GITweekly

Super lofty headline indeed. And probably not true. Probably.

But if you’re in the market for something to save you from the FM radio blues – try one of these Podcasts.

They’ve been rated, ranked and received runty reviews.

World leaders have stated* that “the Podcast” could “end all wars” as well as “leading to homes with cleaner carpets”.

So there you have it. Irrefutable proof that the GITcast list of “Podcasts you must listen to” is a list. Get into it.

*Probably not true. Although it might. Or not. Your choice.

The story of “Habib” winds-up with the storyteller’s realisation that we can begin to use scepticism as a defense against our situation. This leads to us not listening to the people that aren’t listened to. We then don’t hear the truths.

Maybe I’ve lost a little in translation, but this poignant story from the writer/blogger/storyteller Ted Conover truly establishes my belief that the internet is the new “campfire”. The place to hear remarkable stories of humanity, loss, triumph, and learning. These are stories to inspire and change us.

One such “campfire” is a site called The Moth.

In their blurb, The Moth, sprang from one writer’s desire to recreate the feeling of sitting on his mate’s porch, connecting and sharing tales. These come-togethers started as a lounge room gathering and have since expanded into large venues throughout New York City.

Nowadays these stories can be subscribed to via RSS feeds or more simply through iTunes. Just download and get lost in some remarkable storytelling.

Let me start by saying that I have a dirty little secret. I am a podcast addict.

Have no idea what a podcast is?

In a nutshell they’re radio shows delivered to your music player of choice via the internet. They can also be broken up into two types. The first being the audio podcast and the second is the video podcast – cheesily called the vodcast. I, unfortunately, like both.

To listen to one of these magical creations most people use that fruit company and their software – iTunes.

But if you’d love to be a little more independent then download a podcast aggregator for your computer and set it to download your podcast of choice. Sites like Podcastalley allow you to search for podcasts across a multitude of topics. It’s really not as complicated as it sounds. Where it does get tough is when you have to sift through the dearth of shizenhousen and brilliant podcasts to find the one that tickles your tailbone. It’s taken me a while but we’ve drilled down and found some that fit where the GITweekly.com mindset is at.

The first comes from a network called TWiT. The main man behind TWiT is a bloke called Leo Laporte and he brings to the table a long history of both television and radio, mainly in the tech sector. But what makes his podcasts so good forms the essence of all great podcasts. He’s charismatic, he finds quality co-hosts, he makes sure his audio is top notch and he knows when to sit back and let the others in the room say it all while keeping the show on the rails. The pick for those new to tech would have to be the TWiT network’s namesake podcast – TWiT or This Week in Tech. They discuss the latest news in the tech world from software to phones, and all the in-betweens. Once you feel more adventurous you could venture into the world of open source with the Floss Weekly (can get hardcore) podcast or veer into the world of Apple with MacBreak Weekly.

The next podcast stems from the TWiT network’s Floss Weekly podcast. One of the regular co-hosts is one Jono Bacon. His copilot in the bogan-ly titled Shot of Jaq is his mate Stuart Langridge. What makes this podcast interesting and fairly unique is that it’s really just an intro to a topic. They give you a little “shot” that attempts to provoke conversation on their blogsite. It’s short (typically 10 minutes or so) and topical. Give it a listen if you’re into knowing what’s to know.

The next couple are vodcasts or video podcasts. Although a little more difficult to get into when jogging for safety reasons, they’re great for when you want to kick back and watch some shenanigans. The first is Diggnation. As with the TWiT network, Diggnation is produced by a network – this one’s Revision3. Based upon the popular Digg.com site, the two shizen-stirring hosts (Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht) discuss the most

popular stories as rated by Digg.com. From the new Google phone to whether or not Emma Watson is too young to date. Nice.

And lastly, another offshoot of the Revision3 network. Hosted by the fire eating Mr Happypants – Brian Brushwood. In a nutshell Brian heads off to a pub and teaches street magic and games of *cough* skill to suspecting punters. This one, according to the man himself, has been voted the number one iTunes vodcast – second year running. All in all it’s worth a peek.

So overall this podcast and vodcast caper is worth a peruse. There’s so much rubbish on the idiot box these days that a vodcast may be your saviour. In my opinion the podcast has saved my health. I’d never get through a gym session without the dulcet tones of Uncle Leo in my ears.

Podcasts that are worth a listen:

• TWiT – this week in tech.
• TWiG – this weel in Google.
• Shot of Jaq.
• Floss Weekly – can be hardcore at times.
• Spill Movie Reviews.

Vodcasts worth a watch:

• Scam School – get free drinks from your mates.
• Diggnation.
• Totally Rad Show.
• Robert Llewellyn‘s Car Pool – Kryten from Red Dwarf fame interviews people in his car. Sans rubber suit that is.