The Memory Palace - history telling

The Memory Palace is a great podcast I cannot recommend enough (feed). Nate DiMeo has an exquisite feel to take a history trivia and turn it into a story full of suspense and humane irony. He tells his stories in five to ten minutes so that it hardly takes any of your time, but these short histories are full of delight.

Just recently I enjoyed his culinary history of the lobster, how this crustacean went from poor people's meat to a career of cheap, mass produced canned food, to haute-cuisine. Another is the story of the mythical John Frum which is the name of a Messianic figure some people in the Pacific are waiting for and until his coming, bring them to most unexpected ritual.

If you have not encountered this podcast yet, sign up now and listen. But savor the experience. I think these tales need to be told far apart and not listened to in a big batched chain.

More The Memory Palace:
Another Memory Palace fantastic find,
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe,
A Great Escape,
The Memory Palace,
Ferris Wheel and other historic experiences.

The Art of Choosing with Sheena Iyengar

It has been some time since I last listened to the psychology podcast Shrink Rap Radio. This podcast in which psychologist David van Nuys interviews authors of recently published psychology books, still signifies to me one of the best produced amateur podcasts around and the only reason I stopped following it so closely is because lately I have been less interested in psychology and more in economics and politics. History has always been my top interest. (feed)

But if you want to get a fine example of what this podcast is about and what a very good interview podcast sounds like, take up Van Nuys's interview with Sheena Iyengar about her research how people make choices. I discussed this show with a couple of friends who had also listened to it and was struck that some were surprised by Iyengar's findings and quite to the contrary, the others thought it all to be common sense. So I cannot tell what you will find, but do listen and hear what freedom of choice and amount of options for choice do to choosing.

Personally, while the subject was still truly interesting, I was struck by Iyengar's personal story and here I do not want to spoil the surprises by giving it all away. But promise that this is a story of many drawbacks to overcome to achieve what she did achieve. Together with this one, Shrink Rap Radio offers a near 250 more such interviews, making it one of the longest standing and still regularly publishing podcasts around.

More Shrink Rap Radio:
Surviving in the Wilderness,
Happiness and Health,
Resurrection after Rape,
Life Changing Lessons,
Shrink Rap Radio - 200 great podcasts.

Heads-up for 21 September 2010

A History of the World in 100 Objects (BBC)
077 Benin Plaque - the Oba with Europeans
Plaque showing aspects of Benin court life. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, examines some of Africa's most famous artworks, the Benin Plaques, and the effect these brass portraits first had when they arrived in London at the end of the 19th century. With contributions by Sokari Douglas Camp and Wole Soyinka on the art and heritage of Benin.
(review, feed)

London School of Economics: Public lectures and events
IGC Growth Week 2010 - Managing Natural Resource Rents: China and Africa
Is China's strategy - of negotiating deals in which resources are exchanged for infrastructure - mutually beneficial, or a new variant of the plunder of Africa? China 'asks no questions' of African governments: is that respectful of African sovereignty or an abrogation of responsibility?
(review, feed)

TED Talks
Where good ideas come from - Steven Johnson
People often credit their ideas to individual "Eureka!" moments. But Steven Johnson shows how history tells a different story. His fascinating tour takes us from the "liquid networks" of London's coffee houses to Charles Darwin's long, slow hunch to today's high-velocity web.
(review, feed)

Bengal Renaissance

Here is a quick review to point to some bonus material to an Open University Course that comes in a podcast. This is a paid history course that quite generally studies the issue of religious tolerance by looking historically at religious co-existence, religious conversions and obviously conflict. Hence the title: Religion in history: conflict, conversion and co-existence.

From what I can see as one that has not signed up to the study, the course is heavily centered on Europe and besides Christianity, touches on Judaism and Islam. The same is true for the free podcast that comes along with it and can be had on iTunesU. It contains five chapters four of which also concentrate on Christian and European subjects. (feed)

My attention was drawn by the last though: a conversation about the Bengal renaissance in the nineteenth century. We learn about a cultural flowering in this region which today is partly within India and the rest in Bangladesh and which contains Hindu and Muslim communities coexisting. The renaissance as discussed is examined in the light of this co-existence and the question is asked whether this was a Hindu cultural development or a Bengali one that gave room for the Muslims as well. The podcast wants to claim that it is a broad Bengali occurrence, but already the question suggests how this is contentious.

Heads-up for 20 September 2010

The Writing Show
Slush Pile Workshop #5
Our new podcast series is designed to help you practice capturing readers’ attention. Inspired by literary agent Kristin Nelson’s two-page pitch sessions, Writing Show host Paula B. will play agent and comment on your anonymous submissions on the show.
(review, feed)

The History of Rome
109- The New Millenium
Gordian III died in 244 AD and was succeeded by his Praetorian Prefect Philip the Arab. While Philip dealt with internal revolts and external invasion, he found time to celebrate Rome's 1000th birthday in 248 AD.
(review, feed)

WTF with Marc Maron
Episode 109 - Bob Saget
When you think of Bob Saget, you generally don't think of white-hot blind rage, but Bob says he's working really hard on his anger issues. He and Marc will compare anger management notes in addition to discussing the roles Bob is most known for and why they're so different from the Bob that nobody really knows.
(review, feed)

The Memory Palace
Episode 34 - Soldier Frum
(review, feed)

Volkis Stimme
Auf Waldreise
Volkis Stimme auf reist durch die Welt - und heute durch den Wald.
(review, feed)

La Rosa de los Vientos
#530 12 de Septiembre de 2010
En Materia Reservada 2.0 reflexionamos sobre el papel de las ONG en zonas de conflicto junto a Fernando Rueda y con la participación de Rafael Jariod. La guerra de los espías presenta la historia de Felipe González y su relación con el espionaje español. Azul y Verde: la política pesquera de la Unión Europea.
Historias Zona Cero de Jesús Callejo presenta los enigmas y leyendas de las gárgolas. La Cara B analiza el atentado del Pentágono el 11-S. En Las Curiosidades del Mundo Antiguo, Ignacio Monzón nos habla de los constructores de las pirámides y los arquitectos del pasado.
En la agenda cultural Martín Expósito entrevista al cantante Eli Paperboy Reed. En el mundo del cómic, Shogún habla del autor francés Jacques Tardi. Mujeres con Historia de Silvia Casasola presenta a la princesa musulmana Isabel. En los 32 rumbos viajamos a Trujillo.
(review, feed)

Heads-up for 19 September 2010

Mahabharata Podcast
Episode 24 - Into the Forest, part 2
The Pandavas are now settled into their forest encampment and receive a surprise visitor. The Kauravas plot to kill the Pandavas while they are defenseless in the forest. Vyasa himself steps in to put a stop to this outrage, and he then introduces the sage Maitreya, who scolds Duryodhana, and then finally curses him to be struck in the "thigh" by Bhima.
If you ever felt uncomfortable about the fact that Bhima had to cheat and hit Duryodhana below the belt in their final battle, you can now rest assured that it wasn't Bhima's fault. Maitreya made him do it!
(review, feed)

Tapestry (CBC)
Hassan Ghedi Santur/Stephen Prothero
Hassan Ghedi Santur explores loneliness. In the world of texting, Facebook, Twitter and instant messaging, we should feel more connected to our fellow human beings than at any other time in history. But it hasn't quite turned out that way. And Mary Hynes talks to Stephen Prothero, contributor to CNN's Belief Blog. He argues that while the idea that all religions are really about the same thing, is a comforting one, it is also wrong.
(review, feed)