At the time of writing this, a lot of podcasts hosts have asked me to promote their podcast using the hashtag #TryPod. Instead of writing about each of them, I’ve prepared a list of podcasts I am currently following.

There are some other sporadic podcasts, like Stack Overflow podcast which I occasionally listen to, but they are rare enough that I haven’t mentioned them explicitly. However, these are the best gateway podcasts, which ought to open you to this whole new realm of entertainment for your ears while the rest of your body does something else (e.g. exercising, doing dishes, ironing, commuting, etc.).

The podcasts are presented in no particular order (actually, according to their last update time on my Podcast player when I wrote this, but that is irrelevant).

Nature Podcast

Weekly, 30 min

Fun-filled and understandable digest of the most important breakthroughs in science in the past week. The hosts break down the issues well and the interviews with the scientists are informative. They also read a short story published in Nature once per month (in episodes called Nature Futures) which are usually excellent.

I find this podcast very uplifting in general.

Freakonomics

Weekly, 30 min

They pick up an odd question to answer per week and present insightful interviews, opinions, and experiments related to the issue. The intro music is great and Steven Levitt is a very engaging host. The answers are usually surprising in just the right way to make me think.

The Methods of Rationality Podcast

Every second Wednesday, 20min

It started off as an audiobook/podcast version of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, features my voice (in episode 86), and is now narrating another work of rationalist fiction The Metropolis Man. It started off as an amateur podcast, but now is very professionally edited and has a vast array of excellent voices to draw from. I impatiently wait for each episode.

Cortex

Every second week, 60min

Myke Hurley and CGP Grey, both of whom are in the creative content creation business (one is a professional podcaster and the other is a YouTube video creator), but have very different styles of working talk about … well … their styles of working. It is a nice way for me to have a minute look into things which I don’t usually think twice about. I’ve started using ToDoist and Toggl based on their recommendations.

BBC World Update: Daily Commute

Daily, 30min

Just what it says on the tin, and a very nice way to bring me up to speed with the events of the day, an interesting side-story and some soothing sound-scapes.

Planet Money NPR

Twice a week (?), 20 min

Very similar to Freakonomics in style and delivery, but more pithy, more fun-filled, with multiple hosts and more finance based. Delightfully informative, nonetheless.

Older podcasts

I’ve listened to many podcasts over the past which I don’t follow either because the subject matter has changed too much or because they have ended, but I would still heartily recommend them. Most of them have to do with history, now I notice.

The History of Rome

It is the history of Rome. Very well sourced without many opinions thrown in. The facts are just as interesting as any commentary on them. I stopped following their reincarnation Revolutions because the topics jumped around a bit too much and I wasn’t as invested in the some of the revolutions.

Podcast History of our World

This is a fun-filled and opinionated version of history of our entire World, starting from pre-historic times and then zooming through. I am currently following it, but it is very sporadic (once per two months, whenever Rob Monaco gets time) but is great fun when it comes out. The archive is ripe for listening though.

A History of the World in 100 Objects

Again about history of our world, with just enough number of objects to fascinate me and keep me engaged right through to the modern times. It makes me feel that humans have certainly come through a lot, but have changed so little.

Dan Carlin’s hardcore history

These are mini-series which give some historical events a deep look. I loved the analysis and the story-telling aspect of it. These are very well produced and very cleanly edited. I’ve only listened to the free episodes so far.

Serial podcast: Season 1

This was a gripping tale of investigative reporting in a case which was gripping and so well produced that it kept me on the edge of my seat for several episodes at an end. I didn’t know that it was based on a true story when I started listening and was shocked to find that out. It stings.

Tools

I use Podcast Addict for all my listening. It allows me to listen to local podcasts (i.e. audio book chapters/downloaded streams) and RSS-feed based podcasts alike. I can speed up the play and can move forward and back easily, set custom downloading options for different podcasts (e.g. keep only the latest 10 episodes for a podcast while keep everything for another, etc.).