Skepchicks get a convert.

My wife thinks Rebecca Watson is funny


For the longest time, my wife didn't get this whole podcast thing. For me, it is a godsend. My work requires me to spend long hours on the road, and the radio isn't exactly my friend. In Oklahoma and Texas, where I mostly work, you pretty much get a choice between country, xian, and Rush, with a little "Dr." Laura in on any of the above stations. You can catch Coast to Coast at night, but that only makes me want skeptical media all the more. Shows like Atheist Experience and This Week in Science are lifesavers. They keep me awake and informed.

But not the wife. No, podcasts are talk radio. "How can you stand that stuff?" So, when I asked for an FM tuner for my birthday, I think she was worried. Nevertheless, she got me a nice one, and I made an effort to play shows I thought she might be interested in while we traveled together. We started with Stuff You Should Know, but that didn't seem to stick. I also tried Atheist Experience, but the people calling in just frustrated her. She didn't like being "embarrassed for them." My last resort was to try The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. It clicked for her. She finally saw what all the fuss was about. The show's combination of news, humor, interviews with people on the forefront of science, and, of course, the Science or Fiction segment, all combined to make a show she could get behind. Rebecca's snarky comments put it over the top.

Last night, on the way home from her parents' house, we listened to an interview with Michio Kaku on string theory that blew her mind. I've actually found myself putting off listening to episodes so we can enjoy them for the first time together.