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Without something to listen to, cubicle work would be an unrelenting hellscape.* At first, I listened to music. Though that may be enough for some, I eventually became bored with it. Unless I recently bought a new CD, listening to the music I owned quickly became repetitive (work does last 8 hours). On top of that, Pandora never seemed to play exactly what I wanted to hear at the time. So I started listening to comics online instead. For a long while that worked perfectly, with the exception of occasionally laughing so hard that my coworkers turned to see why I was huddled over and weeping. Unfortunately, Pandora possessed a limited amount of comedy and I started hearing the same routines over and over. When I could no longer find standup I hadn't already heard, Pandora comedy was no longer an option. I needed something else.
* Thank the gods for the invention of the headphone.
Then I discovered podcasts. Not only did podcasts save my work days from devolving into infrequently-productive droolfests, they altered the background noise of my whole life.
Podcasts combine the welcome distraction of the radio with the obsessive completionism of TV shows in an entertaining and informative package. There're few better ways to pass the time during a dull task (like debugging or driving) than with a group of funny and/or intelligent people discussing... something. Sure, music performs a similar function for many, but I've grown to love the feeling of listening in on a witty conversation even more than hearing a song (in most cases). At this point, I fill almost any silence with the sounds of podcasts. Commuting home from work? Thirty unadulterated minutes of podcast. Washing dishes? Another thirty minutes of podcast (my house generates a lot of dirty dishes). Trip to the grocery store? Podcasts, podcasts, and more podcasts. Even certain parts of video games (like battles in Fire Emblem) are preferable with podcasts in the background (the soundtrack may be good, but it's on repeat for a LONG TIME). It's almost annoying when I'm forced to do something other than listen to podcasts during the aforementioned moments. I prefer these shows over any other form of chore-concurrent entertainment.
Furthermore, podcast content is awesome. If there's an interest or fandom, there's a regularly-scheduled podcast talking all about it (the Rule 34 of audio-only programs). The ease of creating and distributing these internet radio shows means that almost anyone can have a podcast of their own (quality, of course, is another matter). As a result, the subject matter of podcasts is expansive, clever, and compelling. My personal preference is towards comedy and video games podcasts like My Brother, My Brother, and Me, The Indoor Kids, and Wham Bam Pow!. Not only do the shows make me laugh for hours on end, they help me to stay informed about popular culture and (occasionally) actual news. I also listen to a couple of Starcraft 2 podcasts that discuss the professional scene or in-depth strategies, meaning I don't have to spend hours reading forum threads on the internet to maintain my knowledge of the game. Many of the podcasts I enjoy keep years of archived episodes, so there's been a ton of great material for me to listen to when I finish the weekly episodes (even if it is ancient history). Finally, no matter how many you complete, there are always more podcasts to enjoy. Even though I already listen to ten shows, I still haven't heard some of the most famous and highly lauded podcasts such as This American Life, WTF, or The Nerdist. Yet I know that they're available for when I want to try something new.
Yet the best part about podcasts is how inherently nerdy they are. To me, nerdiness is the act of loving something so specific and with such passion that you change your life so you can enjoy more of whatever it is. Some people do this with constant references, some with cosplay and conventions, some with action figures and TV marathons, and some with intense and frequent gaming. Podcasts are the creations of people who love something so much that they want to talk about it for an hour and share it with random internet people. For This American Life the nerdiness is a esteem for exceptional stories and events. For The Besties it's an attachment to video games. Jordan, Jesse, Go! is simply about friendship and comedy, and their appreciation for those things is enough to keep me tuned into their podcast every week (well, that and they're hilarious and interesting). Podcasts are a lot like blogs or webcomics in this way, but they can be consumed as you complete all the daily chores that would normally send you into a stupor. I love podcasts because their creators take that which they love most and turn them into clever and amusing shows that anyone can enjoy.
Podcasts have become such a fixture in my day-to-day life that I wouldn't know what to do without them. My work life and miscellaneous task time would be far worse off if I couldn't listen to the endless nerdy conversations that podcasts provide. I regret only just discovering podcasts, so if you don't listen to them yet, you should start immediately. Soon you won't want to be without them either.
You can read this post and many more at the N3rd Dimension.
