Topic: Penn or Perry?

[mindme]

I suspect there's a strong overlap between listeners of The Skeptic's Guide and Penn Radio. Now don't get me wrong, I love Penn Radio (I'm leader of the Goudeau Army East Asia Chapter) but I find myself, more and more, gravitating towards the Skeptic's Guide. It used to be if I was half way through a podcast of the Skeptic's Guide and I downloaded a new Penn Radio show, well, I'd stop listening to the Skeptic's Guide, listen to Penn Radio, and then go back to where I left off in the Skeptic's Guide.

More and more I find myself finishing a full episode of the Skeptic's Guide before I give the latest Penn Radio show my attention.

Both are great shows, but I have only one brain and one 20 minute walk to the subway station. Something has to take precedence.

What's your choice?

[Wonko the Sane]

This is a false dichotomy, I don't have to listen to one or the other, I can listen to both.

They are the perfect pair, Penn and Goudeau durring the week and Dr. Novella and the Rouges on the weekend.

[Mr. Crowe]

I wish Skeptic's Guide was daily. More monkeys would be nice too.

[Steven Novella]

Actually, we are planning to begin publishing SGU episodes daily. This is step 2 of our upgrade plans. Of course, step 1 is that someone donates $10 million to the NESS so that we can all quit our day jobs.  :wink:

[mindme]

I've started pulling the show down via iTunes. There was a suggestion we can help CBS's perception of Penn Radio by pulling it down via iTunes. It looks good when it's a highly rated show. I've started doing that for the Skeptic's Guide too. Although you have no task masters, being able to say "one of the most download science programs on iTunes" carries a lot of weight these days.

[cosmicvagabond]

Of course, step 1 is that someone donates $10 million to the NESS so that we can all quit our day jobs.  :wink:

I suggest a telethon. We can get a bunch of washed up entertainers like Erik Estrada and Morgan Fairchild. To generate sympathy, we could trot out our "poster children", comprised of poor little tykes who have been brainwashed by scientology and intelligent design theory. I think Steve should host it, and I will be happy to man the phones. Any other volunteers?

[Nigel]

I would definitely vote for the SGU over Penn's Radio/Podcast.  While I believe Penn's content is good, I think his presentation is overbearing.  I love Penn and Teller.  I saw his act off Broadway, and in Las Vegas.  I was disapponted by his radio act.  At least for me, something doesn't translate.  

If the SGU went daily, I think my girlfriend would kill me.  She thinks I listen to it too much as it stands.

[6for2]

I listen to both, but I prefer the SGU.  Penn and Goudeau are quite entertaining, but the ultra-Libertarian thing really grates on my nerves.  The government is necessary and effective at certain times.

[mindme]

I listen to both, but I prefer the SGU.  Penn and Goudeau are quite entertaining, but the ultra-Libertarian thing really grates on my nerves.  The government is necessary and effective at certain times.

I think Penn has a small inkling with the antibiotic issue. Would the free market have any natural limit on the use of antibiotics?

He does admit it's just the "nut point of view". I rationalize Penn as sometimes society needs the extremes on both sides and then society tends to synthesize a happy middle.

I would like to pose to Penn if he really believes there is any society that can succeed applying any pure or extreme political vision, be it libertarian/give the power to the corporations or communism.

[nick mallory]

Considering that Penn pumps out his radio show every day of the week, in addition to his magic show and 'bullshit', it maintains a terrifically high standard of entertainment.  His libertarian point of view is refreshing to my ears at least and both his show and the skeptics guide are top of my itunes list.  Demanding that Penn becomes all politically correct misses the point.  

Penn is totally opposed to capital punishment, a quintisential liberal position, I would disagree with him on that just as most people here would agree with him.  It doesn't matter.  No-one's going to agree with everything, but whatever he does it's interesting and entertaining - even Monkey Tuesday which is beginning to pall for me.  Penn does go to show that there's a lot of right wing atheists out there and that skepticism applies to the dubious economics of recycling as well as the nonsense of creationism.

[mindme]

His libertarian point of view is refreshing to my ears at least and both his show and the skeptics guide are top of my itunes list.  Demanding that Penn becomes all politically correct misses the point.  

I agree his POV is refreshing. I don't agree with everything he says but he certainly has a solid and consistent line of argument.  For example, I found his support for the police having cameras everywhere troubling until he caveatted it with "only if everyone can have access to these cameras".

And indeed he's changed my own POV on some issues.

[Steven Novella]

Penn's podcast is listed #1 as the podcast on iTunes that SGU subscribers also subscribe to. So there is clearly plenty of overlap.

[swpalmer]

Penn's podcast is listed #1 as the podcast on iTunes that SGU subscribers also subscribe to. So there is clearly plenty of overlap.

At a risk of the very act of publishing such info skewing the actual results I will ask, just what are the top 5-10 podcasts that SGU subscribers listen to?
Maybe I'm missing some good ones :-)

I'll assume Point of Inquiry is another one on the list... probably Skepticality, the Scientific American one...(can't remember the actual title at the moment)...

[Joe Shmoe]

evolution 101?

[Perry]

I vote for... Perry.