Podcast Playlist

5 Enlightening podcasts on listening - episode 38

Stories about listening... and sometimes, not listening carefully enough.
(AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Whether it's sounds from mother nature or the colour pink, the following podcasts will have you listening differently to your surroundings.

1. Generation Anthropocene

"[I] did whatever means I could to continue with my single goal at that time, which was simply to be a better listener. And that's still my goal today."  — Gordon Hempton, on Generation Anthropocene

Having circled the globe three times over, an acoustic ecologist shares his favourite recordings from earth's rarest nature sounds.

2. Transistor

​"Standing in front of the fridge when it's humming or flushing the toilet over and over again actually was neutralizing the sound of the tinnitus." — Tinnitus patient, on Transistor

A woman diagnosed with a medical condition that triggers ringing in one's ears, talks about the 'sound therapy' that helped overcome her constant irritation.

3. The World in Words

"There were a lot of people who misinterpreted 'Like a virgin / Touched for the very first time' to 'Like a virgin / Touched for the 31st time'." — Alina Simone, on The World in Words

A linguist from the University of Pennsylvania explains why our brains are so prone to make up our own lyrics.

4. The Organist

"They inspire a sensation called ASMR, which stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response" — Host Andrew Lelandon The Organist

Ilse Blansert, one of Internet's leading practitioners of ASMR, shares how she started rubbing household objects together to give millions of strangers beautiful relaxing shivers. Here is a sample of her work.

5. Geeks and Beats

"JP Morgan is ditching voicemail to save money." — Michael Hainsworth, on Geeks and Beats

Hosts Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth give their eulogy to a service we've all stopped listening to: Voicemail. Sadly, Geeks and Beats is not longer producing new episodes, but you can still listen to their archive here


What podcasts do you listen to on listening? Send us an e-mail, tweet us @PodcastPlaylist, or find us on Facebook.

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