Discussion: Snap Judgement

Not sure if you're looking for other audio entertainment, but I have been enjoying Snap Judgement and I think it is a bit more upbeat than TAL often.

Oh, thanks! I've heard mention of them but never remembered to go look them up. I'll give it a try.

And I'm in more need than ever for good entertainment (good in my opinion at least), not just for running but for driving too. And stories seem to suit me better than music.

In that case, I can recommend 99 percent invisible as well, though the stories are shorter, Radiolab, and the New Yorker Fiction podcast, maybe also The Moth.

Some others that I like but don't necessarily think would suit you are Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, How to Do Everything, The Dinner Party Download, Too Beautiful to Live, and The Nerdist.

There's been some really good Snap Judgement recently - the only one I remember was about mercenaries, but I've enjoyed plenty of other ones too.

Have you tried listening to audiobooks? While I find that the most substantial books are difficult to process in an audio format - anything technical, meaty fiction like A Tale of Two Cities - I have found many entertaining and informative books. I get all my audiobooks via audible.com, where I think you can try one audiobook for free.

While I don't think I understand your tastes, some books I would recommend are:
- The Boys in the Boat, biography of 1936 US men's olympic 8 crew
- The Cuckoo's Calling, mystery novel
- Deep Survival, non-fiction about survival situations in the wilderness
- The Speed of Dark, fiction written from the perspective of an autist
- Born to Run, non-fiction about distance runners
- Into Thin Air, non-fiction about the 1996 Everest disaster

Not sure my attention span is good enough for audiobooks. But might try at some point.

Already on my list are Fresh Air, Wait Wait, Welcome to Night Vale, The Moth, and TAL. And I've just added enough of the New Yorker fiction and snap Judgment to keep me occupied for quite a while.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Since you already have a lot of good ones on your list this is perhaps not necessary, but I will add in my vote for Radiolab. I find it an order of magnitude more interesting and entertaining than TAL (and I often enjoy TAL). And if I could do anything in the world for a career, doing what Jad and Robert do would be high on the list. Unfortunately, though I may have the looks for radio I don't think I have the voice for it.

Do they?

I've only listened to one episode of Radiolab and I had the same reaction I do to Freakonomics, that it takes them way too long to make a point. And so while the subject and/or conclusion may be interesting, the presentation often seems to be too much a waste of time.

But I'm very much not a scientist and I think that makes a difference.

JJ, the looks or the voice?

Either one. I don't know what they look like, but you sound as good as they do to my ear. As for your looks, you're probably not qualified to judge. Melissa's opinion might differ.

Peter --- give Radiolab another try, a single episode may not be representative.

Wait Wait is my savior when commuting in traffic. I actually don't mind if the ride takes a little longer :-)

Ask Me Another is another NPR trivia quiz show that's interesting and distracting.

Well, I gave Radiolab another try on the way home tonight, had an open mind, but it was really pretty unbearable. Imagine the way they do video now, no clip lasts more then a second or two, supposed to be cool.

So on RL you get the same thing applied to radio -- no one can finish there own sentence without some else doing it for them. I don't know how old the folks are doing the show, but it all feels incredibly juvenile.

And even if there is a valid story in there someplace -- and this was about how water needs something in addition to just cold enough temps in order to freeze -- the presentation is so terrible that, had it not been for JJ's encouragement, the show would have been off within a couple of minutes.

As it was, just as it was about to demonstrate how all this tied in with the start of the universe, I fortunately pulled into the garage and was able to turn it off.

I guess I'm just an old fuddy-duddy.

I think Robert Krulwich is no spring chicken, but I'm not sure. In any case, tastes vary. I understand what you mean about TV, there are some shows I can't bear to look at if I happen to be somplace where they're on.

Krulwich graduated college in 1969, so not so young. I had to get Peter to stop talking about his dislike of the show last night, so that I would still be able to enjoy it, which I do.

I think Robert has a pretty good voice for radio, Jad just sounds like a guy I would like to chat with. Unfortunately I don't enunciate and a mumbly low voice is not what anyone wants on the radio...

I'm pretty sure that what PG hates about Radiolab is exactly what I like about it. I like having a chance to wonder about a topic before they get to the "answers". Now I know how not to make a podcast for PG, at least.

It might be worth recommending a specific episode of Radiolab to Peter, as I've certainly heard episodes that I didn't care for. On thet other hand, there's a very good chance that recommending a laudable one would just make him more miserable if he were to listen to it.

In any case, I've also enjoyed Snap Judgment when I've heard it of late. I find it batter than I would expect, in general, though I odn't know why I have any particular expectations. The other show I've been listening to and having fun is Says You, which is probably the best of the public radio quiz format programs.

There are just too many good things out there -- I simply don't have time for them all. :-( All of the ones mentioned that I've heard I've enjoyed, some more than others. Wait Wait is a favorite.
I think Ira Glass has an annoying voice, radio or not. So one's voice shouldn't be a deciding factor to whether one is qualified or not. No idea what he looks like though.

I had exactly PG's reaction to RadioLab. Seems like there could be some interesting stuff there, but I can't get past the clip editing style.

The Planet Money podcast is pretty good, in my opinion.

The planet money podcast is great, but the subject matter is slightly depressing often.

So I've listened to several Snap Judgments, and it is fine, will definitely keep it on the list. Thanks for the recommendation.

Very late to the party, but I dislike Radiolab for exactly the same reasons as Peter. And the "innovative" sound effects drive me up the wall.