June 8, 2006

• Nerdier then thou

  In case my recent devotion to Japanese and Anime didn't convince you
  that I'm irreconcilably nerdy, I'm also really into podcasts.

  Myth:
  you need an iPod to listen to podcasts. This is not the case. You can
  listen to podcasts on any mp3 player, or hell, you can just listen to
  them on your computer. You don't need to use iTunes either. Any aggregator will do. Podcasting seems to have with it an elaborate community of people (the podosphere), trading favours regularly. It's quite interesting: breaking in on a new community.

  Some of my favourites:

  The Nate and Di Show
  This
  podcast is not for the offended. Notice how I don't say easily
  offended. Quite frankly, if you're not a turbo left wing drug user who
  thinks Christianity is the cause of many of the words problems, and you
  have it in you to get offended, then you won't like this show.
  Personally, I'm quite a lefty, and I'm nearly notorious for my forays
  into the world of light intoxicants. The Christianity thing gets to me
  a little, but over all, the problem is that they associate Christianity
  with Conservative Capitalist America, and not a problem with what
  Christianity actually teaches. So, if you can get over all of that, I promise that this show will entertain (I'm looking at you, Becky English).

  The Onion Radio News
  This
  feed isn't like a normal Podcast. It's a one minute a day cast, with
  funny little quips. I often start my day with a healthy dose of satire.

  Scott Sigler and J.C. Hutchins
  These
  are two shows, but I mention them in the same breath. They are both
  Podcast Novels. Sigler leans more toward horror, while Hutchins more to
  sci-fi. Never the less, these are both good books, and they are low
  commitment too. You can just listen to the first couple chapters and
  see. That's what I did... and well, I'm currently anticipating the
  release of each new chapter. I've even gone back and listened to one of
  Sigler's old books.

  Escape Pod
  I've
  found this one only recently, but it's become one of my
  favourites quite fast. Weekly, they release sci-fi short stories. Now, my
  favourite thing about sci-fi in general is the creativity of it.
  Glimpses of alternate worlds and possible futures, all used as tools to
  relate a story that we can relate to in our own time and place. Sci-fi
  short stories are the epitome of this, in my opinion. Again, it's low
  commitment, (I guess all podcasts are) but I think if you gave it a try,
  you'd be hooked.

  Downloadable Content: The Penny Arcade Podcast
  Of
  course, we can't leave out the dynamic duo of web comics. These two, in
  real life, (or I guess the version of it that they record) are just
  fucking hilarious. The show is basically 30 minutes or so of them
  talking about gaming news and trying to come up with a comic from it,
  but damn, I find myself foolishly laughing out loud (loling, if you
  will) on the bus on my way to work.
  
  
  Japancast.net
  I
  just can't leave out Japancast.net. This podcast will probably not
  interest most of the people who read this Blog, as it's main focus is
  Japanese lessons. However, the show itself, and the community that is
  attached to it, has become a really big influence on me as of late. The
  couple who run it (she's native Japanese and he's Otaku) are Christian.
  They have been one of the biggest inspirations for my missionary
  aspirations. It was this show that first pointed me to Asian Access.
  And later, when I told them this, they even mentioned me in the show.
  They've had some really inspiring things to say to me (especially
  Hitomi) about the idea of becoming a missionary in Japan. They are,
  without a doubt, my favourite podcast.

  JapanesePod101.com
  In
  case there is someone reading this who is actually interested in the
  Japanese language, this is where I suggest you look on the Podosphere.
  They have a rather organised and systematic approach to learning
  Japanese, and if you go back to the first episode, they start right
  from the beginning.

  Japan Stories
  This
  is the podcast of the organisation I intend to go to Japan with. It's a
  couple of younger missionaries who talk with people involved in the
  work being done in Japan. Talking to missionaries, Japanese pastors, or
  even just church members who can speak some English. Whether you're
  interested in missionary work or not, it's inspiring to hear about how
  God is using these people in Japan.

  JPop Blast

  This show is run by a British fellow. It's basically JPop radio. Daisuki desu yo (I love it).

  Believe it or not, this is just a sampling. I didn't even get into any
  of the anime shows I listen to. But honestly though, if any of these
  shows interest you, I suggest you try them out. It's worth it.
  

  • 3:19 am
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