Blogging and Podcasts

A couple of weeks ago, on the radio news I heard that one of the computer magazines was saying that Blogging was dead. It was old hat, old fashioned, well personally I would strongly disagree and I think that Blogging and Bloggers are in rude health. Nor do I care about fashion, I personally will continue my web log here. Further, I will read the blogs of people that have something to say. While that may be of ordinary people, like myself who are not famous or significant in the wider picture of the world, they are important to me, as it what they have to say.

That is one of the beauties of the advent of the communication age, we can discover a wide range of prospectives on the planet. Further, no matter what the stories are on the news of the day, out there is someone writing a blog where they have a close link to the events. Equally, there are Pod Casts that strive to inform and feed the passions and interests of many people. Often the topics covered are just not covered by the mainstream media.

However, just as with the mainstream media, it is important to ensure that you are not just swallowing a line or a prospective that someone want to peddle. No matter where you are in the world or your political flavour, there will be newspapers that you don't read because you disagree with the bias in them. Therefore, I am selective about what I regularly read, or what pod casts I listen to. While many in the media criticise people like me for being to narrow in my choices, I feel that what I do, and the way I use the new media provides a great balance of staying informed as keeping myself entertained.

On the entertainment side, I love some of the wildlife pod casts that are available. Two in particular are absolute gems. The first will be difficult for some to access as the files are large video files, but it does contain some wonderful wildlife filming from across the planet. Earth Touch is a bunch of film makers across the world filming the variety of species that we share the planet with. The other gem is the Wildcast podcast. I have mentioned Kim Wolhuter before here. What he does is film the wildlife in a single African reserve, posting a video podcast every day. Just three minutes long it provides a wonderful window on the lives of the species that he shares the savannah with.

Just yesterday the film showed a tiny newly born Elephant in a mud wallow. While this obviously has the ah factor of a newborn what really makes this a must watch for me is that the film maker follows the lives of his subjects so that we build up a real picture of the lives of them. There have been times when I have almost grown bored with seeing lions every day for a couple of weeks, on the whole it is a real gem that I recommend. Kim Wolhuter writes a great blog too.

As well as a plethora of independently produced podcasts, there are some from the mainstream media. I regularly listen to the ones issued by the science journals Nature and Science, I am still awaiting one called Nurture. Though for me the ones that are most interesting are the ones that are radio programmes from the English speaking world. Prominently on the Environment, Conservation and Wildlife, there is not a day goes by when I do not learn something of the wildlife in America and Canada. Further, via these podcasts I discover that across the world that there are groups and organisations fighting to help save our wildlife, our planet.

The problem with the mainstream media is that for the most part they have abdicated their responsibility for reporting real news, and have just defaulted to reporting, if it can even be called that, on what happens in the celebrity world. When a real story does come along, for the most part the media defaults to the most crass, base and popularism reporting. A good example of this is the credit crunch, anyone just reading the papers or watching most of the Television News would believe that it was only the actions of banks in America and the American economy that has brought this about. While the reality is that in Britain at least, most of the problems were and are self inflicted.

However, keeping to the real topic, often when I am travelling around I will be listening to a wide and diverse selection of different audio and very rarely music. This has caused people to look at me as though I have two heads when I am asked what I am listening to. When recently I was having two extra radiators fitted, the plumber asked me what I was listening to, it was the Wiggly Wigglers podcast, I told him. Now I am fully aware that listening to a podcast from a company that sells wormeries may sound eccentric but it is full of some wonderful gems of information regarding conservation, recycling and the environment. Anyway, the plumber thought that it was the funniest thing (talking about the content) that he had heard in ages.
To go off on a slight tangent, recently I met a couple of friends for lunch before they went off to continue their work in Antarctica. On my previous trip into Newcastle I had seen a book that interested me, so I used this journey to buy the book. When I met my friends they said that is so like me, to buy a book on Earthworms. It caused a great deal of merriment in my friends. Well at least I keep folks entertained even though it is unintentional.

While talking of the Wiggly Wigglers podcast, one of the presenters of this, Richard, I met once in Newcastle when he gave a talk on earthworms for an organic gardening group. A thoroughly nice chap he is too. It never ceases to amaze me just how interconnected we are as people, and how frequently the same people keep on recurring in my life.

I personally learn so much from all these sources, Podcasts, Blogs as well as the minority sections of the media. Most of this I just would not have access to had it not been for the advent of the communication age. Also for many years I really felt as though I was a lone voice talking about issues like climate change or the importance of conservation, but now with the Inter-web-thing, I know that I am far from an isolated mouse squeaking in the dark but part of a much wider range of voices that make up a Green Majority. While there may be some that want to silence us by declaring Blogging dead, well that obituary is very premature.

Anyway thinking of worms, I include a short film of a Brandling Earthworm that I spotted trying to climb a vertical surface.