In the “Number Stations” podcast, I enjoyed learning about the fact that actual secret messages that nobody knows the reason or meaning of is actually being constantly transmitted on certain radio frequencies and generally accessible to pretty much anyone who has a radio and a knack for tuning to every possible station. Their message itself is kept secret but the transmission of the encrypted one is totally open to the public. What’s more interesting is that this isn’t only used by one country–many countries such as Germany, Spain, Russia, and China are exploiting this means of communication. I’m guessing that as long as the coders are confident in the strength of their system, it doesn’t matter who hears it. But what does matter to them is an easy way of getting messages out and heard by the receiving end (radio is pretty common).

What bolstered this podcast’s grip on the audience came from the insertion of actual radio dialogues that show us what these “number stations” usually sound like in addition to quotes from relevant sources or experts, such as Bruce Schneier.

Though I was very captivated after about 10 minutes into the podcast, it initially felt a little awkward and unorganized, just because without reading anything else on the website, this podcast sort of starts out of nowhere and is confusing. We’re not entirely sure what their main point is until 3 minutes in. Thus, in this case, reading the text article beforehand is essential, which many people may not immediately realize (they might go straight to the podcast, sit back, and enjoy). Unlike papers that are organized with an introduction, body, and conclusion, the podcast seemed like it started with a point and decided to go wherever with it on a whim, like speaking on a stream of consciousness.

This gives me the idea to make sure that right from the start of my own podcast, I will introduce the main points covered so the audience has a very clear idea of what they’re about to listen to.

I did like how this podcast has supplemental information when you scroll down the page. More visual components such as graphs that show data or directly depict the situation in the order that they are discussed would be extremely helpful to people who are listening to the podcast simultaneously.