Digital Voices

Before today I was previously aware of podcasting and I believe I have used it once. I use them daily when I listen to my favorite college radio station on the Grand Valley campus actually. Because you cannot get the radio signal here, I have to go online and listen to past shows and I download them. I have noticed the sounds of podcasts are very clear and are not hideously recorded. I think podcasts will transform the world and will make it transform.
The first essay I listened to was “The Universe Is Conspiring to Help Us” by Kevin Kelly. I decided to listen to this because it stood out to me. The title caught my eye and I was glad I listened to it. What stood out to me about the speech was his use of words and his stories. It made it appealing and I felt completely engaged in simply that. I think the part that was most memorable was his story of how he would go to every house he could and he would say “I’d like to pitch my tent tonight where I have permission. I’ve just eaten dinner, and I’ll be gone first thing in the morning,” and how no one rejected him, not even once. That takes a lot of courage to travel the country on a bike and get the respect he did. What was most effective was the way he approached the essay.
The next essay I listened to was “A Positive Outlook Is Overrated” by Barbara Held. I chose this one to read also because the title not only caught my eye but the title was also something I agreed with. What stood out to me was how she supports her own beliefs. She used her own personal story about an issue with herself and not another friend. Using her own personal experience that made her realized what she believed made me really enjoy what she had to say. What was most memorable was how she expressed herself and how she carried herself through out the podcast. I really enjoyed the NPR podcasts.
I noticed that the introductions were “I believe” said over in other voices and they introduced the person. I thought the voices of every podcasts were very interesting and it gave the speeches character. The author’s own introduction, not NPR’s, tend to explain what their speech was about without actually saying, “Today I am going to tell about…” and I really enjoyed that.