This is just a quick heads up. You can now watch online the first episode of This AmerÂiÂcan Life. ShowÂtime just startÂed airÂing a teleÂvised verÂsion of thelong-runÂning and very popÂuÂlar radio proÂgram (which is also availÂable as a podÂcast iTunesFeedWeb Site). If you’re wonÂderÂing how the show’s disÂtincÂtive feel comes off in video, here’s your chance to take a quick, easy and free look.
With YouTube and Google Video now sitÂting under the same hapÂpy corÂpoÂrate umbrelÂla, you can rest assured that the world will receive only a steadÂier stream of home-brewed videos of guiÂtar riffs, treadÂmill dances, dorm room antics, and pet playÂtimes, the very stuff that makes up YouTube’s all-time list of favorites. Lucky us. But someÂwhere withÂin these vast troves of videos reside some valuÂable culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal conÂtent. And although it will assuredÂly lose the popÂuÂlarÂiÂty conÂtest that deterÂmines relÂeÂvance withÂin the world of Web 2.0, it’s there nonetheÂless, and we’re hapÂpy to point it out, espeÂcialÂly since GooTube doesÂn’t do much to help on that front. Here’s a good examÂple of what we’re talkÂing about.If you take seriÂousÂly the recent politÂiÂcal talk, the Bush AdminÂisÂtraÂtion looks to be on a colÂliÂsion course with Iran. And should things come to a head, you can guarÂanÂtee that AmerÂiÂcans will have next to no sense of what Iran is realÂly like as a counÂtry, othÂer than what the adminÂisÂtraÂtion has to say about it. The GooTube video below is a good corÂrecÂtive to that. This 90-minute liveÂly proÂgram proÂduced by the BBC takes an inside look at “one of the most misÂunÂderÂstood counÂtries in the world, lookÂing at the counÂtry through the eyes of peoÂple rarely heard — ordiÂnary IraÂniÂans.” And as it goes on to explain things, “it took a year of wranÂgling to get perÂmisÂsion to film inside Iran but the result is an amazÂing porÂtrayÂal of an enerÂgetic and vibrant counÂtry that is comÂpleteÂly difÂferÂent to the usuÂal images seen in the media.” Take a look:
This AmerÂiÂcan Life, a slightÂly quirky but always comÂpelling radio show, has develÂoped a large and fierceÂly dedÂiÂcatÂed audiÂence since it first aired in 1995. And nowaÂdays, the proÂgram, hostÂed by Ira Glass, is one of the most popÂuÂlar podÂcasts on iTunes. (It curÂrentÂly ranks #2 on the most popÂuÂlar podÂcast list: iTunesFeedWeb Site.) On March 22, This AmerÂiÂcan Life will take the next step in its evoÂluÂtion when ShowÂtime airs a teleÂvised verÂsion of the proÂgram. If you’re a fan who is wonÂderÂing what the show might look like on TV — how they might transÂlate the feel of the show to a visuÂal mediÂum — below you can find a couÂple of trailÂers that will give you a quick taste:
Here’s a difÂferÂent kind of podÂcast: You can now find on iTunes a new video podÂcast that feaÂtures aniÂmatÂed verÂsions of The New YorkÂer’s famous carÂtoons. A venÂture called RingÂTales has apparÂentÂly been givÂen an excluÂsive license to aniÂmate and disÂtribÂute The New YorkÂer’s library of over 70,000 carÂtoons. Each week, they’ll issue three new video aniÂmaÂtions, which you can access on iTunes as well as by rss feed. They’ll also be availÂable on The New YorkÂer webÂsite. For more details, see this press release.
Even if you don’t agree with its Euro conÂserÂvÂaÂtive posÂture, The
EconÂoÂmist always comes off as
emiÂnentÂly ratioÂnal and senÂsiÂble when
grapÂpling with politÂiÂcal issues, and cerÂtainÂly unwillÂing to put spin
ahead of good reportÂing, which sepÂaÂrates it from many of its AmerÂiÂcan
counÂterÂparts. This judiÂciousÂness comes across in a talk givÂen last week
by John MickÂlethÂwait, the magÂaÂzine’s newÂly appointÂed EdiÂtor-in-Chief. (Access audio verÂsions here.) InterÂviewed by Orville Schell, Dean of the GradÂuÂate School of JourÂnalÂism at
UC-BerkeÂley,
MickÂlethÂwait covÂers a lot of ground, but spends a good deal of time
conÂtemÂplatÂing AmerÂiÂca’s role in the world, and parÂticÂuÂlarÂly whether
AmerÂiÂca’s interÂnaÂtionÂal leadÂerÂship is now irreÂtrievÂably broÂken. His comÂmon sense answers proÂvide no red
meat for anyÂone on the left or right. But they’re thoughtÂful, and worth your time. (Just as an fyi, his talk doesÂn’t get startÂed until about 10 minÂutes in, and he doesÂn’t get to interÂnaÂtionÂal affairs until about the 29th minute.) FinalÂly, on a relatÂed note, you may want to explore The EconÂoÂmist’s relÂaÂtiveÂly new series of podÂcasts: iTunesFeed
Today, by popÂuÂlar demand, we’re runÂning an updatÂed verÂsion of one of our more popÂuÂlar posts to date. Enjoy…
At hasÂtened speeds durÂing the past year, we have seen book lovers recordÂing homeÂgrown audioÂbooks and postÂing them on sites like LibÂrivox (see our colÂlecÂtion of free audioÂbooks here). For obviÂous copyÂright reaÂsons, these audio texts largeÂly come from the pubÂlic domain, and, yes, they’re someÂtimes of uneven qualÂiÂty. Some good, some okay. Among the recent releasÂes, you’d expect to find great clasÂsiÂcal works — the major plays by ShakeÂspeare, the essenÂtial treaÂtisÂes by PlaÂto and othÂer philosoÂphers, etc. — and you do get some of those. HowÂevÂer, far more often you get texts by more modÂern writÂers who wrote withÂin the thriller, sci fi and advenÂture genÂres. Here, I’m talkÂing about WashÂingÂton IrvÂing, Robert Louis StevenÂson, Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, and H.G. Wells. (Find these podÂcasts here.)
It seems rather fitÂting that Wells, the father of sciÂence ficÂtion, would be among the first to have his writÂings digÂiÂtalÂly recordÂed and disÂtribÂuted. NowaÂdays, you can downÂload, sync and lisÂten to his major works – The New AccelÂerÂaÂtor (mp3), The InvisÂiÂble Man (iTunes — feed), The Time Machine (iTunes — feed), and The War of the Worlds (iTunes). But what’s betÂter than all of this, at least in our minds, is this vinÂtage gem …
Here you can downÂload the verÂsion of The War of the Worlds that Orson Welles famousÂly adaptÂed and aired on nationÂal radio in OctoÂber 1938. PreÂsentÂed so that it soundÂed like an actuÂal news broadÂcast, the Orson Welles verÂsion was misÂtakÂen for truth by many lisÂtenÂers who caught the proÂgram midÂstream (more info here), and, soon enough, they found themÂselves fleeÂing an unfoldÂing MarÂtÂian invaÂsion, runÂning down into their baseÂments with guns cocked and ready to fire. You can catch the mp3 verÂsion of the famous Welles recordÂing here (and also alterÂnaÂtiveÂly here). Have fun with this broadÂcast. It’s a clasÂsic.
A quick fyi: As of this week, Fresh Air, the popÂuÂlar proÂgram hostÂed by TerÂry Gross, is now availÂable as a free podÂcast on iTunes or via feed. Along with Fresh Air, NPR has just issued many othÂer new podÂcast offerÂings, includÂing Xeni Tech, a daiÂly proÂgram feaÂturÂing BoingÂBoÂing blogÂger Xeni Jardin, who explores the interÂsecÂtion between techÂnolÂoÂgy and conÂtemÂpoÂrary culÂture (iTunes — Feed). For the comÂplete listÂing of NPR podÂcasts, see this web page or visÂit NPR’s main page on iTunes.
Some like culÂture, and some like CulÂture — art, symÂphoÂny and opera, jazz and dance, the works. For the Big C culÂture fan, CulÂturekiosque is a score. It’s a high-qualÂiÂty webzine that lets you keep your finÂger on the pulse of the interÂnaÂtionÂal culÂture scene. The site notably offers an events calÂenÂdar that lists culÂturÂal events takÂing place across the world, someÂthing that travÂelÂers might appreÂciÂate. It also feaÂtures more subÂstanÂtive artiÂcles and reviews, which, although writÂten in EngÂlish, are not limÂitÂed to the culÂturÂal hapÂpenÂings in the AngloÂphone world. (The site explicÂitÂly refers to itself as “The EuroÂpean Guide to Arts and CulÂture WorldÂwide.”) So, while you’ll get CulÂturekiosque’s take on how things went down at this year’s BurnÂing Man fesÂtiÂval in the NevaÂda desert, you’ll also get their view on how the Orchestre de Paris is farÂing under its new GerÂman conÂducÂtor. Also worth a parÂticÂuÂlar menÂtion is the web site’s speÂcial jazz series called Sons of Miles, a 41-part series that looks back at Miles Davis and the many jazz musiÂcians he influÂenced. A great resource for the jazz offiÂcianaÂdo. To access many parts of the site, users will need to regÂisÂter.
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