The Bugle is one of my favorite comedy podcasts. For several years, I’ve been enjoying this weekly satirical news podcast created by John Oliver and fellow comedian Andy Zaltzman. (if you’re not familiar with podcasts there’s an easy how-to and info at bottom)
For several years, I’ve been enjoying this weekly satirical news podcast created by John Oliver and fellow comedian Andy Zaltzman. You may know Oliver from his job as a correspondent on John Stewart’s The Daily Show, for which he won an Emmy in 2009, and his various specials on Comedy Central.
And you may know Zaltzman from, uh, uh, let’s see, hmm, give me a minute… (crickets chirping) err, maybe… just a minute (paint drying)… uh… ok, I don’t know what the hell Zaltzman might have done or be known for or is up to, but I like him plenty and laugh at him plenty more. John is located in New York and Andy is somewhere in Great Britain, and through the marvels of modern technology, they get together every week to create this perfectly preposterous podcast.
Here a blurb they tarnished Wikipedia with… Oliver and Zaltzman, with their combined height of 3.59 metres, will together canoe through the murky swamp of big stories, small stories and assorted hogwash that inundates our daily world. Comprising news, sport, comment, analysis, other stuff, The Bugle is the newspaper of the future, before the future actually happens.
Here’s one of their latest episodes to sample. (Warning–it opens on a blank web page because I can’t figure out how to embed the damn thing here. Just hit your back button to return I guess): The Bugle podcast #144
Here’s John Oliver on recent episode of The Daily Show
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
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What’s The Heck Is A Podcast?
New to the casting of pods, are you? Well, simply put, podcasting allows you to receive pre-recorded audio programs on your computer or MP3 player automatically. You decide which programs you’d like to get—they range from amateur audioblogs to professional radio programs—and then “subscribe” (for free) to those feeds.
Your podcasting software will check periodically for any new audio files that become available and download those files to your computer—or directly to your audio player if you prefer. You can then carry hours of audio programming to help you through your commute, your work-out, or your downtime.
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Step 1: Download the Podcasting Software
If you already use Apple’s free iTunes software, just look for the Podcasts section of the iTunes Music Store. The software now supports one-click subscriptions to a growing number of free podcasts. You can also use the RSS feeds for any of the podcasts listed above to have the latest episodes sent directly to your favorite RSS reader or other RSS-compatible software.
- Step 2: Choose Your Feeds
The software programs mentioned above include directories of podcasts, and the lists get longer by the day. One helpful list for discovering new podcasts is the iTunes Top 100 Podcasts.
- Step 3: Subscribe
Again, if you’re using iTunes, simply click “Subscribe.” You can also manually paste a podcast feed’s URL—also called the RSS or XML feed—into most programs (in iTunes, just open the “Subscribe to Podcast” section of the “Advanced” menu).
