Are you edjumacated?
I hate downtime. This is mainly because I have realized that I am generally so inefficient at doing thing that I am forever behind. Behind on paying bills, behind on pre-planning holidays, behind on my reading, the list goes on and on. But I have discovered that sensible multi-tasking is the key to getting at least some of things done that I feel I am missing out on.
This has been made possible by the magic of the Ipod and podcasting. Now whenever I am cycling to work, walking into town or traveling, I listen to podcasts and language courses (well, I am a bit behind on the language courses). You may think that riding a bike and listening to a podcast is dangerous, but unless you are blasting your ears out, I don’t consider it any more dangerous that listening to the radio while driving.
Since listening to podcasts my slightly repetitious commute and mundane tube journeys have become a joy and I can actually feel myself getting more edjumacted. Today while on my 20km (45min) cycle training I learned about Mexican Indians using solar powered lights and how Pakastans recent military coup has cause the international telephone links to crash. What will I possible do with all this information?
Here are some of my favourite podcasts:
60 Minutes – great interviews
Business Week – general business news
Buzz Out Loud from CNET – the latest from the world of technology and computing
Harvard Business School IdeaCast – generally mind altering
Newsweek on Air – great interviews and global stories
PRI’s the World: Technology – BBC supported and very interesting
Die Tageschau des Ersten Deutschen Fernsehen – Germany’s version of BBC 6 o’clock news
Winecast – straight from Minnestoa, a great podcast on wine
If you don't have an Ipod, don't fret. Most modern mobile phones have music playing capabilities. I use my SonyEricsson K800i to play podcasts over its external speaker making even my shower time productive.
Happy edjumaction!