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

New Music: Patti Smith, Best Coast, Debo Band And More (Tuesday, May 08, 2012) — On this edition of All Songs Considered, a strange mishap turns Robin Hilton into a robot … and he/it is programmed to talk about how great a time the All Songs Considered crew had at our fantastic fun. concert. Hiltonbot 2.0 is good and all, but it could never take the place of flesh-and-blood, music-loving nerdery, so the show includes picks from the apparently-human NPR Music editor Jacob Ganz and All Songs intern Dan Raby. On the show: Patti Smith’s first album in eight years, which includes a collaboration with Tom Verlaine on the song “April Fool”; a nostalgic garage-pop offering from Best Coast; Austin’s Deep Time (formerly YellowFever) makes a pop song that surprises; a tropical-infused, electronic song from Hundred Waters and the Debo Band, which Bob fell in love with at globalFEST this year, unveils the first single off its Sub Pop debut.

Book Reviews from The New York Times

Book Review Podcast (Friday, May 11, 2012) — This week, Judith Newman discusses Anne Enright’s memoir Making Babies; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Pamela Paul talks about children’s books; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.

Books Podcast from NPR

The Roaring 20s, Poem In Your Pocket Day, more (Friday, May 04, 2012) — Stories in this episode: 1) Get Ready To Celebrate Poem In Your Pocket Day 2) Rodney King Comes To Grips With The Riot Within 3) Our Roaring 20s: The Defining Decade 4) A Rival For Pigeon In Willems’ New Duckling 5) Death And The Penguin Captures Post-Soviet Reality 6) Both Community And Garden Grow In Seedfolks

Brain Stuff from HowStuffWorks.com

Why do eggs turn hard when you boil them? (Friday, May 11, 2012) — Eggs are rich in protein, and this protein causes eggs to turn hard when they’re boiled – but how does it actually work? Tune in as Marshall Brain breaks down the science behind hard-boiled eggs.

What is Schadenfreude? (Wednesday, May 09, 2012) — Schadenfreude is a German word that means taking pleasure in someone else’s pain. But it’s not the same as sadism, as Marshall Brain explains in this episode. Tune in to learn more about this particularly German sensation.

Can nasal sprays be addictive? (Monday, May 07, 2012) — Some people have become so dependent on their nasal sprays and products that they might worry they’re addicted. Marshall Brain explains why you can’t really be addicted to nasal products in this episode.

The Coolest Stuff on the Planet

Central Park (Friday, May 11, 2012) — About 38 million people visit Central Park in New York every year. Who won the competition to design it? What’s the story behind landmarks like Strawberry Fields, Belvedere Castle and the Alice in Wonderland Statue? Tune in to learn more.

Culturetopia from NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Of Avengers And The Other A-List (Friday, May 11, 2012) — This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR’s Stephen Thompson, Glen Weldon and Trey Graham are joined by Matt Thompson to discuss this summer’s first huge blockbuster, the superhero battle royale, The Avengers. What worked? What didn’t? Then a discussion of who is Hollywood’s so called “A-List.” Plus What’s Making Us Happy this week.

Film Junk

Episode 367: The Avengers and Hot Docs 2012 (Tuesday, May 08, 2012) — We review The Avengers and discuss a handful of films from the Hot Docs Film Festival including The Imposter, Indie Game: The Movie, Shut Up and Play the Hits and GLOW, plus The Dark Knight Rises trailer, The Five-Year Engagement and more.

PopStuff from HowStuffWorks.com

Tracy and Holly’s Running Playlist Episode (Wednesday, May 09, 2012) — Good tunes can make the difference between a mediocre run and a great one. What music moves Tracy and Holly to run, and why are they drawn to their favorite workout songs? Tune in to find out.

Franchise Reboots (Monday, May 07, 2012) — How long should something exist before it’s remade, and what’s the difference between a reboot and a remake? Tracy and Holly dish on the good, the bad and the groan-worthy movie, television, comics and video game do-overs.

Science Talk from Scientific American

Killer Chimps and Funny Feet: Report from the AAPA Conference (Friday, April 27, 2012) — Scientific American editor Kate Wong talks about the recent conference of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in Portland, Oregon, where subjects included killer chimps, unprecented fossil sharing among researchers and divergent hominid foot forms.

Getting Guinea Worm Gone: Report from the AHCJ Conference (Thursday, April 26, 2012) — Scientific American editor Christine Gorman talks about the recent conference of the Association of Health Care Journalists, including Jimmy Carter’s efforts against guinea worm and trachoma, and Rosalynn Carter’s mental health initiatives.

Sound Opinions

Sound Opinions with Sharon Van Etten (Sunday, May 06, 2012) — Sharon Van Etten bares all in our studio. And Santigold is back with a new album and a new bag of tricks.

Stuff To Blow Your Mind from HowStuffWorks.com

Touching the Void: Psychedelics and Death (Thursday, May 10, 2012) — Can psychedelic drugs help prepare terminal patients for death? Can MDMA ease the pain of dying through the ultimate transcendent experience? In this episode, Julie and Robert discuss what some researchers believe may be the future of end-of-life care.

Walls (Tuesday, May 08, 2012) — Civilizations surround themselves in walls. They raise walls against enemies, against the environment and against the spirit world. In this episode, Robert and Julie examine walls, from Ming Dynasty battlements to the galactic borders of our universe.

Stuff You Missed in History Class from HowStuffWorks.com

Freya of Arabia (Wednesday, May 09, 2012) — After a childhood spent roaming Europe, Freya Stark began saving money to take Arabic lessons. Once fluent, she traveled into areas few outsiders had ever been, documenting her travels in best-selling books. Listen in to learn more about Freya of Arabia.

The Battle of Sekigahara (Monday, May 07, 2012) — After the Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, regents and bureaucrats scrambled for power. The rivals Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari rallied supporters to face off in Sekigahara. Tokugawa emerged victorious. But what happened next?

Stuff You Should Know from HowStuffWorks.com

What is a shotgun house? (Thursday, May 10, 2012) — Shotgun houses are iconic pieces of American architecture: they’re long, narrow, and filled with artistic flourishes. But where did they come from? In this episode, Chuck and Josh explore the mysterious origins of shotgun houses.

Did the Dutch trade Manhattan for nutmeg? (Tuesday, May 08, 2012) — Today nutmeg is commonplace, but this wasn’t always the case. In the 17th century, the Dutch and the British fought a trade war over nutmeg. Join Chuck and Josh as they travel across continents and centuries to trace the story of nutmeg and Manhattan.

WNYC’s Radiolab

Shorts: Fetal Consequences (Monday, April 30, 2012) — Mother’s day is nigh. Sort of. Anyway, without knowing it, you might have already given your mom a pretty lasting gift. But whether it helps or hurts her, or both, is still an open question. In this Radiolab short, Robert updates us on the science of fetal cells — one of the first topics he covered as an NPR science correspondent.