I have said it before but it bears repeating, I have a job where I don't have to have a great deal of human interaction in a day. Yes, I have some but it is always brief and either useful or nerdy... usually. This gives me a great deal of time to listen to things on my computer. I have a profile on Grooveshark, Pandora, and Slacker but sometimes it isn't music I need, it is information and amusement. This is when I turn to iTunes and a plethora of podcasts. I have loved listening to podcasts for years. I used to record hours and hours of industrial music Podcasts onto my iPod so I could rock out while I sat in traffic in LA.
Now I am a little older. I listen to a lot of NPR in my car and I need something intellectually stimulating, informative and entertaining to listen to while I work. Nerd podcasts. I have been trying to gather up as many podcasts as I can find that meet my criteria but I'm picky. I'm a very finicky listener. If the person hosting the podcast doesn't know how to adjust her levels so that I can hear and understand her without cranking the volume on my computer, I'm out. If the host doesn't know how to talk into a microphone and I get a lot of mumbling and sharp "s" sounds, I'm out. If the podcast discusses any religion for longer than a fleeting moment, I'm out.
I have tried lots of podcasts and I have been sorely disappointed by most of them. There are a handful I choose to click the "Get All," button instead of exterminating. Through all my hunting, foraging and researching, I always come back to the same show, The Nerdist Podcast hosted by Chris Hardwick. I don't know how the Nerdist guys do it but they always have the coolest, most squee-inducing guests, and the interviews manage to walk that fine line between totally freaking out and treating the guests like a human. I find this show so incredibly entertaining that I actually try not to listen to the podcast while I work. My office is a very quiet place and it is absolutely noticeable if I'm sitting at my desk giggling to myself about something no one else can hear. In a word, I feel like a dork. Luckily, I don't care.
Currently there are 138 episodes of the show and I can confidently say I've listened to about half of them. My absolute guests have been Neil Gaiman, Matt Smith, Tom Wilson and the cast of "The Big Bang Theory." I absolutely recommend that every single person seeks out this podcast and listen to a couple episodes.
Over the summer, Chris Hardwick hosted the pilot episode of "The Nerdist," tv show on BBC America (home of the BBC Americans) with special guests, Craig Furguson and Matt Smith. The tv show was absolutely hilarious and I really hope the show gets picked up... Actually, since that was over the summer, I don't even know if it could be a possibility that the show will get picked up... huh...
Anyway, please go check out this podcast. I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you are, well you're much harder to impress than I anticipated. http://www.nerdist.com/
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