Althouse: Audible Althouse #42.

March 26, 2006

Audible Althouse #42.

Here. A mere 26 minutes. Topics: the movie "Open Water," whether one ought to do physically adventurous things, marriage (a physically adventurous thing?), HDTV, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "My Dinner With Andre," the 1972 book "Open Marriage" and what it seemed to say about what would happen to marriage in the future, how tradition keeps its hold on us and on the Afghan courts with their case against the Christian convert Abdul Rahman, how Rahman's case challenges our thinking about independent courts and the rule of law, and -- finally -- some thoughts on podcasting.

(You don't need an iPod -- you can stream it on your computer here.)

7 comments:

Steve Donohue said...: Should I interpret the last 2 minutes as your announcement of retirement?; 3/26/06, 10:45 PM
reader_iam said...: Do what you need to do, of course! With the blog, you've said it's "living freely through ...." If the podcasting is antithetical to that philosophy, then it's quite possibly a discordant note in the larger meaning that you're weaving.

But I, for one, do listen. And my kindergartner recognizes your theme song.

For what that's worth.; 3/26/06, 11:06 PM
Ron said...: I listen to most of the podcasts; the problem is time. Can you imagine reading a post which is "26 minutes worth" of reading, and you had to read it in order to understand it at all?

But the voice is a different experience than mere reading; you sound younger and funnier than you read!

Different experiences, and we get a little of each!; 3/26/06, 11:49 PM
The Tiger said...: People listen.

But the advantage you have with the blog is, well, your comments section.

People can nip in and out. The podcast, on the other hand, is this great big long production, which can be more difficult for some to find time to listen to.; 3/27/06, 7:38 AM
The Tiger said...: Think of it as people finding time to go watch a movie instead of catching their favourite TV show in the age of Tivo.; 3/27/06, 7:39 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Tiger: The idea of a podcast should be that you are out walking around or driving or something. I listen to podcasts when walking or taking a bath or working (on something nonintellectual). So for me, it isn't like movies at all. Movies demand that you stay put in one place for a set length of time and do nothing but watch them.

I don't know that I'm thinking of stopping altogether, but I may switch to doing podcasts only when I feel in the mood. Lately, I've been seeing once a week as a minimum and then feeling obligated every Sunday. I don't want to feel obligated. It doesn't fit with my conception of the project. I don't really feel that there are people actually waiting for the podcast and expecting it to appear weekly. And people don't talk about it in the comments. Last week's podcast didn't even get one comment! It makes me feel as though I'm just talking to myself. In which case, why not just think?

(Thinking, the podcast that never ends.); 3/27/06, 8:43 AM
reader_iam said...: I do wait for them to come out ... and my husband knows to take the iPod down to his office and download your podcast (along with some others) every week. Recently, though, I've been deliberately saving them up to help me get through some big household projects that I just hate so profoundly that if I didn't have something really interesting to divert me, I might start pitching stuff out of our windows.

If your podcasts were LONGER, say two or three hours, I wouldn't have that problem, Ann, and would keep up weekly as I did until a few weeks back.

LOL (at myself, of course).

(Last night, I cheated and listened to part of yesterday's podcast through the computer/living room, because of steve donohue's comment.)

And I did mean it about the kid recognizing the theme song ... he likes to harmonize with the end. Cute, to me, and funny generally, I think.; 3/27/06, 10:04 AM