Linguistics - Hot For Words

Hot For Words          http://hotforwords.com/ 


I was looking for something in the video/educational genre when I stumbled across this breezy gem. On each of these short videos, the blond philologist Marina Orlova, aka Hot For Words, tackles the origin of an English word or phrase in a way that is informative and fun. As her slogan proclaims, “Intelligence Is Sexy”. And, Hot For Words sure is.

The show’s production is simple. Hot For Words sits on a couch in front of what appears to be a webcam in some cute cleavage baring outfit and addresses the viewers whom she likes to refer to as her “students”. Her topic usually comes from a question that has been submitted to her website about our crazy language. Marina speaks with what sounds like a Russian accent, but her website says she is from the “Capital of the Republic of Lexicon”. Recent podcasts that I viewed covered words like Butterfly, Naked and Nuclear (President Bush’s pronunciation turned out to not be that far off the mark) and the phrase Drink the Koolaid (which I learned was actually not the brand of fruit drink that was used at the Jonestown tragedy).

The shows use some visual additives such as cute little animated animals and sometimes we get a glimpse of Marina’s Evil Twin in negative image. The episodes are usually peppered with scantily clad still shots of the gorgeous Hot For Words. And they all end with her blowing us a kiss and asking us to rate the episode via her website (which is very popular. People of all walks are posting video questions). Afterwards there is often some extra material with bloopers featuring Hot For Words making funny self deprecating faces when she mispronounces a word or just screws up.

Yes, the podcast has enormous eye candy value and yes it is somewhat of a guilty pleasure but when our “trusty Hot For Words investigates” it can lead to anywhere. She definitely has charisma and a natural rapport with the audience. I, for one, am happy to be included in her student body. Give her show a try and see why more and more people are getting Hot For Words.

Travel - Frommers.com

UPDATE ! (See Below.)

Frommer's                  http://www.frommers.com/


I certainly have not traveled as much as I would like to. I’ve been around parts of the U.S. but not much internationally. Sometimes I find myself thinking about where I would like to go if money and time were no object. When I am in the library I occasionally gravitate to the travel guides. So when I discovered a podcast put out by Frommer's, whose guidebooks I have often thumbed through, I thought let’s see how they translate all that very specific knowledge into a podcast form.

What they do is pretty clever and it does impart some useful information in a way that whets your appetite for visiting the country or region that the episode is focusing on. A host, who is sometimes an editor as well, sits down with the author for that specific travel guide, say for example, Morocco. They then have a relaxed conversation about what it is really like to travel in that particular area. And since you are hearing these details right from an experienced visitor to that region, there is a love and appreciation which comes out through the discussion that can’t help but subconsciously encourage you to try and go there someday.



Along with sights to see, other topics were covered in the podcasts I listened to. There was usually some descriptions of the quirks of the local methods of transportation, the ins and outs of eating, bartering in the local marketplaces or what types of clothing are the most comfortable (Long pants and shirt sleeves in Vietnam). In every episode I sampled there was a discussion of how to behave in a way that was most respectful of the local culture. Information like that is probably the most useful of all.

Interestingly, they do not avoid talking about crime or potential political unrest. For instance, during a completely enthralling discussion of the beauties of Ecuador, the author strongly urged tourists to take taxis at night no matter how nearby your destination was. I guess I would add the caveat that these podcasts are taped at particular moments in time and that anyone traveling should try and get the most updated information about any local situations.

On the whole, I enjoyed these podcasts. They each run around twenty minutes and while Frommer's is hopeful that if you do travel, you’ll take one of their travel guides along, there is no heavy handed pitch.
UPDATE: I recently had the opportunity to use one of the Frommer's guides in a real life, hands on situation. I made a visit to New Orleans and prepped for my sightseeing, etc. by using Frommer's Guide to New Orleans. And I must report it was very useful. Using it's listings and reviews I was able to focus in on a restaurant where myself and my companions had an excellent meal (Dante's Kitchen). One criticism, I could have used one overall map. While the area maps (French Quarter, Garden District) were helpful, I found it a little diffcult to connect them as I crossed from one section to another. Other than that, which is more on me than them, thank you Frommer's.

Sports - Pardon The Interruption

ESPN:PTI               http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=2406595

First, a disclaimer. I must confess that the televised version of ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption (PTI) is one of my favorite shows. I’ve been enjoying it for years. I value the hosts’ opinions and, for me, it is Must Watch TV whenever there are big doings in the world of sports. So when I gave the podcast a try, I was already leaning towards a positive result. I can now report that I was not disappointed

The podcast for PTI is basically the audio track ripped right from that day’s half hour episode. The show is generally broadcast each weekday and its premise is two people talking about what’s making headlines in the world of sports. The regular hosts are Tony Kornheiser (The Washington Post, Monday Night Football) and Michael Wilbon (also The Washington Post, NBA on ABC). They are two very knowledgeable people who argue their points in good fun. They bicker with tongue in cheek and their routine fits like an old sweater.

The gimmick which propels the show is a clock ticking off the time limit on each topic. There is also a sidebar listing what ground is going to be covered during that episode. Obviously with no video neither of these translates over into the podcast, except for the occasional bell ring announcing that time is up. But, since it is a talk show, the listener is not missing much.

There are, however, some subtle differences between the televised and the podcast versions. On TV, the show concludes with a rapid fire two minutes or so which usually includes a birthday salute, a few brief items and then Tony and Mike divulge what they are going to watch on TV that evening (Tony is an American Idol fan. Mike usually lists some of the games that will be underway later that night.). Then they say goodnight and the show ends. But it doesn’t really end. About fifteen minutes later they come back on during Sportscenter. This time they expand a little on one of the topics they discussed during the day’s show. Then they go to the “Big Finish” which is a rapid fire one minute potpourri of topics. Now the show is really over.

The podcast differs in that the last two minutes of the show are chopped out and the Sportscenter section is included instead. I think that’s a shame because I like the birthdays and the TV talk. Maybe they will start including those in the future. You should also be aware that there are some opening and closing commercials. They have been very brief and you can always fast forward through them.

So, in a nutshell, the podcast version of PTI is a useful way of catching up on a show I don’t get to see unless I get home early or set the DVR. Now I can enjoy the banter while I am at the gym or commuting. And it is always a good listen, even on a slow sports day.