Cerebral Pop Contest: Win an XLBA or PSN card

We know. Our impromptu hiatus has left you feeling down? Sorry. The staff at Cerebral Pop has been pretty busy lately, but as we speak emails are being sent about getting some more content back on the site. Still, while we've been busy with other hassles of life, our podcasters have been trying their best to keep you entertained, so we think a contest is in order to help give them the thanks they deserve. There are two ways to enter! Here are the details:

Can Kevin Smith Legitimize Podcasting?

My brother-in-law frequently relays stories of things he heard on the morning-zoo-like radio program he listens to every day on his way to work. It's called "Free Beer and Hot Wings," because apparently those are the nicknames of the two hosts. I've never listened to it but sometimes when I have to run to the store or something, and bringing the iPod seems pointless, I turn on the radio and hear an ad for it. The tagline is: "Free Beer and Hot Wings. Funny name, funnier show." I mention all of this because even though that probably sounds like the worst thing in the world to you, it's still more respected than your average podcast.

I deliver newspapers for a living, which means I drive around in my car for at least five hours a day. After awhile even my very sizable music collection wasn't cutting it, audiobooks were putting me to sleep, and lord knows I wasn't about to turn to the radio. Luckily I discovered podcasts, and I fell in love. I spent hours on iTunes searching through categories and clicking those "Listeners of this podcast also like..." links. Three and a half years later and I'm still deeply invested in the podcast world. They still get very little respect, but that could be changing soon, no small part due to one man; Kevin Smith.

Insufficient Funds: Tell 'Em Steve-Dave

Insufficient Funds is a weekly post in which we feature a free, or very close to it, piece of media that you can enjoy without overdrafting your bank account. So if you're low on funds, stay tuned to Cerebral Pop every Friday morning.
When Kevin Smith (director or Clerks, Dogma, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, etc.) began building a podcast empire, his friends Walt Flanagan and Bryan Johnson were second in line to make a show. I'd somewhat known both of them from appearances on SModcast (Smith's signature podcast) and from Johnson's directorial debut, Vulgar, but I was hardly prepared for just how much I would fall in love with their podcasting endeavor. Add in Brian Quinn and a rotating cast of their other acquaintances and it only gets better.

I listen to a majority of the podcasts on the SModcast Network, but Tell 'Em Steve-Dave is the one that I look forward to the most each week. It's not only their brand of humor that draws me in, but their complete and utter honesty that makes them so easy to like and relate to. You can really tell that they've been friends forever and that's what makes them play off each other so well.

Insufficient Funds: The Pod F. Tompkast

Insufficient Funds is a weekly post in which we feature a free, or very close to it, piece of media that you can enjoy without overdrafting your bank account. So if you're low on funds, stay tuned to Cerebral Pop every Friday morning.

Back on August 1st, comedian Paul F. Tompkins decided to pile onto the top of the growing comedian-hosted podcast heap. He had guested on numerous shows before that point, from Jordan Jesse Go, to Comedy Death-Ray Radio, and Stop Podcasting Yourself -- but rather than completely yank the styles of those shows, he created something all his own. The Pod F. Tompkast was born.

Insufficient Funds: Radiolab

 

Insufficient Funds is a weekly post in which we feature a free, or very close to it, piece of media that you can enjoy without overdrafting your bank account. So if you're low on funds, stay tuned to Cerebral Pop every Friday morning.

Most of the podcasts I listen to are a bit conversational in both tone and pace. Some step it up a little, spreading their topics into segments to better focus the discussion. Then, there are the distinct few who truly produce their shows, editing the conversation in a very deliberate way, adding sounds effects or music, and keeping a tight grip on the message of each show. Radiolab definitely fits in that last category.

Insufficient Funds: Stop Podcasting Yourself

Insufficient Funds is a weekly post in which we feature a free, or very close to it, piece of media that you can enjoy without overdrafting your bank account. So if you're low on funds, stay tuned to Cerebral Pop every Friday morning.

Podcasts are one of my favorite forms of entertainment as I'm in my car at least five hours a day, 365 days a year. And it's only natural that with all of that podcast listening time, my taste in the form of entertainment that I hold so dear has slowly turned from talk of video games and movies, to just plain comedy shows. I used to listen to at least one video game podcast a day, but now my iTunes list is filled with stuff to make me laugh; And Stop Podcasting Yourself is one of my favorites.