Podcast Fever
Back in early July, I finally broke down and purchased a Zune. On a side note, it is amazing at how many people labeled me as an honorary Blue Badge for simply owning the device. At any rate, the main reason I bought a Zune was for listening to music at work. My new employer doesn't permit streaming audio over the company intranet. Although music was my primary focus, I decided to take Robert Cain's advice about podcasts.
Robert is a big fan of .NET Rocks and other technical podcasts. I had actually listened to a few episodes of .NET Rocks in the past, but it was very random and I never really got into a habit of listening to every show. Well, I have officially developed an acute case of podcast fever...particularly around .NET Rocks. As someone that tries to stay active within the developer community, it is somewhat embarrassing that I hadn't already jumped into the series. I had no idea what I was missing. As an added bonus, my commute seems to fly by as a result of me really getting into the discussions on the show.
Do yourself a favor. If you are a .NET developer or have an interest in .NET at all, go subscribe to DNR (.NET Rocks) right now. Even if you don't have an MP3 player, I strongly encourage you to invest some time in expanding your knowledge by making some time to listen to the show. Carl and Richard do a tremendous job of keeping the content varied to attract a wide range of listeners. Although the content doesn't always immediately apply to my current projects, it is important to stay abreast of what is going on in the .NET world. With such a rapid rate of change in the industry, this is an easy (and cheap) way to help yourself keep up with all of it.
Here is a list of some worthwhile podcasts and screencasts that every .NET professional should at least take a look at: