With all the technology we have available to us, we have loads of entertainment options at any given time. But movies, TV, texting, social media – these all involve a lot of screen time, and other media, such as radio and books, have kind of fallen by the wayside. So I’m proposing that we open ourselves up to podcasts. They’re free, easy to access, and portable. There are so many podcasts that there is definitely one out there for everyone, but these three are great all rounders for a student audience, combining entertainment and easy learning. The best bit is you can easily enjoy a podcast while doing other activities like drawing, doing the dishes, or going for a walk. That way you can exercise your body and your brain at the same time!
Hack
Hack is a segment on Triple J, and describes itself as ‘shoving the J into journalism’, covering music, politics, current affairs, and culture. This airs on Triple J at 5:30 on weekdays, but for those who miss it, it is available as a podcast that runs for about half an hour. Hack is a really handy unpacking of topics that are important to young people and Australia as a whole, including coverage of the marriage equality debate, investigative journalism into the treatment of refugees, and interviews with politicians. The combination of engaging hosts, relevant topics, and opinions that are provided from listeners as the segment is airing makes Hack one of the most important and interesting podcasts you’ll listen to all year. You’ll definitely find yourself getting hooked on this one.
Dr Karl on Triple J
Triple J strikes again with the successful podcasts. Maybe it’s their intricate and unique understanding of their audience, or perhaps this time it’s the sunny and wise personality of science legend Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, more commonly known as Dr Karl. This podcast runs for around 40 minutes, and is made up of a segment that runs on-air on Triple J on Thursdays. In this podcast, Triple J listeners call in with science questions for Dr Karl to answer. The questions range from the downright obvious, to the extremely complex. Either way, you’re bound to learn something while having a laugh along the way.
Wilosophy with Wil Anderson
At around two hours in length, this is one of the longer podcasts out there, but it is very much worth it. Hosted by funny man Wil Anderson, who you probably know from his stand-up comedy or role as a host on The Gruen Transfer, this podcast is entertaining, accessible, and enlightening. Each episode Wil invites a guest to chat with him, with previous guests including Tom Ballard, Myf Warhurst, and Charlie Pickering. The premise of this podcast is to ask guests about their philosophy, with a conversation about life, death, and everything in between developing after that. It’s a seriously easy and enjoyable listen.
