wabisabi

iPodius: Podictionary

It may come to no surprise to anyone that knows us that The Other and I are, well -- we're word geeks. If I'm honest, I'm more of a French word geek than an English word geek, and one of my favourite items here on the computer is a copy of Le Robert, kind of the French equivalent of the complete Oxford, citations and etymology and all.  I'm constantly writing down French words that take my fancy and looking them up in Le Robert.

So I don't know why it took me so long to get around to subscribing to Charles Hodgson's most excellent podcast, Podictionary:  the podcast for word lovers.  It was on my list of things to go grab, but every time I went to the library I got involved in other things and forgot about it.

However, I had the pleasure of meeting Charles Hodgson at Podcasters Across Borders in June, and found him so interesting and delightful to speak with that I immediately went and subscribed using the hotel's fast internets.  I haven't missed an episode since, and I've gone back and grabbed some of the earlier ones as well.

Podictionary is a tiny, perfect podcast -- it appears daily, Monday to Friday, and it's generally well under five minutes in length.  A transcript of each episode appears both on the web site and in the show notes, and I do find I use it if I'm feeling tired; however, for the most part, the episodes are so concise and well-crafted that they are an easy listen first thing in the day.

Charles has also written a book, Carnal Knowledge:  A Naval Gazer's Dictionary of Anatomy, Etymology, and Trivia (St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0312371217) that will be published on August 9th, and which has one of the best book covers I've seen in a while.

I Podius: Some thoughts on goals

I was challenged by Canadian Podcaster Emeritus Mark Blevis to list my podcasting goals for this summer.

Which I have done -- over at Purl Diving.

Wander on over if you're interested in reading my podcasting version of War and Peace.

(meaning, of course, that I wrote a tome...)

i Podius: Le Québec en baladodiffusion

Today, one of the few non-English language podcasts I regularly listen to -- Le Québec en baladodiffusion.  "Baladodiffusion" is the French term for "podcasting" -- it comes, I presume, from the combination of "baladeur", which is what a Walkman (or other portable audio device) is called, and "diffusion", distribution or diffusion (of sound, in this case).

And "Le Québec en baladodiffusion" is the podcast of Montrealer Sylvain Grand'Maison.  Sylvain is an enthusiastic podcast devotee who decided, last summer, to start one of his own. It's loosely modelled on two  other podcasts in regular rotation on my  iPod -- the Canadian Podcast Buffet (which I wrote about in the last iPodius post), and Ted Riecken's Island Podcasting (which I'll write about at another time).

Sylvain, like the CPB,  presents a view of the technological, legal, and social aspects of podcasting.  And also like the CPB (whose hosts also organize the Canadian Podcast Directory) Sylvain has created a listing of podcasts produced in Québec.

But like Ted Riecken (who also, by the way, discusses many of the issues involved in new techology and the podcasting world), Sylvain also makes an effort to give us a sense of place, the place he lives in -- Québec -- through soundseeing tours, through interviews, and by telling us about his life.

You may have noticed that the podcasts I enjoy the most are the ones in which the podcaster gives me a real sense of what it's like to live where he/she does, what are the customs, the culture, the local or family traditions that are important to him/her.  What's interesting with LQEB is that it really is a learning experience for me, culturally speaking.  I learned to speak French in France, and not only is the way I express things different, but also my French-language cultural base is purely French.  Québec really is a mystery to me, but through Sylvain's podcast, I'm learning more about that province and its culture.  In fact, one of the really fascinating episodes for me featured an interview with a French ex-pat living in Québec -- boy, could I relate to some of the things he talked about, which strikes me as really funny given I'm a Canadian.  And sad, in a way, because I realize that I know less about some of my fellow Canadians than I do about another culture on the other side of the ocean.

But there is another reason that LQEB is on my mind this evening -- it's because I've been thinking about Podcasters Across Borders.  Eleven days remain to register and pay the early bird discounted price -- after that the registrations fee goes up to $100 (still a bargain, if you ask me).  And I wanted to encourage anyone who is podcasting to think about attending -- but also, I wanted to encourage anyone who is thinking about starting a podcast to consider going as well, because PAB will be not only a place to learn about the fine details of the craft, but also a place to learn the ins and outs, to get a start, and to make connections with some of the really fascinating people already doing it. 

And the connection with Sylvain and his podcast?  Last year, Sylvain attended PAB.  He wasn't yet podcasting, but he was interested.  He went to PAB and immediately afterwards started LQEB.  He found the inspiration and encouragement to take the final leap at PAB, and he has produced what has turned out to be a Very Fine Podcast.  Actually, it was a Very Fine Podcast from the very beginning, which is impressive in of itself -- but over the course of 17 episodes, he's managed to fine tune things, which wasn't easy to do, given how great his podcast was from the very beginning.

I don't know Sylvain well, but I do know from listening to his podcast that he's enthusiastic and upbeat.  What I've also discovered is that Sylvain also offers encouragement to other podcasters -- he's one of those folks that sends an email just to find out how someone is doing, to encourage them to keep podcasting when sometimes life gets in the way.  He's a great model for the podcasting community.

So, if you're toying with the idea of attending PAB, or if you know someone who might enjoy the experience, or heck, if you're a podcast junkie and you'd just like to hang out with some of these great people, then seriously, think about coming to Kingston in June.  I'm sure you won't regret it.

And if you're francophone, or if you're learning French and want some practice, then think about checking out Sylvain's podcast, Le Québec en baladodiffusion -- I'm sure you won't regret that, either.

i Podius

So I know you're all out there burning with curiousity as to what podcasts I actually listen to.

Okay, so maybe not, but I'm going to ramble on about them anyway.

the shoulds

I mentioned the other day that I have a few podcasts on my player that are "shoulds", things I listen to because I think I ought to, for a variety of reasons.  Some are transient -- I try something out just to hear what it's like, and then move on because it's just not for me.  But I think, sometimes, particularly if you are producing podcasts, that it's good to know who's doing what.

Apart from that, I have two "shoulds" that are permanent listens.  The first is Adam Curry's Daily Source Code.  I read somewhere that DSC captures the zeitgeist of the podcasting world, and I wouldn't say that's wrong, and that's why I listen.  I'm not a fan of scatological humour or sexual inuendo -- I'm not offended by it, but it doesn't interest or amuse me -- and there is the occasional bit of that on the DSC.  But Adam Curry also manages to touch on a lot of the issues involved in things like social media, rights management and the like.

I'll confess, I really enjoy the days he has his wife, Patricia Paay, on as a guest.  And whereas I'd never heard of Adam Curry before, I *had* heard of Patricia.  Don't ask me how, but I had.  She's a hoot and has some amazing stories to tell.

My next "must" listen is the Canadian Podcast Buffet.  Hosted by Mark Blevis and Bob Goyetche (who each are involved in a number of other podcasts as well), the CPB is an excellent source of information not only about what is going on in the podcasting world here in Canada, but it's also a good place to start learning about podcasting, or to further your knowledge about the craft.  I confess to having started listening because I thought I ought to, but I enjoy Mark and Bob's banter, and they present ideas or issues in a way that even I (not a technically minded person) can understand.

the woulds

As for my pure pleasure listening, well, there are a few.  First, Quirky Nomads.  Sage Tyrtle presents an almost week-daily podcast, generally short in length, that runs the gamut.  It's almost impossible to describe exactly what she does, but it's always creative or amusing or thought-provoking.  And now that I know what goes into producing audio, I'm honestly staggered at the work that goes into Quirky Nomads.

Next, The Zedcast.  I've written about The Zedcast before, and recommended it privately as well.  Bruce Murray, the host, describes it as consisting of "comedy, skits and stories", and it is.  But it's also more than that.  Bruce manages to capture a sense of place -- not only where he lives, in Nova Scotia, but wherever he happens to take his recording equipment (including to the dentist and the New York Marathon).  In telling his stories, he tells us about his life, his past, his present, and his List (but you'll have to go listen to him to learn more about that).  Like Sage at Quirky Nomads, there's a lot of work that goes into the Zedcast, and a lot of inspiration that comes out of it.

I'll write more about other podcasts in future posts, but I'd like to point out something interesting, especially given my rant about the length of podcasts the other day.  Of these four, Quirky Nomads is generally the shortest.  Sage usually produces something in around the ten minute mark, though occasionally QN will run a half an hour or more, if the subject matter warrants it.  Canadian Podcast Buffet generally runs around 30 minutes.  It's consistent and well-organized.

The Daily Source Code is running around 45 minutes these days.  I'm finding that a little long, I preferred it slightly shorter, but I make time for it.

The Zedcast runs generally 45 minutes to an hour, but it doesn't feel like it at all.  In fact, I just listened to the latest episode, which clocked in at just over 52 minutes, and when it was over I was disappointed that it was done.  But there we are, an example of how when someone takes the time to put things together in a way that is pleasing for the listener (from the content to the editing and beyond), it's worth every listening minute.

that's it?  only four?

No, of course not.  More in a future post.