Great Podcasts

(NOTE: I'll talk about my Harry Potter weekend experiences later tonight. Right now I've got to give a shout out to a great podcast that I subscribed to over the weekend.)

I have written before about the excellence of "This American Life" a program on National Public Radio, hosted by Ira Glass, that presents an hour of programming centered around a new theme each week. I have always tried to listen to it on radio, but since I don't spend lots of time in the car, I usually always missed it.

When I found out that it was available in podcast form on iTunes, I jumped immediately to get a free subscription and I've been listening happily each week.

This weekend, however, I heard Ira Glass recommend another podcast . . . WNYC's Radio Lab. The show is similar in basic format to the "This American Life" structure, but it has a more scientific spin on it's weekly themes. I found that it is also located for free podcast subscription on iTunes and I've been listening to the hour-long shows since Saturday and especially here at work while doing proofs.

I highly recommend it, especially if you are struck by the following bit of information--

How do dolphins sleep? Since they live underwater, are mammals that require air to breathe, but don't have the capacity for autonomic breathing (meaning they can't breath without voluntary thought) how can they every commit themselves to unconsciousness . . . which, must inevitably lead to suffocation?

Turns out that dolphins DO sleep and they sleep as much (or more) per day than humans--about eight hours worth. How? They float on the surface of the water and half of their brains sleeps while the other half controls the breathing.

That's cool!