Welcome to Podcast Friday!, a weekly compilation of some of the more interesting podcasts from around the web, listed right here for your listening pleasure!
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All Songs Considered from NPR
SXSW 2012 Preview (Tuesday, March 06, 2012) — All Songs Considered is Austin-bound! On this week’s show, host Bob Boilen, producer and co-host Robin Hilton, editor Stephen Thompson and NPR Music critic Ann Powers talk about the bands they’re most excited to see this year at South by Southwest. The four-day music festival kicks off on Wednesday, March 14 in Austin, Texas, and features roughly 2,000 artists, spanning countless genres.
Book Reviews from The New York Times
Book Review Podcast (Friday, March 09, 2012) — This week, Hari Kunzru on his new novel, “Gods Without Men”; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Charles Duhigg discusses the science of habits; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.
Books Podcast from NPR
Remembering A Publishing Pioneer, E-Books Democratizing Publishing, more (Monday, February 27, 2012) — Stories in this episode: 1) Publishing Pioneer Barney Rosset Dies At 89; 2) At Last, They See: E-Books ‘Democratize’ Publishing; 3) Murder, Corruption And Cover-Ups In Bloodland; 4) King Peggy: A Cinderella Story — With A Twist; 5) Plotto: An Algebra Book For Fiction Writing
Brain Stuff from HowStuffWorks.com
Semi Submarines (Friday, March 09, 2012) — There’s a reason that most submarines are owned by governments – they’re incredibly expensive. So what’s a sub-loving consumer to do? Tune in as Marshall Brain breaks down the science behind semi subs (and why it makes them so much less expensive).
How does a pressurized airplane cabin work? (Wednesday, March 07, 2012) — How does a pressurized airplane cabin work — more importantly, what happens when the pressure fails? Join Marshall Brain as he breaks down the science behind cabin pressurization.
Can people really build missiles from scratch? (Monday, March 05, 2012) — In the film Salt, Angelina Jolie’s character creates a missile from handy household ingredients — but could this happen in real life? Tune in as Marshall breaks down the science behind improvised explosives.
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
The Coolest Girl Band on the Planet Visits SXSW (Friday, March 09, 2012) — SXSW Music Conference and Festival began in 1987 as a way for musicians to connect. Since then, this Austin-based conference has grown from 700 registrants to 16,000. Tune in to find out more about the history of SXSW and what’s new this year.
Culturetopia from NPR
Pop Culture Happy Hour: Set Apart From A Sentence By An Exclamation Point (Rebroadcast) (Friday, March 09, 2012) — This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, the gang is taking some time off. But that means it’s a good time to revisit one of our favorite past episodes. In this show, from March 2011, NPR Monkey See’s Linda Holmes and the PCHH gang talk about everything a little kid could need to grow up strong, smart, and addicted to lots and lots of elements of pop culture. From Looney Toons, Pee Wee, Weird Al, Super Chicken and Muppets to opera, books, comics and more!
Culturetopia: Attacking Everything Edition (Wednesday, March 07, 2012) — This Week in Culturetopia: the new movie “Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax;” British singer Estelle; fixing the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial; choir culture during the world’s longest Carnival; Anthony Shadid’s “House of Stone”
Film Junk
Episode 360: Project X and We Need to Talk About Kevin (Tuesday, March 06, 2012) — We go bananas for Project X and We Need to Talk About Kevin, discuss trailers for The Avengers and Frankenweenie, and offer additional thoughts on the Oscars, The Color of Money, Terri, Sky Riders and Def-Con 4.
PopStuff from HowStuffWorks.com
Making Books into Movies (Wednesday, March 07, 2012) — Adapting a book into a film is no easy task, and fans of books are often disappointed by the versions of their favorite stories that end up on the big screen. What literature-inspired films do Tracy and Holly love and loathe?
Great Films Fail the Bechdel Test (Monday, March 05, 2012) — The Bechdel test is a basic set of rules to gauge the representation of women in films. While it’s an interesting tool, Tracy and Holly think there are a lot of incredible films that completely fail this test (and many bombs that pass with flying colors).
Science Talk from Scientific American
AAAS Report: Fracking, Whale Rights, Higgs Evidence and Twitter Truthiness (Wednesday, March 07, 2012) — Scientific American editors Mark Fischetti and Michael Moyer discuss some of the sessions they attended at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Subjects covered include fracking, cetacean rights, the Higgs boson and Twitter’s truthiness
Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions with Fred Armisen (Sunday, March 04, 2012) — Put a bird on it! Comedian and musician Fred Armisen of Saturday Night Live and Portlandia talks about making it as a punk musician, Gadhafi the rock star, and spoofing SXSW. Plus, Jim and Greg review the new Springsteen and remember Monkees.
Stuff To Blow Your Mind from HowStuffWorks.com
Novelty Junkies (Thursday, March 08, 2012) — Do you love new experiences and fresh ideas? Join Julie and Robert as they examine neophilia, the love of novelty. How can this swell-sounding human attribute lead one person down the road to ruin and another through a life of success?
The Seven Deadlies: Glutton Chops (Tuesday, March 06, 2012) — When does appetite transform into disorder? What are we to make of competitive eating? Join Robert and Julie as they continue their science-guided tour of hell, chatting with gluttons in the Inferno’s third circle and considering modern forms of gluttony.
Stuff You Missed in History Class from HowStuffWorks.com
Growing Up Brontë (Wednesday, March 07, 2012) — The Brontë sisters are considered some of the best writers of the 19th century but their past may surprise you. Join Sarah and Deblina as they discuss the sisters’ childhood tragedies, unconventional educations and their imaginary worlds.
Mary Anning, Princess of Paleontology (Monday, March 05, 2012) — Mary Anning started hunting for fossils in Lyme Regis in the early 1800s. Around 1811, she uncovered the complete skeleton of an ichthyosaurus. She made several significant contributions to paleontology, so why didn’t she always get credit for her work?
Stuff You Should Know from HowStuffWorks.com
How Noah’s Ark Worked (Thursday, March 08, 2012) — Stories of a great flood and a man who managed to stay afloat while the world drowned abound in ancient traditions. Join Josh and Chuck as they explore the possible evidence of the Great Flood and whether Noah really existed.
Duels: A guide to throwing down the gauntlet (Tuesday, March 06, 2012) — Pretty much everything you know about duels is true – it’s a challenge to violence to defend honor. But did you know the U.S. Navy used to publish detailed guidelines in its midshipmen’s handbook? Learn all there is to know about dueling in this episode.