When I first started working at Ideas in Motion Media - where I sit in front of a computer most of the day - I was instantly turned on to the joys of Pandora Radio, the online streaming music service that picks the next song based on what songs you listen to, like, and don’t like.
My problem was that Pandora seems to think my favorite song is Hotel California; by this point I’ve heard it so often that I can’t even hear it without wincing.
You can check out any time you like but you can never llleeeeaavvveeeee!
***shudders***
So, I was on a quest for an alternative. At the time, I was starting to get into podcasts as I listened to just the now-defunct B.S. Report in college. For those not “in the know”, podcasts are basically just online radio shows with few or no commercials. Once I started exploring a bit more, I discovered there were hundreds of shows I could listen to. Comedy, sports, news, politics, tech - even early on there was a podcast on just about everything.
Since then, the popularity of podcasts have exploded. There are some I’ve stuck with like The Adam Carolla Show or Comedy Bang! Bang!, some I’ve broken up with like Nerdist or You Made it Weird, and some are teetering on the edge of falling off my playlist (looking at you, Freakonomics. You’re really going to put out a 50-minute episode about Connect Four? C’mon).
Anyway, they tend to be engaging and you can focus on what you’re doing at the same time - they’re very conducive to multi-tasking. Going for a walk? Put on a podcast. Got some cleaning to do? Put on a podcast. Mowing the lawn? Put on a podcast. Even as I write this I’m listening to Bill Burr complain about sciatica on the Thursday Afternoon Just Before Friday Monday Morning Podcast.
So, go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or whatever else you could use, find a topic you enjoy, and jump into the podcast world with both feet. It’s fun.
But first, here are your Links of the Week:
This week in “Perspective”: LOOK AT HOW BIG AFRICA IS! [Twitter]
I stayed up late and watched the end of the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, which was followed up by Inside the NBA. This post-game show, though, invited current NBA center Dwight Howard, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, subbing in for Shaquille O’Neal. Dwight isn’t very well-liked across the league nor by fans because, in my opinion, he is very inauthentic and sort of a front-runner in terms of “he’ll talk if he’s winning, if not it’s your fault.” Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith asked him directly about it on live TV. So, if you ever wanted to see someone get awkwardly lectured on live TV, here’s your chance! [YouTube]
#2,501 on the List of Things that Make Me Happy: An article titled, “The Cubs Look Like a Perfect Baseball Team”. [FanGraphs]
For the squeamish, check out this POV video of the world’s tallest roller coaster at Cedar Point! [The Verge]
The New York Times ran a #longread on the status of Britney Spears, who after her tabloid-filled run in the 2000’s, is actually still under a conservatorship. Basically, the TMZ’s of the world broke her. This is a great read and a deep dive into the timeline of the people who are basically in charge of her since 2008, although journalists are not able to speak to the conservators, managers, lawyers, or Britney herself. [New York Times]
Turnover continued earlier this week with the on-air talent for ESPN’s pregame show, which will now feature one of my favorite players of all time, Randy Moss! [TheBigLead]
Which NBA stars had the most talent around them? HoopsHype weighs in, tallying talent by counting the number of All-Stars, titles, MVPs and more were on each team. Interesting to look at the list, although it isn’t perfect - usually star players make their teammates better, which leads to more All-Stars, etc. [HoopsHype]
This is a couple of weeks old, but you can learn the difference between traditional computing and quantum computing in just over a minute! [Mashable]
NASA has witnessed a magnetic storm near Earth for the first time, caused by interactions between magnetic fields between Earth and the Sun. I mean I already know all this stuff and I could totally explain it all to you if full detail, but… ummm… just go read about it on Space.com. [Space.com]
It’s a good day to jam to The Suffers. Have a good weekend.