Podcasts are audio magazines that deliver MP3 files of talk or music directly to your computer via the internet. The word podcast is a combination of iPod and broadcast, but you don’t need an iPod to listen to them — any computer, smartphone or MP3 player will do. Radio programs, companies, musicians, comedians, and just plain people produce podcasts about a huge variety of different subjects, everything from the latest movies and TV series to the stock market.
Video podcasts are the same idea, but you receive video rather than audio files.
Subscribing to podcasts on the web
You can find loads of podcasts in several different places on the web. Here are some to try:Or, go to the website of the program you want to subscribe to. National Public Radio originates dozens of podcasts from the shows it produces. Here are a few good ones:
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Radiolab, with science-based stories
- Fresh Air, a talk show featuring interviews with a wide variety of notable people
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Serial, from the makers of This American Life (another great podcast)
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Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, a weekly news quiz
