This summer I'm commuting an hour to and from work. I thought that I would be able to survive my commute just listening to music as I usually do on mild car rides, but two days in I was tired of the songs and was fighting to stay vigilant while behind the wheel. And then I remembered something I heard in my Driver's Education courses - talk radio helps some people to stay awake. But I didn't want to just scan the radio and listen to whatever talk radio I may come across, I wanted to listen to something tailored to what I'm interested in. And then I thought of something that's exactly what I was looking for - podcasts.
So I picked up my iPhone and went into the App Store, with the intention to download (or even buy) whatever app I could that would keep me awake. But Apple proved its magic and reminded me that I already have an app of podcasts. It's one of those apps that came with the iPhone and I wasn't allowed to delete. I had put it into a folder called "Weird Apps" along with "Numbers" and "Watch." Because who uses those?
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So I went into Podcasts and opened up Top Charts, because I feel like whatever the rest of the world is recommending must be pretty good. And there, near the top, I saw TED Radio Hour. You know those cool videos that show up on your Facebook timeline of someone giving a presentation about women in business, or how your body language shapes who you are, or the power of introverts? If you weren't already aware, those are TED Talks - speeches given by people from all over the world about technology, entertainment, and design. And in the TED Radio Hour, you get one hour of TED Talks and interviews based around a central topic, like moving Beyond Tolerance, or What is Original?, or The Case for Optimism.
Suddenly getting into my car wasn't something I was loathing, but something I was looking forward to. I was learning about parasites and climbing Mount Everest and what it was like to have a stroke, all while yelling at the person in front of me to, "Drive your car!" My eyes stopped drooping and I stopped being bored. I became less tempted to pick up my phone while driving. My brain is happier, because it's being fed knowledge, rather than hearing Justin Bieber lament his waste of a relationship over and over (no offense, Biebz). I enjoy my commute now, thanks to the TED Radio Hour.
So next time you hop in your car, try out the free podcasts just waiting to be heard.
