Podcasting the Intellectual

I've been checking out 'quality' podcasts - specifically those at Warwick Podcasts
The quality of the subject matter and guests on these debates is astounding. For example

• Steve Fuller battles it out against Jack Cohen on the Intelligent Design debate.
  
• Ian Stewart discusses his Discworld books and the relationship between science and science fiction.

These guys are big bugs in science and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the water lurk debates and explanations on a range of topics from modern politics to conservativism in the renaissance. There's something for everyone but personally I'd recommend the technology debate Technology Matters with Professor David Nye and the ID debate above

The closest comparator that I have heard to these podcasts would be highly researched radio programs such as Radio 4 documentary. They take subjects and go into a detail that you could never get away with on TV. That said podcasting is by nature non-professional and if we were being harsh it would be possible to draw attention to

• Absense of editorial balance
• Lack of editing
• A host notable for enthusiasm rather than radio manner
  

In terms of 'things being given away for free on the net' these are superb

Ok...
As I was saying yesterday before accidentally and quite rudely interrupting myself and swinging off on a tangent the current webscape regarding audiobooks is limited, at least if one compares it to its juvenile spin-off the podcast.

Interesting point here is what differentiates an audiobook from a podcast?
Definition wise perhaps it is merely that podcasts merely don't stick to a script but if we face facts the difference exists in the same fashion that differences exist between high opera and four kids thrashing out a Sex Pistols medley in their Dad's garage.

Its actually quite a pleasing analogy
On the one hand you have opera: based in control and vocal technic, establishment, requires skills and training practically from birth
Garage bands: passionate, fast paced, potentially excruciating

Well perhaps professional readers don't work to quite the same level of training as opera singers
and, of what I have heard, the podcasts with an audiobook bend ain't that bad but still the distinction is there.

Categories of sites

We return today to the other, limited, sites dedicated to audiobooks out on the web.
Actually screw it, we do that tomorrow.
Today lets do a bit of considering.
If this blog is going to cover matters not strictly limited to my specific collection of 30 or so audiobooks I guess we are gonna have to clarify matters a little.
There's a lot of spoken word content out there on the net and it ain't really sensible to compare some of them...

Just an opinion friends but lets do this by site type giving a couple of examples of each (though I'm afraid I've picked UK sites when they aren't international)

Category One: Hardcopy
Isis or BBC Audio (cunning disguise that one)

Category Two: Download
Audible or Simply

Category Three: Copyright-free classics
Notably Librivox but also, as aforementioned Project Gutenberg

Category Four: Modern freebies
I expect there are others but Podiobooks initiated this ramble. This site permits authors the opportunity to extend their audience by doing an audio version of their work.

Category Five: Radio on the net:
Radio Four and BBC 7 spring immediately to mind.

No doubt more to follow.