The Curious Autodidact

People are often amazed at the variety of subjects I am interested in and can speak about. I attribute this to a lively sense of curiosity and some simple free technological assists. Three technological innovations that I use daily include pod casts, RSS feeds, and Google Alerts. Today I will feature a bit about pod casts and to keep the post shorter I will write about RSS feeds and Google Alerts in the future posts.

I love to subscribe to free pod casts. This allows me to pick and choose the shows that I listen to and the lectures I want to hear most. For the most part these recordings do not include adverts or those sponsorship breaks that make listening that much more of a time consumer. It’s a great way to sample different topics you may not otherwise know a thing about. If you can’t always get out to hear a speaker who comes to town, you can often hear them later on a free pod cast.

I subscribe, without charge, through Apple’s I-Tunes and delete those I don’t care to or have the time to listen to. Yes I’m the cheapskate who has never opened an I-tunes “account” so I don’t spend money on them rather I cull through the thousands that are made available for free, including lectures from Yale, Harvard, and Stanford.

I make cds of particularly stunning ones to send to friends and family who may not have access to mp3 devices, especially elderly friends who may be housebound.

Some of the favorite pod casts I subscribe to include: On Point Radio, Here on Earth, KQED Forum, Leo LaPorte The Tech Guy, Science Friday, WAMU Diane Rehm, The Commonwealth Club of California, and KUOW’s Speaker’s Forum.

Check it out, I think you will find this one of the free and easy ways to learn something new every day and without charge. I usually buy a refurbished i-pod shuffle for less than $40, but there are other off-brand mp3 players that you can buy for less money, or you can listen on your computer. I think you will find that access to these new horizons in knowledge will rock your world!