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Whether you have fitness goals, business goals, or personal dreams, this is your source for success!

I am eternally wary of people who wish to motivate me. My cynical nature forbids me to look at anyone who wants to tell me, however earnestly, to 'be the best me I can be' without my eyebrow raising up in reflexive skepticism. Maybe I don't want to achieve! Maybe it was my goal today to dip Fritos into a jar of cold queso! YOU DON'T KNOW ME!!!

But then again, it is nice to have someone tell you that you're free to be you (and me). Once in a while, I need to be reminded that, much like the kitten hanging from the branch, that I need to just hang in there, baby. There's a difference between trying to gird your loins against the iniquities of the world and hearing a voice that exists outside of your head agreeing with you. Sometimes, even when you know that all the weird body/wealth/swag related insecurities the world tries to press on you is bullshit, it is nice to hear someone else agree with you and let you know you're all right so long as you do your best.

That's nice. I like that kind of motivation. More talking about shaking off unreal expectations and maintaining good habits, less of the "bald eagle soaring majestically poster with a world like AMBITION" posters that are all over my workplace.

Trish Blackwell's Confidence on the Go wants a little bit of your time to help you realize the awesome within. 


Relevant Links:
Trish Blackwell's Main Site!
Podcast Archives!
Trish's Twitter!
Shop!

Content Rating: Clean, and marked as such in iTunes.

Average Episode Length:  A sample of five episodes show an average time of 34 minutes.

Drinking Game: There is something that feels sketchy about a drinking game tied to a motivational podcast. How about we say you set a goal for today, and tie the goal to a favorite snack. Once you complete the goal, you get the snack! Mmm, goal oriented cupcake...

The difference between you who is going to change and someone who is not is that you are going to make a decision to be open to change.

Host Trish Blackwell manages to walk the fine line of motivational catch phrases and earnest real-talk. I initially flinched each time that she used a phrase such as "accelerating my personal motivation" because saying things like "believe to achieve!" and "reach for the stars" is great and empowering, but that don't put money in the bank account or get a person off the couch and into the gym.

However! Blackwell is out to pin down the issues people are dealing with in their lives, and show how to move past them. Body image issues, tearing down the "facade of perfectionism" that hides real issues, all the stuff that you might acknowledge on the edge of your thoughts as negative influences, but can never really shake off. It's encouraging without being pandering, and I appreciate that.

Release Schedule:  Once a week, with no set day.

Unintentionally Good Part: Trish Blackwell believes in the power of reading, and that's awesome because books are awesome.

Unintentionally Bad Part:  Trish Blackwell is a personal trainer and does want you to pay her for her training services. The podcast is wholly free, but expect a little sales pitch at the end of each episode. There's nothing wrong with her trying to sell her services, I just want you to be aware so you don't get all jaded about it.

Unrelated rating: Those last 2 minutes out of a 6 minute mile you're working towards (you can do it!).

 Is it safe to say that board games are in a sort of revival period? I mean, I know it's been going on since before I realized there were games beyond Sorry! and Scrabble, but there are still loads of rad games coming out each year. There are Kickstarters to fund and help make new board games, forums devoted to the discussion of board games, and even digital version of board games for people who only interact with others via a keyboard or game controller. I'm sure someone wiser than I knows the span of board game history but I'm too lazy to Google for their wisdom.

Anyways, I think it is safe to say that board games are rad and becoming more rad every day. There are a lot of different places to find information on board games you might want to play and one of those sources is the Shut Up & Sit Down podcast.

Relevant Links:
Main Site!
The Twitters!
Download from iTunes!

We do this show as a service, this is a bit of fun, but there's also there is a point here that we are telling people which games we think are good and bad and it's not very helpful to go "This game's great but you can't buy it!"

In the realm on in-depth reviews, Shut Up & Sit Down provides its audience with appetizers of the board games they're describing. Each game gets a fair share of time, but they don't drill down into the minutiae of each rule set. Enjoyable games are discussed, as are the games that are disliked in a sort of equal manner.  There's no bashing or super-hyped-up praising, just some gents who enjoy board games talking about their experiences. It's interesting and a fun way to find new board games to play.

What else do you NEED? The hosts are pleasant to listen to, they let you know where you can get games, they make jokes for your amusement! Go listen!

Content Rating: I am almost 85% certain this podcast is clean. At the very least I have no evidence of them being saucy with the language.

Average Episode Length: About fifty minutes to an hour. The shortest episode is forty-two minutes and the longest episode runs an hour even.

I get distracted like a cat in a place where cats are excited.

Drinking Game: I highly recommend Red Dragon Inn.

You've got some weakness for hexes and other small pieces.

Release Schedule: I'm going to guess it's a once a month podcast.

Unintentionally Good Part: Shut Up & Sit Down features delightful accents, which makes any podcast 30% more enjoyable. They add that imaginary 'r' to the end of 'idea' that I love.

Unintentionally Bad Part: You will start spending money on board games that you want to play then have to convince the rest of your family, who have only ever played Monopoly, that these games will be fun. They will be frightened by the rules and you will know true sorrow.

Unrelated rating: Five out of Six of the game pieces your dog ate and you had to replace with bottle caps and coins.


(Did you know that if you do your normal shopping through my Amazon link, I get a little profit at no cost to you? It's true! Help me out and click through my Amazon Store!)

• Is exercising in pollution bad for you?
• Caveman Fitness Lessons
• How to Run Barefoot
• Fitness Tips for Seniors

Content Rating:  Clean (and jerk).  This is a podcast that watches its posture carefully. 

Average Episode Length:  On average, the episodes are about six to ten minutes long, providing the perfect amount of content for you to take in while you slowly flex at your bathroom mirror. 

Drinking Game:  Get a bottle of Wheatgrass.  Every day that you don't do something to improve your health, take a swig of that stuff as punishment.  Glargh. 

Release Schedule:  Once a week on Saturday.

Music:  Get Fit Guy has this nice beat at the front and back.  It's good!  Reminds of when I walk by the Zumba classes.

Unintentionally Good Part:  This podcast inspired me to do a push-up.  I know!  I was surprised as you are!

Unintentionally Bad Part:  You will feel guilty about your neglected gym membership while listening to this podcast.

Unrelated rating:  Two ice cream sandwiches that you hid in the back of the freezer and forgot about until you really deserved them out of three.

As you know from reading all of my reviews, I celebrate a few, crucial things about podcasts:

• You can listen to them as you please, at your own pace and often while doing other, menial tasks (thereby making the task enjoyable).
• You can super-easily skip content you dislike, and replay content you do like.
• Podcasts are easy to get on lots of different mediums.
• Podcasts are free.

That last one?  Free is a big thing.  You can, and should, go on to support your favorite podcasts monetarily, but free is amazing when you want to sample 20 different podcasts to find the 4 that you will enjoy for years.

But right now, I'mma tell you something.  Something that no one on the Internet wants to hear.

Sometimes?  Sometimes you have to buy some stuff.  Which leads me to Kickstarted funded podcasts.

Kickstarter funded podcasts were just brought to my attention by Penny Arcade.  They're bringing their excellent podcast back at a pay-as-you-choose price, and you can get in on it early with their Kickstarter for Downloadable Content.  I've already reviewed the existing episodes, and they're bringing it back!  Hooray!  I love this podcast and will gladly donate to get it back and get PA content back in my ears.

But did you know that there are lots of podcasts that you can support on Kickstarter?  I didn't, and I review the damn things! 

Here are some options.

There are lots of people out there who are asking for your help to create podcasts.  I highly recommend that you go shop around and see if anything catches your fancy.  Your donation could help fuel the next #1 iTunes podcast!  Or you could just help a few people make something that you will enjoy.  Check it out! 

Reader, I have a confession to make before we get into this review.  I'm not particularly proud about this, but here at ViddyViddy I try to maintain the sense of dignity and transparent business practices that brought you to these podcast reviews in the first place, so here it is:

I gave up on listening to a good podcast.

Gave up!  I found a good, strong podcast and I tried to listen to it and then it made my brain cramp up and I felt like something in the internal workings of my brain snapped and now I can't write in cursive anymore.  Read the mission statement from their website while I go lie down in a dimly lit room.

The Partially Examined Life is a philosophy podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don't have to know any philosophy, or even to have read the text we're talking about to (mostly) follow and (hopefully) enjoy the discussion.

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Comments!

Content Rating:  Explicit.  Ye be warned.

Average Episode Length:  About an hour or two.  Looks like most episodes will give you about an hour and forty-five minutes of content. 

Drinking Game Song:

The sign is divided between the signifier and the signified, and the signified is actually a concept or an idea.  So the signifier signifies the signified but it's not signifying or referring to a real object in the world it's actually referring to an idea or a concept.  

That would be the point where I started smelling burnt toast.   

But I still want to share this podcast with you, because holy-moly a group of people are making an effort to make philosophy accessible!  That's amazing!  I love this podcast, and when I have the proper time I plan to actually sit and listen to it, pausing at times to let my brain cool down. 

Release Schedule:  Looks like there is a new episode twice a month. 


Unintentionally Good Part:  Dude, a group of people have put forth the effort to make philosophy accessible.  And they make intermittent jokes about what they're talking about!

Unintentionally Bad Part:  Takes my full attention to listen to this podcast.  I prefer to be able to listen to a podcast during my daily tasks, and ya just can't, ya just can't I tells ya!

Unrelated rating:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  writers love doing anything except writing.  Perhaps they'll organize the office and research new, carbon-neutral brands of coffee in preparation for writing!  As they sit down to open their word processing program they'll stumble upon Reddit for just a few minutes that stretch into hours.  Maybe they'll even pick up a book that is about writing, and read that instead of making their word count grow.

And I'm here to help those writers push away their unfinished novel for a few more days.  Allow me to present for your reading (non-writing) pleasure, the Nerdist Writer's Panel podcast.

Relevant Links:
Main site!
Nerdist page to listen to the podcast!
Twitter!

"We have to go back to high school."
"I'd rather not."

Ben Blacker, your host and guide to the world of professional writing, invites you to listen in to his chats with creators as they discuss the greater world of writing.  There is a wide bevvy of writers to choose from with Writers Panel:  novelists, comic writers, television and movie script writers, and all manner of those who earn cash by putting words to page.  The variety brings a unique level of awesome to this podcast because just as a writer needs to read outside the genre they write in, listening to the methods of different kinds of writers can also be very helpful.   

Content Rating:  Explicit, and tagged as such in iTunes.

Average Episode Length:  A glance askance shows about one hour and fifteen minutes.  Not bad at all!  It feels like the right length for the interviews.

Drinking Game:  Pick a book you had to read in high school and either base a drink off of that, or make one mentioned in the book.  Easy mode:  grab The Great Gatsby or The Sun Also Rises. 

Release Schedule:  An episode is released once a week, typically early in the week. 

Music: There is an opening song.  We'll get to it in a minute.   

Robert Kirkman!  John Scalzi!  Marlon Wayans!  There are dozens of people you will most likely recognize that have been interviewed on Nerdist Writer's Panel.  It is a practical cornucopia of interviews.  Blacker's interviewing method lets the writers wander in and around topics, so while you do get sage advice about writing you're also sure to hear some funny personal stories.  Nerdist Writer's Panel provides great bang for your podcasting buck, if you're willing to spend said buck listening to writers. 

And let's just assume that you are.  

Unintentionally Good Part:  I like when it is in front on an audience.  There is something charming about hearing the soft laughter of the crowd in the background.

Unintentionally Bad Part:  I dislike the opening song.  I appreciate the effort that goes into creating a song just for a podcast, but it's a race to fast forward past it each time the podcast starts up.  Sorry!  I hate poo-pooing creative efforts!  If it was meant to be an ironic presentation, then I missed the point.

Unrelated rating:  Two grammer errors and mispellings out of 3 to be at.

This is The Sporkful.  It's not for foodies, it's for eaters!

Do you know the correct position for cheese on a cheeseburger?  The details of buffet etiquette?  The hazards and benefits of being a vegetarian at a traditional Thanksgiving?  Have you ever heard the phrase "event eating" before? 

First of all, you put the cheese on the bottom bun, and condiments on top of the burger.  Let's not get silly about things around here.


Relevant Links:
The Sporkful main site!
Get the podcast for any device!  You can also watch videos here.
Store!
Twitter!


Content Rating:  Clean, so long as the idea of detailed food discussions doesn't overheat you.

I need time to drink before the turkey is ready!

Average Episode Length:  Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

See this is just complete anathema to what I believe in about stuffing.

Drinking Game:  Go to the liquor store and find a "genre" of alcohol you enjoy (beer, wine, whatever).  Close your eyes and pick one at random.  Take it home and plan a meal around aforementioned purchase and enjoy!

Host Dan Pashman is passionate about food.  Like, stand-too-close-to-you-at-a-party-and-corner-you-in-a-45-minute-discussion-of-chickpeas passionate.  The man loves food, is knowledgeable about food, and likes to talk to other people about all kinds of food.  Each episode offers interviews on the subjects that surround, involve, and partake of food.  Cooking tips, cultural discussions, arguments on how to "properly" make dishes, it's all there!  The conversations are light and friendly, there to open your mind to new food horizons and make you really hungry at the same time.

Release Schedule:  Every other week. 

We're about to challenge your assumptions about consumption and drop a sporkful of knowledge on you because we're obsessively-compulsive about eating more awesomely and if history has taught us anything its that the hosts of food shows need a lot of catchphrases.

Unintentionally Good Part:  They take phone calls!  The number is 908-9SPORK9.  Usually audience-contributions are iffy on quality at best, but this is a cool way to bring up interesting and unique food-related topics.  Lots of shop-talk on how to get good browning of grilled cheeses and things like that.   

Unintentionally Bad Part:  You cannot listen to too many episodes in a row, because you are forced to realize how incredible inane it is to discuss the minutiae of food.  I was almost driven insane listening to two grown-ass adults discussion "muffin ledges".  DID I JUST HEAR SOMEONE TALK ABOUT THE "TACTILE PLEASURE OF THE MUFFIN CUP"?  Yeesh.  

Unrelated rating: It will take you at least two packets of ketchup to dip this podcast into for total enjoyment.