Quick guide to podcasts.....

I'm a podcast junkie. Podcasts are a way to get great targeted content for free. I use them to keep informed, get a diversity of opinion, and further follow some of my hobbies and interests. Some of my favorite podcast are:

(click the podcast title to see the podcast in iTunes.)

Business:
BBC Business Daily (well-rounded 15 minute daily business news magazine)

Bloomberg on the economy (15 minutes of informed economic analysis and opinion)

BusinessWeek Global Outlook (weekly 10-minute story on something going on overseas that I probably wasn't aware of)

EconTalk (weekly economists view of current topics such as global warming.)

Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (lectures by prominent entrepreneurs visiting Stanford.)

HBR Ideacast (weekly insight from the Harvard Business Review)

Knowledge@Wharton (weekly insight from the Wharton School of Business especially market insight from Proj. Jeremy Siegel)

Manager Tools (focused business refresher lessons. Even simple topics like "How to leave a voice mail" are extremely valuable)

PIMCO Investment Outlook (monthly insights from Bill Gross, the 'Warren Buffett of Bonds.' I can't believe his advice and commentary is free and freely available.)

(If I had to choose only one podcast in this category it would be the PIMCO Bill Gross cast.)

Life Sciences
First Word Pharmaceuticals (5 minute review of the headlines of the day.)

Genetic Engineering News GENcast (interviews with scientists.)

PharmaVentures Business Review (regular interviews with pharma deal makers and news makers)

Science Talk (slightly more mainstream audio featuring the best of Scientific American)

News & Politics
Cato Daily Podcast (~5 minute daily expose of libertarian politics and policy. I learn something new every day from Cato.)

The Economist - The World Next Week (weekly look at what will become news next week.)

Hobbies:
ESPN Baseball Today (daily during the season)

Golf Tips (3 minute long video lessons - really well done)

My History Can Beat Up Your Politics (yesterday's lessons for today's politics - extremely well done)

NPR Intelligence Squared (moderated Oxford-style debates on the issues of the day featuring teams of acknowledged experts)

RealTime with Bill Maher (audio feed of HBO broadcast. Hard to believe this is free.)

WSJ Your Money Matters (personal finance news and tips)

These are just the best of the podcasts that I listen to, so yes, I am a junkie. However, I liberally delete new episodes that do not interest me, so I'm not THAT rabid. I generally have podcasts playing over my stereo in the background or on my headphones at the gym for two hours a day. I'd like to think I'm learning something by osmosis.

One other free audio option via iTunes: iTunes U - complete college courses available free. Right now I'm slogging through an MIT biology course team taught by Eric Lander and Robert Weinberg.

So how do you get started listening to podcasts?

1) Download and run iTunes if you haven't already.
2) in the far left column, click on "Podcasts." This will take you to the directory of podcasts.
3) Find an interesting podcast either by clicking on one of my links above, clicking on an interesting link in iTunes, or using the search box in the upper right corner to find a podcast of interest.
4) once you find a podcast of interest, click on either the "SUBSCRIBE" button, or click on the "GET" button to download a specific episode. If you "SUBSCRIBE," subsequent episodes will be downloaded automatically as they become available, while getting an episode is a one-time event - perfect if you want to try out a podcast before committing. Either way, the podcast of interest will appear under the "PODCAST" tab once downloading has competed.
5) At this point, you can play the podcast by double clicking the episode, or you can upload it to your iPod or iPhone to listen to it later.

I'd encourage you to try everything. There's absolutely no cost for any of the content (you may have to listen to a 30-second advertisement on some podcasts), and if you find something you don't like, you can delete it in seconds.

Please let me know how you like podcasts, and please pass along any good tips.