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Slashdot Asks: Your Favorite Podcasts? And Why?

Posted by msmash on from the what-we-listen-to dept.

Are podcasts finally starting to go mainstream? Are they the future of radio? Who knows. Over the weekend, a reader asked us if we listen to podcasts -- and if yes, which ones? I started listening to podcasts five years ago, and I try to listen to one podcast every day. Here are some of the podcasts I have subscribed to (though I rarely manage to listen to all of them, each week): The New York Times' new podcast The Daily, Bloomberg's Decrypted, WSJ's Media Mix, The Information's 411, The Economist's The Week Ahead, The Economist's Babbage, Financial Times' Tech Tonic, NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, The New Yorker's Radio Hour, The Accidental Tech Podcast, John Gruber's The Talk Show, Slate's Audio Book Club, and Kara Swisher's Recode Decode. What are your favorite podcasts and why? Also, when do you listen to them -- at work /during commute / before bed / weekend or some other time?

10 of 268 comments (clear)

  1. Podcasts by Phusion · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I walk around a lot, so I've started listening to podcasts a little bit more. I've been listening to Leo Laporte for the last decade or so, TWiT and his various podcasts like Security Now with Steve Gibson are sometimes educational and entertaining. Outside of the tech genre I've been listening to a lot of Harmontown, the podcast by Community and Rick + Morty creator Dan Harmon. It's a feel good kind of show, which I definitely need these days. I'd like to listen to more tech/security oriented podcasts, but having to subscribe to them is a pain in the ass and eats away at my limited space on the iPhone 6S.

    --
    640k ought to be enough for anyone.
  2. Re:Personal Improvement by Luthair · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Something to be careful of, people rarely know the reason they had success and will often give too much credit to themselves.

  3. I like by The-Ixian · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I listen to the following every week:

    Security Now
    Windows Weekly
    This week in Tech
    This American Life
    99% Invisible
    Radiolab
    On the Media
    BrainStuff
    TED Radio Hour
    The Bugle

    --
    My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
  4. Not a huge NPR fan but... by zerofoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Freakonomics podcast is awesome:

    http://freakonomics.com/archiv...

    Wait Wait Don't Tell Me is also quite funny (although the Trump jokes are getting old at this point):

    http://www.npr.org/podcasts/34...

  5. Marketplace and NPR News by Rob+Riggs · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The two I listen to most are Marketplace and NPR News. Following that: Science Friday; Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me; BBC News; Planet Money. I've been listening to some of these podcasts for 6 or more years now. I'm also subscribed to a bunch of Youtube channels. My favorite at the moment is EEVblog.

    --
    the growth in cynicism and rebellion has not been without cause
  6. RadioLab by pr0t0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For sure RadioLab. I listen to The Daily Tech News Show for some extended commentary on the day's tech news. I'm a board gamer and listen to The Dice Tower and The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast. If you're interested in hearing about the business of board games, Board Games Insider is a great resource.

    Honorable mention to This American Life. If you haven't listened to the "Squirrel Cop" episode, here ya go, and you're welcome!
    https://www.thisamericanlife.o...

    --
    I'm sorry, but your opinion seems to be wrong.
  7. Welcome to Night Vale! by Ann+O'Nymous-Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wonderfully weird, amazingly inventive storytelling, been going strong for years now.

  8. Re:It's dramatic how quickly the shift happened by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Much prefer a blog to a vlog. I hate video or audio for getting information. It takes so much longer than just reading.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  9. Re:It's dramatic how quickly the shift happened by Hognoxious · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Some things lend themselves to videos. Often these are things where it involves moving your body (sport, martial arts, dancing) or part of it (arts & crafts, DIY, using tools). Some mathematical things work well too.

    Some things are awful on video. Anything that involves making settings on a computer is an utter PITA as you miss what you're doing, rewind back, try to jump forward, jump forward too far, rewind back again. That'd be better served by text. Even screenshots aren't absolutely necessary, though I quite like them.

    Horses for courses, innit? The start of being a craftsman is knowing what tool to use - and which *not* to use.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  10. My podcasts? Oh wow... by Reteo+Varala · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I am a big fan of audio drama, which means that the podcasting format is great for my kind of entertainment.

    Here are my audio drama podcasts:

    I also listen to Dan Carlin's podcasts (Common Sense and Hardcore History) for a pretty balanced view on history and politics.

    Also, as I'm studying and training to do voice work, I also subscribe to a number of voice-over feeds.

    In addition to the general voice-over stuff, I find that podcasts about podcasting (meta, anyone?) are also useful sources of knowledge.

    I know there's a lot here, so I hope you find something of interest.

    --
    The Penguin Producer