In my post about the Microsoft Silicon Valley vanpool I mentioned how podcasts saved my sanity while driving in the heavy traffic.  One of the other vanpoolers mentioned that I should blog the podcasts I listen to (Thanks Yvonne).  So here I am on my ride blogging again.  This could get to be a habit. :)

Having more time to write can be a bad thing. ;)  I started writing this post and before I knew it it had become a 2000 word mega-post. :O  That’s not exactly what I had in mind.  Personally I prefer to read posts that are short and sweet.  So with that in mind I’m going to split this into a series of posts on the subject.  In this series, I’ll try to put some structure around the podcasts I listen to regularly.

I guess I’ve just subscribed to too many of these.  That’s no big deal.  There’s no law that says you have to watch all of these.  At first I did feel guilty if I fell behind in a series but I’m so over that.  There’s just so much out there to watch or listen to that all you can do is pull together the stuff that interest you and see what happens.

Today’s post is about the video podcasts I watch.  See my other posts about Technology, Entertainment, Startups, and Miscellaneous podcasts.

Video Podcasts

I started listening to podcasts as a way to use my time more productively while driving on my long commute.  I never really understood the point behind video podcasts until I recently tried a few.  Mostly I watch these when I have a few minutes to burn.  That’s mostly on flights or in airports after my laptop battery has died.  :(

• TEDTalks
  • The TED conference is a put on once a year to bring together the smartest people in the world in Technology, Entertainment and Design (get it? T-E-D).  They’ve been doing this for years and now attract the absolute who’s who in these areas.  The format is interesting.  Each presenter is given 20 minutes or so to present their topic.  Then for the rest of the conference people jut network and discuss the presentation topics. 

• Zune Arts Podcast
  • The Zune Arts Podcast is pretty cool.  It’s a video podcast with each video presented having a theme around sharing.  It’s funded by the Zune team (I think) to help get the word out about the Socialness of the Zune.  The Zune Arts videos are all done by world-class animators and have very high production quality.  The videos are short (usually 1-2 minutes each).  I leave them on my Zune so whenever I’m looking to disengage for a few minutes I’ll watch a couple.  I should note that although the podcast does have the Zune name in the title there’s nothing tying it to the Zune itself.  You could easily watch these on your desktop or that other mp3 video player. :)  The URL to grab this for your Zune is here anything else try here.

• The GigaOm Show
  • The GigaOm podcast is a regular technology-focused series of videos run by the same team that run the GigaOm blog.  Lots of really smart people here interviewing and talking about the latest trends.  It’s run out of Silicon Valley.  For me, it’s a good way to stay connected with what’s going on around me.  I subscribed to this podcast a while back but find that I only occasionally watch it.  The quality is pretty good but since it’s a video podcast you really need to be focused on that one activity.  You can’t do that while you’re driving.  The other drivers on the road tend to frown on that.  :)  The show is on hiatus through the summer.

So what do you think?  Do you like these?  Are there others that you recommend?  Leave your comments in the area provided below.