There do seem to be a lot of skepticism related podcasts, which is interesting.
I listen to the Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe every week - but it’s not just “HAHA ATLANTIS ISN’T REAL” - they cover interesting science news, skeptical news (for instance the ongoing battle to teach creationism in schools, homeopathy becoming accepted into the NHS in England, etc) and often interview interesting people.
I used to like Stuff You Missed In History Class (used to be Fact or Fiction), but the new host strikes me as an awkward kid and grates on me. The old one (Josh, IIRC) was much better. Most of the howstuffworks.com podcasts are pretty decent, but not as detailed/accurate as I’d prefer.
That being said, I found that particular episode (the '80s one) really damned funny. Most of their ‘random music of the week’ episodes are dull for me, and the companion song-of-the-day podcast, Second Stage is a lot of misses with occasional wild hits for my taste, but at least it’s only one song and I can skip or keep listening as suits my preference. I’d like to hear more artist interview/“artist as the DJ” episodes from ASC; there were some good interviews with artists from bands like Radiohead and The Go! Team, for instance.
For knitting podcasts, is that the Knitty one? I haven’t heard that, but Ready Set Knit (from the Webs/yarn.com shop in Massachusetts) seems pretty decent. It’s actually broadcast on their local public radio station (you can hear the station promo they do at the end), and the sound quality is good, no vulgarities, etc. Typical episodes are the husband and wife owners talking about the new yarns in their shop, short interview with a yarn company rep (one recent one was from Tahki, IIRC) or knitting book author, then a knit-along segment at the end. Half hour, short and sweet, pretty professional.
I’m not sure where you get that. In everything I’ve ever seen or read (and I’m kind of a fanboy, so that’s a lot) Smith has come across as genuinely baffled by his own success, and he’d be the first to tell you his movies aren’t for everybody.
That being said, Smodcast isn’t very good. There are good bits, if you’re willing to wade through an hour of pointless stoner rambling. If he would do a show about something, instead of just turning on the microphone while he’s bullshitting with his buddies–it could be worth listening to.
I also agree on Stuff You Should Know. It’s such a great concept, and it’s completely ruined by the horrible delivery.
I listen to Stuff You Should Know, but I’m not sure why. The hosts really aren’t that knowledgeable. At least once a show they say something outright stupid or admit they don’t know some pretty basic stuff. I remember one show where they spent some time trying to figure out if Tibet was its own country. Now, an ordinary guy thats cool. But these guys chose to run a trivia show. They really ought to have a broader knowledge base. Cecil they ain’t. Anyway, you could learn just as much spending five minutes on Wikipedia. I guess I just keep listening because the topics they choose are stuff I usually wouldn’t think much about.
I guess the skeptic ones don’t grab me because I’m from a non-religious family and lived in a part of America where religion isn’t a huge force. So atheism just isn’t that shocking, and doesn’t play a huge part of my identity.
This may sound obvious, but the Laura Ingraham show sucks. I like to listen to conservative talk radio while I exersize because it lets me keep up with the enemy and I kind of like pissing myself off. I used to listen to The Radio Factor, which I actually enjoyed. But apparently that is no longer happening. I thought Laura would be a good substitute, but all she does is shrill yelling. Not at all fun!
I did listen to the WEBS podcast for quite a while, but I got bored because I’m not really interested in their knit/crochet-alongs. It did always make me laugh to hear the by-play between Kathy and Steve Elkins.
The only remaining podcast I listen to is Cast On, which has content, and is pretty professionally produced for a one-woman gig.
Oh God, I hate “Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me”. I’ve never actively listened to it, but my roommate is playing it all the damn time. It’s so…I’m grasping for the word here…cheesy? The humor is just so overstated (if that’s the opposite of understated). And something about the ‘wacky’ voices, and the smug fact-knowing…it’s just really freaking grating. It’s like a bad dream of a world where the evolution of mainstream humor stopped in 1959.
(Oh duh, was thinking Knitpicks and typed the wrong one… but do they have one?)
And you got my hopes up there. I think I would like hearing Amy Singer do a podcast!