Podcasts are like TiVo for the radio, but free

Let's fact it, radio is so 1998. There is really no good reason to listen to it anymore. I assume everyone is aware of the ease of getting music electronically, either through your own music library or through internet radio. But what about non-music content? That's where podcasts come in.

A lot of radio shows offer free podcasts. Chances are, the show you like on the radio offers one (without commercials). But aside from that, there are a lot of podcasts that aren't available anywhere else, on any topic you could possible think of.

If you want to listen to podcasts, I'd suggest using iTunes. You can also get them by using your RSS reader, or a "podcatcher" program, but iTunes is the easiest way to download & mange them. Just click on "store" and scroll down to the "Top Podcasts" list. Check them out, there is a lot of good stuff there. I wholeheartedly recommend "This American Life" and "Savage Love Podcast" (Savage is not safe for work). Just click "subscribe" next to anything that you want to get. You can also search the store for anything in particular that you're looking for. You can type in the name of a show, or just a topic that interests you.

After you subscribe, iTunes will download the latest episode automatically as soon as it's released. Most podcasts update about once a week. Just click on your "podcasts" list on the lefthand navigation bar to see all of your podcasts and listen to them. By default, a podcast will delete after you listen to it (you can change this if you want). Podcasts will also sync with an iPod, and you can manually put them on any other music player (Google "itunes sync" if you want to sync a non-iPod music player).

So now you have your podcasts. Listen to them! Listen to them at work, in the car, on the train, while you cook dinner, whenever. You'll thank me later.