Aram Zucker-Scharff

oupacademic:

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Podcast: Amy Johnson, the first female pilot to fly solo from Britain to Australia (1903-1941).

“Amy Johnson was a heroine of the romantic age of aviation. Her image was one of a petite, photogenic pilot and mechanic, a pioneer feminist and sportswoman; she had a veneer of success in an age needing stars. With hindsight, however, a more complex figure has been revealed. According to a fellow ATA pilot, Lettice Curtis, Johnson was often insecure and unhappy. More seriously her skills as a mechanic and pilot were hands-on; she was neither a fine pilot nor a sound navigator. Amy Johnson took risks, and in the end this killed her. Nevertheless because of the indomitable record-breaking and the mystery surrounding her death she became and remains, a legendary figure.”

The story of Amy Johnson is one of over 200 episodes available from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography’s podcast archive. New episodes are released every second Wednesday.

Image: British aviatrix Amy Johnson (1903-1941). Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Good Omens – BBC Radio 4:

neil-gaiman:

Adaptation of the 1990 comedic fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

This week, as an Easter tribute to Terry Pratchett, BBC Radio 4 is rebroadcasting the Dirk Maggs adaptation of GOOD OMENS. It goes out at at 11:30 every night (hour-long conclusion on Saturday at 2:30 pm), and will be available immediately after broadcast on the internet (and will stay up for a month). You can listen to it anywhere in the world on a computer, or use an app to listen on a phone or tablet.

cracked:

cracked:

If print journalists have to indicate cuts and omissions with ellipses…

…why do we assume video journalists aren’t cutting anything when they literally cut to a new scene?

THIS WEEK: Jack O’Brien is joined by editors Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) and Josh Sargent to talk about the recent documentary boom and some of the genre’s most popular entries from the last 10 years. They have a spoiler-filled discussion about ‘Serial’ and ‘The Jinx’, talk through the tricks documentarians use to manipulate truth, and whether their ultimate obligation should be to honesty or entertainment.

Why Documentaries Lie

The Cracked Podcast needs YOUR free & fast help! Go to tinyurl.com/crackednpr and take 20 seconds to let NPR know this podcast is worth noticing. You’ll help us keep making it and help other people know what the heck’s going on with their own brains!

Sales of tabletop games (including cards, board games, and role-playing games) at hobby stores have jumped 15 to 20 percent for the last three years in a row, according to a recent report from ICv2. In New York City, a few business owners are hoping to get gamers to their brick-and-mortar stores where people can play hundreds of games.

Forget Scrabble and Monopoly (though yes, they have those too); we’re talking Cards Against Humanity and Settlers of Catan.