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
Tame Impala, Blur and a Lot of New Music You Are About to Discover (Tuesday, August 07, 2012) — In addition to some safety advice, this week’s All Songs Considered features: The R&B singer Miguel and his infectious vocal hiccup, a warm and captivating song from Conveyor, a big, blue Blur box set, and a song with serious swagger from Tame Impala.
Book Reviews from The New York Times
Book Review Podcast (Friday, August 10, 2012) — On this week’s podcast, Emma Gilbey Keller talks about Rachel Cusk’s Aftermath; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Tyler Cowen discusses Joseph E. Stiglitz’s new book about income inequality; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.
Books Podcast from NPR
Oslo’s Jagged Edges, Hemingway, Olympic Reads and more (Thursday, July 26, 2012) — Stories in this episode: 1) Jo Nesbo’s Fiction Explores Oslo’s Jagged Edges 2) New Edition Includes 39 Different Farewells To ‘Arms’ 3) ‘In The Attic’: Whips, Witches And A Peculiar Princess 4) Get Revved Up: London Cabbie Picks Olympic Reads
Brain Stuff from HowStuffWorks.com
What are MP3 files and how do they work? (Friday, August 10, 2012) — CDs store music using 44,100 16-bit digital samples per second, adding up to about 10 megabytes per minute — and that’s too large to move easily move across the internet. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn how MP3 files solve this problem.
How do smoke detectors intercommunicate? (Wednesday, August 08, 2012) — Some AC-powered smoke detectors are wired to communicate with each other. So when one unit is triggered, all of the units go off. Find out how this intercommunication works in this episode.
How does safety glass work? (Monday, August 06, 2012) — Laminated safety glass has been around since the 1920s. Find out how safety glass is made, how it works and what it’s used for in this episode of BrainStuff.
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
St. Michaels on the Chesapeake Bay (Friday, August 10, 2012) — How did this 400 year old shipbuilding and fishing town reinvent itself as a tourist haven? How can you stay overnight in a lighthouse? What’s the connection with Frederick Douglass?
Culturetopia from NPR
On Fall TV And Whether Criticism Is Too Nice (Friday, August 10, 2012) — This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See’s Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Glen Weldon and guest Barrie Hardymon talk about the fall TV season. What looks awful and what looks interesting? They also discuss Jacob Silverman’s recent Slate essay, “Against Enthusiasm.” Has book criticism and criticism in general become too nice? All that, plus What’s Making Us Happy this week.
Film Junk
Episode 380: Total Recall (Tuesday, August 07, 2012) — We try to forget Total Recall and discuss Vertigo being named the greatest film of all time, plus Rec 3: Genesis, Bernie, Detachment and a little taste of Chuck Norris.
PopStuff from HowStuffWorks.com
PopStuff Doesn’t Believe the Hype (Wednesday, August 08, 2012) — Marketers often depend on hype to foster interest in a product, but sometimes, the hype machine backfires. Tracy and Holly talk about the hype cycle and hash out how it applies to tech, movies, music and other consumables.
Chocolate-dipped PopStuff (Monday, August 06, 2012) — Chocolate is one of the most beloved sweets the world over. Tracy loves it and Holly’s indifferent, but what really fascinates them both is the culture around this confection.
Science Talk from Scientific American
What’s Next for Curiosity on Mars (Tuesday, August 07, 2012) — Scientific American contributor David Appell talks with Mars Science Lab Project leader John Grotzinger, professor of geology at Caltech, about the plans for the rover on the Martian surface.
Curiosity Lands on Mars (Monday, August 06, 2012) — Less than an hour after NASA received confirmation that the Curiosity rover was safely on the Martian surface, some principal members of the mission briefed the press. This is an edited presentation of that briefing, which started at about 11:20 P.M. Pacific time on August 5.
Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions with Jack White (Sunday, August 05, 2012) — Jim and Greg sit down with the hardest working man in rock, Jack White, at Third Man studios in Nashville.
Stuff To Blow Your Mind from HowStuffWorks.com
I Scream, You Scream (Thursday, August 02, 2012) — From screaming infants to cinematic scream queens, there’s no denying the universal language of yelling. But why do we do it? What are we communicating? In this episode, Julie and Robert explain how a little screaming can do you a world of good.
Fecal Fossils: The Cave of Forgotten Poops (Tuesday, July 31, 2012) — You can learn a lot from an animal’s scat, even if that animal hasn’t walked the Earth since prehistoric times. In this episode, Robert and Julie explore the fascinating world of coprolite and ponder just what ancient humans and creatures ate.
Stuff You Missed in History Class from HowStuffWorks.com
How the Titanic Worked (Wednesday, August 08, 2012) — 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking. In our own memorial to the Titanic’s sinking, we revisit a classic episode from Candace and Jane, in which they explore the ship’s tragic history. We’ll also explore some recent Titanic research.
A Medici Marriage: Marguerite-Louise d’Orléans (Monday, August 06, 2012) — Marguerite-Louise d’Orléans was the grandchild of the King of France, cousin of Louis XIV and eventually betrothed to Cosimo III de Medici. Her marriage was (to say the least) unstable. But how did she finally find herself back in France?
Stuff You Should Know from HowStuffWorks.com
How Shark Attacks Work (Thursday, August 09, 2012) — A shark attack is a terrifying experience for the victim — but are sharks really man-eating monsters with a taste for human flesh? Join Josh and Chuck as they ask why sharks attack, how attacks occur and which sharks are most likely to attack someone.
How Ramadan Works (Tuesday, August 07, 2012) — It’s the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, and for good reason. It was during the month of Ramadan that Mohammed began to issue the Koran. Learn about the customs and traditions behind observing Ramadan in this episode of Stuff You Should Know.
WNYC’s Radiolab
Shorts: Argentine Invasion (Monday, July 30, 2012) — From a suburban sidewalk in southern California, Jad and Robert witness the carnage of a gruesome turf war. Though the tiny warriors doing battle clock in at just a fraction of an inch, they have evolved a surprising, successful, and rather unsettling strategy of ironclad loyalty, absolute intolerance, and brutal violence.