Saturday, April 10, 2010

Kevin's 5 Favorite Podcasts

I commute to work everyday like many , if not most people in japan. I spend a lot of time everyday squished on trains filled with despondent office workers and students. i also have a need to here English since the media I encounter on a daily basis is normally in Japanese.

Like many folks out there, I connect with the world outside of Japan through podcasts. I simply wanted to share with those out there, my top 5 podcasts. the ones I look forward to and am excited to see download each week, or day, in my iTunes tray.

Kevin's Top 5 Fave Podcasts

1. Stuff You Should Know
Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, two staff writers for the "How Stuff Works" website have a twice weekly podcast where they look at amazing facts and interesting topics on every subject imaginable. They are witty, intelligent and normally leave me laughing out loud on crowded Japanese trains! With How Stuff Works, not only will you learn a lot, but possibly leave your pants wet with urine from laughing so much!

2. Q
5 days a week I listen to this AMAZING arts and culture show from CBC Radio. The host, Jian Ghomeshi is possibly one of the best interviewers I have ever heard. His is intelligent, insightful and knows the global cultural scene like no other.

Here is a recent interview with singer Nora Jones on Q.


3. Diggnation
This weekly tech/culture podcast has hilarious and knowledgeable hosts, Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht taking a funny and informative look at tech and tech culture around the world. This podcast is often booze-fueled and usually has me laughing out loud in inappropriate locations!


4. Seoul Podcast
This is a weekly (not so much these days) podcast created by 3 English teachers based in South Korea. Joe, Stafford and Jennifer give their interesting and often amusing viewpoints on life in South Korea as non-Koreans. They look at history, news and culture and also look at the expat community in South Korea. Often, interesting bloggers and other panelists are on the show. In recent months, the show's three hosts have become busier and have not been producing regular shows. Once weekly, now there are episodes once or twice a month. Since I lived and worked in Korea for more than five years (hence my You Tube name BusanKevin), I am still interested in the goings on there. I have always looked forward to listening to Seoul Podcast each week and hope it becomes a more regular installment once again.

5. Japan Talk
Very well produced and of a very high quality, Japan talk is a weekly roundup of news and interesting stories in Japan. It is produced by the creator of the Japundit website. If you are in any way interested in Japan, this amazing podcast is a must listen.

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