject an observation or comment for the modern listener.

He has chosen both stories I thought I was familiar with, and stories I've never heard of and I find both interesting and they hold my attention. He's an excellent story teller in retelling these stories to a modern audience he doesn't forget, or allow us to forget their source and that he's aware of how ridiculous some of the stuff sounds, talking animals again, nobody questions this? Without making fun of or belittling the story or the people who told it. The episodes are short, only a half hour or so I think, and they go quickly. Some are longer than can be managed in half an hour, like the King Arthur story, and it is done in multiple parts. Several of them are that way, but they can stand alone if they needed to because you had a long gap when you didn't listen.

The first few podcast episodes didn't include the mythical monster of the week but later on he added that feature and I like it. Oddly, my favorite was on the Australian Drop Bear and it was listener(s) submitted.

If you have at least a half-hour drive you do on the regular give the Myths and Legends Podcast a try. If you like it tell a friend.

Podcast Suggestion: Art of Manliness

I'm listening to a lot of podcasts because I drive a lot. One of the sites I discovered a long time ago when I was looking at shaving and finally decided to take up shaving with a badger hair brush, a lavender shave soap to make a nice lather, and a Merkur safety razor like my grampa used to use, is Art of Manliness.

I go to the website periodically and read the articles there that catch my attention. They aren't all aimed at me, but all men aren't like me so I get that. The ones on style, for instance... I'm not very stylish or fashionable so those I pretty much skip.

I recently discovered Art of Manliness has podcasts and I really enjoy them. I've been listening to mostly interviews of authors who write books that I would never read because I tend to read escapist fiction and these are books about, here are some topics I've listened to and enjoyed:

• Forces of Character
• The Wonder of Boys With Dr. Michael Gurian
• Level up Your Life
• Improving Strength & Durability With the Kabuki Movement System
• Ancient Roman Honor With Dr. Carlin Barton
• Hard-wiring Your Brain for Happiness with Dr. Rick Hanson

There's a wide variety of topics and authors and ideas presented and they're man-centric. That's not to say they're anti-female. I recently encountered two very good friends of mine who are men around my age (They're between late-30s and mid-40s) who independently of each other started a conversation saying, "I know I shouldn't say this but..." then they went on to talk about something somewhat man-centric. It was pro-male without being anti-female. It's not a zero sum game. It bugged me that they seemed to be apologizing for being male. That's annoying.

One of the things I hear/see is white, CIS-male privilege being figuratively shouted at white males online when we espouse an opinion on a topic that differs from someone who is not born a white male. I get it. My experience will differ from someone who is not a middle aged white males experience. I have the privilege of being who I am in the culture in which we live. I'm not apologizing for that though. Nor do I feel ANYONE should apologize for it.

These podcasts are nice in that they address being a man in today's world and what that means, what it has meant historically, and things we, as men, might find interesting. I enjoy it. I think many people would enjoy it and I recommend it. I think many people would enjoy it and I recommend it to anyone regardless of gender. They interview both male & female authors or scientists about topics on a variety of subjects.

CBS Radio Mystery Theater

It's halloween, or at least the season of halloween. The stores have candy corn which I can't stand but buy once a year around this time and eat a handful of before I throw it all away as disgustingly sweet. I'm able to eat more of it if I mix the candy corn with dry roasted peanuts. It's really really good that way.

Halloween means trick or treating. It means being scared of the dark. It means scary stories as the leaves change colors and the nights cool off. Covers pulled up under the chin and snuggling down into blankets. That's what halloween means.

When I think of scary stories I think of creaking doors, hinges that need oiling and that always brings to mind the old time radio series CBS Radio Mystery Theater. When I was a kid I never got to listen to it at home but when I'd stay with my gramma at my cousins' house or one time, and this is a vivid memory, at the house in the beach at the bay. I'm not sure whose house it was but I had a feeling we were sleeping on the floor in blankets listening to CBS Radio Mystery Theater with that creepy hinge noise.

If you want to hear some CBS Radio Mystery Theater you can get it here at CBSRMT.com or subscribe to a podcast using iTunes if you're one of those apple people.

I just grabbed a few hours worth of them for a road trip. I grabbed some newer made stuff by Decoder Ring Theater. Radio dramas are making a comeback with the popularity of podcasts and these guys do some of the best stuff out there. I really recommend Black Jack Justice and that's what I've linked to here. It's not really scary, but it's good stuff and if I'm driving at night... sometimes the scary stuff gets to be a bit much and something lighter is better you know?

Podcasts for winter driving

I've recently acquired some more stores so in addition to Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska I now get to go to Fargo, North Dakota and Grand Forks, North Dakota. If you dig out an atlas you'll notice a distinctly northerly trend in those two stores. I'm leaving some out but those are two biggies. Here'a beautiful picture of my drive today. Notice the blowing snow across the road. It was as cold as it looks in this picture. And flat.
How does one drive across the midwest in winter? Easy!

• Don't use cruise control or you could hit ice and die. 
• Leave plenty of stopping distance between you and the next car. 
• Don't make any sudden moves on the steering wheel, brakes, or accelerator.
• DO listen to podcasts because you're going to run out of radio before you run out of road.

So, to help you, noble reader, find the best podcasts on the web I will share my podcast listen list with you. This will do two things. It will give some link love to my favorite podcasts as well as giving you, noble reader, a glimpse into my interests!

So, in no particular order I give you my:
December 2008 Must Listen List of Podcasts You Must Listen To Or I'll End This With a Preposition!
(still working on the title to make it a bit snappier)

1) Podcacher - this combines my love of geocaching and my love of listening to genuinely nice people who seem to like each other. Sandy and Sonny are people I can see wanting to know. I wouldn't want to know them TOO well, because I think I'd feel inferior a lot. They get SO much done and are so nice, and just really make me want to live up to their standards... this, by the way, isn't something I say about a lot of people so don't think I have an inferiority complex, I really don't. I mean this as a compliment to them, not a detriment to myself. Geocaching is my favorite hobby right now and I wish I could do it more than I do.

2) NPR's Cartalk and NPR's This American Life are two great shows on National Public Radio. I don't manage to catch them when they're on and now I don't have to. This American Life may be the best hour on public radio. It ranges anywhere from funny to heartwarming to poignant to inspirational. It really is a wonderful radio show. When I got to be on BBC2 for my Quit Smoking Journal back in February of 1999 before blogs were blogs, all I could hear as I was doing the interview was the beat and rhythm of the host of This American Life in my head. I know I talked mostly about This American Life here, but Cartalk is something that has to be experienced. It's hard to describe. Two guys take calls to diagnose car problems on the radio. Wow. It was easier to describe than I thought it would be. And yet that's entirely not why I listen to the show.

3) Quick and Dirty Tips Networks' Get-it-Done Guy, Grammar Girl, and Nutrition Diva's podcasts are all short, 6-10 minute long podcasts on the topic their name describes. None of those topics are interesting enough to me for a half hour podcast every week, but they make nice podcastettes in a drive. They're informative, short, to the point, incredibly well written and produced, and examples of some of the best podcasts on the web from a production point of view. Even their sponsor-ads are nicely done.

4) The Phileas Club is a podcast by a frenchman who invites guests from other countries to the show to talk about the months' news from each countries' perspective. It's a monthly podcast and the boojum ate the November show so I'm jonesing for my Phileas Club udpate for the month. It's a really great idea, excellently implemented, and Patrick, the host of the blog, is someone I'd like to meet in real life and have a cup of coffee with some day. He's far too famous (having been a VIP to Blizzard at Blizzcon and all that) but I can dream right? If you are a blog reader, and you should be if you aren't... check out his blog as well. He doesn't post shallow crap like me. He's actually pretty thoughtful.