Archive for the 'Science' Category

• Tagline : Celebrating all sides of science; from sublime moments of deep thought to the most arcane and bizarre research imaginable
• Website : Dr Karl’s Great Moments in Science
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• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

I’ve covered Dr Karl’s re-purposed ABC radio science call show in a previous review, in which Dr Karl tries to provide answers to some of those everyday questions in life, like can you sense if it’s going to rain by smell and why is poo brown. In this podcast Dr Karl, concentrates on a single subject, in this case a great moment in science and goes into it in some detail. Actually it’s only usually a 5 minute podcast, but it’s surprising how much you can squeeze into such a short space.

I have to say the thing that makes this podcast and indeed Dr Karl’s previously reviewed podcast, is Dr Karl himself. If schools could make learning this interesting and indeed fun and have teachers that actually want to you would have children fighting to get into their classes.

Conclusion : With ever increasing amounts of great podcasts to listen to, it’s great to find podcasts that are like little snack bites of entertainment. When they are this good, there is no reason not to subscribe. Hey you might even learn a thing or two.

• Tagline : Karl is an answer in search of a few thousand questions
• Website : Dr Karl on Triple J
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• Keywords : discussion, science
• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

For anyone that loves the CBC’s podcast Quirks and Quarks, but found it to be a little dry, then prepare to have you socks blown off, cos this is science at it’s most accessible. OK, before we go much further, this podcast is from our Australian cousins and they don’t mind saying what’s on their mind. Anyone that knows of Sir Les Patterson will know what I mean. Consequently wherever there is science there is bound to be potty talk and in the last two shows I’ve listened to, we’ve had discussions on what “makes your poo whiter” and “what makes your poo different shapes”. Yes it’s toilet talk, but you might not want to have your 9 year old listening along in the car, hence the 15 rating.

It’s not all lavatorial talk though, there’s some fascinating questions asked and answered and I keep finding this 40-50 minute show flying by, which is always a good sign. This show is similar to Quirks and Quarks in that it’s originally a radio show that has any adverts and breaks trimmed and then re-purposed as a podcast, so you do get references to time and telephone numbers as this is a phone in, but it doesn’t really distract at all from the show.

A special mention has to go to Dr Karl, cos his whole presentation is infections and fun, which for a science show is no mean feat.

Conclusion : This is the first Australian podcast I’ve heard and excellent stuff it is too. I’d be most interested to see what other podcasts the land down under has to offer. If you want answers to all of those imponderables in life, why not submit a question via the website.

• Tagline : The science show that defi(n)es gravity
• Website : Quirks and Quarks
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• Keywords : discussion, science
• Parental Rating : 12
• Star Rating : 8 out of 10

Why does snow squeak? Why don’t waddling penguins fall over? Why do I listen to so many podcasts? All those answers and more can be found in this thoroughly entertaining podcast. I’ve been an avid reader of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader, which is usually a most welcome Christmas present, for years. For anyone who doesn’t know about this range of books, it’s basically a book of useless facts and usually imponderable questions. I’ve also got a ton of books in a similar vein, so when I heard of this podcast, I was eager to investigate.

Our host Bob McDonald takes a series of questions with a scientific bent and tries to find an answer from a scientist in their respected field. Each question is usually answered in around 5-10 minutes, with a whole show around the 30-40 minute mark. This is truly enthralling stuff. Whether you are a science lover or not, all the explanations are clear and lacking in gobbledy gook, which means you don’t need degrees to make sense of it.

Conclusion : This weekly podcast never fails to engage and delight. If you have a love for the imponderable, you’re gonna love this. The only thing I don’t like, is that each question segment is split into a separate file, I would much prefer a single file, but that’s just me. Otherwise a great podcast.