Listening to podcasts at 2x normal speed

Here is an excerpt from an email that I recently wrote to my friend about how I listen to podcasts at faster-than-normal speeds...

"There are far more fascinating podcasts out there than I can possibly consume. I’ve switched over almost entirely to NPR podcasts in the car instead of live NPR. I do miss out on traffic and weather updates but I also get to skip all the crap happening in Iraq. And I’m pretty sure they are going to tell me it is going to be hot and sunny into infinity.

I use iTunes as my tool for finding and subscribing to podcasts but I have found that Windows Media Player will automatically grab what iTunes has pulled down (not everything, but most everything). Within WMP I use the speed control settings:

I usually listen at 1.4 or 1.5 normal speed but sometimes I do go as high as 2.0. After a little while you don’t notice that they are speaking fast. I usually listen to “Marketplace” in 15 minutes instead of the regular 30.

I REALLY wish I could do something similar with my iPod. Apple must have some proprietary agreement with Audible.com because as far as I know only audio books downloaded from Audible can use the “Faster” playback setting in the iPod (maybe audio books from iTunes as well, but I haven’t tried it). I don’t know if you can adjust the speed of everything in the Zune player, but if it can it would almost be a compelling enough reason for me to get one."

Radio Lab

If you are not already familiar with Radio Lab you have denied yourself some of the most interesting listening material anywhere. The podcasts are on iTunes.

Start with the one on Sleep to get an exposure. Then try Zoos.

Jason's email to me about the Zoos episode:

"One of the things that was interesting is the study on the monkeys showing that their brain activity expanded dramatically (which they think indicates happier monkeys) from the concrete cage to the more lush cage with toys, but virtually no difference from the lush cage with toys to the super lush cage with even more toys. It validates a human study that indicates that humans become significantly happier when they go from poverty, to having all their basic needs met, but there's little or no change in happiness between those people and the super rich."

The Beyond Time episode has especially interesting implications if you think about it in the context of Joseph Smith’s comment that time to God is “one continual now”.

D&C 130:7 “all things…past, present, and future…are continually before the Lord.”