It’s quite surprising that I haven’t really brought up the topic of podcasts on my blog considering that
I’ve been consuming them for almost 10 years! My methods and taste have changed a lot over the years. I want a place
to point people when asked about what podcasts I listen to, and with a little more context than just a pure list.
Software / Tools
A podcast is such a simple concept (from the technical side) that it allows for a lot of tools and applications to be
created around the idea. Nowadays I pretty much use a single application on my phone. I’m generally only concerned with
the mobile experience since I try to listen to podcasts when I’m on the move and when I’m not focusing on work. Ask me
to listen to a podcast while programming and you’ll discover that I won’t be able to recall anything from the podcast
(or that I don’t do any programming). The application I use is PocketCasts. The homepage is full of
hyperbole and non-truthes (eg: … deliver the updates instantly…), but it’s an alright application and fits my needs for
now. Most importantly, it allows me to export my subscribed shows as an OPML file which I’ve made
available to you.
What I Am Listening to Now
Podcasts are a great way to tap into interests of all different types. You’ll notice that only a few are related to my
professional life. Listening to podcasts is a wonderful activity and I do get a lot out of them, there becomes a point
where you’ve found too much good content and there isn’t enough time to listen to them all.
I begun listening to this show at the beginning of my career break. The
host, Russ Roberts, does a great job of letting the guests speak without pushing his views too often.
It’s honestly changed how I think about problems in the world and how to best approach them. Economics is becoming a
tool that I use to help me understand how things are, and how to possibly alter them. The talks are well balanced and
help me see the other side of issues that I normally don’t think of. When a new episode appears I look forward to
listening to it regardless of the topic!
Yuval Levin on Burke, Paine, and the Great Debate - The difference between the right and left had been
something I hadn’t thought deeply about. This conversation made me realize I’m more right thinking than I thought. It
also made me understand that neither are “bad”.
Martha Nussbaum on Creating Capabilities and GDP - There are other conversations around GDP, but this one
really stood out to me. I think Martha does an exceptional job of explaining how GDP is not a sufficient metric and
that we still have a long way to go to get people to the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy.
Yet another podcast that talks about world events and how they affect the economy. Each episode covers 2-4 topics. This
is starting become one of my required listening podcasts to stay informed about current events. The hosts discuss the
economics in a way that’s targetted for people who don’t know all the lingo.
Favourites:
The Worse than Marxism Edition - As someone interested (and doing) passive investing, I wanted to
hear what they had to say about it.
The Product Edition - Anything with Paul Ford is great to listen to. He has a nice down-to-earth
style of describing what Product Development is all about.
Now one of my favourites. You never know what to expect with this show because the
enigmatic host, Roman Mars, always finds something interesting that you likely have no idea about.
Roman started a group called Radiotopia which is a collective of like minded artists to create
exceptional podcasts.
Favourites (all of them):
Thomassons - I dare you to listen to this episode and not look for Thomassons wherever you go!
The Straight Line is a Godless Line - Given that I was in Vienna and saw the Hundertwasserhaus, it
was very interesting to hear more about the architect. I love the fact that people like him exist, though I may not
want to completely follow his lead.
Clean Trains - There are so many applications to the lesson of this episode. Frequent and consistent
feedback is necessary to promote any change.
One of the pioneers in story-telling podcasts. I’ve been away from it for a while and have re-subscribed as I’ve been
missing the excellent stories.
Favourites:
Emergence - This episode is from 2007 and it still comes up as one
of the more influencial podcast episodes I’ve listened to. I’m a control freak and find the concept of emergence hard
to understand. A top-down controller is easier for me to understand. This episode reminds me to rethink how things
ought to be and be more flexible.
An exceptional podcast hosted by two charismatic people. Normally I find tangents in podcasts to be distracting, but for
some reason these two often make it worthwhile. They cover a myriad of topics and they make the most mundane seem
fascinating. There are many excellent episodes but the following ones really stood out for me.
Favourites:
The two part series (episode 1episode 2) is a wonderful explanation of the origins of fairy tales
and how dark the originally were. The Juniper Tree one is quite horrifying.
Another two part series one male puberty and female puberty discusses the awkward
phase of life that we all had with great clarity.
It’s likely that I’m a bit biased, but this is where I discover new music. I worked
there from 2005-2009 during the rise of the podcast. I can attest to the quality of the curation of the content coming
from the folks at Radio 3. The superfeed subscribes you to all the different podcasts published by Radio 3, though I
don’t think there are as many shows as there used to be.
This show satifies my curiosity about how a song gets made. It also makes me
appreciate songs that I wouldn’t have given a second listen. By listening to this show, you can disover new artists, and
you’ll learn how to listen to music and grow appreciation for the more subtle elements of song composition.
A podcast I tend to listen to when I going to sleep. I don’t quite keep up with music as much as I should, but I find
listening to this keeps me somewhat informed of what’s going on.
I could list to Helen Zaltzman speak all day. Her style and sense of humour is wonderful and I find that I learn a lot
about the origins of the words in my native language.
Favourites:
Please - Listen to this episode and think again if someone from another culture is being rude.
Also, think about how other cultures may have perceived you as being rude by trying to be overly polite!
WLTM - The language surrounding dating from three hundred years ago.
Summary
There are a lot of podcasts here and I’m constantly re-evaluating which ones should remain. Finding the balance of time
and value is hard to figure out. Currently I’m unemployed making it a lot easier to consume this much content. I also
listen to tech specific podcasts when I’m spending some time in that technology. A good example of that would be the
ruby rogues podcast. Or, I may take a look at HanselMinutes to see if something
interesting has come up.
To subscribe to all the same podcasts that I do, import this OPML file into your favourite podcast
listening software.
Unsubcribed
After a while I find myself changing my podcast listening tastes. Rather than delete them from this post, I’ll list
them here and provide some context as to why I don’t listen to them anymore.
Getting into the startup world is not something I’m terribly interested in, but I am critical
about the tech community, especially startups. This show helps me better understand the world of startups so I can
better understand the mechanics of startups. Over time this podcast has become to irritate me. The Valley speak gets to
you after a while (count how many questions are answered with an excited “Absolutely!”). I stopped listen to this
because I realized that I simply did not care about the startup world. Listening to this podcast started to depress me.
Favourites:
Everything You Need to Know About Amazon - Explanation of how Amazon re-invests all of its profits to avoid
opportunity costs is a novel concept. Not sure why investors are ok with it. Makes me more curious about what Amazon
will be doing 20-30 years from now.
Creating New Silicon Valleys - When something becomes trendy, people always want to figure out how
to replicate it. This episode explains how cultures are emergent, not created. Common sense it would seem, but that
doesn’t seem to really stop people. I feel the same around the topic of DevOps.
A podcast about a podcast startup. It mixes so many of my favourite things into one show.
Fantastic storytelling about a medium I’m passionate about and a domain that I want to learn more of. What connects
me to the show is that Alex Blumberg just wants to work on something he’s passionate about, but has to wade through all
sorts of concerns completely separate from what he really wants to do, because that’s business. Though this podcast
didn’t depress me like the a16z podcast did, I found the material getting pretty old. It was starting to repeat many of
the lessons from the StackOverflow Podcast (from 2008). Also, more North American podcast content isn’t
something I really want more of.
Favourites:
Startups are Risky Business - This gave me insight around the different VC models. I used to think
that they are all looking for the 100x payoff. I need to learn more about the more modest investments out there.
Sometimes you can invest in something simply because you want it to exist.
Not quite a technical podcast, but it shares stories from the software development world. I became a fan of
Ben Orenstein when I saw him do a play-by-play screencast. He strikes me as someone I would enjoy
working with. I’m weaning myself off of tech podcasts so this had to be removed.
Co-started by an old on-line friend of mine, Youssuf Elkalay.
I like the conversational style of this show as a way to keep me in the loop in the world of DevOps.
Removed because I’m trying to stay away from technical podcasts.
This one is fairly new and I’ve already become a fan. Chris Hunt
delivers his show in a charming style. He discusses being healthy, and what’s interesting in the software world. All to
the tune of a catchy theme song. Now I just need to get into the habit of doing the workout of the week. Removed for now
because of its technical base.
Episodes are themed around TED talks of similar topics. It blends interviews with the speakers along with their talks.
I find this more rich than the talk on its own.
Favourites:
The Violence Within Us - Sort of a scary episode, but it helps me understand that life is always in a
delicate balance. We’ll never live in a world where everyone is good. I tend to be utopian in my thinking and this
provides a good dose of reality.
What is Original - The thought of being unique and interesting is something everyone craves, but in the
end most of things are derivitive. This episode is good to pair with the 99% Invisible episode:
Duplitecture.
Identities - The next few generations of humans are going to have a much different concept about their
identity. We are more global and cross-cultural than ever before.
Getting into the spiritual side a bit. This show talks about culture and religion with an
open mind. The show reminds me to appreciate the differences between all of us on this rock. I used to listen to this
show all the time when I lived in Canada. I just recently subscribed to the podcast.
Favourites:
Being Alone - The 2nd portion with Nikki Giovanni is so delightful. It’s a candid conversation that
has so many quotable verses. I was walking the streets of Bangalore while listening to it and I had a huge smile on my
face the whole time.
The health care system is usually a bit of a black box and this show provides some visibility into how things work. Like
tapestry, this was a show I used to listen to all the time when I lived in Canada. Recently subscribed to feel that
connection back to where I came from.
Favourites:
Slow Code - A conversation about health care professionals
minimaly applying “Code Blue” protocols when they know the patient won’t survive or will survive at a considerable
cost. This episode made me remember that my job is pretty much pointless and to think about the people that do real
honest work out there.
A Canadian look into the technical world. Always nice to hear a Canadian perspective of what’s going on. Hopefully
because it’s created by the CBC, there isn’t any product/partner agenda.
A show that does a good job of covering both sides around global trends or analysing specific environments. I find this
show a bit deeper than something like Freakanomics or Planet Money.
Favourites:
Tax Transparency - Norway’s Model - Personally, I’ve become fascinated with transparent systems. I like
the idea of everyone knowing what each other makes because it provides the knowledge required to make better
decisions. This episode provides a look into why this was imposed in Norway’s past and some of the complexities that
have resulted in a more modern era.
A show about curious events. They did a neat thing where they perform a lateral thinking puzzle with each episode. It
reminds me that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and to always be curious about what is laid out in front of
you. I’ve only listened to a few episodes so I don’t have any favourites to list at the moment in time.
Most of the time I dislike drawn out conversational style podcasts but this one I enjoy listening to while doing tasks
(and I don’t mind not absorbing the contents of the episode). The hosts are: CGP Grey, who entertains me with
his affinity for comfort and observing the world from a far. Often I find myself aligned with his views and enjoy his
Youtube Channel immensely. The other host is Brady Haran who is energetic and curious. I
enjoy is enthusiasm around travel. I would love to have beer with these two which I know Grey would despise the idea and
Brady would love it. Their contrasting personalities and mutual respect for each other is why I’ll stick with this
podcast even though the episodes are too long by my listening standards.
This show takes a deeper look around statistics. It does the deeper critical view so you don’t have to. Listening to
this makes me trust reports even less. Spin is such a problem and how information is presented requires a lot of effort
to reveal a non-biased presentation.
Provides a focus on what makes a business successful. It’s a domain that I don’t really have a clue. I find myself
wanting to be closer to the business in the work I do day to day so this has been good at introducing me to what
executives think about.
Favourites:
Data Privacy - As someone on the sidelines watching the privacy debates from a technologist, it’s
important to learn how these topics are perceived from a business owner level.
Life After a Blockbuster - The story about Angry Birds was fascinating. It reveals how often
the success we put on a pedestal comes from consistent tenanicity.
For once it’s nice to listen to something that isn’t about US politics. I started listening to economic podcasts to
understand more of the world around me. Now it’s pointing me in the direction of politics. This show is interesting to
hear about how ideas and policies gets introduced to society. They tackle some difficult issues as well which makes it a
bit heavier than some of the other lighter podcasts I have listed here.
Favourites:
The End of Free - I’ve been incorporating ad blocking daily for over a decade. It was fascinating to
hear how it’s hit a point where this practice is getting attention. Brands just want to engage with you! Why are we
being so mean to them!
Free Speech - This is the first for a 4 part series. It asks the questions around the trade offs of
free speech. I find myself conflicted and tripping over my own thoughts on what should be allowed. Learning the types
of nullifiers to free speech I found interesting too.
Another good source for global news how it influences the world markets. Can’t really say I have any favourites, but I
do like how it’s not just US news.
A member of the Radiotopia collective. Just started getting into this podcast recently.
I’m already becoming a huge fan!
Favourites:
Paying For It - This is part of a series called
“Dislike Club” which is focusing on the Internet. This episode calls to attention the problems happening with todays
monetization of the web through advertising. It sums up so many of the thoughts I’ve had about technology recently.
Sometimes hit or miss. Strives to be entertaining more than educational
sometimes, but overall the content is quite good. I identify a bit with Steve Levitt as he’s more of an
intrespective quiet person.
Favourites:
Regulate This! - As a user of services like Uber and Airbnb, it’s interesting to hear the issues that
these services raise. I find myself leaning towards the side of less regulation, but I still can’t figure out where
the balance is. The term “sharing economy” also drives me nuts, because sharing implies no charge to me. These are
just peer-to-peer market places enabled by technology.
Fitness Apartheid - An excellent example of how too little thought around a problem can lead to
bad consequences. It brings the concerns of both sides together and makes the listener understand that nothing is ever
as simple as you think it ought to be.
Short and to the point episodes that focus on very specific topics or issues. I
like this show because the pieces are bite-sized and frequently released. I find myself listening to this show when I
have to wait 15 minutes before something.
A Mall Divided - A peak into how economic policy can distrupt small businesses.
Blockbusters, Bombs, and the Price of a Ticket - I had never put much thought into the cost of a movie
ticket, this episode explains all the details of why tickets cost the same regardless if it’s sold-out or empty.
A new one that I just got into. It’s a bit more candid than EconTalk and more accessible. The guests are of the same
caliber and sometimes the Q&A at the end can add interesting tidbits that may not neccessarily come up during an
interview.
Favourites:
Jeffrey Sachs - I’ve only listened to a few and they are all excellent but this one stands out because I
found Jeffrey Sachs inspires me a little bit. Instead of shrugging his shoulders and pointing out how all the terrible
things in the world can be explained by value functions and rational behaviour, he uses that knowledge to learn how to
tweak these systems. He’s an interesting balance of idealist and a realist and I find that refreshing compared to
other economic speakers I’ve listened to.
Currently just trying this one out. Don’t really have much to say about it at this point. It’s more conversational than
some of the other business/economic podcasts.
I learned about Linette Lopez from the Slate Money podcast and really liked her style. She’s punchy
and tells it like it is. Hard Pass is a good low-dose entertaining podcast about the business and
econmics news of the day. The episodes are so short that it’s easy to digest any time.
Over the last year I’ve been interested in those that pursue Financial Independence / Early Retirement (known as FIRE
for short). This podcast is a regular dose of inspiration on my own pursuit of getting out of the rat race.
Favourites:
JL Collins Simple Path to Wealth - The simplicity and logic was enough for me to go out and buy his
book. I’m following the steps mentioned here for the last year and it’s been pretty positive so far. I like the simple
steps involved and I like the removal of the pressure that I need to be rediculously smart to make money from the
market.
Enjoying this podcast makes me feel quite odd. It’s a branding exercise by Paul and Rich’s company, but I’m able to see
past that and enjoy the dialogue of this show. I feel connected with Paul Ford as he brings out the
computer nostalgia non-stop. It’s a nice light-weight podcast that’s nice for the gym or listening to before going to
sleep.
Favourites:
Craig Mod on Great Design and Long Journeys (part 1, part 2) - I really enjoyed hearing
the chill zen thoughts from Craig compared to the NYC startup fast life of Rich and Paul. I got the sense that there’s
a lot I can learn from Craig.
Clover Newsletter - Want to get some some insight to how the younger generation rediscovers
old mediums and finds them useful for their cause? This episode is great for that.
I was really impressed at how wise beyond their years Liza Darwin
and Casey Lewis talk about their newsletter business. More interesting for me is to hear about a
demographic (teenage girls) that is so often not spoken about in tech circles.
A topic that I’ve been loving lately is learning how our brains work. Not at the micro level, but at the macro level.
What makes us make all the silly decisions that we make. How do we subtly use this knowledge to manipulate people for
good and bad. Whenever you find yourself asking the question “why would anyone behave this way?”, listen to this show
and it’ll shed some light on us crazy humans.
Favourites:
Grit - I found myself nodding at many of the points in this episode. It highlights how expertise requires
spending a large portion of your time performing deliberate practice. It also looks at why people love people that
show mastery in something but disregard the massive dedication these people spent on becoming a master.
AirBnB While Black - As a western white male, the easiness of my life is often not very obvious,
that is until you hear the stories of others. I have a feeling that the Internet is exposing our unconscious biases
more frequently while at the same time providing people with techniques to overcome these hurdles.
Each episode starts with a clue as to what the topic is going to be, and the hosts try to figure it out. They often have
great dialogues about the words and are well researched in trying to pinpoint the origin of term. They have a good sense
of humour too.
Favourties:
Language Positivity Bias - This episode made me laugh out loud while grocery shopping. They
dive into the lyrics of Slayer and it’s really a priceless moment.
Another productivity show that aligns with my current beliefs. It’s good content delivered well, but I’ve stopped listening because I’ve heard most of the teachings in the show.
Malcolm Gladwell is exceptional at cherry picking great stories to make his point. In this podcast he brings forward
stories to make you think differently about past events. I really enjoyed this show as it reminds me of how delusional
the human mind can be. At only 10 episodes it’s something I believe is worth listening to a second time.
Favourites:
The Big Man Can’t Shoot - An excellent showcase about how we humans don’t behave in ways to
maximize specific outcomes even when we know how to do it. Using the example of professional basketball, Malcolm
explores why humans don’t choose to do things that would put us to the top.
Blame Game - Can a collective of people trully be mass delusional? Hearing how a root cause analysis can
completely break down is bizarre to hear.
An excellent history of the world in small bite sized chunks. The format gives you a really good perspective of how
long civilization takes to change. I can only imagine how much time it took to determine which objects to use
from the last century. While listening to this I realized how much bias I have around change being technical.
