Did you know that people still ride the rails as a way of life? They go down to the big train yards and hop a freight, going who knows where. I thought that phenomenon died out with the end of the Great Depression. Listening to the podcast “City of Rails” with Danelle Morton opened my eyes to a new subculture within the United States.

Danelle is a journalist whose daughter Ruby skipped her family’s celebratory high school graduation dinner to join her friends riding the rails. Danelle spent the next months trying to track her down by sneaking through train yards, talking with anyone who would give her the time and even learning to jump on a boxcar. Does she reconnect with Ruby? You’ll have to listen to find out.

I’ve recently been turned on to podcasts through my nontraditional book club. We don’t all read the same book. Rather, we share what we are reading, listening to and watching. One member keeps a running record of every book, podcast and series we discuss on a Google Doc. We have a ready-made list to check anywhere in the world.

So, what is a podcast and how is it different from a radio show or video? Here’s Google’s AI definition, “A podcast is a series of digital audio or video files that can be downloaded or streamed on-demand. Podcasts can cover various topics, including news, current events, interviews, and storytelling. Listeners can subscribe to podcasts through platforms like Apple Podcasts or Spotify to automatically receive new episodes.”

Here is another example of a podcast that I have been enjoying of late: “Ologies,” another recommendation from a book club member. We all remember from learning suffixes in language arts class that “ology” means “the study of.” Each episode studies an out-of-the-ordinary subject. These podcasters label themselves as “comedic science” and were named by Time Magazine as one of the top 50 podcasts.

The most recent episode is “Field Trip: I Take You to the Making of a Mural.” It’s all about street art in Philadelphia. Other recent episodes include “Momiology” (mummification), “Urban Rodentology” (sewer rats) and “Coffeeology”(no surprise, coffee is the topic). Here’s a place to learn fascinating information about topics you have never explored.

You do need an app to listen to podcasts. Apple users will probably access Apple Podcasts. Many folks use Spotify for music, but it is also a good place to listen to podcasts. A Reddit post shows many Android users like PocketCast and Podcast Addict.

The apps all have lists of suggestions of podcasts ranging from true crime to pop culture to politics to history and so on. There is something for everyone.

If you have a specific topic in mind, do an internet search with a prompt such as “The top ten podcasts about … in 2024” or “What are the most popular podcasts about … “. I did a search for podcasts on wine and found a large variety. including “The Wine Enthusiast” and “I’ll Drink to That! Wine Talk.”

There are podcasts about Maine, including “From the Woodshed,” where folks from the Maine Cabin Masters reality show chat about various topics.

You can listen to individual podcasts or tap the subscribe button and have each new episode delivered to your device. That service is very convenient if you are a consistent listener. If you subscribe, keep an eye on the storage on your device. I was checking how much storage I had left on my phone and was a bit shocked to see how much I had used. With a little digging, I realized that several podcasts I subscribed to and downloaded were taking up a lot of storage. I unsubscribed to those I rarely listen to and deleted episodes. Problem solved.

Like any digital offering, there are many superb podcasts and some of lesser quality. It’s always good to check the ratings and reviews. Most will show a rating in the form of stars. For example, “Crime Junkie” shows 4.7 stars out of 5 with a viewership of 351,000. Sounds pretty good. Before I would subscribe, though, I would do an internet search — “reviews of the Crime Junkie podcast.” The reviews on Reddit were not so positive. Once again, when venturing into the digital world, it always pays to do some homework so you learn about the quality and reliability of an offering.

I purchased a small Bluetooth speaker to listen to the podcast anywhere in the house or outside. The sound is much better than just from my device. I’ve also started listening to them when I am walking. I find I walk longer because I become engaged with the content. Walking longer distances is a good thing!

Podcasts are an easy way to explore many facets of our world. They can help us ponder ideas, open our minds to new perspectives and make us laugh. Because they are digital, we can listen when convenient and not on someone else’s schedule.

Explore or revisit the podcast world to keep learning and your mind active. If you have a favorite podcast, please share it in the comments.

BoomerTECH Adventures (boomertechadventures.com) helps boomers and older adults navigate the digital world with confidence and competence. Active boomers themselves, they use their backgrounds as Maine teachers to support individuals and groups with online courses through Maine Adult Education (tinyurl.com/BTAclasses) articles, videos and presentations to organizations upon request.