You ARE what You LISTEN To

Like many Americans, I [too] am hopelessly in love with my iPod. We go everywhere together, though she does most of the talking. Our relationship started simply enough: iTunes, the occasional mixed CD, utilizing the timer function for workouts. However, I knew she was "the one" upon discovering podcasts. Business, fitness and storytelling, each category has found a regular spot on my playlist. Though my [listening] tastes could easily be described as eclectic, one can begin to understand my personal interests just by tuning in to these particular programs.

Each week, I will highlight the top ten(10) shows I enjoy while giving a brief description as to why they have earned a much coveted spot on the iPod, including a brief write-up provided by iTunes as well. If a show sounds interesting, then feel free to support it by subscribing to it and utilizing this FREE form of [educational] entertainment.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History

Nothing I could say would do this show justice. Dan Carlin makes one hunger to learn more about the Assyrian empire, consider the Great Man Theory, and actually entertained me to listen to a 4-hour analysis of the Punic Wars. Want to learn why Hannibal and his Carthaginians were warfare innovators? How did Scipio Africanus ultimately counter Hannibal’s elephants and battlefield greatness? Carlin works through incredible “what ifs” and explores what might have happened if the smallest things had been different. His theme “Imagine if…” 

In “Hardcore History,” the very unconventional Dan Carlin takes “Martian,” outside-the-box thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This difficult-to-classify show has a rather sharp edge. It is not for everyone. iTunes