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!
This page features the Yahoo! WebPlayer, an easy way to bring audio and video into a website. The podcasts listed below will open and play in the WebPlayer automatically. Cool!
All Songs Considered from NPR
Dancing While The Sun Comes Up: Detroit Electronic Music Festival, 2012 Recap (Wednesday, May 30, 2012) — Last week, about a hundred DJs and bands played to more than a 100-thousand lovers of electronic dance music. They all came together for one reason: to dance, and that’s what they did 24-7, for three days. Now in its thirteenth year, Movement: Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival has featured an enormously diverse group of electronic producers and DJs from around the world. Fresh off the plane from Detroit, NPR’s Sami Yenigun and U Street Music Hall promotions director Morgan Tepper talk to host Bob Boilen about the music they heard at the festival’s parties, the after-parties and the after-after-parties.
Book Reviews from The New York Times
Book Review Podcast (Friday, June 01, 2012) — This week, Peter Keepnews talks about Animal House; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Robin Finn discusses Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen; Gregory Cowles has best-seller news; and Times staffers share their summer reading plans. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.
Books Podcast from NPR
Maurice Sendak, Rachel Maddow and more (Monday, May 14, 2012) — Stories in this episode: 1) An Inside Look At Sendak’s Wonderful Magic 2) Drift: Rachel Maddow On Why We Go To War 3) Wolf Hall Sequel: Cromwell In All His Complexity 4) Teachers Make A Difference, What About You? 5) Beyond The Blonde: A Look At Marilyn’s Inner Life
Brain Stuff from HowStuffWorks.com
How do space mirrors work? (Friday, June 01, 2012) — Mirrors placed in space could deflect excessive sunlight and combat global warming trends. Find out more about space mirrors in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
Can we make gasoline from bacteria? (Wednesday, May 30, 2012) — A new company is claiming that, next year, the problems of carbon emissions, foreign oil dependence, oil spills, fuel shortages, etc. will all end due to a breakthrough in biotechnology. Is it true?
How does a fiber optic cable work? (Monday, May 28, 2012) — Fiber optic cables make long-distance telephone communication and Internet access much more affordable and accessible. Get Marshall’s explanation of fiber optic cables in this episode of BrainStuff.
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
Cleveland Rocks (Friday, June 01, 2012) — This week, we visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Where else can you see The Beatles’ drum set and Katy Perry’s candy coated dress? Find out what else you can see at this museum, plus learn how it came to Cleveland in the first place.
Culturetopia from NPR
Character Makeovers And Our Summer TV Quiz (Friday, June 01, 2012) — This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See’s Linda Holmes chats with Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and esteemed producer Mike Katzif for a look at characters in pop culture that have been reinvented countless times — from Robin Hood to James Bond and Snow White to Spider-Man and Hamlet. Which work the best and which are the favorites? Then a Weird Summer TV Quiz. All that plus What’s Making Us Happy this week.
Film Junk
Episode 370: Men in Black 3 and Battleship (Sunday, May 27, 2012) — We nod our heads to Men in Black 3 and detonate Battleship plus we also discuss The Great Gatsby trailer, the G.I. Joe Retaliation delay, Hollow Man, Black Book, Theo Fleury: Playing with Fire and Take This Waltz.
PopStuff from HowStuffWorks.com
The Culture of Smoking (Wednesday, May 30, 2012) — Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health. As smoking bans and legislation have become more restrictive, have smokers become societal pariahs? Tracy shares her experiences of growing up in the tobacco belt as PopStuff examines the social implications of smoking’s ebb.
Royal Family Obsession (Monday, May 28, 2012) — Millions of people watched William and Kate’s wedding. Diana still has devoted fans. What is it about royalty, that so captures our attention and imagination? And why does Holly love Queen Victoria so much?
Science Talk from Scientific American
The Transit of Venus, Part 2 (Thursday, May 31, 2012) — Mark Anderson, author of the book The Day The World Discovered the Sun, talks about the transit of Venus coming up on June 5th or 6th in different parts of the world and how it will be of use to astronomers searching for exoplanets
The Transit of Venus, Part 1 (Wednesday, May 30, 2012) — With a transit of Venus coming up on June 5th or 6th in different parts of the world, Mark Anderson, author of the book The Day The World Discovered the Sun, talks about the great efforts to track the transits of Venus in the 1760s and the science they would produce.
Virus Victors: People Who Control HIV (Tuesday, May 29, 2012) — Bruce Walker, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, M.I.T. and Harvard, talks about his article in the July issue of Scientific American magazine called “Controlling HIV,” about rare individuals who never develop AIDS after being infected by the virus.
Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions: Disco Doesn’t Suck (Sunday, May 27, 2012) — Jim and Greg go Disco. Tune in to hear their thoughts on Donna Summer, Robin Gibb and why this oft-dissed genre deserves more respect. Plus, reviews of new releases from Beach House and Killer Mike.
Stuff To Blow Your Mind from HowStuffWorks.com
The Centaur with Two Hearts (Thursday, May 31, 2012) — The mythical centaur represented man’s dual nature — and as one biologist points out, the creature would also need two hearts. In this episode, Robert and Julie discuss all things centaur, from the creature’s symbolic meaning to its fictional anatomy.
Summer Reading List (Tuesday, May 29, 2012) — Need new ideas for your summer reading? In this episode, Julie and Robert share their favorite books as well as a heads-up on what they intend to read this summer. Tune in to learn more about mind-blowing science fiction, non-fiction and literary fiction.
Stuff You Missed in History Class from HowStuffWorks.com
Nikola Tesla and the War of Currents Part 1 (Wednesday, May 30, 2012) — In 1857 Nikola Tesla began work on direct current motor issues. In 1884, he approached Thomas Edison with ideas about alternating current, but Edison championed direct current. Their disagreement led to one of history’s most famous scientific rivalries.
P.T. Barnum’s Biggest Stars (Monday, May 28, 2012) — P.T. Barnum worked with many performers. Perhaps the most famous was the diminutive General Tom Thumb. Barnum also promoted Swedish singer Jenny Lind, but his biggest act was Jumbo the Elephant, an African elephant he bought from the London Zoo.
Stuff You Should Know from HowStuffWorks.com
Can it rain frogs? (Thursday, May 31, 2012) — If you’ve seen the movie Magnolia, you’ve seen what it looks like to rain frogs. While there are reports of frogs, fish and even squid raining down that are questionable, science has figured out how it can – and does – rain frogs sometimes.
Do video games produce real-life violence? (Tuesday, May 29, 2012) — The disturbing trend of school shootings around the world has dragged violence in video games into the hot seat. But are violent video games actually more capable of producing real violence in gamers or is it just the latest victim of societal hysteria?
WNYC’s Radiolab
Colors (Monday, May 21, 2012) — Our world is saturated in color, from soft hues to violent stains. How does something so intangible pack such a visceral punch? This hour, in the name of science and poetry, Jad and Robert tear the rainbow to pieces.