If you’re like me, you’ve grown tired of radio and want something with fewer commercials and better content for your daily commute. Explore podcasts. Improve the quality of your forced idle time by subscribing to podcasts from the iTunes podcast directory, hooking your iPod to your car stereo and hitting play. (Of course there are other MP3 players, and other media sources, but this is mine.)

Here are my 5 commuting faves – quick ones, 5 to 10 minutes each.

1. Mac OS Ken – A witty Apple news program by Ken Ray. It’s concise and worth a listen. My commute always starts with this one. Weekdays. 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Front Page – Get the world headlines with this daily New York Times snapshot. Every day. 5 minutes.

3. Tech5 – A daily tech news review. The pessimistic host, John C. Dvorak, will grow on you. Best to take him lightly. Weekdays. 5 minutes.

4. Tekzilla – Practical geek tips, often presented by listeners and more applicable. It’s a video program, so if you’re driving, just listen while you watch the road. Weekly 45 minutes, plus quicker 5 minute episodes.

5. Podictionary – My vocabulary sucks, but nevertheless I’m fascinated by word origins. Ironic. Good thing there are informed people like Charles Hodgson to help. 5 minutes.

The type of commute may dictate the best podcast format to listen to or watch – long or short, audio or video. If you take the train, video podcasts would be reasonable. Your eyes are safely distracted. Otherwise stick to audio podcasts for the commute. If your commute involves lots of stoplights, like mine, shorter audio podcasts work. Red lights provide frequent breaks to safely proceed to the next podcast. If your commute involves the freeway, longer audio podcasts would be safest.

The important thing is, just like with cell phones, I’m careful not to let my device distract me from the primary task of driving.

Feel free to comment with your podcasts! I’d love to check them out. There are so many out there, something for everyone.