I get feedback from IT Conversations listeners all the time--usually one persons strongly held beliefs contradict another's. For example, it's not uncommon for people to say that they love or hate the fact that IT Conversations shows aren't just about IT. Some people, for example, hate Biotech Nation and others love it.

So it is with IEEE Spectrum Radio. While many love the slightly geeky, but usually off-topic (from the IT perspective) shows of IEEE, some find them not to their liking. That's sure to be the case with the series of shows on cooking.

The first show in that series is an interview with Kevin Weeks, a programmer turned professional chef. While it sounds like it might not hold much promise for the geek looking to spend some time with a nice podcast, I found it to be very interesting. I like to cook and like any engineer who cooks, I'm fascinated by the chemical ad mechanical processes that underlie cooking. That's at the heart of this show.

So, keep sending the feedback. If nothing else, it gives me a good idea what you care about and helps me tune the selection. I'm also interested in finding ways to let you pick just those shows from IT Conversations that interest you. Our recommendation engine is supposed to help--I'd be interested in knowing what your experience with it is. I'm also working on better tags so that--at least for broad categories--you can find a feed that more closely matches what you want to listen to.

One suggestion: if you are very picky about what you download, take a minute to build a personal queue and keep it filled with just the shows you like. You can subscribe to the RSS feed for your queue and never get another show you don't like!