Dear Woo Singer,
The year 2020 has seen significant challenges, marking a shift in how we live and learn and revealing how COVID-19 has profoundly mediated our school life. As we continue to navigate the disruptions caused by the pandemic, we spend a lot more time at home, which in return pushes us to use our mobile devices more either for study, entertainment, or connecting on social media outlets. In the past few months, I have developed a routine to spend around an hour each day listening to podcasts, which has become a way to let my entertainment and learning overlap. I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some of my favorite podcast series.
TED Talks Daily
Are you tired of only listening to music while you’re taking a long bus ride? TED Talks Daily is a platform that provides you with insights from leading thinkers and creators over the world. From artificial intelligence to climate change, TED talks cover diverse topics. You should be able to find a subject area that interests you.
Freakonomics
Wonder how disruptive innovation can create new modes of living? Freakonomics invites speakers ranging from social scientists, psychologists, entrepreneurs, economists, and politicians to talk about the underlying principles of how things work in society. For example, one of my recent favorites is about how a cognitive scientist reveals how dogs think and behave, which contrasts many of our assumptions about animals around us.
BBC Earth Podcast
A lot of us are going hiking these days, ever wonder how nature and humans coexist on our planet? BBC Earth shares untold stories about arrays of the natural environment over the globe. From illustrating the strangest corners on earth to fascinating stories of human interactions with nature, BBC Earth brings eye-opening and entertaining experience for podcast listeners.
Pop Culture Happy Hour by NPR
Many of us are watching TV shows and playing video games more than ever before. Do you want some tips but not sure where to start? The daily episodes published by Pop Culture Happy Hour offers audiences insights about what’s fun to watch and play. The program covers insider stories about how these shows and games are being produced in addition to the tips.
Wonder how to search your favorite topics and listen to podcasts via your mobile phone? Apps such as A-cast, BBC, Overcast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and WNYC are my favorite platforms to search for diverse topics by using keywords. If you want to create your content, app such as Anchor will allow you to create your podcast and distribute it to massive audiences.
I hope that you will enjoy exploring the pleasure of listening to podcasts! Stay healthy and explore ways to use our mobile phone better to create an entertaining way to learn!
About Prof. Isaac LEUNG Hok Bun
Isaac Leung is a practicing artist, curator, and scholar in art and culture. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Arts of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Board Director of the Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival.
In 2003, Leung received an Honorary Fellowship of a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the New Media Art Department of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During 2013 and 2020, Leung was appointed as the Chairperson of Videotage. During his tenure, he initiated and participated in projects that included exhibitions, workshops, lectures, publications, online projects, and symposia. Some of these include 40 Years of Video Art in Germany and Hong Kong (Hong Kong and Germany), The 12th Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition (Italy and Hong Kong), Perpetual Art Machine (USA), Time Test – International Video Art Research Exhibition (China), ISEA Festival (Hong Kong, China), Both Sides Now (Hong Kong, UK, and various countries), Loop Barcelona (Spain), One World Exposition (Hong Kong), China Remixed (USA), Clockenflap (Hong Kong), and Art Basel Crowdfunding Initiative (Hong Kong).
If you would like to know more about Prof NG, please visit https://www.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/cumt/teaching-staff/prof-leung-hok-bun/.