BBC, In Our Time - you feel like a genius whilst listening, and forget it all almost immediately.
Dan Carlin's hardcore history (https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/) only listened to the blueprint for armageddon so far which was brilliant.
I much prefer scripted radio to loosely scripted or unscripted. Is there a science/culture programme similar to In our time, but scripted? In French, there is the marvellous Sur les épaules de Darwin (https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/sur-les-epaules-de-darwin), is there anything like that in English available in podcast form? Something on NPR maybe?
My Dad wrote a pr0no - funny, basically a guy and his mates reading and critiquing a pr0no his 60yr old dad has written.
Don't tell me the score on BBC, has an episode with Alex Honnold about fear. Not listened yet, sounds good though.
Don't tell me the score on BBC, has an episode with Alex Honnold about fear. Not listened yet, sounds good though.
There have been some other pretty interesting pods in that series, entirely dependent on the contributor though - some have just seemed like adverts for "lifestyle" books.
I imagine it's already been mentioned but the Allusionist is good. Presented by Helen Zaltzman (sister of Andy of Bugle fame), it's a look at the origins and use of language that manages to be both erudite and playful. Highly recommended to anyone who has ever enjoyed posts in the "Eggcorns" thread. It's the sort of podcast that results in you boring workmates with choice nuggets. The history of Polari, "c*nt", Criminallusionist, and the saga of Bic and Biro (Eponym II) episodes come to mind as favourites.
Don't tell me the score on BBC, has an episode with Alex Honnold about fear. Not listened yet, sounds good though.
There have been some other pretty interesting pods in that series, entirely dependent on the contributor though - some have just seemed like adverts for "lifestyle" books.
Don't tell me the score on BBC, has an episode with Alex Honnold about fear. Not listened yet, sounds good though.
There have been some other pretty interesting pods in that series, entirely dependent on the contributor though - some have just seemed like adverts for "lifestyle" books.
The Honnold one was really good, in my opinion. He has an interesting analysis of fear and risk.
Just enjoyed a morning binge of the Jon Ronson on...' series, available on BBC sounds.
Interesting snippets of different lives, reminiscent of 'This American Life' series. ~20 mins each (I recommend 'Aiming low' discussing Frank Sidebottom and a chap who got fired by Walt Disney.)
Just enjoyed a morning binge of the Jon Ronson on...' series, available on BBC sounds.
Interesting snippets of different lives, reminiscent of 'This American Life' series. ~20 mins each (I recommend 'Aiming low' discussing Frank Sidebottom and a chap who got fired by Walt Disney.)
Jon Ronson's Butterfly Effect (https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/audible/the-butterfly-effect-with-jon-ronson/e/52096344)series is well worth a listen if you havent checked that out already
Just enjoyed a morning binge of the Jon Ronson on...' series, available on BBC sounds.
Interesting snippets of different lives, reminiscent of 'This American Life' series. ~20 mins each (I recommend 'Aiming low' discussing Frank Sidebottom and a chap who got fired by Walt Disney.)
Jon Ronson's Butterfly Effect (https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/audible/the-butterfly-effect-with-jon-ronson/e/52096344)series is well worth a listen if you havent checked that out already
A mate got me to listen to that in January. Unfortunately my review was thus:
It's very interesting as a case study on what happens when a journalist is commissioned to produce 7 episodes of scintillating intrigue, has a great time in LA on expenses, records hours of audio, but ultimately finds no story whatsoever. They are then forced to tie it all together with some loose narrative about how the internet destroyed civilisation. He may as well blame Henry ford for greenhouse gas emissions.
:sorry:
The KLF story on BBC Sounds is good in a slightly annoying way. The story content itself is properly crackers.
https://www.trainingbeta.com/media/sierra-blair-coyle
Not listened yet, but his should be interesting
I listened to this reluctantly, and was quite glad I did. I thought she came across well, and I did ened up feeling slightly bad about how she's been portrayed. Clearly she does an awful lot of self promotion, but she definitely came across as someone who is deeply committed to being a comp climber, and on the side does modelling etc. I was left feeling that she's previously been written off as a serious climber because she's good looking. Which seems harsh.
Has the number of podcasts exploded in the last year or two? It seems to me like it has.
S-town - a stand alone series of 12 episodes and quite compulsive listening.
Bespoke cycling podcast from the BBC or/and The Cycling Podcast - if you are into cycling.
Thirteen Minutes to the Moon. Series documenting the first moon landing and how it was done, told through the lens of the difficult final descent.
Very interesting indeed and quite inspiring what can be done when heaps of money and political will is thrown at something. I'm always staggered at the level of forward planning required on space missions. And it's very illuminating to see just how much the investment in the programme drove forward technological advancement.
The missus recommended this to me and I've just started dipping in and out - definitely worth a listen. I started with the David Baddiel one.
Also, two of my favourite podcast series of recent years were the Slate "Slow Burns" on the histories of Watergate and the Clinton / Lewinsky impeachment - incredible access to witness evidence and so much detail that I was utterly unaware of
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
I really liked the nuggets about the lost art of filming for live studio audiences (you apparently need "vision mixers" who can cut between cameras on the fly, a skill now best found in editors of fly-on-the-wall programmes about schools etc).
Found this the other night - Men Against The Eiger, from the BBC Archive.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07525kg (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07525kg)
Dougie Haston, Chris Bonington and Ian McNaught-Davis talking about climbing the North Face. Pretty enlightening stuff.
Found this the other night - Men Against The Eiger, from the BBC Archive.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07525kg (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07525kg)
Dougie Haston, Chris Bonington and Ian McNaught-Davis talking about climbing the North Face. Pretty enlightening stuff.
COUGH
One that was recommended to me but I thought was a bit gash is stuff you should know. I thought they seemed way out of their depth on a lot of topics, and dumbed things down way too much. For example, repeatedly using the word "design" when discussing evolution.
Don't tell me the score on BBC, has an episode with Alex Honnold about fear. Not listened yet, sounds good though.
There have been some other pretty interesting pods in that series, entirely dependent on the contributor though - some have just seemed like adverts for "lifestyle" books.
The Honnold one was really good, in my opinion. He has an interesting analysis of fear and risk.
That A55 road works is good for something!
That A55 road works is good for something!
Got some sneaky beta for you if you’re keen. For Friday/ w ends especially. Knocked 30 min off from y day and more traffic today
I can't remember for sure but I think it builds on some plot elements from the TV show
why we don’t have a written constitution and why, up to now at least, that has been perceived as advantageous.
I have no idea the veracity of the following link.... (but I've seen plenty well informed bloggers etc. dismantling many Bellingcat stories)
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Bellingcat
I.e. believing the whit helmets etc.?
I have no idea the veracity of the following link.... (but I've seen plenty well informed bloggers etc. dismantling many Bellingcat stories)
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Bellingcat
I don’t know anything about Bellingcat, but did you read that link before posting it? It appears to be a conspiracy theory site, and the few passages I read were full of full on foil hat brigade red flags!
You don't have to be "pro-Russia" (which I vehemently am not) do have doubts about the white helmet's narratives.
The latest "How To Fail", with Alain De Botton as guest is really very good.
You don't have to be "pro-Russia" (which I vehemently am not) do have doubts about the white helmet's narratives.
Who are the white helmets?
There was a brilliant BBC series called Intrigue: The Ratline: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04sj2pt I'm not normally that into war history, but this is so well written and presented. Fascinating.
. There was a brilliant BBC series called Intrigue: The Ratline https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04sj2pt I'm not normally that into war history, but this is so well written and presented. Fascinating.
Listened to the Factor 2 podcasts with Patch Hammond and Leo back to back stuck in traffic yesterday. Really good, such a legendary tale that El Niño ascent.
The Missing Cryptoqueen
Brilliant series about cryptocurrency scam.
Also, two of my favourite podcast series of recent years were the Slate "Slow Burns" on the histories of Watergate and the Clinton / Lewinsky impeachment - incredible access to witness evidence and so much detail that I was utterly unaware of:
https://slate.com/slow-burn (https://slate.com/slow-burn)
Series 3 has been announced - on the murders of Biggie and Tupac. Given the information unearthed for the previous series and subject matter (I remember lots of talk of gang rivalries and paid off Police at the time) I would be surprised of it's not fascinating.
https://slate.com/briefing/2019/04/slow-burn-season-3-tupac-biggie.html (https://slate.com/briefing/2019/04/slow-burn-season-3-tupac-biggie.html)
This is the most purely enjoyable of my current listens. Perhaps a bit of a niche interest on this forum but I think Dolly's story is interesting quite aside from any love of her music (I suspect the Venn diagram overlap between "Dolly Parton" and "limestone crimps" is small and possibly moose-shaped?!).
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america/episodes (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america/episodes)
Slow burn sounds good.
The BBC has a good intrigue podcast Murder in the Lucky Holiday Hotel in which Carrie Gracie investigates the death / murder of Neil Heywood; I was totally unaware that this may have had a significant bearing on who now rules China. Quite snappy and easy to follow.
You don't have to be "pro-Russia" (which I vehemently am not) do have doubts about the white helmet's narratives.
Who are the white helmets?
I'm re-evaluating my position on the white helmets. They're now in the "undecided, need more info" part of my brain. I'm still highly sceptical, but I'm equally sceptical about the criticisms, so I'm in some for of sceptolimbo.
They're a Syrian search and rescue NGO. They claim to be neutral. They've often been accused of working with or being a front for Al Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups. They've also been accused of staging rescues etc. However, as I understand it these accusations are widely viewed as being part of a propaganda/misinformation campaign run by Russia and the Syrian regime. There'a a very good documentary called "The Last Men in Aleppo." I'm probably now going to be accused of being a sheeple who has fallen for the fake news about Russia/Syria. Who knows?
The White Helmets
You don't have to be "pro-Russia" (which I vehemently am not) do have doubts about the white helmet's narratives.
Who are the white helmets?
I'm re-evaluating my position on the white helmets. They're now in the "undecided, need more info" part of my brain. I'm still highly sceptical, but I'm equally sceptical about the criticisms, so I'm in some for of sceptolimbo.
They're a Syrian search and rescue NGO. They claim to be neutral. They've often been accused of working with or being a front for Al Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups. They've also been accused of staging rescues etc. However, as I understand it these accusations are widely viewed as being part of a propaganda/misinformation campaign run by Russia and the Syrian regime. There'a a very good documentary called "The Last Men in Aleppo." I'm probably now going to be accused of being a sheeple who has fallen for the fake news about Russia/Syria. Who knows?
The White Helmets
You don't have to be "pro-Russia" (which I vehemently am not) do have doubts about the white helmet's narratives.
Who are the white helmets?
I'm re-evaluating my position on the white helmets. They're now in the "undecided, need more info" part of my brain. I'm still highly sceptical, but I'm equally sceptical about the criticisms, so I'm in some for of sceptolimbo.
They're a Syrian search and rescue NGO. They claim to be neutral. They've often been accused of working with or being a front for Al Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups. They've also been accused of staging rescues etc. However, as I understand it these accusations are widely viewed as being part of a propaganda/misinformation campaign run by Russia and the Syrian regime. There'a a very good documentary called "The Last Men in Aleppo." I'm probably now going to be accused of being a sheeple who has fallen for the fake news about Russia/Syria. Who knows?
One perspective - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/syria-white-helmets-conspiracy-theories (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/syria-white-helmets-conspiracy-theories).
An opposing view - https://renegadeinc.com/monbiot-the-guardian-gatekeepers-for-the-white-helmets/ (https://renegadeinc.com/monbiot-the-guardian-gatekeepers-for-the-white-helmets/)
Bellingcat's take - https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018/12/18/chemical-weapons-and-absurdity-the-disinformation-campaign-against-the-white-helmets/ (https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018/12/18/chemical-weapons-and-absurdity-the-disinformation-campaign-against-the-white-helmets/)
Speaking of podcasts. Which android app is best for podcasts? It need to be able to pull from all kind of sources as I'm pretty eclectic in my listening habits. I don't mind paying a bit.
On the subject (kind of) anyone know of any good podcasts for learning French? I had the Duolingo app, but I've done it to death now.
On the subject (kind of) anyone know of any good podcasts for learning French? I had the Duolingo app, but I've done it to death now.
Spotify is less than useless for french & swedish podcasts. I rather not download one app for BBC, one for France Inter, one for NPR and one for Swedish Public Radio — and the web interfaces are really frustrating.
There are a lot of apps to choose from. I use Castbox, it has a free tier with some ads but is pretty good to use. You can stream/download as you wish. Podcast Addict, Pocketcasts and Stitcher are all popular too, there's not much difference between them on the free tier in my experience.I use the free version of Podcast Addict but I'm not that impressed with it and have been meaning to find an alternative.
There are a lot of apps to choose from. I use Castbox, it has a free tier with some ads but is pretty good to use. You can stream/download as you wish. Podcast Addict, Pocketcasts and Stitcher are all popular too, there's not much difference between them on the free tier in my experience.I use the free version of Podcast Addict but I'm not that impressed with it and have been meaning to find an alternative.
The app regularly stops playing and/or shuts down for no reason (on a pixel 3 with nothing else running so shouldn't be a lack of memory or processing power). It does this occasionally of its own accord but also does it very frequently if you press the skip 30 seconds button. Something that I often use to skip adverts when listening to commercial radio shows.
A nice twist at the end of The Missing Cryptoqueen involving Shark. Well I never. All those trips to Uganda must have eaten into his Oak training time. ]
;D I noticed that one as well
Dark Matter. A ghost story set at a 1930s Arctic research station. 10 x 15min episodes. On BBC Sounds.
Bleakness, pervading sense of dread: a perfect accompaniment for our times.
Dark Matter. A ghost story set at a 1930s Arctic research station. 10 x 15min episodes. On BBC Sounds.
Bleakness, pervading sense of dread: a perfect accompaniment for our times.
I enjoyed that too. Atmospheric. I actually shared the link with a friend a few days ago. He told me he listened to it up to the point where he reached Plantation car park for a night session. There was nobody around and mist was shrouding the trees. He decided not to continue listening on the walk in. :lol:
[\quote]
Yikes! I was quite trepidatious pressing play on the final episode.
If you liked Tunnel 29 you should definitely get onto The Ratline.
Nice conversation between Yuval Noah Harari & Max Tegmark about big picture things:
https://soundcloud.com/futureoflife/on-consciousness-morality-effective-altruism-myth-with-yuval-noah-harari-max-tegmark
Don't let intro put you off (quite likely if you have an aversion to US accents), conversation starts at 03:10
Book says Infrasound, if that's the name for noise; I read it a few years ago, so can't recall totally. Seemed plausible, but I'm not utterly convinced by it.
I struggle to pick a favourite Orwell. Even his lesser known works like Keep The Aspidistra Flying are brilliant. I think I'd probably settle on a book of essays rather than any one novel though.
Homage to Catalonia and Down and Out are two of my favourite books. Put them on your list!
Homage to Catalonia and Down and Out are two of my favourite books. Put them on your list!
Have you read Ghost of Spain? I read it ages ago but I remember it being a pretty interesting walk through post Franco Spain. There's a lot of surpressed stories from the war and the years that followed...
Have you read Ghost of Spain? I read it ages ago but I remember it being a pretty interesting walk through post Franco Spain. There's a lot of surpressed stories from the war and the years that followed...
Thanks, I'll have a look at that. I was just thinking this morning that I feel like I know at least something about life in Germany under the Nazis, and the oppression of people under the Soviet Union, but I know absolutely nothing about life in Spain after the war.
And this is really a sign of my mental feebleness, but if anybody has any historical fiction recommendations on the subject then feel free to make them. Obviously it's a flawed way of learning history, but it can be a bit more engaging than pure non-fiction which can be a bit dry for me.
Have you read Ghost of Spain? I read it ages ago but I remember it being a pretty interesting walk through post Franco Spain. There's a lot of surpressed stories from the war and the years that followed...
Thanks, I'll have a look at that. I was just thinking this morning that I feel like I know at least something about life in Germany under the Nazis, and the oppression of people under the Soviet Union, but I know absolutely nothing about life in Spain after the war.
And this is really a sign of my mental feebleness, but if anybody has any historical fiction recommendations on the subject then feel free to make them. Obviously it's a flawed way of learning history, but it can be a bit more engaging than pure non-fiction which can be a bit dry for me.
Does anyone list to music podcasts? Any recommendations for someone who likes a lot of the music linked on the Best of 20XX threads you guys always post on?
Does anyone list to music podcasts? Any recommendations for someone who likes a lot of the music linked on the Best of 20XX threads you guys always post on?
There is a bit of shortage of really good music podcasts.
On BBC sounds; Huey Lewis 6 music, Saturday morning show, absolutely brilliant. His occasional minimal DJ chat in his laconic New York drawl makes it even better.
On BBC sounds; Huey Morgan 6 music, Saturday morning show, absolutely brilliant. His occasional minimal DJ chat in his laconic New York drawl makes it even better.
Cerys Matthews shows on Sunday mornings on R6 are always really good. Varied music, interesting guests and talk.
More or Less on BBC sounds has some good statistical geekery about the current situation in recent episodes.
the "little goes a long way" effect is greatest for old-timers whose level is more deeply engrained.A friend belayed Elie Chevieux when he hadn't climbed for 6 months. Elie still onsighted 8as. (Yeah I know, none of us are Elie Chevieux. Still a nice anecdote)
[...]
Whatever, I'll take my comfort where I can - clinging to the hope of not being a hollow shell of Mooseness if / when released back into the wild..
Don't know if its been mentioned before but Michael Lewis' podcast Against the Rules is excellent.
Recent Freakonomics podcast episode called "make your own luck" was great. A woman who is a behavioural psychologist and became a professional poker player talking about what poker can teach you about decision making.
The Fault Line
A very slickly made and presented podcast (as you'd expect from a Dimbleby) about the Iraq War. Not surprisingly, a considerably more nuanced situation than many people realise. Interviews with people like Christopher Meyer and Blair are particularly interesting.
The Fault Line
A very slickly made and presented podcast (as you'd expect from a Dimbleby) about the Iraq War. Not surprisingly, a considerably more nuanced situation than many people realise. Interviews with people like Christopher Meyer and Blair are particularly interesting.
I take it Blair is still lying through his teeth? Does he get pressed much on the dodgy dossier etc?
Some of the sections (especially around the wars of the roses) are like Game of Thrones.
The Fault Line
A very slickly made and presented podcast (as you'd expect from a Dimbleby) about the Iraq War. Not surprisingly, a considerably more nuanced situation than many people realise. Interviews with people like Christopher Meyer and Blair are particularly interesting.
The Fault Line
A very slickly made and presented podcast (as you'd expect from a Dimbleby) about the Iraq War. Not surprisingly, a considerably more nuanced situation than many people realise. Interviews with people like Christopher Meyer and Blair are particularly interesting.
On episode 3 of this. Really well done and very easy to listen to. Some really interesting perspectives and not just focusing on did Blair lie etc...
Is there only 4? For some reason I thought it was 8??
Thanks for the heads up about Towton. Shall definitely check it out. Have just covered that part of the War of the Roses in the podcast!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000nkv7
Brilliant spooky techno, if you like that sort of thing!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000nkv7
Brilliant spooky techno, if you like that sort of thing!
Listening now - nice find!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000nkv7
Brilliant spooky techno, if you like that sort of thing!
I think it was mentioned on the film thread a while ago but I still really love
The Rewatchables podcast.
Funny, informative; reminds me why its ok to just love movies as well as proper films.
My mate Al hosts a podcast called Chart Music in which he co-ordinates two of a panel of five of his mates who used to write for the Melody Maker in meticulously dissecting an old episode of Top of the Pops.
It’s frequently hilarious and in my experience the more you listen the more you get into the pundits and their lifestories and it leads you to start thinking about all sorts of aspects of music and pop culture that had either passed you by, you’d forgotten or you’d never taken seriously as well as getting a new perspective on stuff you thought you fully understood.
As they’ve got into the groove of making the show and Al’s come up with ever more ways to set the historical context, each episode seems to get longer than the last (the new one is over 6 hours long) and gradually listening to them all in sequence has played a big part in staying sane over the last 12 months for me.
I would recommend the The Socially Distant Sports Bar podcast. Basically three Welsh blokes (a mix of sport journalists and comedians) chatting bollocks about various historical sport events, but spinning off into all sorts of hilarious nonsense. Dead funny and interesting. I've become a regular listener.
https://open.spotify.com/show/32TCAZClErWNRfDoI2YD2d
The Fault Line
A very slickly made and presented podcast (as you'd expect from a Dimbleby) about the Iraq War. Not surprisingly, a considerably more nuanced situation than many people realise. Interviews with people like Christopher Meyer and Blair are particularly interesting.
I take it Blair is still lying through his teeth? Does he get pressed much on the dodgy dossier etc?
It's rather more interesting than that. Have a listen and find out.
The latest series of Intrigue on the BBC is called Mayday and explores The White Helmets and the misinformation surrounding them. Fairly essential listening considering that only a year ago there were links posted on this thread to conspiracy theorist websites helping to prop up the Russian/Assad narrative that they are a Jihadi group.
It made me seethe at times. What really struck home was the idea that, since the catastrophe of the Iraq war, public confidence in institutions has been eroded so much that lots of well-meaning people in the West are prepared to buy into the alternative narratives that serve the interests of those who drop bombs and chemical weapons on small children.
Christ. I just spent 5 mins getting lost in that miasma of utter garbage of a conspiracy theory blog by that guy Craig Murray. Had never heard of him before and hopefully never will again.
It all just strikes me as typical conspiracy theory garbage that sounds very convincing and has lots of threads all linking stuff together in a seemingly plausible manner. Next minute you start believing that there were no moon landings and that 911 was a conspiracy by the CIA and that the towers could never have fallen down just by being hit by planes.
Oh dear, what tragic little sheeple we must be.
As Dave points out, it's ridiculously time-consuming to try and take this stuff apart. It requires time and resource that only a journalist who writes about the subject is likely to have, and it would take them far longer to do than it would for someone to write more bullshit. If the blogger wanted to be taken seriously he could just try not writing like a conspiracy theorist. Instead he loads his writing with little phrases like "NATO funded propaganda website Bellingcat" (a handy way of making you distrust anything they say without actually having to present a counterargument), and "the pariah rogue states Israel and North Korea" (a nice little signal there that this will be a reassuringly anti-establishment narrative - remember, the establishment lie about everything, you cannot trust anything they say).
Why on earth would anybody decide to go to this blog for a dispassionate assessment of the evidence?
And if he's been right about something before (I don't know what this might refer to), that doesn't mean he's right about everything. A stopped clock tells the time twice a day - that doesn't make it right all the time.
Two thumbs up for The Fault Line.
I thought it was good, solid but largely unspectacular. I think having Dimbleby hosting was a masterstroke as he lends everything an air of gravitas and trustworthiness. There was interesting detail and great access to key figures (helped by Dimbleby involvement no doubt) but I found the format of jumping around chronologically quite wearing and didn't end the series feeling like I'd learned much. Basically I thought it was all a bit 'meh' so am interested that others are raving about it. I'm no 'hater' of Blair in the way that many on the left are incidentally.
I thought it was good, solid but largely unspectacular. I think having Dimbleby hosting was a masterstroke as he lends everything an air of gravitas and trustworthiness. There was interesting detail and great access to key figures (helped by Dimbleby involvement no doubt) but I found the format of jumping around chronologically quite wearing and didn't end the series feeling like I'd learned much. Basically I thought it was all a bit 'meh' so am interested that others are raving about it. I'm no 'hater' of Blair in the way that many on the left are incidentally.
Fair comments. I think I may biased due to age here. I can remember most stuff around this fairly clearly and therefore this was more like a nice summarizing without rehashing a lot of stuff that was gone into in huge detail at the time and in the inquiry later.
Dave
The current series of the Reith Lectures is very interesting; on BBC sounds. Mark Carney discusses economics, the concept of value and the financial crisis, and gets quizzed on it by quite a few former chancellors.
You can see how the way the evidence was selected to support the war got people suspicious though; I think the main takeaway was that all of the intelligence was fundamentally shit.
The current series of the Reith Lectures is very interesting; on BBC sounds. Mark Carney discusses economics, the concept of value and the financial crisis, and gets quizzed on it by quite a few former chancellors.
Thanks for this, despite his rather dry delivery I agree - very interesting. The issue of price vs value seems to be one of the biggest issues with the state of the world right now and I wonder when we'll next have a Governor with such a clear eyed view of finances' limitations.
One of the things that it did contain in the first episode was a CIA agent whose intelligence was not shit, but essentially the neocons prevented it from reaching the white house. To start with the British government likely was being prevented from seeing the things that indicated that there weren't any WMD, only later when the countries were basically committed, did they become complicit
I thought it was good, solid but largely unspectacular. I think having Dimbleby hosting was a masterstroke as he lends everything an air of gravitas and trustworthiness. There was interesting detail and great access to key figures (helped by Dimbleby involvement no doubt) but I found the format of jumping around chronologically quite wearing and didn't end the series feeling like I'd learned much. Basically I thought it was all a bit 'meh' so am interested that others are raving about it. I'm no 'hater' of Blair in the way that many on the left are incidentally.
I was 12 when 9/11 happened, so the war was something I saw on the TV but didn't completely comprehend. I found that I learned a lot by listening to the podcast.
Likewise, I thought it was really good.
Probably been mentioned before but I really enjoyed the BBC Radio 5 live- Paradise podcast series. Crazy story.
Christ. I just spent 5 mins getting lost in that miasma of utter garbage of a conspiracy theory blog by that guy Craig Murray. Had never heard of him before and hopefully never will again.
It all just strikes me as typical conspiracy theory garbage that sounds very convincing and has lots of threads all linking stuff together in a seemingly plausible manner. Next minute you start believing that there were no moon landings and that 911 was a conspiracy by the CIA and that the towers could never have fallen down just by being hit by planes.
See, this is my issue. Everyone writes him off as a "conspiracy nut", but he's been proved right time and time again. I'm yet to see a definitive case where he's categorically proven wrong. People don't engage as their bullshit radars go off, and they give up.
I'd genuinely rather none of it were true, and I could start writing him off like everyone else does. Maybe he's a Russian disinformation shill? If so, show me. I'm willing to admit I'm being mislead. We all can be. I need facts though...
That’s very good, thanks Toby.
If you enjoyed The Fault Line you might enjoy Talking Politics: History of Ideas, a series of lectures on key works of political thought likes Hobbes’ Leviathan, Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj or Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom ...
David Runciman has the tone and confidence of a hereditary viscount from St John’s Wood, who won an Eton scholarship, and is now a Cambridge professor. If this doesn’t put you off he’s a brilliant lecturer.
Legend??!?!
Not sure he's earnt that. I'll listen to the podcast and maybe have my mind changed.
Legend??!?!
Not sure he's earnt that. I'll listen to the podcast and maybe have my mind changed.
Not sure what the criteria are for becoming a legend,
If you enjoyed The Fault Line you might enjoy Talking Politics: History of Ideas, a series of lectures on key works of political thought likes Hobbes’ Leviathan, Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj or Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom ...
David Runciman has the tone and confidence of a hereditary viscount from St John’s Wood, who won an Eton scholarship, and is now a Cambridge professor. If this doesn’t put you off he’s a brilliant lecturer.
I'm listening to this at the moment and enjoying it hugely. There's complex ideas in there but Runciman explains it well and carefully, allowing laypeople (like me) to engage with some meaty topics. Many thanks, Duncan!
But, I do want to pull you up on the above which I don't feel is relevant. He may be from a privileged background but he's also an academic in his own right. He is self-assured in his delivery (he'll let you know where he disagrees with other commentators and explain why) but not any more so than any other expert.
Just thought I'd mention it as it would be a shame if his background put anybody off listening.
For anyone wanting more info about the Franklin expedition I would recommend this podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-explorers-podcast/id1161063301?i=1000457740672
Currently binge-listening to The Magnus Archives while doing a lot of boring physio. Top-notch fictional horror (if I recall correctly, the creator's original pitch was something like "a cross between M.R. James and creepypasta").
Initially looks like an anthology format with each ep being a standalone story; rapidly turns out to have recurring elements and emerging narrative arcs.
Tonight I learned that Octopuses have more neurons in their arms than their "brains". I thought, I can relate to that, I'm just not very intelligent ;D
Excellent series of programmes on The Octopus And The Evolution Of Intelligent Life:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vwvk/episodes/guide
ttps://runoutpodcast.com/index.php/2021/03/22/runout-58-dave-graham-goes-off/
DG telling stories and being amusing. Skip the first 20 mins or so if you don't want to hear Andrew Bisharat and Chris Calous just chatting.
Sideways on BBC Sounds - covers all sorts of topics in an interesting and entertaining way without being overly sensationalist.
[quote author=TobyD link=topic=29949.msg641610#msg641610 date=1627922880
If I haven't mentioned it before, The Rest is History is brilliant, and if I have, it's worth restating, especially the recent episode on the modern Olympics, which is full of great trivia and some interesting more serious historical observation.
The first "Fall of Rome" season was good too - I had never really realised the scale of the economy and it's importance to the empire's stability (bulk, subsidised movement of commodities across continents allowed urbanisation and specialisation), and how disruption to that made a lot o large settlements unsupportable (large towns in Britain etc disappeared very quickly once we became untethered). I just had a vague feeling that barabarians were to blame!
The first "Fall of Rome" season was good too - I had never really realised the scale of the economy and it's importance to the empire's stability (bulk, subsidised movement of commodities across continents allowed urbanisation and specialisation), and how disruption to that made a lot o large settlements unsupportable (large towns in Britain etc disappeared very quickly once we became untethered). I just had a vague feeling that barabarians were to blame!
If I haven't mentioned it before, The Rest is History is brilliant, and if I have, it's worth restating, especially the recent episode on the modern Olympics, which is full of great trivia and some interesting more serious historical observation.
If I haven't mentioned it before, The Rest is History is brilliant, and if I have, it's worth restating, especially the recent episode on the modern Olympics, which is full of great trivia and some interesting more serious historical observation.
I've found these slightly hit and miss, depending on the subject. However the two part-er on Hitler with his biographer Ian Kershaw was excellent.
they all write most of the match report by 60 minutes through the game as it has to be filed so quickly; it's then a total nightmare if the game changes in the last third.
The American Climbing Podcast is no more US-centric than many of the other popular climbing podcasts and in some ways deals with more universal subjects.
A bit off topic (as it's a shit podcast), but Climbing Sparkling Moments by la sportiva is worth avoiding! On the surface it's got a pretty good line up, but I tried listening to episode 7 and it's basically just completely wrong throughout (apparently it's Sam Whittaker taking the big lob at the start of hard grit?!) Maybe some of the other episodes are better but Im not confident based on what I've heard so far.
I did.
I did.
The Airplane one, and the Miles Jupp one on Frasier are both top-notch.
Cautionary Tales mentioned a few times on here but worth mentioning again. The first series especially should be essential listening for everyone in engineering or in fact anyone with any job, or even anyone who does anything. Great stuff.
Thought I'd just post some appreciation for this thread. I generally give most recommendations a listen and have enjoyed lots of them. Some recent highlights that have come from this thread...
The rest is history I use this when I've enjoyed a book/film/article and need a bit of background. Very accessible.
Cautionary Tales mentioned a few times on here but worth mentioning again. The first series especially should be essential listening for everyone in engineering or in fact anyone with any job, or even anyone who does anything. Great stuff.
the fault line - first series on Blair, bush & iraq and the real science of sport been new to me this year and much enjoyed
The first anniversary of the attack on The Capitol is a good day to recommend The Coming Storm (BBC Sounds) on the roots, growth, and influence of QAnon.
Hardcore History by Dan Carlin.
Just listened to my first episode (about the development of nuclear weapons and the Cold War) which was brilliant. Each episode is about 5hrs long! Initially I found this off putting but in the end it really worked and it was more like a short history book.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dan-carlins-hardcore-history/id173001861
Hardcore History by Dan Carlin.
Just listened to my first episode (about the development of nuclear weapons and the Cold War) which was brilliant. Each episode is about 5hrs long! Initially I found this off putting but in the end it really worked and it was more like a short history book.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dan-carlins-hardcore-history/id173001861
Marc Thompson's series about the HIV/AIDS crisis, "We Were Always Here", is very good.
Interview with him about it: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/12/01/we-were-always-here-podcast-hiv-marc-thompson/
A couple of weeks ago my podcast feed suddenly filled up with lots of conversations with 'philosopher of the moment' Will Macaskill, primarily promoting and discussing his new book 'What We Owe the Future'. Surprisingly varied ground covered in the different conversations. He was pressed pretty hard by both Tyler Cowen (conversations with Tyler) and Sean Carol (Mindscape) so was interesting to hear his defence of long termism and effective altruism more generally in those. Personally, I think I enjoyed the 80k hours one (https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/will-macaskill-what-we-owe-the-future/) the most.
A couple of weeks ago my podcast feed suddenly filled up with lots of conversations with 'philosopher of the moment' Will Macaskill, primarily promoting and discussing his new book 'What We Owe the Future'. Surprisingly varied ground covered in the different conversations. He was pressed pretty hard by both Tyler Cowen (conversations with Tyler) and Sean Carol (Mindscape) so was interesting to hear his defence of long termism and effective altruism more generally in those. Personally, I think I enjoyed the 80k hours one (https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/will-macaskill-what-we-owe-the-future/) the most.
He was also on Lex Fridman recently. Both interesting characters. Not listened much to Lex yet, but quite like the deep dive, long form format.
I felt Macaskill's viewpoint, while laudable - was slightly too "human-centric" for my liking, as if fixing the ills of inequality is going to fix the biggest of our looming issues. I'm not against what he says, whatsoever, I just think the aims might be wrong - with the environment, biodiversity and general long term health of the planet being higher priorities for me than saving the maximum number of lives....
That said....if you take his argument to the extreme, and invoke the paperclip theory....humanity is going to fuck itself quick sharp while striving for more technological advancement. Bravo humans!
Susan Cooper’s ‘The Dark is Rising’ adapted (by Robert McFarlane for Radio. 12 episodes over Christmas.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct4lzn?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct4lzn?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile)
Have a few very long, solo, drives coming up and will need some entertainment. Any recommendations for good comedy shows / podcasts available for free / on Spotify?
Or investigative journalism?
Really enjoyed The Missing Cryptoqueen recently so anything similar would be great. As an aside, this is a pretty incredible story!
Also enjoying The Rest is History atm.
Have a few very long, solo, drives coming up and will need some entertainment. Any recommendations for good comedy shows / podcasts available for free / on Spotify?
Or investigative journalism?
Really enjoyed The Missing Cryptoqueen recently so anything similar would be great. As an aside, this is a pretty incredible story!
Also enjoying The Rest is History atm.
Lengthy:
Hardcore History - Dan Carlin talks for 4+ hours at a time. There's a limited free library of them and then they go behind a paywall but for an example in the free stuff you can get his six episodes on Japan that will last for you nearly 26 hours.
Or investigative journalism?
Really enjoyed The Missing Cryptoqueen recently so anything similar would be great. As an aside, this is a pretty incredible story!
Thanks for all the suggestions. Showing my podcast naivety I'd never heard of The Bugle! Enjoy Andy Zaltzmann on The News Quiz so that's perfect. Loads of others to go at to. Cheers!If you end up enjoying the Bugle, I’d recommend going back to the older ones where it was Andy and John Oliver hosting. The current stuff is good, but the older stuff was often excellent.
Really enjoyed The Missing Cryptoqueen recently so anything similar would be great. As an aside, this is a pretty incredible story!
Have you listened to the one about Elizabeth Holmes and her company Theranos?
It’s called the drop out. I listened to it at a similar time to the missing cryptoqueen and it felt similar sort of vibes.
Really enjoyed The Missing Cryptoqueen recently so anything similar would be great. As an aside, this is a pretty incredible story!
This kept me gripped for a 10 hour drive recently, so good. I didn't realise when I started listening that events are still unfolding and that the latest episode is well overdue. I wonder if the FBI or other authority has pressed them into not broadcasting?
I mean let's face it, she's surely swimming with the fishes by now!
True crime:
The Lazarus Heist - Season 1 was about North Korean hackers stealing $1bn from Bangladesh Bank.
True crime:
The Lazarus Heist - Season 1 was about North Korean hackers stealing $1bn from Bangladesh Bank.
Just to say thanks for this one, it's kept me going over the Bank Holiday!
Thanks for all the suggestions. Showing my podcast naivety I'd never heard of The Bugle! Enjoy Andy Zaltzmann on The News Quiz so that's perfect. Loads of others to go at to. Cheers!If you end up enjoying the Bugle, I’d recommend going back to the older ones where it was Andy and John Oliver hosting. The current stuff is good, but the older stuff was often excellent.
Any opportunity for a Newton abbot lad to have a dig at Totnes eh?!
Are there any funny podcasts out there? Comedy is very subjective of course and I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for.... probably something fairly stupid and also apolitical.I was once on a long car journey with someone who played the Blackadder sound tracks from a cassette tape. I was astonished at how well it worked without the visuals. If anything it was funnier than seeing it on TV. I just saw it is still available on CD from Amazon. I guess some sort of file must be out there too.
Are there any funny podcasts out there? Comedy is very subjective of course and I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for.... probably something fairly stupid and also apolitical.
I've just started listening to Written in Stone from Kris Hampton (Power Company Climbing).
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/written-in-stone-climbings-most-important-ascents/id1710771665
Maybe a bit too American for my tastes, but I do love a bit of climbing history. Routes covered so far - Masse Critique (1st female F8b+) and Hubble. Latest episode is Action Directe. Couple of episodes on each route - a bit about the route's history and then an interview with someone (not the ascensionist) on how that route influenced them or why it was an important route for them. Hubble interviews were Buster Martin and Steve McClure.
No idea what the remaining routes in the series are going to be, but I'd guess Lynn Hill on the Nose, Tribout on Just Do It, one of the Alex Huber routes, Fred Rouhling and maybe Fred Nicole will be in there.
Recently, amusing data on viewing preference by voting intentions (most Labour show: Taskmaster, most Conservative show: Strictly come dancing)
Recently, amusing data on viewing preference by voting intentions (most Labour show: Taskmaster, most Conservative show: Strictly come dancing)
Ha that's a funny stat. And nail on the head for me at least :2thumbsup:
The show which has viewers exactly reflective of national polls is... University Challenge! (weirdest stat of them all?)