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Category: Science and Medicine
Skepticality is the official podcast of Skeptic Magazine. It features in-depth discussions of many different topics from a skeptical perspective. Most episodes feature interviews with other skeptics or experts on a given topic. Rarely episodes feature the hosts, Derek and Swoopy, by themselves. Television shows are discussed often and given a skeptical watchability rating. This is a very good show that gives an additional perspective on topics that the mainstream media feeds to the public. Open-minded listeners will learn to think critically and be more aware of those out to deceive. Derek and Swoopy are great, entertaining hosts who use music and audio clips to keep the show upbeat and interesting. Also, this show has been produced consistently since April of 2005. Due to the many recording environments, the show’s sound quality understandably suffers, but being able to record in various places allows the hosts to interview a great variety of people.
Rating: 
Daniel
Rating: Sue
Rating: Jana
Category: Science and Medicine
Sex, love, and Intimacy is a podcast about sexuality with a focus on intimacy within monogamous, heterosexual, and long-term sexual relationships. Each episode features an interview with an author or expert on an area of sexuality. Host Chip August is an effective interviewer who is able to relate with his guests but is not afraid to oppose their view points if he disagrees. Unfortunately, Chip’s audio sounded as if he was calling into a central hub that recorded his vocals along with the guests. As a result, Chip’s audio sounded like it was coming from a poor cell-phone call. Since we are unsure of the exact recording procedures and equipment employed, it is difficult to recommend a better solution. Overall, this is an interesting and informative podcast for heterosexual couples interested in deepening their intimacy and sexual relationship.
Rating: 
Daniel
Rating: Sue
Rating: Jana
Category: Kids and Family
Genealogy Gems Podcast has an intense focus on the importance of the preservation of family and historical traditions. Host Lisa Louise Cooke shares tips that she calls her ‘genealogy gems’ for researching genealogy. Some episodes feature interviews with others involved in different aspects of genealogy research. Lisa starts each episode with news about the show then gets into her gems or interview. Lisa is a great host who is clearly passionate about the topic. She also does a good job of relating different issues in her own life to techniques that can be used in genealogy research. She employs the recordings of nostalgic speeches and music which adds a unique ambience to the show. However, the use of these recordings was excessive at times. This is a good show for anyone interested in genealogy, although it is fairly inconsistent in releasing new shows.
Rating: Daniel
Rating: Sue
Rating: Jana
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Category: Arts – Performing Arts
On the Spirit Blade Underground, host Paeter Frandsen shares news and interviews about Sci-fi entertainment, discusses the genre as it relates to Chrisitianity, and furthers the religious discussion with his interpretation of teachings from the Bible. Paeter is a talented and endearing host, clearly passionate about science fiction and his spiritual faith, and not at all preachy in his discussion of biblical parables. As a musician, teacher, interviewer, and motivator, he also successfully carries the show by himself. While this off-beat show may initially be difficult to understand, listeners who become familiar with the tempo of the show can easily be swept up by Paeter’s enthusiasm. He uses great sound effects and music throughout the show, and the audio quality is to be admired. Fans of Christian Science Fiction as well as audio drama and electronic music are going to find an excellent show here with Spirit Blade Underground.
Rating: Daniel
Rating: Sue
Category: Society and Culture
On Greentalk Radio, host Sean Daily discusses various methods of becoming more “green” or environmentally-friendly. Interviews with authors and experts on the subject show listeners ways to do this in their personal lives as well as in business. The content is relevant, informative, and useful, and the sound quality is generally very good. This is a professional sounding podcast, with shows being released regularly and often. Sean is a great interviewer, but the show lacks a solid format. The one drawback to highly informative shows like this is that the material can be pretty dry and dull. Momentum that is generated in the podcast is halted by commercials which occur too frequently and are poorly timed. Most likely, only the very ecologically-committed are going to be interested in this show from start to finish every week.
Rating: Daniel
Rating: Sue
Category: Health – Sexuality
Dr. Lori Buckley is a licensed psychologist and board certified sex therapist who guides this sensual podcast through a topic often seen as too taboo to be discussed: the immense world of sexuality. Though the title of the podcast is “On The Minds of Men,” the thoughts and perspectives of females are also covered. Dr. Buckley is an expressive and pleasant host who is usually joined by a male interviewee who specialized in a related field. This is very important as it provides a voice for both men and women. Through extremely candid discussions, Dr. Buckley shows that sexuality and intimacy are necessary for having a healthy sex life. On the Minds of Men cannot help but be compelling due to its subject matter and relevant information. While the audio quality isn’t perfect, it is still very easy to understand, with no background noise or interruptions. Ultimately, where the podcast fails is in the lack of new content since April 15, 2008 on episode 27. We hope new episodes are released soon as this is a great podcast for anyone interested in the subject, male or female.
Rating: Daniel
Rating: Sue
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Category: TV and Film
Space Podcast is a bi-monthly podcast about pop-culture news, specifically in the genres of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror, which is associated with the Space channel. The content of the podcast is based on the cable-delivered network, SpaceCast, which is only available in Canada. The hosts are well-spoken, fun and relatable. They offer listeners high quality commentary, interesting interviews, and insights. The podcast covers TV shows, movies, video games, and comics with which the majority of Sci-Fi fans are familiar. Additionally, original programs such as The Circuit and Inside Star Wars are included. The pacing of the podcast is well-timed, and new material is consistently offered. The producer may want to consider changing the title on the RSS feed, but other than that, this is a good show.
Rating: Daniel
Rating: Sue
Category: Education
Camera Dojo is a weekly podcast produced by and for photography professionals and enthusiasts. Host Kerry is a professional photographer who speaks well on the subject. Periodically he has a co-host, and these shows tend to be more entertaining as he has someone with whom to banter. He frequently conducts interviews with others in the industry and discusses cameras and equipment, photo editing software, and being prepared for the unexpected on a photo shoot. All types of cameras and accessories are reviewed as well. Unfortunately, Camera Dojo’s Achilles Heel is the sound quality of the production. The poor quality takes away from the professionalism found in the content. The shows are usually released consistently and although the content isn’t especially entertaining, it is very helpful for those interested in photography.
Rating: Daniel
Rating: Sue
Category: Technology
Views, Blogs, and Blues is a podcast for anyone with a blog or website. Host Rich Palmer discusses many different resources for bloggers and then shares a blues song at the end of every show. Rich is a good host who is knowledgeable in matters of Web 2.0. No doubt, this is applicable to many bloggers who primarily use Wordpress as their platform of choice. The variety of content is such that it will keep listeners coming back bimonthly to learn more. He keeps this content at a reasonable length and then plays blues music for several minutes. He also uses a short blues riff as transition music between topics. We appreciate Richard’s love of the blues, and he will connect with fellow blues lovers. This show is an excellent resource (with a twist) for anyone who owns a blog or website.
Rating: Daniel
Rating: Sue
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Common Sense with Dan Carlin
Category: News and Politics
Common Sense is a very politically-charged and opinionated commentary by Dan Carlin, a self-proclaimed “independent” thinker who breaks down current events into simple, common sense terms for the listener. Dan is an extremely engaging and enthusiastic host who often uses analogies and metaphors to explain his political analysis. He also displays an excellent grasp of politics and history and seems to criticize all political figures evenly, without obvious bias towards any particular party. Dan has a great knack for taking current events and translating them into real terms that anyone can understand. This show is a must-listen, not just for those interested in politics, but for anyone who votes.
Rating: Daniel
Rating: Sue
Zune Insider
Category: Gadgets
Edgy Reviews discussed the importance of the Zune Insider podcast in episode 47. However, this is the actual review of the podcast. Zune Insider covers all aspects of Microsoft’s Zune mp3 player and its media store, including discussion of its features and technical issues as well as news related to the Zune. This show also gives special attention to podcasting in relation to the Zune store and community. Rob and Ceasar are Zune insiders and are able to speak confidently about the Zune, answering listeners’ questions about technical issues they may have. Unfortunately, in early episodes the audio quality of the podcast was lacking and not representative of what one would envision for the official Zune podcast. The background looping music was too loud and actually drowned out the hosts and became annoying. Recent episodes have had improved sound quality. This show is an excellent resource for Zune owners as well as podcasters who are interested in an additional venue for podcast distribution.
Rating: Daniel
Rating: Sue
Wikipedia Weekly
Category: Tech News
Wikipedia Weekly is a somewhat-weekly podcast in which a group of “Wikipedians” discuss news relating to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia and its community. The international hosts discuss the technical and political challenges that Wikipedia faces, but tend to ramble off-topic for too long. The highlight of Wikipedia Weekly is the Top 100 Wikipedia Articles of the Week, which discusses the very thing the mainstream public finds most compelling about Wikipedia: the content. Unfortunately, the show is disrupted by constant knocks and thuds of background noise. The volume levels for the hosts are uneven and at times it is difficult to understand what is being said. In a recent episode, one of the hosts slept during the entire show causing mumbled background noise and even a dose of light snoring. This episode stole a lot of credibility from the podcast. This show would do much better to decrease and/or edit the background noise, and limit off topic discussion as well as cutting down on the show length.
Rating: Daniel
Rating: Sue
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