Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Heads-up for 1 December 2010

Rear Vision
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai is at the centre of Afghani politics and the West is depending on him to establish a stable democratic government in Afghanistan. But who is Hamid Karzai and can he be relied upon?
(review, feed)

Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean
Jesus as Teacher, part 2: Present or Future Kingdom?
This is the second of two episodes that consider the historical Jesus in the role of teacher. Here I discuss evidence regarding Jesus’ conception of the “kingdom of God” and the scholarly debates regarding Jesus’ present or (imminent) future focus. This is part of series 5 (The Historical Jesus in Context) of the Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean podcast.
(review, feed)

The China History Podcast
The Sui Dynasty
The demise of the Southern & Northern Dynasties brought us a China unified under the Sui emperors Wen and Yang. This ephemeral dynasty laid the groundwork for the splendor of the Tang dynasty. Lasting only 37 years, the Sui Dynasty doesn't get the limelight enjoyed by the great dynasties of Han, Tang, Song, Ming and Qing but it played a critical role in the development of a unified China.
(review, feed)

The Prospect Magazine podcast
Everyday Philosophy: Nigel Warburton on the value of Philosophy
In the brave new cost-benefit world of university cuts, how will Philosophy fare? While knowing your Wittgenstein might not generate huge sums for the national economy, studying philosophy does impart marketable skills. Still, the subject's ultimate value surely resides in less quantifiable goods...
(review, feed)

Social Innovation Conversations
Leif Nelson - Name Your Price: A Pricing Strategy Aimed at Achieving Corporate Social Responsibility and Profit
Identity-related purchasing decisions are illuminated by Leif Nelson who shows how cause-related marketing intersects with pay-what-you-want pricing. In this audio lecture, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Nelson contends greater revenue and increased goodwill for corporate sponsors can be directly related. These field experiments at major theme parks manipulated various aspects of the purchasing experience for souvenir action photos. Nelson defines a new concept of "shared social responsibility."
(review, feed)

London School of Economics: Public lectures and events
The Sixth Crisis: Iran, Israel, America, and the Rumors of War
Dr. Allin will speak on the tangle of Middle East crises: Iran's growing nuclear challenge, the impasse on Israel-Palestine, and the consequences of both for President Obama's efforts to recast America's relations with the world's Muslims. This event marks the publication of Dr Allin's latest book The Sixth Crisis: Iran, Israel, America, and the Rumors of War. Dana H. Allin is Editor, Survival, and Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy and Transatlantic Affairs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. He is also Adjunct Professor of European Studies at the Bologna Center of the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), The Johns Hopkins University.
(review, feed)

Ciencia y Genios
Del teléfono al hidroala. Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell (1847 – 1922) es conocido gracias al invento del teléfono, una fama merecida pero, en cierta medida, injusta porque hizo muchas cosas más. A lo largo de toda su vida, Bell obtuvo la patente de 30 inventos, varios de ellos relacionados con el teléfono, otros con el telégrafo y el fonógrafo, ideó y patentó el fotófono, un aparato que enviaba señales utilizando como agente transmisor un rayo de luz y después las convertía en sonido, diseñó un detector de metales y dedicó una gran cantidad de energía al desarrollo de un hidroplano que fue el precursor de los modernos hidroalas o aliscafos
(review, feed)

441 podcasts reviewed on Anne is a Man

Yesterday I updated my Podcast List. By now I have reviewed 441 different podcasts. There are over 1800 posts on the blog and with this I hope I can continue to offer you a good source for finding new good podcasts.

I have also taken the time to update my list of History Podcasts and while doing so, finally come around making the subsection about Podcasts in American History, which comprises a third subsection since I added Ancient History and Medieval History. Some time in the future there will be sections on European History, on Asian History, history in general, History and Religion, History of Science and Ideas, Social History, Military History and Arts History. In short, there is still a lot of work in front of me.

Apart from the history podcasts, I have also to maintain the directories of
Psychology Podcasts
Writing and Language Podcasts
Science Podcasts
Economics Podcasts
Religion and Spirituality Podcasts
News & Politics Podcasts
Arts and Culture Podcasts
Geography Podcasts
Philosophy and Thought Podcasts
Dutch Podcasts - Podcasts in het Nederlands
Hebrew Podcasts - פודקאסטים בעברית
German Podcasts - Podcasts auf deutsch

And so, the work is really never ever done.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Heads-up for 30 November 2010

Africa Past & Present
Popular Politics in Southern Africa
Historian Paul Landau (University of Maryland) on rethinking the broad history of Southern Africa from 1400 to 1948. His new book re-asserts African agency by seeing Africans in motion, coming out of their own past. Drawing on oral traditions, genealogies, 19th-century conversations, and other sources, Landau highlights the resilience of African political cultures and their adeptness at incorporating diverse peoples.
(review, feed)

SALT - Seminars About Long Term Thinking (The Long Now Foundation)
Lera Boroditsky
How Language Shapes Thought
(review, feed)

Wise Counsel Podcast
Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D. on Procrastination
Procrastination, defined by putting things off, falling behind, and then feeling badly, is a normal behavior but one that can cause real problems when taken to extremes. It can present as a symptom of depression or anxiety or perfectionism. it's remediation can help create a sense of relief or respite from these other conditions. A first step in addressing problematic procrastination is to raise awareness that procrastination is occurring so that it becomes more of a conscious choice rather than a simple reflex. Next, it is helpful to understand the motivations that cause the behavior, which vary across different people. Some people procrastinate as a simple short-term means of avoiding having to do tasks they find aversive. Others avoid due to social evaluation fears or self-doubt. Others procrastinate due to poor organizational skills and difficulty accurately estimating the time it will take to accomplish a goal. Procrastination can also occur as a practical means of social manipulation (such as when delay in cleaning one's room will cause another to do it for you), or as a result of existential paralysis over not being able to complete tasks with a (self-imposed) required level of skill or quality. Its important to pick a single instance of procrastination to address rather than try to stop the pattern globally. Keeping change goals small and manageable makes it possible to maintain motivation to change and to measure change as it occurs.
(review, feed)

Omega Tau Podcast
/49/ Chip Production and Waferscanners
In this episode we take a look at microchip production, with a special focus on waferscanners. To do this, we talked with Wilbert Albers of ASML, the leading waferscanner manufacturer in the world. In the episode, we talk about the overall chip production process (from silicon sand over wafer cutting to lithography and etching), and then we talk about the challenges of building high-precision, high-throughput waferscanners.
(review, feed)

The Total Football Soccer Show
El Clasico: Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid. Dominación
After the Thanksgiving hiatus, we're back with an Extra Time review of the incredible El Clasico game, in which Barcelona embarrassed Real Madrid 5-0, and shocked those of us (Albert) who expected more from Madrid. The podcast was recorded immediately after watching the game. At time of posting, Albert is yet to satisfy the terms of his bet with Taylor.
(review, feed)

Podcasts on American History

I have reported on so many podcasts in the realm of history that I have deemed it necessary to take my history directory and order it into subdivisions. There will be subdivisions into eras, into regions and into themes, to whatever extent the division is useful, accepting the overlap and holes that remain - just to cut up an unwieldy list of over 130 podcasts into reasonable chunks.

The first subset I created was Ancient History.
The second was Medieval History

And now the third will be on American History. Obviously with this I move the emphasis from the temporal to the spatial. Most history podcasts that address the Americas will take the history beyond Ancient and Medieval times, so that an overlap with the previous sections hardly occurs, but should this be so, the podcasts will go in both categories. Moreover, as we close in on modern times, the amount of podcasts is larger and the regional sectioning in many ways is an addition to the temporal. 

Local American history taken from environmental perspective. Excellent lecture series to get acquainted with the idea of an environmental history.

Dr. Gretchen Ann Reilly at Temple College, Texas, turned her lectures into privately read 15 minute podcasts. This enhances the clarity and structure in comparison with recorded live lectures. She delivers her history in a very insightful and accessible way.

Tony Cocks' monologues about history. Starting off with the British roots of the American constitution and following up with the Battle of Britain.

Extensive lecture series about US History before 1870. Mind the low audio that comes with live recorded lectures.

A history podcast that digs up anything that has to do with Abraham Lincoln. Much in the way of Tudorcast does for the Tudors. there is no didactic build in order to pass understanding of the person, but rather an unstructured stream of episodes. Charmingly done however. So far there are three podcasts in the feed.

History lectures on US history, with recurring themes such as lectures about Lincoln and about Slavery.

History 131 (University of Alaska Fairbanks) (reviewsitefeed)
History of the Americas before 1870

History 132 (University of Alaska Fairbanks) (reviewsitefeed)
US History after 1870

History 7B (Berkeley) US History: from Civil War to Present, (reviewsitefeed).
Professor Jennifer Burns lays out American History in 39 lectures lasting less than one hour each. The lecture series is 'old' (begin 2006) but is still kept alive through Burns' personal website.

Bob Packett is a college history professor who simply cannot stop talking. He delivers history lectures, with sources, on a daily basis, touching on all corners of history. Bob has a lot of American history topics.

History of the American Revolution (reviewsitefeed)
Kurtis Ford, retells the American history in quite extensive detail and with great narrative power with a very personal touch.

Jamie Lawson takes us back 20 years and gives her personal view on history back then. These issues contain quite a few American subjects.

the Memory Palace (reviewsitefeed)
Nate diMeo tells historic tales in the most poetic way.

The one and only and most outstanding interview podcast in the history podcast genre. Marshall Poe interviews historians about their recent books. Lively, varied and intelligent content. Many American subjects.

350 years of the Jewish experience in America. Journalist Larry Josephson delivers historical episodes taking us through the entry of Jews in the Americas to contemporary Jewry in the US. He combines these exposes with interviews with leading American Jews on Jewish subjects.

Religion and Law in US, HIUS 155A (UCSD) (review, site, feed)
Professor Michael Parrish teaches the legal and religious foundations of the American Society until the Civil War.

Religion and Law in US, HIUS 155B (UCSD) (review, site, feed)
Professor Michael Parrish teaches the legal and religious foundations of the American Society from the Civil War until the present.

Richard Miller tells the history of San Francisco.

University lectures on various subjects of American History; a project of the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University.

US History since 1877 (Temple College) (reviewsitefeed)
Gretchen Reilly's straightforward monologue podcast about American History from 1877 until today

A podcast of the US National Constitution Center addressing constitutional issues with lectures and forum discussions on a very high level.

Pieces of History, a Hebrew podcast. Selected topics in history. The latest series is about the American Revolution.

New podcasts in October and November 2010 - Anne is a Man

Today I am looking back at two months of podcast reviewing. Normally I summarize monthly, but as many of you must have noticed, I was not consistently at the blog during October and the beginning of November. Fortunately, I got the writing back on track and now the time is due to give a list of feeds that were reviewed for the first time in the past period:

Forum-Network (NPR) (review, site, feed)
Interviews with authors

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Audio (Carnegie Mellon University) (review, site, feed)
Guest lectures at Carnegie Mellon University.

A brief history of mathematics (BBC) (review, site, feed)
In ten easy to digest episodes Marcus du Sautoy introduces us to the history of modern mathematics.

Mercy Podcast (review, site, feed)
Music and Arts podcast coming from Liverpool about artistic life in the city on the Mercy.

Conspiracy Podcast (RTE) (review, site, feed)
History podcast about political trials in Ireland

Some Books Considered (review, site, feed)
Book review podcast.

Center for Near Eastern Studies (review, site, feed)
Lectures at UCLA concerning history and politics of the Middle and Near East.

Kol Hadash (review, site, feed)
Rabbi Adam Chalom's Judaism podcast with a secular streak. Coming from the Humanistic Congregation in Chicago.

The International Institute (review, site, feed)
Lectures at UCLA concerning history and politics.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Heads-up for 29 November 2010

Indicast Podcast
The Corruption Continues
When an IAS officer is caught for corruption, it isn't a big deal, but when he uses encrypted language in his telephone conversations to cover up, we also get a trailer of the hilarious side of such crimes. Listen to know what we mean! The 2G license scam has banks having withdrawal symptoms. While Dalai Lama contemplates retirement, the pope approves selective condom use. In sports, Kumble and Srinath become the new face of Karnataka cricket.
(review, feed)

Russian Rulers History Podcast
Muscovite Education
Were the Muscovites literate? Did they have an educational system? We answer these questions in today's short podcast.
(review, feed)

The History of Rome
Aurelian's Walls
Aurelian became Emperor in 270 and immediatly faced an invasion of Italy by the Juthungi. After succesfully driving the Germans off, Aurelian turned his attention to building a new wall circuit around Rome to protect the capital in the future.
(review, feed)

Media Matters with Bob McChesney
Sunday November 28, 2010
McChesney and Nichols discuss "The Money and Media Election Complex"
(review, feed)

Europe from its Origins
Episode 18 AD 1276 - 1347
After Acre fell in 1291, it was to be more than a hundred years before European princes would undertake another major Crusade. Why was this so?
In this episode we see the emergence of Ottoman power in north-west Anatolia, sealing the permanent civilizational loss of Graeco-Roman Asia Minor to Christendom.
Europe, in contrast, appeared to be powerful and united under papal leadership, as the Republic of Christendom. But within European society deep political changes were afoot that would lead to centuries of internal civil war and paralysis vis-à-vis the wider Mediterranean world.
(review, feed)

Mahabharata Podcast
Episode 34 - Monkey's Uncle
Episode 34 - The Pandavas resume center stage as the main characters of this episode. They continue their trek through the mountains until the going gets too rough for Draupadi. Bhima summons his half-Rakshasa son, Gatotkacha, who can fly, and they are carried the rest of their journey to the Ashram of Nar-Narayan.
While hanging out at this heavenly retreat, Draupadi sends Bhima off to find her some special lotus blossoms. Along the way, Bhima meets up with Hanuman, who it turns out is his brother (both are sons of the Wind God).
The quest for the Lotus Blossom finally leads Bhima to Kubera's Pleasure Garden, which is guarded by hordes of Rakshasas. Bhima makes short work of them and takes a dip in Kubera's pond.
Yuddistira gets suspicious and has Gatotkacha take them to Bhima. Kubera takes the destruction of his gardens and the death of his guards pretty lightly, and he allows the Pandavas to stay in his garden as long as they like. We leave them there until next Episode, when Arjun finally makes his return.
(review, feed)