You've probably heard of Serial, the new (and most downloaded) podcast produced by This American Life, of the infamous Ira Glass. It's published weekly, and follows one non-fiction story (in this case, the murder of a 17 year old girl by her ex-boyfriend in 1999 Baltimore). Each episode unfolds another part of the crime and the investigation. It's like SVU, but not quite as harmless when you remember this is an actual man (serving life in prison) and an actual woman (dead in her teens). Creepy but so fascinating.
I love a good debate, and there is certainly plenty surrounding Serial: the journalistic style, the guilt/innocence of the main character (whose trial is in the final stages of appeal, BTW), the propriety of the content, everything. Here's a good article in defense, if you're interested.
I listened to episode 1 while doing busy work during the day, but I think it needs more attention, so I listened to episode 2-4 last night while getting out my holiday decorations. Got my roommate hooked, too. He mentioned something I can certainly identify with: podcasts make you feel more productive than watching TV and smarter than listening to music. In the right setting, they can be a wonderful option. I'm thinking about listening to the next few episodes while streaming my barre and yoga workouts at home, as I bet it's pretty distracting...in a good way.
Oh, and check out this post from last year about some favorite podcasts and a really convenient way to listen to them.
