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
Fall Music Preview 2012 (Thursday, September 20, 2012) — On this week’s show we’ve got a ton of premieres from Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Martha Wainwright, and Ty Braxton, who offers a cool new remix of Philip Glass. Robin and host Bob Boilen are joined by NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson and critic for The Record Ann Powers to talk about some of the many other releases they’re most looking forward to coming out this fall.
Book Reviews from The New York Times
Book Review Podcast (Friday, September 21, 2012) — This week, Junot Díaz talks about This Is How You Lose Her; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Alex Witchel discusses her memoir All Gone; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.
Books Podcast from NPR
NPR: 09-27-2012 Books (Thursday, September 27, 2012) — Stories: 1) Poverty Informs J.K. Rowling’s New Novel For Adults 2) A Lifetime Of Love In ‘My Husband And My Wives’ 3) A Midcentury Romance, With ‘Sunlight’ And ‘Shadow’ 4) Personal Reflections On ‘Gone With The Wind’ 5) ‘Clifford The Big Red Dog’ Turns 50 (In Human Years)
Brain Stuff from HowStuffWorks.com
How Replacing Toilets Work (Friday, September 28, 2012) — A family of four can consume more than 300 gallons of water per day. Old toilets use 5 gallons per flush, and this water use quickly adds up. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast and learn why cities across the US are replacing their old commodes.
What is a stratospheric aerosol? (Wednesday, September 26, 2012) — Stratospheric aerosols have been proposed as a new way to combat global warming — but what’s the science behind this proposal? Discover how stratospheric aerosols would work in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
How are LCD screens backlit? (Monday, September 24, 2012) — In this episode, Marshall explains the two technologies that are used to backlight LCD panels. Tune in to learn more about the science behind LCD panels.
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
Meet me in Monaco (Friday, September 28, 2012) — Why are we so fascinated with this country that is smaller than Central Park, in New York? How did it become an independent nation? What happens at 11:55 every day there?
Culturetopia from NPR
The State Of Television And The Tweed Set (Friday, September 28, 2012) — This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See’s Linda Holmes, Trey Graham, Stephen Thompson and Glen Weldon talk about the Emmy Awards. Homeland and Modern Family were big winners, but why did the night contain no real surprises? They also explore academia in the form of favorite pop-culture professors. They’ll touch on teachers from ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and even Shakespeare plays. All that, plus What’s Making Us Happy This Week.
Film Junk
Episode 387: Dredd (Monday, September 24, 2012) — We offer our judgment on Dredd and discuss the original Judge Dredd plus The Hobbit trailer, new Robocop suit, Robot and Frank, Demolition Man, This Must Be the Place, The Battle of Algiers, The Sting and Lost in Translation.
Freakonomics Radio
The Tale of the $15 Tomato (Sunday, September 23, 2012) — Trying to go rustic by baking, brewing, and knitting at home can be terribly inefficient. And that’s a wonderful thing.
PopStuff from HowStuffWorks.com
Over the Shoulder PopStuff Holder (Wednesday, September 26, 2012) — It’s true. Tracy and Holly are talking about bras. There’s discussion of brassiere history, fashion, lingerie and (warning) even cup sizes. The gals also compare notes on life with and without an ample bust line.
PopStuff’s Cuppa Joe (Monday, September 24, 2012) — PopStuff is addicted to coffee. This stimulant seems to have a stranglehold on humanity, and an entire culture has sprung up around it. Where does coffee actually come from, and why is our love affair with it so solid?
Science Talk from Scientific American
The Climate of Climate Science (Friday, September 28, 2012) — James McCarthy, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard, talks about climate science and testifying before Congress, and the collaborations between climate scientists and the national security community as well as with evangelicals. And the Union of Concerned Scientists releases a report about the misleading coverage of climate science at Fox News and the Wall Street Journal.
Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions with El-P (Sunday, September 23, 2012) — Rapper, record mogul, and underground hip-hop producer El-P is live in the studio. Plus Jim and Greg review Tempest, the 35th studio album from American music legend Bob Dylan.
Stuff To Blow Your Mind from HowStuffWorks.com
The Wild World of Bats (Thursday, September 27, 2012) — Is the bat the most successful mammal on the planet? Quite possibly! In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and Robert explore the insect-munching, fruit-drinking, blood-lapping world of these amazing winged sound warriors.
Fire Walk With Me (Tuesday, September 25, 2012) — In 2012, Tony Robbins marched thousands of barefoot followers through the coals, injuring under two dozen of them. What was going on in their minds (and in their feet)? Join Robert and Julie as they discuss the physics and mindset of the firewalker.
Stuff You Missed in History Class from HowStuffWorks.com
Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare: Part 2 (Wednesday, September 26, 2012) — Senator McCarthy’s celebrity skyrocketed after he made his name denouncing spies. Fear and intimidation kept many from speaking out against him, but public opinion soon turned. Join Sarah and Ben as they discuss McCarthyism and the Hollywood Blacklist.
The Surprising Life of Henry Ford: Part 1 (Monday, September 24, 2012) — In this episode, CarStuff’s Scott Benjamin joins the show for a discussion of Henry Ford’s early years, inventions and innovations. Yet as Ford’s success grew, his willingness to change did not – and ultimately a darker side of his personality emerged.
Stuff You Should Know from HowStuffWorks.com
Subways: HUH! What are they good for? (Thursday, September 27, 2012) — As ubiquitous as they’ve become, it’s easy to overlook the marvels of engineering that are subways. Chuck and Josh go boring as they explore these systems of tubes that must circumnavigate rock, rivers, cables and more to get you where you’re going.
Q: Are we in the midst of cyberwar? A: Yes (Tuesday, September 25, 2012) — There’s a secret war going on around us, and it’s happening on a daily basis. The Air Force recently launched a new unit specifically designed to carry out and defend against cyberwar. Go deep into this new and alarming type of war with Josh and Chuck.
WNYC’s Radiolab
The Fact of the Matter (Monday, September 24, 2012) — Getting a firm hold on the truth is never as simple as nailing down the facts of a situation. This hour, we go after a series of seemingly simple facts — facts that offer surprising insight, facts that inspire deeply different stories, and facts that, in the end, might not matter at all.