tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post2385050353562367309..comments2024-03-27T15:59:11.066+00:00Comments on Prometheus in Aspic: Studying History in the CarMSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-85155498841208378952018-06-10T07:49:34.130+01:002018-06-10T07:49:34.130+01:00Hi Lee - the Napoleon podcasts seem to be titled N...Hi Lee - the Napoleon podcasts seem to be titled Napoleon 101 these days (or something), but they are still available for a small fee. I got a lot out of them back in 2010, when I worked my way through the entire back catalogue. I still listen to selected ones from time to time, though I was alarmed by the standard of some of the old discussion threads on the website - British guys getting very upset when Reilly wound them up about the murky past of their empire, Markham getting very upset any time that someone suggested that the sun did not always shine out of Napoleon's bottom. Back in the day, I eventually got fed up with Reilly playing the buffoon as foil to Markham's academic role - the absolute nadir was when he suddenly sang Abba's "Waterloo", and it was embarrassingly obvious that he was serious - he believed he was a good singer. Still, it was his show, I guess. The Russian guest speaker was terrific - Alex Mikaberidze, I think - and there were others. Overall, the series wasn't bad at all, though the practical difficulties of recording a live show with one presenter in Australia and one in the USA caused a few interruptions and hiccups.MSFoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-41032744191417276352018-06-10T07:32:01.952+01:002018-06-10T07:32:01.952+01:00I think podcasts are like most of the stuff on the...I think podcasts are like most of the stuff on the Internet - you have to put quite a lot of work in to sort out the nuggets from the turds. There is a concept which my wife and I joke about, which we call the "judgement buffer". The Internet - especially social media platforms - makes it very easy for anyone who fancies it to create a podcast, Youtube clip, whatever, and get it out there so his friends can Like it (aargh). The judgement buffer comes into play when the creator has to decide whether it's any good, or worthwhile, and so on, or whether he should just do us all a favour and delete the thing. Most of the stuff out there isn't worth the effort that went into its manufacture. A lot of sifting is needed. There seems to be a sad inverse correlation at work - those with the most time to produce this stuff frequently have the least to say. Maybe they aren't required for anything more important?<br /><br />On the technology side, I am making more and more use of the USB socket on my car stereo system these days. My van (which is rather more agricultural, but a few years more modern) doesn't have a CD player at all - if you wish to provide your own music in my van then you bring a USB stick of mp3 files (I have a little cloth bag with memory sticks with various kinds of music, and now podcasts) or else you use the BlueTooth link from your smart phone (so you don't get withdrawal symptoms). Fiddling with your phone in the car is not recommended (likely to get you arrested in the UK), so the USB sticks are the way to go, I think. MSFoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-48154955707769756412018-06-10T07:16:07.524+01:002018-06-10T07:16:07.524+01:00Thanks Jon, I'll check that one out too. I'...Thanks Jon, I'll check that one out too. I've just downloaded a 33-part series on 1848 from the Revolutions site - I should be good for thousands of miles.MSFoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-27774952071629423272018-06-09T13:57:55.954+01:002018-06-09T13:57:55.954+01:00I must say I really enjoyed The Napoleon Podcasts ...I must say I really enjoyed The Napoleon Podcasts when you introduced me to them back then. I mainly listened to them whilst painting, worked through the entire series and then went back and re listened to the Russian and Peninsular campaigns and finally the 100 days. I liked Markhams style, stopping for a sip of his favourite 'medication' now and then, and his personal knowledge of the Russian battlefields was most impressive. What I recall most was the 'Death of Napoleon' episode when Markham was clearly struggling to contain his emotions. I must give them another listen sometime. Russian guest author was also very good indeed.'Lee.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02728400013024811279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-52513092735082182932018-06-09T13:49:55.529+01:002018-06-09T13:49:55.529+01:00These look/sound very interesting although I admit...These look/sound very interesting although I admit that listening to podcasts has never quite caught on with me for some odd reason. The technology is different, of course, but it ought to be just like listening to the radio, which I do quite often. And oddly, these my radio listening is almost always online rather via an actual radio. Strange. I must get up to sped with the times.<br /><br />Best Regards,<br /><br />StokesWSTKS-FM Worldwidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14173042438761572040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-76074309009591791222018-06-08T20:31:35.767+01:002018-06-08T20:31:35.767+01:00Carlin's Blueprint for Armageddon is fantastic...Carlin's Blueprint for Armageddon is fantastic! I think it time to listen to it again. His King of King's is fascinating too.Jonathan Freitaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07862373894196924886noreply@blogger.com