The dudes from my absolute favorite podcast, Dinner Party Download, have been interviewed by the hip + trendy magazine Nylon Guys. I’m going to buy a copy and put their photo in my locker. Just kidding.
(via Facebook)

LINK

Beloved radio show host Kurt Anderson releases a new book.
(via Boing Boing)

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Kurt Anderson, the co-founder of Spy (one of my favorite magazines ever) and the host of the smart public radio program Studio 360, has written a pithy, inspired, and inspiring book called Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America.

In 96 pages, Anderson describes the United States’ previous boom and bust cycles and explains why the bust cycles are essential for innovation and improvement of living standards for everyone. Times of crisis, he says, open new opportunities for making positive changes.

The cost of education is a huge issue in America, and I often wonder if my student debt will ever really go away.  Sometimes I want to go back to school (and sometimes I do) but more often, I realize that time and resources just will not permit me to take on a full-time course load or interrupt my schedule to do homework and go to class.  So what can I do?  Stop learning?  No way.  I’d rather take intensive weekend classes, read a book or…listen to a podcast.

iTunes U offers colleges the chance to stream lectures, panels, speeches and video online through a special tab in the iTunes Store.

Some material is limited to college affiliates and is password protected, but there’s still plenty open-access material you can enjoy for free.
(via the iTunes U information website)

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Think outside the classroom.

Learning no longer happens only at a desk. Students now expect constant access to information, no matter where they are. Which is exactly why more and more faculty are using iTunes U to distribute digital lessons to their students.

WATCH THE VIDEO

My other favorite podcast, FilmCouch, is throwing in the towel.  Gee whiz.
(via http://blog.spout.com/category/filmcouch/)

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After 114 conversations here on the cozy FilmCouch, we’ve decided to say goodbye. We’ve had a good run, and we’re eternally grateful to all our listeners. We’ll miss you guys.

For the final show, we talk about why we did this podcast in the first place. What is it about movies that makes them better when they are the subject of a good conversation? We talk with Karina and Adam, and revisit some of our favorite moments. Paul still thinks longingly about Australian auteur Rolf DeHeer. Kevin remembers some sage words from Brad Neely. Adam recalls a spirited argument about Dear Pillow. And finally, Karina brings us back to late summer 2008, when gymnast Nastia Liukin’s sultry Olympic performance got us dreaming of possible gymnastic exploitation flicks.

Also, we give a few tips to you, dear listener, about how you can carry on the podcasting torch. It’s really not that hard to do. E-mail us if you want any other tips.

News from my favorite podcast.  They’re moving up in the world!
(via facebook)

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Guests,

You may know Rico and I work on this show called Marketplace that’s a wee bit more popular than the Dinner Party Download (it has about four million more listeners than we do).  It’s hosted by former DPD intern Kai Ryssdal.  Anyway, a few weeks back Marketplace asked us if we’d share some of our show on their show. We pretended to think about it and then said, “YES!”

So starting tonight, the Small Talk segment of the DPD is going to appear on Marketplace.

Of course this presents an existential dilemma: if five million people hear our under-the-radar news stories, are they still under-the-radar?

To which we reply: “Are you gonna finish eating that?”

This is way exciting. Please listen, and if you’re so inclined, leave a comment beneath the “Small Talk” segment when it’s posted later today at http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.marketplace.org.

You can find out when Marketplace airs in your town here: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://marketplace.publicradio.org%2Fabout%2Fstations%2Fmarketplace_pm.html

And of course, a brand-new episode of the DPD is coming later today. This week Rico chats up Girls (buzz band from SF), Marlon Brando gets an Oscar he can refuse, and Brendan’s is forced to rethink his jihad against cupcakes (Hint: it involves meatloaf)

Thanks,
BFN