I, like many other people I know get our news largely from audio podcasts that update weekly. What began years ago out of a currious intrest in multitasking has grown into a weekly habit that sometimes becomes cumbersom but always enjoyable and more importantly more substantative and eficient then before.

If you are looking to make the switch from TV & Print (really more TV then print since I still consume alot of print) here are the best of 2007 broken down by category:

Art & Design

Bad at Sports: [weekly 60min]
A Chicago based but Internationally focused Contemporary Art & Culture program with large amounts of humor and more importantly substantative discussions. In the spirit of full disclosure I have ties to it and am not biased in that when it is less then stellar I have no problem saying but it does offer information and entertainment that I have not found anywhere else period.

More….. I wish I could say that there are more audio programs that I can listen to weekly to get news and opinion but saddly after many atempts I find they annoy more then entertain. Please leave a comment with your favorite and I will gladly check them out. Who knows they could make next years list?

Business

First I want to say I still get much of my business news via print on a daily basis (mostly from RSS feeds I have populated) there are many good audio programs but I have found that the genre moves to fast to be covered by a weekly program and the best daily programs refuse to post podcasts online.

NPR: Economy: [daily 5-10min]
The program is exerts from parts of the NPR daily broadcasts that relate to top economy story of the day. Quick, dirty and good.

All Things Considered:[daily 60min]
I don’t want to mislead but they continue to refuse to post a podcast for this show. Just the fact that the show is so good earns it a spot on this list and I eagerly await the point when they decide to wake up and serve it even with commercials included. I would gladly, gladly, gladly listen to them to get this daily as a file. They do stream it online at their website but after you do this for a while the added wall of being tied to a computer makes this more then a tad annoying.

Entertainment/Media News

this WEEK in MEDIA[weekly 75min]
The longest rant in the world of online audio, so long it makes a Warhol film look short but worth it. If you are in the Media production, media management or prosumer product world then this is well worth every minute to listen to.

KCRW’s The Business[weekly 30min]
A weekly audio program on the politics and decisions of Hollywood executives & creatives. Interviews, commentary and perspective on anything and everything you would want to know.

On The Media[weekly 60min]
A meta audio program. It is all the news about how the news is made and/or delivered. This may sound odd but it really can give a better perspective on how the weeks news debates are framed. truly one of the best.

General News

Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me![weekly 45min]
Crack in a audible format. I have been addicted to this program for almost a decade, it was “The Daily Show” before there was a Daily Show. It is a comedy weekly roundup quiz show on the weeks news

Fresh Air with Terry Gross[daily 45min]
A wonderful daily interview show that is oddly able to get very open and personal interviews from it’s visitors. The show runs the gamut from unbelievably good to snobbishly stuck up and laced with the wonderful hosts occasional 60’s feminist underpinnings.

Music

Coverville[almost daily 45min]
The best place to discover new or relatively unknown bands covering your favorite songs. I have have discovered multiple new bands this way and in todays market that is getting harder and harder to do. So anything that helps is more then welcome.

Politics

NBC: Meet the Press[weekly 60min]
“The” U.S. political audio program taken directly from the Sunday program that has aired for over 60 years. If you are interested in the activities within the beltway this is a must hear. The absolute best at what they do.

NPR: It’s All Politics[weekly 15min]
The Bad at Sports equivalent in the realm of politics. It is so great to hear (especially during a primary year) and is short enough to fit any lifestyle and leaves you wanting more.

The Unger Report[weekly 5min]
Funny, short, unique and worth the wait but not much more. Sometimes a bit simple and obvious but the production level hides that weakness well.

Pop Culture

Diggnation: [weekly 30min]
Diggnation is not for everyone but is a fun and brisk look at the weeks top tech/pop culture/human interest of my generation. It’s fluff but after alot of politics or business it is a welcome palette cleanser.

Sci/Technology

Hmmm…Krulwich on Science:[random 10min]
Interesting, sporadic and fun but at times obvious in it’s slant.

Windows Weekly:[weekly 60min]
A great weekly recap of Microsoft news and products. Sometimes apologetic for Microsoft’s failures but that is very very rare and the host Paul Thurrott keeps it pretty fair and honest.

this WEEK in TECH:[weekly 60min]This used to be the best weekly recap of tech news and inside business opinion until recently. The panel has picked up a revolving door feel and tangents with bickering every 5 mins. Still even with all those downsides it has a great host and occational guests that have razor sharp insight in the tech industry.

Security Now!:[weekly 60min]
In the beginning it was a college level primer course almost on Computer Security. It has evolved over time to be a hot topic of the month deep level inspection on one aspect of computer security, network administration or programing that is without equal. Some episodes are worth skipping but always well made.

Yes this is just over 15 hours……..sigh.

This is not to say you should listen to every single program here because I don’t even myself. I do make about 12 hours a week but it isn’t easy. They are worth your time though each and every one if you want to keep on the razors edge of news and events. Please share your favorite sites in the comments area.

As posted on Bad at Sports

The City Council is on the verge of passing an ordinance that is bad for Chicago, bad for its citizens and particularly bad for the art community.

We have proposed an alternative ordinance that will not be considered unless you act.  We are the following groups: Bad at Sports, the Chicago Artists Coalition, Lumpen, Sharkforum, ArtLetter and others to be named soon.

Short Story:

Mayor Daley and the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) have proposed a terrible ordinance to modify the Public Art Program.  The stated reason makes no sense: that the meetings were open to the public was cumbersome and unnecessary in their judgment.  That the previous ordinance existed for 25 years and that the City has an exemplary art collection they deemed irrelevant.

• It “privatizes” the the selection of public art by eliminating all Open Meetings.
• It means the DCA does not have to post thorough information on their website about upcoming commissions.
• It will remove transparency and accessibility from the Public Art program and  art commissions.
• It eliminates voting, democracy and public recourse.

Unless the art community acts the City Council will approve their proposed ordinanceon the 13th of June.  The best way to prevent this from happening is for artists to

stage a large rally at 5:30 PM Monday, June 11th at the Picasso Sculpture

and a letter writing campaign to make the Mayor and the Aldermen aware of what Chicago artists think and want.

Full Story:

• Visualize 100’s of Chicago artists rallying around a single cause - Artists’ Rights.
• Have you ever read about a large group of artists speaking out publicly with one voice?
• Think about the media coverage.
• To a large extent the events of the next ten days stand to significantly affect the future of Chicago artists (and Chicago galleries that care about their
  Chicago artists).

Here’s the deal:

In mid-May at the request of the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs (Lois Weisberg), Mayor Daley proposed an ordinance to revamp the Public Art Program. 
This proposed ordinance is bad government, bad for Chicagoans and particularly bad for the Chicago art community and artists.

Shortly after the ordinance sailed through committee (despite us “winning” the discussion) a few of us succeeded in having the measure postponed by the City
Council.

WELL, the issue is coming back up for a City Council vote on June 13th.  We’ve spoken to a number of aldermen.  Most aldermen think: If the artists don’t care, we don’t care.

It is possible to change the system and it is not going to be easy. 

It is time to step up or get stepped on.

As an artist or a member of the art community in Chicago, or elsewhere, if you ever want to able to apply for a commission, or give a damn about your peers
being able to, now is the time to act:

• Appear at a RALLY FOR ARTISTS’ RIGHTS on the Monday the 11th at 5:30 at the Picasso
  – 2 days before the City Council meets to vote on the 13th.
• Write letters to the Tribune & Sun Times editorial page.
• Write a letter to the Mayor
• Write a letter to your alderman. Speak to your alderman.
• Speak in favor of Our New (alternative) Ordinance supporting Artist’s Rights
• Send an email to me or a member of our team telling us what you think. We’ll count them, print them and share them where they’ll hopefully make a difference.
• Under the pretense of streamlining the selection process, the DCA’s proposed ordinance means the DCA does not have to have “open meetings” to give or get any information to artists about upcoming commissions, nor answer to anyone about selected commissions.
• They do not have to put information on their website anymore (they’ve been doing a horrible job putting out information so far.)
• They do not have to allow artists to apply for specific projects.
• They do not have to respond to the community.
• They do not have to be responsible for their actions.
• They do get to keep their inbred selection process whereby they dip into their archaic database, pick whoever they want, sometimes repeatedly, and not have to tell artists why or how they chose or choose.
  If you are going to write a letter, here are some key points.
• No fair, honest or open consideration of Chicago artists
• No Open Meetings.
• No useful listings of commission possibilities
• No applying for a specific commission
• No knowing why you weren’t considered
• Under their proposed new ordinance, the finger-pointing will shift from the DCA to the aldermen because alderman will be asked to have ward forums to discuss art commissions in their ward. This will be an added logistical and financial responsibility for the alderman they may not want.  The aldermen will be responsible to post notice of the forums (many don’t have web sites). They will have to pay for postage out of their own pockets. They will have to host and attend art meetings in their wards. They will have to put up with the potential for dividing their community over art issues. These selfish reasons may be sufficient reason aldermen will defeat this ordinance June 13th – if they are informed.
• If the aldermen think you care, you will be heard.
• If the aldermen don’t think you care they will automatically vote with the Mayor and pass this ordinance assuring a closed doors, patronage system where those who are favored will get the most commissions.  It will not be based on quality, or a competent committee considering your work.  Instead of a democracy we’ll have the Department of Cultural Affairs acting like a country club, picking who they want, why they want, without opening up the selection process and broadening the amount of art they can consider.
• The artists suffer.  The City suffers. The community suffers. The DCA gets a free ride.
• Think about Chicago’s reputation in the rest of the country.
• We are already being discussed by National Public Art Administrators
• We will be a topic of discussion at the National Public Art Conference in Las Vegas.
• Is this going to look good for Chicago in the rest of the country?
• How about internationally?
• How about the Olympics?
• Every Olympics has a large Cultural Olympics held concurrently.
• Do you think the Olympic Committee is going to be favorably impressed with this ordinance?
• You and the Olympics
• Hidden in the bowels of their ordinance is a distinction between Percent for Art and Public Art. The DCA has succeeded in keeping this totally vague. All Percent for Art (a specific term) is part of Public Art (a general term).  Only the Percent for Art must have public forums.(Percent for Art applies to money spent in City government buildings and land.  But Public Art also includes money for art not for city property yet still administered by DCA – like housing to be constructed for Olympic athletes – which could be billions of dollars.) Can you say cronyism?
• Well get this: According to their proposed ordinance they only have to have forums (namby-pamby discussions with not binding authority and no vote) with Percent for Art. Okay, but for Public Art they don’t even have to have any forums at all.
• Who do you think they are trying to take care of?
• Actions speak louder than words.

Do you understand why the Mayor doesn’t care about you – the Chicago artist? Or why the Alderman don’t, or the rest of the world for that matter?  Because you haven’t made yourself seen and you haven’t made yourself heard enough.

It is time again to assume responsibility for your career, to take a stance.

Can you visualize the impact just 500 artists showing up at a rally could have globally?

Do you realize the publicity Chicago artists can get?

Do you grasp the impact the discussion of this ordinance will have?

You can either shape your future constructively or get screwed.

It is up to you.
Paul Klein

Take one part soft-core porn and 5 parts Vietnam war facts video mix together and shake liberally and you have the above. It is funny without trying to be and apparently was the homework project of a student in American History, why didn’t I think of that?

National Gross Job Gains & Losses (in the thousands) balanced out.