Re-introduction of the Three Nerds (2:09)

Feedback on the baseball edition of The Word Nerds (3:20)

DISCLAIMER: This is definitely a 'not-safe-for-work-or-school' podcast. (4:27)

Howard Shepherd and Dave discuss categories of rudeness. (5:05)

Song: 'Planet Blue' by Mike Musgrove (16:15)

Rude Word of the Week: 'f**k' (20:59)

Song: 'The Whole Day Sleeping' by Dark Smile (28:04)

Our favorite rude words (31:31)

time: 35:57
size 24.7 Mb

rating: R (This show frankly discusses the background and roots of some of English's rudest words, but with a largely academic approach.)

Howard Chang and Dave Shepherd discuss 'gay' as a pejorative and as a cultural identifier. (1:41)

Song: 'Bring the Devil,' by The Jane Doe's (14:25)

Rude word of the week: 'faggot' (17:57)

Song: 'I'm Over It,' by Suzanne Smith (21:57)

The homophobic penumbra: the re-purposing of neutral words as homosexual labels (25:41)

Time: 31:17
Size: 21.5 Mb

Rating: R (This week's show talks about hurtful speech, and cites a couple of obscene epithets as examples.)

Dave enthusiastically recommends Annik Rubens' podcast Schlaflos in München to podcast fans who speak German. (2:14)

Dave explains baseball to people who don't know the game (or tries to). (3:00)

Howard Shepherd, Jim Taylor, and Luke Taylor see an Asheville Tourists game at McCormick Field. (9:00)

Dave explores the word 'southpaw.' (13:44)

Dave Shepherd and Mark Holm go to their first Washington Nationals game at RFK Stadium. (18:18)

Dave discusses some examples of baseball language in American English. (22:20)

Dave waits out a rain delay at RFK; he buys peanuts but does not buy a Nationals jacket. (25:05)

Statistics and baseball (40:16)

Music:
'Carolina Dreams,' by Heroes and Villains (14:32)

(Photo by Mark Holm)

time: 44:04
size: 30.2 Mb

Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang discuss quotations from movies and their resonance in popular language. (1:39)

The meaning of 'film noir' and its echoes. (9:45)

Dave and Dreadful Snake Guy discuss the Podshow initiative and its meaning for mid-level podcasters. (14:43)

Rude word of the week: 'bomb' (19:36)

Washington obfuscation: Undersecretary of Defense Stephen Cambone testifies unclearly before the Senate Armed Services Committee. (24:55)

Different names for motion pictures (26:57)

Music:
'Film Noir,' by Venus Throw (9:45)
'70s Movies,' by Father Festus (22:01)

time: 31:53
size: 29.2 Mb

Two faithful and helpful listeners have corrected me (Dave) on a mistake of which I was aware as soon as I uploaded the last podcast.

The acronym LASER stands for light amplification through STIMULATED emission of radiation, not simulated. The emission is absolutely, totally real, not fake at all.

Well, I was de-acronymizing (??) right off the top of my head. Got most of it right, at least!

Oh, also, one of those faithful listeners pointed us to a Wikipedia article that explains the concept of aggregators very clearly (although we think our interviewee, Julie, did a pretty good job in the podcast, actually).

Dave responds to a query from Dreadful Snake Radio about the word 'grim.' (1:40)

Dave and Howard Shepherd talk about technological neologisms such as 'iPod' and 'firmware.' (5:00)

Rude word of the week: 'crap' (15:40)

Howard and Dave share some favorite abbreviations and obfuscatory acronyms. (23:40)

Music:
'Boom Boom,' by Loren Schulte (12:16)
'How I Feel Around You,' by Violaine (20:07)

time: 29:59
size: 27.5 Mb