[oneeyedpigeon]

I suffer from the same issue, to the extent that I'm considering adjusting my flow so that I always listen to podcasts on a mobile device, even when I'm sat at my computer. This eliminates all the syncing issues, etc. The only tricky decision is which mobile device is better for podcast listening: my iPod or my android phone. iPod has far superior battery life, and generally better podcast-listening experience. The one advantage the phone has is that I can update podcast content when I'm away from my home desktop. If Apple has ever released an iPod classic with wifi support for syncing, it would probably have been my dream product!