There are a whole plethora of podcasts to pick from and it is impossible to mention which ones “are the best” (everyone’s tastes are different) but I thought I would make a post on the ones I have on my iPhone & iPod. Apple iTunes has come along ways from the old days of podcasting, and the quality and quantity speaks for itself. I’ll split the podcasts up into categories, if you have any that are favorites post them in the comments! You might see them in the next part of the Podcast Picks series post coming up later!

(All podcast titles are Apple iTunes linked which will open up to the iTunes Store immediately)

Music

Indie Spotlight (Audio)
I can never get enough indie music, mainly because of crappy radio stations like KIIS and others that overplay too much pop music. Hey, dont get me wrong I love me a good bubble gum/club song every once in a while but lets not over do it. Keep in touch with the indie artists I say. It’ll do a body (and ears) good.

IndieFeed (Audio)
Some more indie goodness, usually about 20 minutes or so these are short and sweet so you can listen to the whole thing on the way to work.

IODAcast (Audio)
Also about 20 minutes long, this podcast has various bands. Its a good mix of music that I like to compare to a grab bag. Great if your in the mood for something different.

NPR: Science Friday (Audio)
I love science. I do. If you need a fixin’ for some good science talk with topics such as the LHC (Large Hadron Collider), Black Holes, Solar Electricity, Future Molecular DNA Structure and Robots then this is the podcast for you.

Stuff You Missed in History Class (Audio)
Ever wonder about history and why it was so? Most likely it was because you were sleeping in History class like I was, but not to worry. Dont go spending precious time and money going back to college just catch up with these guys giving you lessons every podcast in history. The best part? They make it fun.

Stuff You Should Know (Audio)
Some more education stuff that you might have slept through that slipped through the cracks. Tune in for tid-bits that would make you go “OOoohhh!” (in a ah-ha, thats why __ is like that kind of way)

TED Talks (Audio)
These podcasts can be sometimes long or short but ALWAYS extremely education and interesting. Topics can range from social and econimic issues to the universe expanding beyond our imaginations into the unexplainable. Check it out, there are tons of podcasts they’ve already covered and there are bound to be a few that will catch your interest.

Talk / In Depth Stories

This American Life (Audio)
The stories in this podcast can be incredibly touching and the way they are told can bring you closer to the person in question as if you knew them directly. Let yourself be affected by other peoples lifes and listen in to both happy and sad times with them.

The Moth Podcast (Audio)
This not-for-profit storytelling podcast is one of the best that there is. In one sense its similar to This American Life but needs to be listened to for the experience to sink in. Worth a listen.

Car Talk (Audio)
Ever have car trouble and cant figure out what it could be? Or maybe you like listening to OTHER peoples troubles of breaking down on the highway and walking for miles to the gas station, get a few gallons of gas, return to the car only to realize it was something else that caused the breakdown! I know I do, check it out. The Brothers Tom & Ray are great hosts and are a delight to listen to no matter how off topic they get.

Tom Leykis (Audio)
For guys who need that kind of advice they can only get from a sensable educated and well-experienced kind of gentleman, listen in to Tom Leykis and learn his “101″.

Technology

TWiT (This Week in Tech) (Audio)
Leo Laporte and friends help you through all the latest technology news and stories. The fun personalities and refreshing sense of geek talk will always be one that finds a home on my iPhone/iPod. This is a must have podcast. Period.

The Totally Rad Show (Video [small size])
Hosted by Alex Albrecht, Jeff Cannata, and Dan Trachtenberg they take you on a podcast ride through movies, video games, tv shows and comics. If you enjoy the finer things in life such as those, be sure to pick this podcast for your listening pleasure.

Diggnation (Video [small size])
Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose host the show based on the website Digg.com (that’s d-i-double-g) which brings you the latest hot trending news stories from around the world. With always something worthy and interesting to talk about from the site they make it fun and make you feel like your right there kicking back with them.

It was truly sad news the day Indie 103.1 FM went off the air, and although all good things must come to end eventually many of us who listened everyday were devistated. Although I won’t get too much into detail about why exactly they went off the air I will say that Clear Channel & Entravision have a lot to do with it along with the way ratings are measured. Anyway, enough of the finger pointing, on to how to get Indie 103.1 back where it belongs, in our ears while on the go. Im not quite sure of other phones with mp3 streaming capabilities but if you have an iPhone read on.

First download and install an app called fStream from the AppStore. Once you got it installed open it up and go to “Favorites”, the following is what you will need to enter to get Indie 103.1 streaming.

Name: Indie 103.1
URL: http://provisioning.streamtheworld.com/pls/KDLDFM.pls
Format: MP3
Bitrate (kbs): 128

Tap “Save” in the top right corner, and then “Play” in the bottom left corner. If your on WiFi you can go ahead and start listening right away by hitting the “Indie 103.1″ text. The station will begin buffering and you’ll begin to hear the stream in a second or two. If you happen to be out on a 3G (or *gulp* Edge) connection you’ll need to make one more step. Tap “More” on the bottom right and switch the “Cellular Network” to ON. You should then be able to listen to your stations while using the cellular network on the go. Hope this short blog post helps in getting you back to listening to Indie 103.1!

Note: There are other apps out there that can do this but I chose this one because it was (1) free and (2) easy. That’s all