Entry Fourteen

 

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Philosophy Bites

Category: Philosophy

David Edmonds and Nigel Warburton are the hosts of Philosophy Bites. They interview top philosophers who specialize in a wide range of topics and variances that make up philosophy. A new guest is interviewed in each episode about either a particular philosopher or a particular philosophic theme. Like many of their guests, the hosts are university professors. Most likely due to the hosts’ professions, it does feel as though listeners are sitting through a lecture in college during this show; the information is good but not very entertaining. As with learning anything new, it would be helpful if the hosts gave a short summary at the end of each episode, instead of ending the show so abruptly. The length is excellent as it would be difficult to “digest” much more information should the show be longer. The volume levels are good and make the show easy to listen to. This podcast is also produced consistently on a weekly basis.

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TudorCast

Category: History

TudorCast is hosted by Lara Eakins. We were pleasantly surprised at the monthly podcasts dedicated to Tudor History. Lara is pleasing to listen to and is passionate about all aspects of the Tudor dynasty. Each episode comes in a nice package that begins with era-appropriate music followed by Tudor news, events that occurred during the current month in Tudor time, and several additional segments. With the releases of Showtime’s hit The Tudors as well as the movies The Other Boleyn Girl, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, this podcast is in line with popular media. This podcast stands out amongst other history shows because the host uses primary sources, such as actual letters and diaries, to tell of the royal happenings. Listeners are given detailed descriptions of individuals, such as King Henry VIII and his wives. We enjoyed the structure of the show except for the times when Lara is reading from a text. It restricts her from conveying the passion she expresses through the rest of the show. As far as sound quality, there is noticeable compression artifacts with buzzing noise in the background as Lara is speaking. The volume levels are acceptable however. If this part of history interest you, then you will do well to listen to TudorCast.

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Girls Night In

Category: TV & Film

Girls Night In hosts include Kim, Rachel, Maggie and Jaime. These ladies get together twice a month to share their honest thoughts on movies and other topics. Many topics. In a mostly male dominated industry, it is refreshing to hear an all girls show. The podcasts are highly interactive and go where few other podcasts dare: live radio. The hosts post the topics for their next episode in advance so listeners are ready to interact. The show takes advantage of the services offered through TalkShoe. The ladies are fairly successful at using this hard-to-manage service which allows listeners to call in and interact with the hosts. We liked the inclusion of “quarks” about each movie, such as discrepancies between scenes, and the use of funny bumpers. Unfortunately, after going to the trouble of getting TalkShoe to work correctly, the show is interrupted by a host’s toddler in the back ground. The child is frequently heard talking and screaming. This is extremely distracting. We would highly recommend the use of the “mute” button for this situation. Girls Night In also falls victim to long show lengths (many of the episodes over an hour). We are hoping Girls Night In stays in the market and can turn its weaknesses into strengths. We will be keeping our eye on Girls Night In.

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