NPR

The bulk of my commuting time is still spent listening to the lectures offered by The Teaching Company: I just finished Ancient Greek Civilization, which was excellent, and am moving on to the 48-lecture History of Ancient Rome. But when I've finished a lecture and don't have time to start another, or am just in the mood for something different, my alternative is always the same: National Public Radio.

My taste for public radio has only recently emerged, but the seed for my devotion was planted years ago, in the classroom of John Krenkel, a social studies teacher at Park City High School and one of my best friends. I used to eat lunch with him, and eventually several other teachers and students would join us, and there would consistently be a hot debate on some topic or another. But in the quieter moments, you could here KPCW, Park City's public radio station, in the background, often playing the contemporary folk that John loves.

While the contemporary folk habit kicked in while I was in college, it has taken a few more years for me to really appreciate public radio itself (and the education it provides). But between the national programs produced by NPR and the local programs offered by Georgia Public Broadcasting, I've got a new fixation. As soon as I get a chance to fiddle in Photoshop, I'll be adding NPR and GPB to the "giving" section of my sidebar.