Let me start by saying that as someone with ADD (Attention Deficiency Disorder), I struggle with focusing solely on audio. I could not, and still can not, comprehend concepts, ideas, and instructions presented in purely audible forms. It is why professors who use visual aids in lectures earn my praise and those who don’t deserve my eternal hatred (if you are a professor reading this and feel attacked, then you know why).

My ADD is also why I have never been able to listen to podcasts or radio shows. I only engage in content created by podcasters when it is turned into a documentary series/movie on Netflix. I don’t listen to the podcast show of The Try Guys, one of my favorite YouTube channels, because there is no visual to go along with it. So the closest thing I get to a podcast is when I watch one of Technoblade’s Minecraft live streams (I never watch them live because he lives in CA).

I did not have high hopes for the DS106 radio show. My apologies. I am just not someone who can truly appreciate the art of podcasting. That being said, it was pretty interesting.

The podcast on Wednesday night from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. described the similarities and differences between the movie and radio show adaptations of Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 horror story, The Birds. I know nothing about The Birds, except that it was considered the best of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies and involves what I call “murder birds.” Other than that, nada, I did have a hard time understanding most of what the podcaster was talking about. However, I found out that the story is often interpreted as a warning about global warming and climate change and the effects it could have on humanity’s relationship with nature. But, as I did in the Discord chat, “the moral of the story: DON’T MESS WITH BIRDS.”

The podcast’s most fascinating was the use of audio from the movie and radio show adaptations. There is something oddly nostalgic about the sound quality of mid-century audio. I think it is because sound films, motion pictures with synchronized sound, were commercialized in the mid-1920s. This was also the start of what most people call the “Golden Age of Hollywood.” Without the use of these audio clips, I think the podcast would have a more challenging time keeping the interest of its listeners and getting its main points across.

Overall, this was an exciting experience, and I am interested in listening to more podcasts in the future if my ADD will allow it.