Pick and choose with Bob - history podcast review

History according to Bob delivers a new podcast episode (nearly) every day. Professor Bob talks more than God can listen on the Holy MP3-Player. Professor Bob also covers more than a mere mortal can fathom. When it is history, it is prey for Bob. The way to go is pick and choose.

If Bob were to give more description in the RSS feed, there might be more, but as it is, you just have the title to go for. This has brought me to download and listen to Prince Henry the Navigator. This, I knew, was a figure from the earliest stages of the Age of Exploration. When the Americas were still non-existent and the cape of good Hope wasn't rounded yet. Henry was a Portuguese prince in the 15th century who put the first steps on the route around Africa. And so, this is a reason also to talk about the technical difficulties of sea-faring. And to talk about Africa, where the gold comes from and where one hopes to find Prester John, or the mighty Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia.

As usual, Bob's 10 minutes are only enough to reveal the tip of the iceberg. What sticks is the practical stuff. In a matter of years, the men of Henry round the West of Africa and make it to the gold coast. So much trade is going on between Lisbon and Lagos, the Portuguese go rich. Exploration continues, also after Henry's Death. Onward to Vasco da Gama. Columbus on the other hand, is not in this story.

More History according to Bob:
1000 AD according to Bob,
The battle of Tours,
The Franks,
Virginia Oldoini,
Alexander the Great.

Ernst van de Wetering - Simek 's Nachts recensie

De finale batch van Simek 's Nachts bevat een interview met Ernst van de Wetering (stream, download), dat zeer de moeite waard is. Dat Van de Wetering 's werelds grootste specialist met betrekking tot Rembrandt van Rijn is, benadrukt Martin Simek tot vervelens toe. Zo is het wel genoeg, klaagt hij en Simeks excuus is (in de laatste minuten van het programma) dat er nog mensen ingeschakeld kunnen hebben. Laat Simek gauw gaan podcasten, dan hoeft hij daar niet meer aan te denken.

Van de Wetering is ook een van diegenen die in de jaren tachtig het grote zwijgen omtrent de 'Foute Ouders' heeft doorbroken. Daar gaat hij liever niet op in, al dwingt Simek hem er gelukkig wel toe. Dan zie je dat de rehabilitatie van zijn vader vooral op persoonlijk vlak geschiedt. Vader van de Wetering is vooral musicus en schilder. De politiek is gewoon niet relevant voor Ernst. Het is natuurlijk ook een vermijden van waar het omgaat, maar tegelijkertijd ook werkelijk niet relevant tussen vader en zoon.

Gelukkig komen daardoor ook wat wijder te spreken over schilderkunst en daar heb ik het gevoel een mini-college kunstgeschiednis gekregen te hebben en mijn ogen verrijkt te weten voor het volgende museumbezoek. Hoewel Simek haast storend is met matige vragen, toch zou je ook kunnen zeggen dat hij de juiste sfeer voor dit prachtige gesprek heeft gecreëerd.

Simek op dit blog:
Ageeth Veenemans,
Marc de Hond,
Geen podcast?,
Marjan Berk en Johnny Kraaykamp jr.,
Brigitte Kaandorp.

Skeptics Guide to the Universe - podcast review

A good podcast combines a clear subject with a message, a community, a regular release schedule and entertainment. The Skeptics Guide to the Universe has all of this. (feed) The subject is science, the message is the skeptical one. The podcast's mission is to inform about science, educate in solid reasoning and reveal the dangers of superstition, unscientific fads and beliefs and it spectacularly succeeds at that.

The podcast has built a huge following and fame. I have been following it from the beginning and if I discontinued to do so, it was out of saturation. The message is clear, no need for repetition there and the entertainment element has had its effect. Yet, the friendly banter and the jokes among the panelists are certainly a strong point for the show, even if it has worn out on me. The same goes for the recurring game of 'science or fiction' during which the panel is presented with three alleged news items, one of which is fictitious and they need to guess which one.

Upon continuous listening, the persistent quality lies with the science news updates and the interviews. The latest in science and technology are discussed and especially panel leader Steven Novella and his brother Bob are knowledgeable and good at explaining the items. Nearly every show features an interview with a speaker of note, who contributed to the skeptical cause, mostly by publication. Promptly, every week the show is published. With a show this good, it should come as no surprise there is a great following.

More Skeptics Guide to the Universe:
The predictions for 2007 reviewed,
In Memoriam Perry DeAngelis,
Barry Glassner,
Interview with Jimmy Carter,
Brian Trent.

The week with Anne is a Man

For the coming week I have a tight schedule in mind. About two posts a day and still there are more podcasts I will have listened to and who knows how pressed I will feel to relate.

- The Skeptics Guide to the Universe; the podcast for the critics of superstitions, make-belief, alternative medicine and whatever claims about the universe that are not empirically founded.
- History according to Bob; the ultimate history podcast. After so many years still running. Here was an issue about Henry the Navigator
- Namaste Stories; the poetic narrative podcast. This time with the title: A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do
- Making History with Ran Levi
- What was has been (מה שהיה היה)
- Martin Simek; before Simek will podfade, some additional attention
- In Our Time; BBC's weekly master piece

In addition I will be listening to Berkeley's History 5, UCSD's MMW 4, Shrink Rap Radio, BBC's Pods and Blogs, VPRO's OVT
And new podcasts: Freedom Radio, Grammar Girl, La Resistance, Meetings Podcast, UCLA's political science (2007)

Then there is good news from the spread the word front: There is yet another blog that points to Anne is a Man!: varnam, a blog about history, archaeology and current affairs with focus on India. (Varnam means colors in Sanskrit.)

Subscribe in a reader
Paste the link
http://feeds.feedburner.com/Anne_Is_A_Man
into the RSS reader of your preference. (What is RSS?  - Help on getting subscription)

I love to get new podcast recommendations. You can let your preferences  know by commenting on the blog or sending mail to The Man Called Anne at: Anne Frid de Vries (in one word) AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk

Ageeth Veenemans - Simek recensie

Het radioprogramma Simek 's Nachts gaat verdwijnen. Daarmee mag je er van uitgaan dat ook voor de podcast het doek gaat vallen. Uit de laatste toevoegingen in de feed heb ik gekozen voor het gesprek met Ageeth Veenemans (stream) om te bespreken

Met Ageeth komt Simek te spreken over het onderwerp Polyamorie - de mogelijkehid om er meerdere liefdes tegelijkertijd op na te houden. Ze is in dit verband van een ervaringsdeskunidge tot een ideologe geworden. Het moet dus kunnen, in Ageeths visie, en je moet er voor uit kunnen komen ook. En of de duvel er mee speelt, juist nu dat ze bij Simek op bezoek is, is de liefde die ze naast haar huwelijk had op de klippen gelopen.

Simek probeert een bres te schieten in de constructies van Ageeth Veenmenans zonder dat hij aggressief wordt, of zelfs maar de indruk wekt er absoluut niet in te geloven. Dat is de kracht van Martin Simek, zeker in dit soort onderwerpen. En daardoor kunnen we Veenemans goed leren kennen. Ze krijgt alle ruimte om haar opvatting over relaties met goede gedachtes en invoelbare ervaringen te staven. Als ze daar wat mij betreft niet in slaagt, is dat wellicht omdat ik er helemaal niet voor open sta.

Simek op dit blog:
Marc de Hond,
Geen podcast?,
Marjan Berk en Johnny Kraaykamp jr.,
Brigitte Kaandorp,
Heleen Mees, Maarten van Roozendaal.

Neuroscience - In Our Time review

The exciting part about In Our Time's issue about neuroscience is the Columbus or the Mercator feeling. As of the moment Columbus crossed the Atlantic in 1492, map makers like Mercator started charting the world and getting it right within a life time. Maps before show how ignorant we were about our world and a hundred years later we had maps that resembles maps today.

Neuroscience is developing at this speed right now and maps our brain with an accuracy that not long ago was inconceivable and shoves us into an era of profoundly deeper, better and also different understanding about our brain, our mind, our soul possibly and all in all about ourselves. The watershed mark, as it is given in the series is 1997, showing we are a mere decade into this adventure. Although, the roots go back as far as Sigmund Freud. Freud's problem and that of generations of the successors was the technical problem of observing the brain. It is the new technologies that allow the enhanced insight and rush of new knowledge today.

The new insights bring about a revolution in our concept of human beings. There are so many layers of awareness and there is so much more unaware than we had anticipated. The profound changes this is having on our thinking has been noted also in other podcasts. Psychology podcaster David van Nuys (Shrink Rap Radio and Wise Counsel) keeps pointing this out. The philosophy podcast Philosophy Bites had a special issue dedicated to neuroscience.

More In Our Time:
Simon Bolivar,
The Translation Movement,
Miracles,
Tacitus,
John Donne (The Metaphysical Poets).