Anne is a Man on the weekend (8 November 2008)

From Friday until Sunday, you can expect a continuing stream of podcast reviews on Anne is a Man!

- Radiolab repeated its wonderful podcast about the 1938 War of the Worlds craze.
- Medicalhistory is an amateur podcast that attempts to teach aspects of the history of the Medical science and profession. My review will pay particular attention to the podcast issue featuring the ideas and impact of Michel Foucault
- The Word Nerds seem to publish in their shows in pairs. Again, after a long pause, two quick successive shows entered the feed. About Debate I wrote in the past week, next we will attend Story Telling
- With the economic crisis making us all feel pessimistic, Harvard's Business IdeaCast explores the possible good turns the economy will take during the hard times.
- Making History with Ran Levi - עושים היסטוריה paid attention to the life and work of Max Planck.

While you will be reading these reviews, I will be working on the next bunch.

I am thinking of posting another TED video. I am following a course at Yale, which is downloadable, yet not in an RSS feed and therefore, technically no podcast. I have a German podcast, I am not sure yet, what to write about (Junggesellenblog). I have been postponing for weeks on end to write again about Namaste Stories (recent episode: A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do) and UChannel (listening to a panel about India). Enough to look out for - I guess.

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BBC: pods and blogs - podcast review and source

Pods & Blogs is a short weekly podcast from BBC's radio 5. As with other BBC podcasts (such as In Our Time), this week's edition is available for download in the feed, the previous ones were removed already. The 24 minute program talks of notable blogs, podcasts and the on-line reality of today.

Although it is hard to fit Pods & Blogs in with the podcast categories I have devised and is carrying a different content than most of my regular podcasts, I have come to like it a lot and find it to be a great source of information. It sure helps to be in touch with the digital world at large, hear of other bloggers and podcasters (there are most of the time interviews with interesting bloggers and podcasters on this show), but most of all, I present it here as another source for finding new podcasts.

By all means, this is a light program. The tone of voice is easy-going and friendly bordering to the ironically humoristic. Also, the length of the show, 24 minutes (give or take 30 seconds) and a regular schedule (every week promptly), make it easy to pick up on, tune in and take away what you like. Whether it is about a Cameroonian who discovered podcast, the effect of the bloggosphere on the American elections and the latest fads on YouTube and Twitter.

More BBC:
In Our Time,
From Our Own Correspondent,
BBC History Magazine.

Roman Nightmares - Dan Carlin Hardcore History

It is called Punic Nightmares, the trilogy Dan Carlin produced in his podcast Hardcore History , and deep into the third episode , the Romans are still suffering a nightmare, brought upon them by the Carthaginian genius Hannibal. And Carthage is an important Punic power in the Western Mediterranean. In the east they rule in the coastal city of Tyre. Mostly they are better known as the Phoenicians. And they could have become the major power in the Classical world, if not for the Romans. (feed)

And so, the Punic Nightmare of the Romans, experiences a turn of tables and become a Roman Nightmare for the Phoenicians of Carthage. The way Dan Carlin tells this story goes way beyond the realms of history podcast. He apologetically proclaims: "I am not a historian, I am a fan." This serves as an excuse to go on a What If tangent, but that tangent and that kind of thinking is no the most profound quality of Hardcore History. It is part of Dan Carlin's method of telling the story. Carlin brings home the drama of the facts, the intensity of the experience, the experience itself, as far as possible.

Hannibal, in spite of all his successes, has to fight it alone and eventually is worn out by the nearly defeated Romans. He barely makes it back to Carthage, but can no longer lead. The Roman hero of this turn of events, Scipio Africanus, also eventually is slid out through the back door. And while these heroes die their ignominious death, Carthage, at long last is cruelly and ruthlessly destroyed by the Romans. The Romans will come to rule the Mediterranean and leave their footprint on our world.

It has always been the great quality of Hardcore History, but in these 23 shows, Carlin has gotten a firm grip on how to do it. He knows better than ever to balance the facts with the analysis, the drama with the sources, his excitement with standing historiography. I would say, by now, Dan Carlin has developed his way of relating to history into an art form.

More Dan Carlin:
Punic Nightmares II ,
Punic Nightmares I,
Under the Influence,
Apaches,
and Dan Carlin praises Anne is a Man!

Gretchen Reilly history podcasts

Gretchen Ann Reilly is a history professor at Temple College, Texas. She is involved in all of the basic history programs and has developed podcasts series for several of them. A couple of these I have commented on in the past and here I want to return to the course History 2311, Western Civilization until 1600. (feed)



There are many more college and university programs I can compare this with, but there are two significant differences one should keep in mind before taking the podcast. One is that Reilly did not record here lectures in class, she quietly sat down with her microphone and recorded what she had to say. This makes the lecture more smooth, more clear, but also a little less lively. She has also cut the issues into pieces extending no longer than 15 minutes. This is a wise decision, because it will help the listener to stay focused on these unadorned monologues.

In important second difference is the entry level, or the target audience Reilly has chosen. She addresses the listener at a much lower level than others. She makes no assumption as to what you already know, understand and are familiar with. If you do, this can be quite a bore. If you don't you will find yourself in relief. She will explain where is Europe, what AD and BC stand for and mean. She will avoid saying the sixteenth century and leave it to you to figure this is some year in the 1500s. Still, she makes sure you will get the basics of the history mainstream right. A perfect introductory history podcast for the absolute beginner.

One last remark. Reilly's feeds are frequently unavailable and than batched back. I am not sure she is uploading new lectures every time - it sure doesn't sound that way. If you cannot reach a feed, just stay subscribed and the content will come back on-line sooner or later.

Abraham Lincoln - history podcast review

While we are in the spirit of the elections, let's pause a bit with Abraham Lincoln, the president that is considered, widely, as the best ever. The Teaching Company recently served a biography podcast about the man. (feed)

There is more audio about Lincoln to be had at the Teaching Company, but that is premium. The podcast is the promotional material. And it is good stuff. What I found especially strong was the way it was made clear how Lincoln developed into the abolitionist politician we remember. It is shown with quotes and with a careful description of the political landscape and dynamics of the day.

The podcast is tangibly coming from a commercial audio production company. It is smooth, engaging, paced and so on. Everything you need, to be taken in. It makes the lecture very sleek in comparison with traditional college material. It is a bit too over the top for my minimal taste, whereas I think, most people will actually appreciate it a lot. By all means a strong podcast.

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

More Teaching Company:
Da Vinci Code

More Lincoln:
American Civil Rights Movement,
Civil war to the present,
History Podcast Month.

Maximilian Von Spee - veertien achttien

Er is nogal eens gezegd, dat de Eerste Wereldoorlog een confrontatie was van mensen met een negentiende eeuwse mentaliteit en twintigste eeuws oorlogsvernuft. Ik heb het voor het eerst gehoord in een VPRO programma onder de titel Oorlog Was Voetbal, waarin een anecdote aan de orde komt van een Engelse compagnie die de slag aan de Somme, op 1 juli 1916, tegemoet gaat met een bal aan de voet.

De laatste aflevering van Veertien Achttien ademt ook die sfeer. Hoofdrolspeler Maximilian von Spee voert het commando over het twintigste eeuws oorlogsvernuft, in dit geval op zee. Hij doet dit echter met zijn negentiende eeuwse waarden, waarbij hij onder anderen de vijand waarschuwt voor hij aanvalt, opvarenden de kans geeft om zich in veiligheid te stellen en ook nadien probeert mensen te redden. Zo citeert Tom Tacken hem uit zijn logboek. Hoewel de Britten standvastig jacht op Von Spee en zijn vlootonderdeel maken en er uiteindelijk in slagen hem naar de zeebodem te jagen, blijft de oorlog op zee een kanttekening in deze oorlog.

De echte strijd speelt zich af op het vasteland van Europa en zoals wel vaker gememoreerd, is het meest in het oog springende aspect de loopgravenoorlog aan het Westelijk Front. Vorige week ging het daar weer over, toen ik schreef over de gevallen soldaten en een gedicht van E.A. Mackintosh citeerde. In voornoemd radioprogramma van de VPRO, uit 1987, wordt dit gedicht voorgedragen door Neville Grey. Ik heb van de VPRO toestemming gekregen om dat fragment op mijn blog te laten beluisteren.

In Memoriam, door Ewart Alan Mackintosh, 1916 - gelezen door Neville Grey:


Meer Veertien Achttien:
Khudadad Khan,
Käthe Kollwitz,
Sir Robert Borden,
Carol I,
Herbert Hoover.