Friday, August 12, 2011

First World War Centenary - Imperial War Museum

In 1988 I visited the Imperial War Museum and bought a cassette (who remembers those?) with extracts from the Museum's oral history program. Until the little was worn out, I have been able to listen to about 45 minutes from the vast archive of interviews with eye-witnesses of the Great War. This material would be great source for a podcast, as is also shown by the Armistice Podcast (feed) and the Imperial War Museum has come to understand that as well.

Just now, they have begun producing the First World War Centenary podcast which will describe a large variety of aspects of the war with the help of their exceptional audio archive. I have heard the first installment and the series is off on a promising start. (feed)

Thanks to WWI podcaster Tom Tacken to point out this new podcast.

Listening ideas for 12 August 2011

KQED's Forum
John Muir's Life and Legacy
We explore the life, legend and legacy of the man known as "The Father of the National Parks."
(review, feed)

Radio Open Source
Saad Haroon: Pakistan as a bad Bollywood comedy
What’s acceptable, then, as public humor as Saad Haroon reads the rule? Terrorists, believe it or not. Young women in burkas. President Zardari’s lust for “money, money, money.” And before him, General / President Musharraf’s lust for “power, power, power.” In the stage bits he shared with us, I liked Saad Haroon’s voice-over for a Bollywood love story, “Pipeline of Passion,” between Musharraf of Pakistan and President Sonia Gandhi of India — the man in uniform and the bereaved widow, on the phone late at night: “Mushy, you take Kashmir…” “No, Sonia, you take Kashmir…” I also love his version of a Pakistani street guy talking with a mouthful of pan leaves.
(review, feed)

TEDTalks
Finding planets around other stars - Lucianne Walkowicz
How do we find planets -- even habitable planets -- around other stars? By looking for tiny dimming as a planet passes in front of its sun, TED Fellow Lucianne Walkowicz and the Kepler mission have found some 1,200 potential new planetary systems. With new techniques, they may even find ones with the right conditions for life.
(review, feed)