June 5 - 11, 2016
1. The Cracked Podcast - How NASA Was Born Out of Magic Loving, Orgy Having Nerds (#126)
I'll admit that at times I listen to podcasts peripherally, multitasking and inevitably not catching the finer nuances of a given episode. Generally the medium lends itself well to this kind of behavior, but some shows are better suited than others. The Cracked Podcast, for instance, is great to have on while accomplishing other things because it is discussion based where each story tends to be pretty brief. But far from being trite, the formula for this show (funny people researching and discussing widely unheard of topics) produces highly entertaining bits of listening on a theme that is usually far reaching. This week, the morsel of thought gleaned from discussion of the frankly insane NASA origin story is that sci-fi literature often begets new technology. #126 is Cracked at it's best - meeting at the pinnacle of wit and "What?!"
2. Code Switch - Re-remembering Muhammad Ali
Code Switch finds some more substantial footing than it had in the debut episode. During a week with a dearth of Muhammad Ali coverage, this show had some great takes on the legacy of a man some proclaim as America's greatest athlete. I can't claim to have known much about Ali, growing up in a time where boxing had long since faded from a place of culture importance in this country, but I was surprised to learn of the extent of his bravado. The Code Switch team certainly applied an appropriate critical lens that amplified the man's cultural stature into a more fully formed mental image. Hopefully history can remember the athlete and the activist with correct amounts of attention paid to the complexities of his existence.
3. Open Account - Practical Dreamers: Immigration & Financial Assimilation
The latest wave of Open Account episodes seem to be less money-focused than the first few, which generally means this is just another interview style podcast without a compelling motif. That said, this particular episode resonated with me and made me think about how immigrants see money in a whole different light than someone who has two or three generations of ancestry in their country of birth. Money lacks the import endowed by those more assimilated into American culture, and instead takes a back seat to the basic life forces like family and freedom to pursue a life where salaries are almost guaranteed to be low.
I'll admit that at times I listen to podcasts peripherally, multitasking and inevitably not catching the finer nuances of a given episode. Generally the medium lends itself well to this kind of behavior, but some shows are better suited than others. The Cracked Podcast, for instance, is great to have on while accomplishing other things because it is discussion based where each story tends to be pretty brief. But far from being trite, the formula for this show (funny people researching and discussing widely unheard of topics) produces highly entertaining bits of listening on a theme that is usually far reaching. This week, the morsel of thought gleaned from discussion of the frankly insane NASA origin story is that sci-fi literature often begets new technology. #126 is Cracked at it's best - meeting at the pinnacle of wit and "What?!"
2. Code Switch - Re-remembering Muhammad Ali
Code Switch finds some more substantial footing than it had in the debut episode. During a week with a dearth of Muhammad Ali coverage, this show had some great takes on the legacy of a man some proclaim as America's greatest athlete. I can't claim to have known much about Ali, growing up in a time where boxing had long since faded from a place of culture importance in this country, but I was surprised to learn of the extent of his bravado. The Code Switch team certainly applied an appropriate critical lens that amplified the man's cultural stature into a more fully formed mental image. Hopefully history can remember the athlete and the activist with correct amounts of attention paid to the complexities of his existence.
3. Open Account - Practical Dreamers: Immigration & Financial Assimilation
The latest wave of Open Account episodes seem to be less money-focused than the first few, which generally means this is just another interview style podcast without a compelling motif. That said, this particular episode resonated with me and made me think about how immigrants see money in a whole different light than someone who has two or three generations of ancestry in their country of birth. Money lacks the import endowed by those more assimilated into American culture, and instead takes a back seat to the basic life forces like family and freedom to pursue a life where salaries are almost guaranteed to be low.
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