WHERE TO FIND PODCASTS
Podcasting provides the breadth of information we once expected from cable TV
RADIO
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
PERIODICALS
LISTS OF PODCASTS
LibriVox • free public domain audiobooks
OTHER LANGUAGES
Listening to a short, simple podcast several times is a good way to improve second-language skills. It helps if you stick to topics you know something about, such as current movies.
Language Learning, the iTunes Store
RECOMMENDED
book talk, author interviews
insightful and entertaining discussions of films
interesting interviews with just about everyone
Thousands of free lectures, videos, etc.
the TV science program without the TV
explaining the economy in ways we can understand
music and comedy
The New York Times Book Reviews
talks with authors, editors and critics
The New York Times technology podcast
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design)
“Ideas Worth Spreading” from the TED conferences (watch the videocasts)
critic Elvis Mitchell interviews film people
the arts and everyday life
VIDEO WEBCASTS
These can be played on your browser and on some players and phones. Both Google and iTunes offer free video webcasts.
PODCASTS FROM PRINT
Mac users with Snow Leopard or higher can convert text documents into audio.
To set it up, launch System Preferences, then select Keyboard, then Keyboard Shortcuts at the top, then Services in the column on the left. Scroll down to the Text folder, open it, and check Add To iTunes As A Spoken Track.
Insert several returns between paragraphs before converting the text. Otherwise there will not be a long-enough pause.
To convert the text, select it, choose Services from the menu of that application (for example, TextEdit), scroll down to Services, and pick Add To iTunes As A Spoken Track. A bell will sound when the action has been completed.
Open iTunes and click Spoken Text (near the bottom of the left-hand column). The new podcast will be named Text To Speech. Change the name to the subject of the article, and move the podcast to your player. (See DOWNLOADING)
STREAMING WEBCASTS
Podcasts aren't the only Webcasts you can listen to or watch. Many sites offer streaming audio or video. Audio software like RealAudio or Windows Media Player are used to listen to or watch streaming subjects. Unilke podcasts, streams begin immediately and can only be listened to or watched at that time.
