The Memory Palace

A great podcast I fail to review every time a new episode comes out, for the simple reason I would have to write the same line all over again: History brought to you in the form of a story. Nate DiMeo is a ravishing storyteller and brings the short narrations of history with the greatest touch of restrained irony. The Memory Palace - every two weeks a new story. Five minutes of the best history drama.

How could they continue - NBIH on WW1 soldiers

A great issue of New Books In History that you absolutely should not miss is Marshal Poe's recent interview with Alexander Watson. Watson did research on the British and German soldiers in World War I and tried to find an answer to the eternal question how they could continue to fight as longs as they did under the horrible circumstances as they were. This also leads to an answer to the question why they quit fighting when they did. And here Watson claims to present a new answer than what is commonly held to be the case.

More NBIH:
After slavery was abolished,
Populism,
Two great shows on New Books In History,
Two old and one New Books In History,
The latest in New Books in History.

Bommel audioplay - De Antiloog

Right now I am listening to an audioplay - Bommel Hoorspel. The original stories by Marten Toonder have been adapted to play scenarios. The plays come in a series of installments that take about 15 minutes each. The whole play will take 8 episodes or so. It is hard to tell, since the previous plays took all a different amount, varying from 6 to 12. The current play is De Antiloog.

Bommel Hoorspel is in Dutch and filled with the neologisms that one also finds in the original tales by Toonder. I wonder how listeners not native in Dutch pick this up. If you can handle it, it is really fun. If you have read the stories by Toonder, as I have, you are treated with recognition.

De antiloog could be an allegory about how philosophers and gurus confuse people and put common sense thinking on its head. But, as usual with Toonder, there is a playful magical element. The thinker Krumknikker Kop is not delivering his own learning, but rather tapping into alien vibration coming from the place where he resides. That vibration, of course, could be used by other than the philosopher as well. Where will that lead to?

More Bommel Hoorspel:
De Aamnaak,
Bommel Hoorspel podcast - NPS podcast recensie,
Bommel Hoorspel.

Structure of English Words - Stanford lecture series

The university of Stanford is an excellent provider of high quality lecture series through iTunesU. Not all of the audio and video that is available is syndicated and therefore, technically, a podcast. Nevertheless, based on the nature of the content and the accessibility through iTunes, the content is worth checking out for the readers of this blog. For example, I have been listening to the series by William R. Leben about the Structure of English Words. Leben gives a lively insight into the language we are using everyday.

John Kerry on averting the disasters of climate change - UChannel

The UChannel podcast is a compiled feed of lectures at academic institutes all over the world. It is a feed to subscribe to and to pick your favorites from. With an input of more than one lecture per day, I guess there is nobody who listens to them all.

UChannel is an excellent choice to stay updated on hot issues such as the Middle East and Climate Change. On the latter there was a lecture recently by former presidential candidate John Kerry. Kerry speak of what the Americans should do, and have not done thus far, in order to minimize the human impact in climate change and to avert disaster from happening.

Making History with Ran Levi - עושים היסטוריה! עם רן לוי

For those who master the Hebrew language, the best recommendation is עושים היסטוריה! עם רן לוי. A podcast about the history of science with items from the natural sciences, technology, social sciences and science fiction literature. Great and engaging content brought to you with a light Israeli touch.