Not Bothered to Read? Then Just Listen!

By Abdullah Ali

There is an epidemic occurring in Kuwait. An epidemic of “I’m not bothered to read.” To be quite frank, even us university students, most of the time don’t bother reading. I’ve honestly passed through a few classes without even opening a book.

That is the sad truth, we don’t read. Personally, I have countless books that I wish to get through, intrigued to read; a whole stack on my desk. But even so, with all the university work piled up on our shoulders and other things I wish to do (mainly drawing and learning digital art), I seem to barely find any time to simply sit down and read. And when it happens, oh boy, do I savor the moment. A rare occurrence indeed.

Something enlightening happened the past summer though. Being stuck in traffic or spending most of my precious time on the road, I got tired of my music having heard everything possibly 10 times in the car. That was the opportunity to listen to some radio for a change, a podcast actually. Since I’m an architecture student, it was a given that I’d be drawn to a podcast that stated the words ‘design’ and ‘architecture’ in the description. Since then, 99% Invisible has been my best friend in the car, and even while working.

In an age where technology seems to be dominating, even books becoming entirely digital, there is really no excuse for someone to not educate themselves, or enjoy an intriguing read (perhaps I should say ‘enjoy a good listen’ in the case of audiobooks). Listening to this specific podcast has opened my eyes to the fact that technology has given us alternatives to reading physical books, while preserving the same experience.

99% invisible is truly one heck of an amazing radio show where Roman Mars, the creator and host, brings in guests and engages in some really interesting and wonderful topics of the design world. Not all are related to architecture, but you do learn a lot! Personally, I’ve learned so many motivating and inspiring things about this world from listening to this podcast.

Have you heard of a blind architect? Ever thought about the design of the periodic table? Heard of a simple design consisting of a painted line that saved human lives? What is the story behind the Teddy Bear? Ever heard of a building designed specifically to cater for deaf people? And these are just a few of the amazing bits of information I’ve acquired from listening to the 70+ episodes of this podcast.

In all honesty, I actually look forward to some of my car rides now just because I know I’ll be listening to a new episode of 99% invisible. I do highly recommend it to everyone, especially my fellow architecture students and instructors. No matter how much I talk about it, you won’t experience it unless you give it a listen. And this is just one of the myriad of podcasts, radio shows and audiobooks out there which would definitely cater to your taste. Can’t find the time to read? Not bothered? Then just download a podcast on your smartphone and give it a listen on those tormenting car rides! You’ll be glad you did.

To download specific episodes of 99% invisible, or enjoy a free subscription just visit the itunes store. You can also check out the 99% invisible website here.