schneefink (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
schneefink) wrote2017-07-29 02:36 pm
schneefink) wrote2017-07-29 02:36 pm
Things to listen to at work
I don't dislike my job, but it's often boring. Fortunately during much of it I can listen to other stuff. During the first few months I listened to many many Critical Role episodes, but now I'm caught up, so I need something new. I've been trying a few different things.
- Political comedy. There are a few I enjoy watching/listening to, like Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, sometimes Trevor Noah. Is there something similar for European politics?, that could be fun.
- I tried other RPG videos or podcasts, but haven't been able to get into any. They all start pretty slow, so without recs from people whose taste I trust I'm unwilling to invest much time into it. (I heard good things about The Adventure Zone, but I'm not in the mood right now to listen to a men-only RPG.)
- Speaking of! Podcasts. I was looking for economics-focused podcasts and the vast majority of what I found was hosted by men. I found an article that said about 2/3rds of podcasts are hosted by men, that about fits what I saw and doesn't even take into account which topics the podcasts are about. DD and I wondered how much of that is because men are more used than women to people listening to whatever they say. I also still sometimes have to consciously train myself out of thinking that a woman's voice on the radio or on TV sounds "shrill" whenever she raises her voice and/or gets angry.
If anyone has recs for podcasts hosted by women, especially about economics and/or history, that would be welcome.
- I thought aboud podfic, but I usually get too frustrated by the fact that I know that I can read faster. Radio plays are different though. I was never that into WtNV, but I remembered that someone on DW (I forgot who) recced The Strange Case of Starship Iris. I liked it a lot, but unfortunately it only has 5 episodes and is currently on hiatus. Recs for radio plays would also be very welcome (but no horror, even though I think it's a genre that lends itself well to radio plays.)
- I also spent two days watching youtube videos about ancient battles. I now understand better whydhampyresa is so fascinated by Hannibal and Scipio ^^ Unfortunately battle plans need to be watched and I rarely have time for that.
- I had the idea to listen to Russian language learning podcasts, I found out that there are a few. Unfortunately I realized that while podcasts are okay to remember words I already knew once (I used to speak Russian at B1+, but I'm severely out of practice), I can't learn new words from listening. If I don't see how they're spelled I forget them almost immediately, which is frustrating. Russian also takes more concentration to listen to, which I don't always have.
I also sometimes just listen to Disney soundtracks on a loop when I don't have much concentration to spare, or radio. (I never listened to Ö3 before, but 2-3 weeks ago I realized how little attention the constantly repeating pop songs require.) But that sometimes feels close to wasting time – which is ridiculous when I'm at work, but still. I could be learning things or listen to actual stories! Not the whole time though, I'll try to find a balance, and in the meantime I'll try out more stuff.
- Political comedy. There are a few I enjoy watching/listening to, like Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, sometimes Trevor Noah. Is there something similar for European politics?, that could be fun.
- I tried other RPG videos or podcasts, but haven't been able to get into any. They all start pretty slow, so without recs from people whose taste I trust I'm unwilling to invest much time into it. (I heard good things about The Adventure Zone, but I'm not in the mood right now to listen to a men-only RPG.)
- Speaking of! Podcasts. I was looking for economics-focused podcasts and the vast majority of what I found was hosted by men. I found an article that said about 2/3rds of podcasts are hosted by men, that about fits what I saw and doesn't even take into account which topics the podcasts are about. DD and I wondered how much of that is because men are more used than women to people listening to whatever they say. I also still sometimes have to consciously train myself out of thinking that a woman's voice on the radio or on TV sounds "shrill" whenever she raises her voice and/or gets angry.
If anyone has recs for podcasts hosted by women, especially about economics and/or history, that would be welcome.
- I thought aboud podfic, but I usually get too frustrated by the fact that I know that I can read faster. Radio plays are different though. I was never that into WtNV, but I remembered that someone on DW (I forgot who) recced The Strange Case of Starship Iris. I liked it a lot, but unfortunately it only has 5 episodes and is currently on hiatus. Recs for radio plays would also be very welcome (but no horror, even though I think it's a genre that lends itself well to radio plays.)
- I also spent two days watching youtube videos about ancient battles. I now understand better why
dhampyresa is so fascinated by Hannibal and Scipio ^^ Unfortunately battle plans need to be watched and I rarely have time for that.- I had the idea to listen to Russian language learning podcasts, I found out that there are a few. Unfortunately I realized that while podcasts are okay to remember words I already knew once (I used to speak Russian at B1+, but I'm severely out of practice), I can't learn new words from listening. If I don't see how they're spelled I forget them almost immediately, which is frustrating. Russian also takes more concentration to listen to, which I don't always have.
I also sometimes just listen to Disney soundtracks on a loop when I don't have much concentration to spare, or radio. (I never listened to Ö3 before, but 2-3 weeks ago I realized how little attention the constantly repeating pop songs require.) But that sometimes feels close to wasting time – which is ridiculous when I'm at work, but still. I could be learning things or listen to actual stories! Not the whole time though, I'll try to find a balance, and in the meantime I'll try out more stuff.
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:D
I got a bunch of podcast recs in my fandomstocking. Maybe some of them will work for you?
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The battle videos were a ton of fun, and probably good help for anyone wanting to write about battles, though if an army in a book thought that sending scouts was beneath them I would probably think it was unrealistic ^^
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I'd love links to the battle videos, if you have them.
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Other stuff. "In Our Times" is a BBC radio show where the host picks some topic and he and three university professors discuss it in depth for an hour. The history of photography! Obscure medieval mystics! Bird migration! You get the idea. Then there's Freakonomics, where they take a current event or trend or something and spend an hour exploring it. One From The Vaults is a podcast about trans history.
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https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/queer-as-fact/id1244361804
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Hope you don't mind some recs!
FACTUAL
Criminal - Phoebe Judge is a great host with lots of different stories from the heartbreaking to the hilarious. The theme is crime, but it looks at everything from a beloved tree being poisoned to lepers housed in a prison.
The Allusionist - a podcast about language by the funny and knowledgeable Helen Zaltsman. Try the ep about UK vs US politeness!
Science VS - super informative about issues people have lots of strong feelings about. Wendy Zuckerman is a fun, enthusiastic host with an Ozzie perspective on things.
99 Percent Invisible - no female host, but Roman Mars is one of the best podcasters out there, and sets the bar really high for "how to make a subject you've never heard of fascinating" shows.
Reply All - two dudes who are sometimes joined by a female reporter/producer. This is billed as a show about the internet, and it is, but it's also about a lot more than that. The most recent episode was fantastic, and I always catch up on my memes when they do a round of "yes yes no".
Slate's Dear Prudence podcasts. If you like advice columns you'll love this - Mallory Ortberg solves people's problems and gives lots of great advice. As she's a queer woman she has a great take on things like "I just don't understand young people and their 'gender fluid' silliness". Her words to the listeners after the US election legit made me cry.
FICTION
Alice Isn't Dead - A woman takes up life as a trucker to search for her missing wife across America, and the episodes are her narrating that search. It's a bit scary and a bit wonderful - the first episode has some pretty gruesome stuff but the story is so good and atmospheric.
The Bright Sessions - a therapist councels clients with extraordinary powers... This one features so many things I love and is written and produced by the incredibly talented Lauren Shippen. It starts off seemingly randomly, but soon it starts all fitting together, and there's protective siblings and adorable friendships and characters with an sorts of orientations - including some great bi & asexual representation. Three really good seasons so far, with more to come in the fall.
Hello From the Magic Tavern - really silly fantasy improv that's impressive for its world building and super ridiculous in most other ways but st Hbill makes me laugh a lot. It's by three guys who are very much... improv guys. (What I'm saying is expect butt jokes.)
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BBC Radio adaptations of Terry Pratchett Discworld books: I've enjoyed these adaptations (they're about 5-6 30min episodes)! They're accessible whether you've read the Discworld books or not. (I'm not sure they're easily available online, though ... I have them downloaded, so let me know if you're interested and I can share.)
Thrilling Adventure Hour: narrative comedy podcast (no longer running but there's a large archive of older shows). There are a few different stories/segments, so you can pick and choose episodes depending on the storylines you like (some I avoid altogether). My favourite is Beyond Belief, a fun romp with a 1920s high society married couple who drink a lot, trade witty banter, and solve supernatural mysteries.
Stuff You Missed in History Class: a history podcast hosted by 2 women. I really like that their episodes encompass a wide variety of eras, geographical areas, and historical figures. The hosts are white but do strive to include diverse topics.
You Must Remember This: a Hollywood history podcast, hosted by a woman. I especially like the episodes that focus on women's lives within the celebrity & movie industry world. Fairly US-centric.
Métis in Space: a podcast hosted by 2 Métis women who love sci fi. Each episode they talk about a movie or episode of TV that includes an indigenous person. The hosts have good chemistry, and have a lot of sharp commentary.
Gastropod: 2 women hosts on a podcast that looks at food from the perspective of science & history. I find it can be a little US/North American-centric, but it's fun.
Lingthusiasm: a podcast hosted by 2 women that's enthusiastic about linguistics & languages. It's very accessible even if you don't have a background in that area. One of my fave episodes is about Space Pidgen spoken by astronauts!
2 Dope Queens: comedy podcast hosted by 2 black women. They're very funny, and they have a lot of interesting and funny comedians on their show. Topics vary (and can include politics).
Mystery Show: there's only a single short season of this podcast, but I really love it. The female host sets out to solve small mysteries. Some of my favourites have been the one where she tries to track down the owner of a lost belt, and the one about Britney Spears' reading habits.
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