Podster September 2016

WENDY ZUKERMAN JAMIE JEFFERS MAX LINSKY

MALCOLM

GLADWELL Discover INTERNATIONAL PODCAST DAY

Behind the Theme Music with

NICHOLAS BRITELL SEPTEMBER 2016

RETURN TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME AudioBoom has the best in True Crime podcasts.

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O OU U R ORUS ST RTA A SF FF T F A FF MARGARET BROWN PUBLISHER/EDITOR CHRISTINA DAVIDSON CREATIVE DIRECTOR COLIN MILLER CONTRIBUTING EDITOR GEMMA KING CONTRIBUTING EDITOR BEN MINTON CIRCULATION MANAGER

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: (214) 704.4182 margaret@shelfmediagroup.com

PATRICIA MCCLAIN COPY EDITOR

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES:

MORGAN SIEM CONSULTANT, SOCIAL MEDIA

Shelf Unbound PO Box 852321 Richardson, TX 75085

KASIA PIASECKA SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

margaret@shelfmediagroup.com

JANE MILLER ACCOUNTING MANAGER

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he tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire,” wrote Malcolm Gladwell in his influential 2000 bestseller The Tipping Point. Have podcasts tipped? A recent Edison survey reveals that the number of podcast listeners has grown by 75 percent since 2013 and by 17 percent in just the last year, with almost a quarter of Americans ages 12 and up listening to podcasts.

Gladwell himself has joined the ranks of podcasters, with his Revisionist History podcast quickly rising to the top of the charts after launching this year. In it, he takes a second look at history to give fascinating new perspectives on everything from the “sudden car acceleration” scandal to the surprising evolution of the now ubiquitous Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah.” “I’ve always been struck, right from the beginning of my career in journalism, by how frequently we all get things wrong in the moment. Journalism and history are essentially exPhoto by Debra Pandak

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ercises in correction. A podcast seemed like a very natural storytelling environment to explore that process,” says Gladwell in our interview with him.

Hillary Clinton listens to podcasts. We discover this fact in episode 3 of the With Her podcast, in which Max Linsky chats with the candidate about life on the campaign trail. We talk to Linsky in this issue about what it’s like to interview one of the most famous people on the planet.

Whatever your political persuasion, there’s a podcast out there to perfectly suit you and your interests. We hope you will find one of your next favorites in this issue.

MARGARET BROWN PUBLISHER/EDITOR 5

interview nterview interview

Malcolm Gladwell: Revisionist History tkt.com

The famed Blink and Tipping Point author revisits history with a fresh eye, giving us fascinating new perspectives on everything from Tina Fey’s satire to the cause of the faulty car accelerator problem.

LISTEN

Lady Vanishes.” How did the idea for Revisionist History come about?

: In Revisionist History you take a second look at something overlooked or misunderstood from the past, starting with forgotten English 19th-century painter Elizabeth Thompson Butler in the episode “The 6

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Photo by Anne Bailey

MALCOLM GLADWELL: I’ve always been struck, right from the beginning of my career in journalism, by how frequently we all get things wrong in the moment.

Journalism and history are essentially exercises in correction. A podcast seemed like a very natural storytelling environment to explore that process.

PODSTER: I was stunned and fascinated to learn in Episode 7 that Leonard Cohen’s now-ubiquitous “Hallelujah” took 15 years and quite a bit of serendipity to make it to the fore. It made me wonder how many potential works of genius go undiscovered or unrealized. What are your thoughts?

PODSTER: In Episode 8, “Blame Game,” you conclude that the much publicized car accidents thought to be caused by faulty accelerators were actually most likely caused by human error. Your research and logic make a lot of sense—what about human nature explains the collective inability of all of the rest of us to believe in the faulty accelerator theory?

MALCOLM: It’s a fascinating psychological question. I suspect that there are many reasons. But the crucial thing about sudden acceleration is that the drivers in those crashes were convinced they were putting their foot on the brake. In other words, their error didn’t feel like an error. So without any evidence of error, what were they left to conclude?

It must be the car! The lesson is that it takes a certain amount of convincing to get a human being to admit to a mistake.

PODSTER: You devote three episodes in a row to education. One of my best friends is like Carlos—a bright, determined person who grew up disadvantaged, and I’ve seen firsthand how heavily the odds have been stacked against her achieving (despite which she recently earned her Masters of Social Work). What do you think is the most effective tool that can be used to correct educational disparities from pre-school through college? And what caused you to take such an interest in education?

MALCOLM: There isn’t one silver bullet. That’s why the issue is so hard.

Carlos was saved by Eric and by his own extraordinary resilience. That kind of thing can’t be scaled. The best that can be said is that the story of Carlos reminds us that fighting inequity is going to require lots of work from countless directions. And maybe the reason we have done such a bad job is that we don’t want to face up to how hard it is. Why am I so interested in education? Because I’m a Canadian, and I look at the U.S. system and marvel at how much money is spent on education in this country with such uneven effects.

PODSTER: You were a champion middledistance runner in high school; do you still run?

MALCOLM: I do. I can still run a mile in around five minutes on a good day.

The Weeds “Everyone is always warning you not to get lost in the weeds.

But not Vox’s Ezra Klein, Sarah Kliff, and Matthew Yglesias. They love the weeds. That’s where all the policy is. This is the podcast for people who follow politics because they love thinking about health care, economics, and zoning.”

This American Life “There’s a theme to each episode of This American Life, and a variety of stories on that theme. Most of the stories are journalism, with an occasional comedy routine or essay.”

malcolm LISTENS TO

MALCOLM: Yes! That’s the lesson of that song’s history. And of course the truth is that we will never know how many lost bits of genius there are out there. My guess? There’s a lot. I think the production of art today greatly outstrips our capacity to appreciate and consume it.

The Bill Simmons Podcast “HBO’s Bill Simmons relaunches the most downloaded sports podcast of all-time with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes and media members.”

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interview nterview interview

Max Linsky: With Her www.hillaryclinton.com/page/podcast

Max Linsky goes behind the scenes on the campaign trail with Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.

LISTEN

: You’ve recently launched Pineapple Street Media with Jenna Weiss-Berman (creator of Another Round and Women of the Hour with Lena Dunham). Is this a podcast network?

MAX LINSKY: No—I think that term has become so vague that anything can be 8

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a podcast network. We’re making some original shows and also making shows for other places. So we’re making the second season of Lena Dunham’s show, Women of the Hour, and we’re making a show for the New York Times. We’re also doing some original stuff, and then we’re doing the With Her podcast with Hillary Clinton.

PODSTER: How did the podcast with Hillary come about?

MAX: Jenna was in touch with the campaign off and on after Hillary had been a guest on Another Round, and we shot them a note that, “If you’re ever thinking about a doing a podcast, we’d be happy to help in whatever way we could.” It turned out it had been something they had wanted to do but they didn’t have anyone in-house who could do it. So our timing was pretty fortuitous. We

PODSTER: You’ve interviewed famous people but she’s one of the most famous people on the planet. How did you prepare and how did you handle your nerves?

MAX: I don’t know. On the handling nerves part, I think the answer is not particularly well. I was quite nervous beforehand and I really didn’t know what to expect. It’s strange to talk to somebody who feels familiar already and who you feel like you know. This is a silly analogy but when I was a kid I tagged along on a work trip that my father took to Egypt, and we took a day out of the trip and went to the pyramids. I remember when we got out of the car and saw the pyramids, it almost seemed not real. Like the thousands and thousands of pictures I’d seen of them were more real than the real thing. And there’s a slight element of that here too.

I’ve been watching her and listening to her for 20 years. I was quite nervous, mostly about how it was going to go and about wanting to make sure we would get something that would be interesting and fun for people to listen to.

PODSTER: What did you learn about her in her person that you hadn’t gleaned in observing her in the media for 20 years?

MAX: I think just how present she was. There is an image of her in the public that I think is partly projected upon her and partly who she is publicly. But for me, it was striking how present she was. That’s something you hear about her all the time, and it’s something that her friends talk about all the time. But her ability to be present was very apparent to me very quickly.

Hillary LISTENS TO

went and met with them and talked about what we would want a show like that to be and a couple of different ideas we had about it, and it evolved from there. The idea of me hosting it actually came like pretty late in the process. It was certainly exciting and nerve-wracking.

Luckily for me, she was wonderful from the get-go; she was warm and she seemed genuinely happy to be there. She was completely present. She was really listening.

It was pretty surreal, but as soon as we actually started talking, we were just talking. And she was so comfortable that she made me comfortable.

PODSTER: In listening to your conversation with her I got a sense of her warmth that I had not had before. Did that just happen, or did you make that happen?

What do you think that was?

MAX: I certainly wouldn’t take any credit for it. In a way I think it’s a tremendous testament Hillary Clinton: to her because we had I am a big podcast listener.

20 minutes. For her they were Max Linsky: Oh yeah? among the Hillary: Yes. I like podcasts least

because I can plug my earphones in and I can be doing all other kinds of things.

Max: What do you listen to?

Hillary: I listen to a lot of the TED talks.

From Episode 3 of With Her. 9

important 20 minutes of her week, and for me it’s almost like the Super Bowl. I don’t think it has a whole lot to do with me. I think in a way the fact that it wasn’t the most important 20 minutes of her week was helpful. Running for president is an absolute grind, and I think that doing the podcast feels to her like a bit of a break.

PODSTER: For episode two you met vicepresidential candidate Tim Kaine on the campaign trail in Seattle and talked to him over a beer. Did you learn anything about him that was particularly interesting to you?

MAX: He is a super-nice guy. It could be a gigantic act, but it would be a pretty elaborate act. I think the truth is that he is a pretty unaffected person. He’s a mensch.

It was striking to me that he’d been in, whatever it was, 19 states in four weeks and I think he’d been in three states that day.

When your name becomes that well-known that quickly it seems natural it would go to your head a little bit, and it didn’t seem that way to me. He just seemed like a really menschy guy to me.

PODSTER: What’s coming up in episode three?

MAX: I talked to Hillary again. I went and met her after a campaign stop in the Midwest after a rally in a high school. She walked out of the gym and joined me in a band ensemble 10

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practice room. It was cool. I think the podcast is fun for her. It had hit number one in iTunes and she was excited about that.

PODSTER: What did you talk about?

MAX: She coached me a little bit on dealing with criticism. I got a little bit of criticism from some listeners after the first episode, so we talked about that.

PODSTER: What was her advice on criticism?

MAX: As you can imagine, it was thoughtful, and basically it was to take criticism seriously but not personally. If there’s something you can learn from it, then learn from it.

We talked about her opponent a little bit. We talked about what she likes to read, and what she does in her down time, and about how you maintain friendships when you’re running for president.

PODSTER: What has the experience of chasing these candidates across the country and interviewing them for the podcast been like for you?

MAX: It’s been a crazy thing and it’s been a ton of fun. It’s pretty wild to get these phone calls the day before and then fly somewhere in the country and get yourself to a high school or wherever. But it’s a great kick. It’s really fun.

www.truecrimehistorian.com truecrimehistorian@outlook.com

Podcasting “Yesterday’s News” every Thursday and Sunday True crime author and former journalist Richard O Jones tells stories of the world’s famous and forgotten scandals, scoundrels, and scourges compiled from historic newspaper accounts in the golden age of yellow journalism.

“A wonderful blog on historical true crime. Laid out like a newspaper, Richard O Jones takes you on a journey through case after case...

Featuring enthralling podcasts alongside short stories and newspaper clippings, this site will keep you entertained for hours.”

—CrimeTraveller.org “Richard O Jones, a seasoned journalist who claims to have found evidence in the archives that one of his ancestors was a murderer, started a delightful series of historical true crime short stories called Two-Dollar Terrors... Jones’s stories are worth reading for his exquisite writing.”

—Author Ann Marie Ackermann, “Death of an Assassin.”

ABOUT

richard o jones After ending a 25 year career in arts and community journalism in the fall of 2013, Richard O Jones turned to a life of true crime.

Author of two books on History Press:

Cincinnati’s Savage Seamstress: The Shocking Edythe Klumpp Murder Scandal The First Celebrity Serial Killer: Confessions of the Strangler Alfred Knapp Ten titles in the TWO-DOLLAR TERROR series of ebook novellas.

All available at major ebooksellers.

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interview nterview interview

Wendy Zukerman: Science VS gimletmedia.com/show/science-vs/.com

From guns to octopuses, Wendy Zukerman looks to science (and the occasional grammarian) for answers

LISTEN

: You’ve worked as a science journalist for a while— how’d you get interested in science?

starting enjoying the scientific process once I became a science journalist.

I wanted to become a journalist, and I used to pitch political stories to the Australian papers. Thanks to the good judgment of their editors, they didn’t accept my pitches, which were pretty much the political rantings of a 20 year old. So I started pitching science stories.

PODSTER: How did the idea for Science Vs come about?

WENDY: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation was looking for a science WENDY ZUKERMAN: I love telling science podcast, and I was approached by Kaitlyn Sawrey (now my senior producer at stories. They are beautiful and exciting Gimlet Media!). Kaitlyn was producing stories that are trying to explain how the world works. But I wasn’t always interested new podcasts for the ABC, and she’d seen my work. It was about the time in science. I rote learned science through when there were reports that Gwyneth high school and university—and only 12

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Paltrow suggested women steam clean their vaginas. And I thought: Science Vs Gwyneth Paltrow … the idea soon became (a tad) more sophisticated.

PODSTER: You recently moved from Sydney, Australia, to New York City to join Gimlet Media. What do you love most about NYC and what do you miss most about Sydney?

WENDY: I love the culture, art and politics of New York. I miss my friends and family in Australia. It takes a long time to build up those beautiful friendships that you have with old mates.

PODSTER: I like the way you bring in scientific data about both sides of issues— fracking, guns, attachment parenting. How do you go about doing your research?

WENDY: Thank you! I have an amazing team over here, as well as a dedicated fact checker. We use Google Scholar and PubMed for a lot of our research, often starting with review papers, and metaanalysis—then drilling down into key academic papers. We then chat to a lot of academics (most of whom don’t make it into the episode). The ultimate goal is to find out where the scientific consensus is, and then demonstrate it with key papers. It can be really tricky though. We do our best.

PODSTER: How do you decide on your topics that you want to cover?

WENDY: A good starting point is: If you mentioned this topic in the pub, would a lot of your mates have an opinion on it?

Especially, if you know they haven’t looked into the topic at all. Coming up we’re doing hypnosis. Try it out at the pub. “What do you guys think of hypnosis?”

PODSTER: Your style is quite engaging: I love the way you lightened up a heavy moment in the gun podcast by joyfully talking about a type of octopus. And how you did your best “pew pew, pew pew” laser sound when quoting the Pugh Research Center. Is this just your personality coming out or is it an intentional approach to making science relatable?

WENDY: That’s very flattering. It’s both.

There are many ways to try to dispel myths and misconceptions. Some people write or tell stories that are incredibly earnest, and heart wrenching. I’m not particularly earnest. And I can’t really do heart wrenching. I’m quite silly, and I don’t take myself seriously. And we love making the podcast a joy to listen to. No one on the team wants to make Science Vs like a lecture series.

PODSTER: What are some topics you would like to cover in the future?

WENDY: We have a really fun list! The G Spot, Hypnosis, and Forensic Science. I’m very excited to share them.

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WENDY LISTENS TO

Reply All “A show about the internet, hosted by PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman.”

Sampler “Sampler is devoted to bringing you the best moments from the world of podcasting. We listen to EVERYTHING out there and hand-pick the stuff you just have to hear.”

This American Life “This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 1.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.”

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RadioLab “Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich use state-of-theart sound design, mindbending storytelling, and a sense of humor to ask big questions and blur the boundaries between science, philosophy, and human experience.”

More Perfect “Radiolab’s More Perfect is a series about the Supreme Court. More Perfect explores how cases deliberated inside the rarefied world of the Supreme Court affect our lives far away from the bench.”

Lady to Lady

Brandie Posey

Tess Barker

Barbara Gray

interview nterview interview

Jamie Jeffers: The British History Podcast thebritishhistorypodcast.com

Starting with the Ice Age, Jamie Jeffers has been chronicling British history for 214 episodes (and counting). Brilliant, mate.

LISTEN

: In your first podcast you shared that you grew up hearing stories from your grandfather. What were your other inspirations that led to you becoming an historian and starting your podcast?

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JAMIE JEFFERS: I should point out that I’m a history communicator and not an historian. Historians have detailed training and experience that enables them to interpret the written and physical record with a degree of certainty that I cannot provide. That isn’t to say that what I do is worthless, however. I think that history communicators are a useful and much needed conduit between the academic analysis that is done by historians and the public’s appetite for a connection to the past and for entertainment. In my opinion, a good history communicator stands on the backs of proper historians, digests reams of dry details, and then finds the core narrative that enables the public to attach to the past in a way that makes it understandable and relevant.

With regard to inspiration, my

grandfather was certainly the biggest inspiration, as you pointed out, but after that I would probably say that my time working as a corporate lawyer was a similarly big motivator.

The truth is that I went into the law with the intent to make the world a better place, but it wasn’t long before I discovered that the law wasn’t the place to do that. That fact is doubly true if you come from a poor background like myself. The dreams I had of fighting for the underserved were shoved aside and I was forced to take any work I could get in order to pay the interest that was accruing on my six- figure debt load.

Ironically, selling out wasn’t profitable.

Co-counsel and I would joke about how we were barely making minimum wage when you looked at the hours we were working.

It was bad work and even worse pay, and so I wanted to leave and do something good, but I didn’t know how. So I kept working.

Then, there was a stroke of luck. The finance bubble popped, the firm downsized, and I was let go.

I knew I wouldn’t go back, but at the same time I didn’t know what I would do next. So I decided that while I figured that out, I would do something that would make the world a little bit better and undo some of the damage I had done as a lawyer.

Education, in my opinion, is a manifest good and so I decided I wanted to teach.

And specifically, I wanted to teach anyone who had the desire to listen. I wanted to

reach the underserved community that I had originally gone into law to help.

Then there was another stroke of luck.

Podcasts were just starting to become mainstream, which would provide the free medium that I was seeking, and no one was providing a chronological history on my favorite topic. Within a few months, I launched the first episode of The British History Podcast.

About a year later I discovered that it was no longer a hobby, it was a full-time job and my life’s work.

So, after my grandfather, I would have to say that being a corporate attorney was the second biggest inspiration for me starting the British History Podcast. It’s funny how things turn out.

PODSTER: How did you decide to begin the podcast in prehistoric times?

JAMIE: Beginnings are difficult. On the one hand, you want to appeal to as many people as possible, and that leads you to want to start in a more recognizable period like Tudor England. Everyone knows Henry VIII and is familiar with his story, and the dirty little secret of history is that people like hearing about history they’re already familiar with. It’s why people are still talking about the Tudors, who were basically Britain’s Kardashians, but are largely unfamiliar with King Edwin despite his truly amazing rags to riches story. So I certainly thought about jumping straight to well known figures.

However, I really don’t think you can fully understand Henry, or any of the other figures of history, if you don’t know the culture they were a part of and what their history looked like. After all, their past informed them just as much as our past 17

JAMIE LISTENS TO

The Memory Palace “This was the first podcast I ever listened to, and I still really enjoy it.”

WTF with Marc Maron “Marc is a gifted interviewer and almost always gets underneath the surface with his guests. His show also feels a little like group therapy for neurotic creatives, which I really appreciate.”

Interesting Times with Joe Streckert “Joe is about to change his branding to Weird History, but he’s a local history presenter here in 18

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Portland and his show focuses on random strange bits of history that he finds interesting.”

Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men “Have you ever wondered what was up with that strange soap opera comic/ cartoon that your friends liked when you were a kid? Jay and Miles are here to explain it to you.”

Serial “You know what this is.

Everyone does. And for good reason.” informs us. And if you don’t know why something happened, what are you really learning?

I want to know why Henry did what he did. I want to know what influences were placed upon Edwin when he decided to leave the gods of his father and convert to Christianity. “When and where” are so much less interesting to me than “how and why,” and to get to the hows and whys of history, you have to go back to the beginning.

PODSTER: I know that oral history is important to you. How will advances in technology impact the preservation of oral histories in families and communities?

JAMIE: This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. We are at a unique period in human history where the record has democratized. For most of human history, the record was written by the powerful. Either by learned men, or victors, or by other people of letters.

But now, with widespread literacy and with people recording themselves in both audio and visual formats, all of that has changed. Now everything is recorded at every level of society, and as a consequence we are providing future generations with a wealth of knowledge.

The level of information that we are recording every day is simply mind blowing to me. Could you imagine having access to Henry VIII’s voice mails? Or Oliver Cromwell’s selfies? And the best part is that we aren’t just confined to the records of a modern Henry or Oliver; instead, with our abundant records, we are giving future generations the opportunity to know not just of what our leaders think but also what average people think, what women think, what kids think. Historians a thousand years from now will have a full picture of the past in a way that we can’t even dream of. It’s very exciting.

PODSTER: Two appealing aspects of your podcast are that it’s presented in story

form and that you cover the topics of the everyday person’s life, making it relatable to a variety of people. How did you decide on this style of presentation?

JAMIE: I’d like to say that there was a deep philosophical decision on how to handle the show, but frankly it’s just because I couldn’t imagine any other way to do it. I just wanted to tell stories and I did so in a way that made sense to me as I wrote them. My style developed organically as a result of what I found interesting and what the community responded to. For example, I love cultural history but I wasn’t sure if the listeners would enjoy it the way I do, so in the first season I was lightly sprinkling it in there.

Season One was very much me dipping my toe into the water and, to my surprise, discovering that there were a lot of cultural history nerds out there just like me.

PODSTER: What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned about British history in doing the podcast?

JAMIE: Anglo Saxon monks were allotted up to two gallons of ale and a half gallon of wine ... PER DAY. So, even if you had to be carried home from the pub last weekend, you probably are still a lightweight compared to the Anglo Saxons.

PODSTER: Do you have a favorite episode of the podcast?

JAMIE: For storytelling, I enjoyed Episode 210 – The Battle of Ashdown. It’s got Alfred the Great, his brother, a bunch of Danes, and some praying that really gets out of hand. It’s a lot of fun.

For material, I’m really proud of Episode 143 - Man Up: Gender in the Middle Ages. It covers material that you’re unlikely to hear anywhere and it’s a truly fascinating topic.

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Dave Lee: International Podcast Day internationalpodcastday.com

September 30 isn’t just National Chewing Gum Day, it’s International Podcast Day! We talk to the founders about the event and how we can all get involved. Gum chewing optional.

LISTEN

: How did International Podcast Day get started?

DAVE LEE: In 2014, co-founder, Steve Lee, was driving around town and heard a commercial for National Senior Citizen’s Days. He thought to himself, “Why doesn’t podcasting have its own day?” He reached out to me with his idea. I thought it was a great idea and at that point, National Podcast Day was born! We dedicated 20

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September 30 of each year as Podcast Day. We celebrated the inaugural event with over six hours of live video streaming, which included call-ins from podcasters from around the country, a Q&A session on Google Hangouts, a Podcasters Roundtable, and a YouTube tutorial for beginner podcasters.

Due to the success of the 2014 event, we rebranded and became International Podcast Day in 2015. We successfully streamed live for 33 straight hours, representing podcasters from Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Germany, Spain, Argentina, Scotland, UK, Finland, Canada, and the United States. Podcasters covered topics from automation tools to building listener communities and from creating local meet-ups to generating revenue for your podcast. The event trended on

Twitter for several hours with over 45,000 tweets about the event. Podcast Day was mentioned by , iTunes Podcast, CBS, and ESPN either on Twitter or in a company post. We sold t-shirts that have been spotted at domestic and international podcasting conferences.

Of course, the past two events would not be possible without the help of other podcasters. Daniel J. Lewis, Ray Ortega, Dave Jackson, Nick Seuberling, and so many others have been instrumental in planning the event and spreading the word of International Podcast Day. PODSTER: What are the components of International Podcast Day and how can people get involved?

DAVE: International Podcast Day is focused on bringing more visibility to podcasting and growing digital media worldwide. To get involved, we first encourage everyone to head over to internationalpodcastday. com and use the official hashtag for the event on the day of and leading up to the event—#PodcastDay. We will host our live video stream for everyone to participate in.

We also have several ideas for podcasters and podcast listeners including posting graphics, videos, and banners on their website or social media accounts; playing the Podcast Day audio promo on their

podcast; starting or joining a local meet-up; sharing your favorite podcasts with friends, coworkers, or family members; picking up some Podcast Day merchandise; rating and reviewing your favorite podcasts; or becoming a podcaster yourself. Ultimately, International Podcast Day is all about making the day yours, so go ahead and do your thing.

One cool thing we did in 2015 was the International Podcast Day Gratitude Award—“Changing Lives for the Better Through Podcasting.” Podcasters register their shows and then encourage their listeners to provide a review of their shows demonstrating an expression of gratitude for how the podcast has impacted the listener. The 2015 Gratitude Award winner was Katy Bowman of the Katy Says Podcast.

The award will again be given out in 2016 and is an easy way to get podcasters and listeners involved with the event.

PODSTER: How did you personally become interested in podcasting?

DAVE: In 2008, Steve moved about four hours north for a new work opportunity.

As a way of staying in touch with the family, Steve would fire up Skype and call in myself and my older brother Mike. The conversation eventually led to technology, as Steve and Mike worked in the field.

Steve had been tinkering with the podcast idea, so he proposed that we come up with some tech topics and record a podcast. As a result, The Waves of Tech was born! I became interested in podcasting because of dad and we’ve been working together building a podcast network and creating International Podcast Day. In talking with Steve, he became interested in podcasting after discovering some technology sites 21

DAVE LISTENS TO

and no more than 30 minutes per episode.”

Lore “Lore is a podcast about the frightening history behind common folklore.”

Total Soccer Show “Daily soccer show with fast-talking takes on the USMNT, EPL, MLS England, and more. We break down every game and try to spot the little things you might have missed.”

Death, Sex & Money “A podcast hosted by Anna Sale about the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.”

Clockwise “Clockwise is a discussion of technology issues hosted by Jason Snell and Dan Moren. Four topics, five minutes each, 22

SEPTEMBER 2016

Embedded “Hosted by Kelly McEvers, Embedded takes a story from the news and goes deep.”

Criminal “Criminal is a podcast about crime. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.”

were displaying downloadable MP3 files as a supplement to their content. With an interest in providing news and information about the technology world, Steve became a podcaster and learned the craft.

PODSTER: What are the common characteristics of the podcasts you listen to most?

DAVE: Just like everyone, each podcast I listen to is consistent with my passions and interests. The podcasts I listen to focus on soccer, technology, storytelling, investigative journalism, true crime, and cultural opinions. I don’t have a particular format I enjoy, as some podcasts are 10 minutes and others are 120 minutes. Some are solo to co-hosted podcasts and some shows are heavily produced and others are just record and edit. I talked to Steve and the true magic of podcasts is the availability of any topic since podcasting is based on interest. If you turn on the TV or radio, you are certainly not going to have programming on productivity tools, for example. There also needs to be a learning or entertainment component coupled with good audio quality. Don’t allow potential listeners to be turned off from podcasts based on audio quality. It is an inexpensive item to fix.

PODSTER: The number of podcast listeners has grown exponentially over the last few years. What do you think is

drawing people to the medium?

DAVE: First and foremost, access to podcasts is so easy compared to years past.

Also, there’s a particular intimacy with podcasts and people connect with that.

We feel like we get to know the hosts and their struggles and successes. Their stories and opinions mean something to us. As the on-demand lifestyle continues to grow, radio becomes less of an interest to many and podcasts fill that need. Podcasts are portable and have no borders, making it just as easy to listen to a podcast from halfway around the world as it is to listen to a podcast about your hometown.

Personally, the podcasts I listen to offer such quality content that I often share that new information with others.

PODSTER: What are your future goals for International Podcast Day? DAVE: The event continues to change and grow from year to year and that’s the exciting part. As the industry morphs and grows in popularity, our event has to adapt and change as well. In 2015, we went heavy on providing resources and tools to podcasters.

In 2016, we are looking to extend our reach beyond providing podcasters the tools to succeed and connect the podcast listening enthusiasts with the event. Long term, it would be great to have traditional media coverage, not only about the yearly event but as an additional component to bring attention to those who still have not been exposed to podcasting, either as a podcaster or a listener. A goal of mine is to continually utilize the social media accounts to connect podcasters with the resources to succeed and to celebrate the milestones of podcasters.

It’s about connecting listeners with new podcasts, too.

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Mike Tech Show “Technology and computer podcast discussing cool sites, software, tips and tricks that will make you more productive at home and work.”

Tech 411 “Todd Moore and Oscar Santana talk technology news, reviews, and products you need to own.”

Ask Pat “The AskPat Podcast is a daily podcast from Pat Flynn, creator and host of the top 10, business category leading Smart Passive Income Podcast.”

Drone Radio Show “A weekly podcast about drones and the people who use them for business, fun and research.”

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Open For Business “Open For Business is a branded podcast from eBay and Gimlet Creative, about building a business from the ground up.”

behind the

NICHOLAS BRITELL

theme music theme music theme music

:

I saw an interview in which you said you became interested in piano around age 4 when you heard the theme to Chariots of Fire. Having gone on to 26

SEPTEMBER 2016

Composer of the Surprisingly Awesome podcast theme Nicholasbritell.com

write music for movies yourself (The Big Short, 12 Years a Slave, the upcoming film Moonlight), what do you think are the keys that make great theme music for films?

NICHOLAS BRITELL: That’s a great question. I think for theme music, what really matters is getting a sense of the internal “spirit” of the project. Certain projects will require more overt musical themes and ideas, while other projects will require a much more subtle or restrained approach. What’s fascinating is discovering what is really the right sound for a film. A superhero or fantasy movie without a large, soaring theme might very well feel like a letdown, while a more intimate drama might need a much sparser feeling, or even perhaps no music at all.

PODSTER: How do you go about composing for a movie?

NICHOLAS: That’s another great question, but a more difficult one! I would say that each film is really a different experience, and each film requires a totally new set of ideas and approaches.

I really believe that the key to composing for film is being totally open to the many musical

ideas which are possible. I always think to myself of the almost infinite ways that a film could be scored. My goal is to find the musical approach that feels most “woven into” the fabric of the movie. What musical textures feel most impactful and emotional when they are put up against the picture?

Which musical ideas feel like they naturally flow out of the material? These are the sorts of things I think about a lot.

Most importantly, the process requires working very closely with the film’s director, editor, and producers. I feel that without active discussion and experimenting together, it’s very difficult to get it right.

PODSTER: For a few years you were in an instrumental hip-hop group, The Witness Protection Program. How did that come about, and what was the experience like for you?

NICHOLAS: Yes, The WPP! During college, I was part of an instrumental hip-hop band. It was an incredible experience; we toured many colleges and played venues all across the Northeast. We once even opened for Jurassic 5 and Blackalicious! While in the band, I started a regimen of writing music all the time; almost every day I would write a few different tracks of music or beats. It became a

habit, and I think it was this constant writing which helped give me the confidence to become a full-time composer.

PODSTER: I can hear a little bit of the TWPP instrumental sound in the theme for Surprisingly Awesome. Is that just me or is it there?

NICHOLAS: There actually is definitely a hip-hop vibe in the theme for Surprisingly Awesome! I love the sound of a gospel organ, and that riff felt like it needed a hip-hop beat underneath to groove with it.

PODSTER: How did you end up composing the theme for Surprisingly Awesome?

NICHOLAS: I was playing around with some different ideas and when I wrote that chord progression I just immediately liked the feeling of it. After recording those chords with the organ, I began experimenting with various

NICHOLAS LISTENS TO

rhythm accompaniments and it just went from there.

Sometimes you come upon the harmonies first, sometimes it’s the rhythm, sometimes it’s a melody—each piece develops differently. In this case, it started with the harmonies.

PODSTER: What music do you listen to when you’re driving around in your car?

NICHOLAS: I actually don’t have a car anymore! I live here in NYC, and I ended up never driving the car that I had.

Whenever I do drive while traveling, however, I listen to a huge range of music. I generally gravitate towards either classical or hip-hop, but I’m always trying to listen to music from a wide variety of artists and genres. I’m often most fascinated by artists who are trying to push the form of their music, lengthening it and seeing how the ideas evolve.

I definitely listen to Surprisingly Awesome! I also composed the theme music for the Slate Culture Gabfest and am a big fan of theirs. Other podcasts I enjoy are This American Life, and I’ve also begun listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s new show Revisionist History.

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theme Nerds

Because Sheldon Cooper is your alter-ego and you dance like Urkel.

For Colored Nerds “BFFs Brittany and Eric humorously deepdive into the uncool topic of their choice while testing the outer limits of their friendship. (“By day, Brittany is host and producer of Sampler at Gimlet Media.”)

Nerd Poker “Each week, under dark of night, a group of warriors lead by Brian Posehn gather to play Dungeons & Dragons, and you’re invited to attend!”

The Nerdist “The Nerdist is a top comedy podcast in which Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray and Matt Mira talk about all things nerdy, including comics, video games and TV shows. Hardwick, also host of AMC’s Talking Dead, also talks with celebrity friends in this weekly interview style show.”

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NEED FOR FEED

Nerdonomy: Nerds on History “History is full of amazing stories. Join hosts Bryan Moriarty, Eric Bricmont, and Sarah Ashley as they explore the most inspirational, terrifying and hilarious events in history, and learn something new at the same time.”

Nerdette “The Nerdette Podcast is cohosted by Greta Johnsen and Tricia Bobeda. It’s a safe space for nerding out about all the things you’re watching, reading, listening to and encountering IRL.” Comedy Film Nerds “Movie reviews by stand-up comics and filmmakers Graham Elwood and Chris Mancini.”

Nerdy by Nature “Rob, Chris, Nathan, and Elijah discuss topics we’re passionate about. Open your mind, learn something new, and have some laughs.”

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THE FEED

All Things Risk Hosted by Ben Cattaneo

Outlier On Air Hosted by Ever Gonzalez

The All Things Risk Podcast is a show that helps you think differently. We use the lenses of risk, uncertainty, randomness and resilience to explore all kinds of topics—from sports, the arts, current affairs to any other domain.

We feature long-form conversations with fascinating, authentic guests who speak openly and have loads of fun stories, tips and tools.

Episode #21: Tony Haile www.allthingsrisk.co.uk

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Be part of a one-on-one mentoring session where we discuss specific business strategies.

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Promote your podcast in Podster’s The Feed. Our initial issues are being distributed to the 125,000 readers of Shelf Media’s Shelf Unbound book review magazine. Our introductory rate for this section is $300/quarter page as seen here. A limited number of full pages are also available.

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BEACH READS

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create dangerously THE WARBLER ROAD

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THE PODSTER FIVE

WHAT WOULD A FEMINIST DO? www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/series/ what-would-a-feminist-do

t’s both puzzling and distressing how the word feminist has taken on a negative reputation in some political and popular culture circles. Some appear to believe that being a feminist is synonymous with being a “man hater.” Yet the reality could not be further from the truth. Being a feminist, plain and simple, means believing in gender equality in all its forms. Feminism benefits all women, but it also benefits men and advocates for an equal terrain for all gender identities in our personal lives, work, culture, politics and society.

A podcast that is making strides in clarifying and redefining what it means to be a feminist in the contemporary world is The Guardian’s brilliant What Would A Feminist Do? Hosted by Guardian writer Jessica Valenti, WWAFD features thought-provoking questions, in-depth interviews and novel perspectives to help listeners understand feminism and issues surrounding gender equality today. Helpfully, the podcast also includes advice on how to navigate gender-related discrimination and other problems in the real world. For example, in the recent episode “Dealing with workplace sexism: what would a feminist do?” New York Times writer Jessica Bennett shares her strategies for negotiating unfair treatment in the workplace, combatting harassment and generally fighting the patriarchy while at work. Both lighthearted and incisive, What Would A Feminist Do? encourages listeners not only to be aware of gender inequality but to take steps to end it.

—Gemma King

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4

uman beings, no matter who we are or where we come from, are often fascinated by the macabre. From fairytales to true crime, dark fantasy to real-life horror stories, we are drawn to the mysterious, the inexplicable, the disturbing and even the grotesque. We may not all consume horror movies with glee, but few people would deny being drawn to, or at least interested in, tales of darkness. We are just as seduced by films about vampires and zombies today as we were by Dracula when the quintessential vampire novel was published in 1897.

But folklore may also pinpoint and represent a less tangible notion of truth: It may expose what people feared in the societies from which such tales spring, and how these (real or imagined) fears impacted their (very real) lives. This is what folklore podcast Lore is interested in: telling ancient, obscure and culturally entrenched stories of horror and darkness which have survived through the ages. Lore seeks out folk tales from all around the world, from the legend of the “changelings” that the Irish have told for centuries to explain away suffering and difference, to the tragic tales that circulated around slavery-era Haiti and gave rise to the word “zombie.” Host Aaron Mahnke is not particularly interested in whether or not the stories he relays are “true” in the literal sense. Instead, his atmospheric, soundscaped episodes are focused on exploring why we tell the stories we tell, and why we fear the things we fear.

—Gemma King

THE PODSTER FIVE LORE lorepodcast.com

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THE PODSTER FIVE

FILMSPOTTING SVU Filmspotting.net/svu.html

f you’re a cinema lover, there is nothing like seeing a film for the first time in a movie theater. The atmosphere of a cinema, with its all-enveloping darkness, its largerthan-life sound and even the tradition of hugging a gigantic tub of popcorn in your lap is nostalgic and immersive. While movie chatterers and texters can ruin the experience for others, there is value in sharing the movie-going experience with a crowd, especially in a comedy or horror film, during which other people’s feelings and reactions can feed into your own. Few people would deny that the cinema still occupies an important place in culture and society. Yet more and more of us are consuming film and TV in other ways, and Filmspotting SVU understands the value of experiencing screen media elsewhere as well.

While we’ve long been able to consume movies at home via DVD or cable, the explosion in popularity of on-demand streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and HBO Go has changed how we watch films outside of the theater. Short for Filmspotting Streaming Video Unit (in a sly nod to the serial crime drama Law and Order SVU), Filmspotting SVU features reviews of what can be found on streaming services like Netflix. Hosts Matt Singer and Alison Willmore analyze all manner of screen media, from classic films to new releases to the many high-quality television series that have been revolutionizing the medium. While Filmspotting SVU is not as polished and incisive as its big brother Filmspotting, Singer and Willmore offer varied and intelligent takes on the best of on-demand film and TV. —Gemma King

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SEPTEMBER 2016

PHILADELPHIA’S PREMIER PODCAST/INTERNET RADIO RECORDING STUDIO Let us record or host your podcast!

24/7 streaming through our website starting May 16.

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2 LISTEN

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THE PODSTER FIVE

STUFF TO BLOW YOUR MIND stufftoblowyourmind.com

odcasts have the ability to amuse, distract and entertain, but they are also great at educating. There is no shortage of podcasts that can help you understand various areas of history, philosophy, science and technology, just as there is no shortage of podcasts about the mysterious, the incredible and the intriguing in the world. However, not too many podcasts manage to combine the educational and the incredible so well as Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a How Stuff Works podcast that explores the, well, mind-blowing elements of history, science and the world in general. From the dark and disturbing (see the recent episode on childhood psychopathy “Twinkle twinkle killer child”) to the technologically boggling (see “Biohacking and the road to transhumanism”), STBYM is all about the amazing and unbelievable things that defy and define the world we live in.

Hosts Christian Sager, Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick bring the right mix of informed and incredible to their subject matter, handling sensitive material deftly and complex subjects with a light hand. While some topics may overlap with the other wonderful How Stuff Works podcasts, Stuff You Should Know and Stuff You Missed in History Class, Stuff to Blow Your Mind offers a unique perspective on the weird and the wonderful, and presents issues surrounding nature, technology and humankind in a new light. Listeners will most likely come across topics they already know a lot about.

However, each episode is sure to reveal a new fact, angle or idea that will make you think differently about a familiar topic or help you discover and understand a new one.

—Gemma King

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SEPTEMBER 2016

WWW.UNDISCLOSED-PODCAST.COM

The Undisclosed Podcast is a listening experience that reframes, enhances, or otherwise shifts everything you’ve come to know about the State of Maryland’s case against Adnan Syed, especially as you’ve come to know it through listening to Serial.

Season 1

(available now) The State vs. Adnan Syed

Season 2

Coming in 2016

HOSTED BY

RABIA CHAUDRY, COLIN MILLER, AND SUSAN SIMPSON. 37

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THE PODSTER FIVE

THE NEXT PICTURE SHOW thenextpictureshow.tumblr.com

ne excellent podcast which understands how different film periods interact with and influence one another is The Next Picture Show, its title a riff on the 1971 film The Last Picture Show (Peter Bogdanovich). This cinephilic podcast is hosted by film writers Tasha Robinson (The Verge), Keith Phipps (Uproxx), Scott Tobias (Oscilloscope’s Musings) and Genevieve Koski (Voxx).

The Next Picture Show takes a unique approach to film reviews and cinema history. Each episode is released in two parts: the first is a review of a classic film, then the second a review of a new release that is either inspired by, or shares characteristics with, that classic film. It helps to have seen both the new and the old, in order to understand the reasons the hosts have chosen them, but the podcast can also help listeners discover films they would not otherwise have seen. Recent episodes like Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock 1960) and 10 Cloverfield Lane (Dan Trachtenberg 2016) reveal how the podcast not only pairs old and new films, but high-brow film classics and low-brow horror movies, to show that parallels can be drawn between the unlikeliest of films.

Reviewing new films in the light of old ones not only brings classic movies back into the spotlight but makes them relevant once more to a contemporary audience. As The Next Picture Show proves, it also helps us understand how contemporary movies are the product of a rich cinema history that stretches back decades. —Gemma King lesmuseesdeparis.com

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SEPTEMBER 2016

PODCASTERS! ENTER THE PODSTER

“Best Undiscovered Podcast”

COMPETITION

Podster magazine announces the Podster “Best Undiscovered Podcast” Competition. Eligible podcasts must have an average of fewer than 1,000 downloads/listens per episode. Entry fee is $50 per podcast episode entered. There is no limit to the number of podcast episodes an individual can enter; each podcast episode is a separate entry. The winning entry will be selected by the editors of Podster magazine.

The winner will receive a full-page ad in a 2017 issue of Podster magazine (rate card value $1,000) as well as an interview in a 2017 issue of Podster. Five finalists will receive editorial coverage in a 2017 issue of Podster. We will also feature additional “notable” podcasts entered in the competition in a 2017 issue of Podster.

DETAILS HERE

www.shelfmediagroup.com/pages/competition-podster

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Please feel free to contact Margaret Brown, Publisher, via email: Margaret@shelfmediagroup.com.

audiovisuals audiovisuals audiovisuals NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS PODCAST “JOE STANDART”

Using empty storefront windows as his gallery, Standart exhibits “WE ARE—A Nation of Immigrants” in the heart of New London, CT.

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the case the case the case CRIME STOPPERS

by Colin Miller Colin Miller is Associate Dean and Professor, University of South Carolina School of Law; co-host, Undisclosed Podcast; and blog editor, EvidenceProf Blog.

In Podster’s The Case, Colin picks up where Serial Podcast left off.

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I

n July 1976, college student Michael Carmen was killed while working at a small gas station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Six weeks later, the police had little in the way of leads. Desperate for information and believing the perpetrators to be local, the police came up with the idea to create a hotline that residents could use to provide information about the crime under the shield of anonymity and with the enticement of a financial reward.

They were able to convince a local businessman to finance this vision and a television statement to publicize it.

The gambit paid off as the police received information that not only led them to the two men responsible for Carmen’s death but also the perpetrators

of other crimes. As a result, the idea of Crime Stoppers was born, and there are now over 950 local Crime Stoppers organizations worldwide.

Many of these organizations operate similarly to Metro Crime Stoppers of Baltimore (MCS): 1. The lead Baltimore Police Department (BPD) detective on a case sends a flyer and reward amount to MCS, and MCS posts it.

2. An anonymous informant then calls 1-866-7LOCKUP, gives information, and is assigned an exclusive tip number for future communications.

3. If the tip leads to an arrest plus indictment (a grand jury finding probably cause for the case to proceed to trial), the BPD determines via a set checklist what amount the tip was worth.

4. The BPD brings this information to a monthly meeting with MCS, and the MCS board votes to pay out.

5. When the informant calls back, MCS makes arrangements to meet in person in a public place, and the cash is handed over in an envelope, no questions asked.

According to a source at MCS, “we’ve seen police publish the story that they’re acting on an anonymous tip, which gives cover to an informant” and is, as well, a way to compensate a known, maybe hesitant witness the cops want to work with; the reward can act as a “push,” an inducement.

It appears that just this scenario happened in the Adnan Syed case. According to the State’s official story, Detective Darryl Massey received a pair of anonymous phone calls on February 12, 1999, instructing him to “concentrate on the victim’s boyfriend (Adna Ansyed A/M/17) as a suspect in the murder” because “the suspect informed a friend of his (Baser Ali A/M/17), if he ever hurt his girlfriend, he would drive her car into a lake.”

Following up on this lead, detectives used Adnan’s call log to track down Jennifer Pusateri on February 26, who after claiming she knew nothing about the crime, pointed them in the direction of Jay Wilds.

An Undisclosed listener, however, questioned this story.

She knew that there was a MCS reward in this case; on the Serial podcast, Adnan recalled how, after he was arrested, the detectives gave him an MCS reward poster and said, “We’ll leave you alone with this. You just look at Hae, you just look at this.” The listener started a conversation with an MCS board member and was able to get the following information.

A call was received on the MCS hotline on February 1. The tipster gave information about Hae Min Lee’s disappearance and was assigned tip number #6456.

Reward #1 was for $575, put up

by MCS from its public-donation funding pool. Reward #2 was for $2,500, put up by the Korean American Safety Council. The combination prize—$3,075— was paid in cash, in person on November 1, 1999. The MCS guidelines call for the informant to meet with a BPD detective/ department public information officer and a MCS board member.

This information is shocking and suggests just the scenario posed by the MCS board member: The BPD using a (possibly fake) anonymous tip to cover for an informant. The question in this case, of course, is who could have provided enough useful information to receive the entire $3,075 reward? Mr. S. led BPD to Hae’s body. Jay led BPD to Hae’s car and was the primary witness against Adnan at trial.

LISTEN

Jennifer Pusateri was the alleged corroboration for Jay’s burial story. “Cathy” placed Jay and Adnan together on the evening of January 13. Those witnesses were the long and short of the State’s case against Adnan; there was nothing (else) in the way of a smoking gun.

If any of those witnesses received the $3,075 reward, the State would have been obligated to disclose the reward pursuant to Brady v. Maryland because the payout would be material exculpatory evidence that the defense counsel could have used to challenge their credibility. Given that there was no such disclosure by the State, that leaves us with two options: First, the State committed a constitutional violation that entitles Adnan to a new trial. Second, some other person somehow had enough information to receive the full Crime Stoppers reward despite seemingly playing no role at Adnan’s trial.

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epi sode

17 FLASH FORWARD flashforwardpod.com LISTEN 48

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Host: Rose Eveleth Site: flashforwardpod.com About: “Flash Forward is a podcast about the future.

Each week we take on a possible future scenario— everything from the existence of artificial wombs, to what would happen if space pirates dragged a second moon to Earth.”

Episode 17: “The Altered State.”

Description: “Today we travel to a future where all drugs are legal. Just roll up to the store, and get yourself some cocaine! We start with some history: for centuries a world without drug laws existed. Mark Kleiman, a professor at NYU who studies drug policy, explains that fear of drugs, and the desire to regulate them, really started in the late 1800’s. The rise of industry, advances in chemistry, and the invention of the hypodermic needle all fueled a rise in drug use and in drug fears.”

That Moment When: Rose links drug laws with racism: “Here are some statistics: in America, white people and black people are equally likely to use drugs. But black Americans are arrested at twice the rate of white Americans for drug crimes.

Not only that, but black

Americans are more likely to be offered a plea deal that involves prison time than whites are for the same crimes, and are more likely to serve longer sentences than white Americans for the same offense.”

Sound Bite: David Epstein on performanceenhancing drugs: “Russians started using testosterone harvested from animals for weightlifters and then an American doctor who noticed this made the first synthesis of synthetic testosterone. And so I think in some ways it grew out of this sort of Cold War you know battle on the sports field kind of thing between Russia and the United States this sort of proliferation of performance enhancing drugs and then you know that led to people going to such extremes that sometimes people died. And so I think it really grew sort of out of some Cold War rivalry.”

Listen Because: Rose keeps the discussions fast-paced and interesting, and the topics give listeners much to think about.

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ALEX AN GOLEPDLYM , ALL R

GRETCHEN RUBIN HAPPIER WITH IN GRETCHEN RUB

ELDON EL AINE M. SH NSBURG GI H RA SA d an es She Do Behind the th Theme Music wi R BREAKMASTE CYLINDER

JANUARY 2016

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EA EAR RBBU UD D PODSTER’S AARON WATSON RECOMMENDS:

SEMINARS ABOUT LONG-TERM THINKING longnow.org/seminars/

Great podcasts serve education extenders by

providing us with captivating lectures the likes of those we remember from the best of our university classes. There are few parallels to the sensation of getting absorbed by the intelligence of another human as they speak and open your mind to a new plane of thinking. While interviews can be insightful and good questions unlock treasure troves of insight, a well-prepared lecture can serve to be more balanced and focused.

Enter Seminars in Long-Term Thinking, produced by The Long Now Foundation, in which brilliant minds speculate on what we can expect the future to hold and offer methods for establishing better long-term thinking.

The foundation’s goal is to serve as a counterpoint to today’s accelerating culture and help make long-term thinking more common. They hope to foster responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years.

In one fantastic episode, Brian Christian breaks down the “Algorithms to Live By,” such as Optimal Stopping Theory, which says you should stop somewhere between 31% and 37% toward your goal and take the first option better than anything you saw in the first 31%. The long episodes provide plenty of context and serve the dual purpose of practicing extended focus.

Check it out, and start thinking long-term.

Aaron Watson is the host of the Going Deep with Aaron Watson podcast, a forum for meaningful, deep conversations about the passions, fears and problems of people from all walks of life. Guests talk about entrepreneurship, sports, finance, comedy, and lifestyle design. goingdeepwithaaron.com 50

SEPTEMBER 2016

Now Available on

In the first Shelf Media Podcast, publisher Margaret Brown talks to author Matt Bell about his three books and about writing, teaching the craft of writing, and his forthcoming novel. She also talks to book reviewers David Rice and Michele Filgate about Bell’s most recent novel, In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods.

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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015

TR TRE ENND DIN ING G

@GOVERNORPERRY That was fun! Vote #teamdanceforourvets by calling 1-800-868-3410 or online: http:// dwtsvote.abc.go.com/ #DWTS

@VANILLAICE I almost wore the cool outfit from the show out the studio and to the airport. Lol. Had such a blast I didn’t want it to end.

@CARRIEANNINABA I’ll share what really happened tonight in the ballroom in my @SheKnows blog tmrw.. Why did I yell “excuse me”?. It was a dramatic premiere!

@HINCHTOWN Dance shoes off, race boots on!

Back to work for the series finale @RaceSonoma. Can’t believe it’s over. Wanna end on a high for @SPMIndyCar

#DANCINGWITHTHESTARS DANCING WITH THE STARS AFTERBUZZ TV AFTERSHOW 52

SEPTEMBER 2016

@GRUMPYLGOODMAN You don’t win #DWTS in the ballroom, you win it in rehearsals. The more you sweat, the better you get!

OUTRO OUTRO OUTRO “I can hear it, hear it, hear it I can hear the modern spirit, yeah.”

| from “The Modern Spirit” by The Tragically Hip |

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