What I Listen to

August 21, 2010 | By Patrick | Filed in: Geek, PAS.

Most of you know that I’m a big fan of podcasts. While listening, I often get questions about them. Why do you listen? What’s so great about them? And mostly, what are you listening to? Rather than explain it to everyone over and over again, I thought I could do a better job in a blog post and just point everyone here.

(For the uninitiated, podcasts are pre-recorded audio or video recordings made available by the authors over the interwebs. iTunes is the most popular vehicle for subscribing and organizing one’s podcasts, and, to nobody’s surprise, an iPod is the most popular device for listening. I’ll tell you what I use later.)

On to the list:

Name (rating 1-5)

60-Second Science (3) – Daily science nuggets usually relating to current events.

Abby’s Road (3) – Part of the TWiT empire, Leo LaPorte’s teen daughter Abby has her own podcast about all things teen/high school. Interesting insight into the mind of today’s adolescent. Updated irregularly.

The Adam Carolla Show (5) – One of the top podcasts in iTunes, it’s funny, topical, and a bit raunchy. The show combines news and commentary, guests, and select bits from his old radio show. Four new shows a week that run 60-90 minutes each. Tough to squeeze in every day, but it’s worth the time.

Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code (4) – Yes, the Adam Curry from MTV in the 80’s. Despite the name, the show comes out at most once a week on Friday or Saturday and has been running a whopping 3 hours lately. It’s mostly music and a bit of commentary from Adam. Easy to have this on while doing other things around the house.

Are We There Yet? (5) – Sam & Kim from Dallas talk about their life, their Things (daughters), and they throw in some news and commentary. Their funny, back-and-forth style is great to listen to 4 times a week for 30-40 minutes.

Buzz Out Loud (4) – This daily show from CNET has 3-4 tech journalists discussing the day’s tech news. With over 1000 shows under their belt, they have a great sense for what’s news and what’s hyperbole. Unfortunately, the show has lost a little shine since the departure of Tom Merritt to another TWiT show, Tech News Today.

The Conversation (4) – Dan Benjamin hosts this one-on-one talk show with special guests, tech and development news, and listener calls. New episodes appear weekly and run about an hour.

Current Geek! (5) – Scott Johnson and Tom Merritt host this thrice weekly sub 10-minute episode plus a 30-minute weekly episode covering the geekiest stories of the week. Great conversation with professional hosts.

Daily Photo Tips with Chris (4) – Chris Marquardt from Germany offers a (sometimes) daily photo tip lasting only a minute or two.

DH Unplugged (5) – John C. Dvorak and Andrew Horowitz host this weekly 1-hour casual, unrehearsed conversation about the week’s activities in the financial markets. Dvorak brings the tech and Horowitz brings the money management expertise to this enjoyable discussion.

The Digital Marketer’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Growing Your Business with Digital Tools (3) – The first of many from the Quick and Dirty network, Aliza Sherman delivers short, friendly tips to help jump start your business using technology tools and gadgets. The lower rating is mostly because I’m already familiar with whatever she discusses. The application of the tools/technology is what is really valuable.

Digital Photography – Tips from the Top Floor (4) – The long-form version of Chris Marquardt’s short photography tips lasting about an hour every week or so.

The Disciplined Investor (5) – Money manager Andrew Horowitz gives us his take on the financial news of the week. After the news, he brings in a guest from the financial world for a casual interview. Great info from very knowledgeable people.

ESPN: PTI (5) – As you might imagine, this is the audio of the weekday ESPN program of the same name (Pardon the Interruption). Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon host this 20- to 25-minute show talking about the sports news of the day.

First Team Express (5) – Steve Czaban and his crew talk about sports, life, or whatever is on their mind. Each episode runs 10 minutes or so, but, to be kind, the updates are irregularly issued. Hopefully, things will settle down once he comes back to the national airwaves.

FourCast Podcast (5) – Tom Merritt and Scott Johnson (again) bring in 2 new guests per week to get their short-, medium-, and long-term predictions for the world. Great conversation and insight into the minds of some really smart people. Each episode runs about an hour.

FOX News Sunday (5) – This podcast is the audio from the Sunday morning TV show of the same name. No commercials, so it runs 40 minutes.

Got-It-Done Guy’s Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More (4) – Another Q&D weekly podcast talking about ways to simplify and streamline your work.

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (4) – For anyone who cares about English and writing style, this 7-minute weekly podcast helps you understand grammar rules and myths.

The House Call Doctor’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Taking Charge of Your Health (4) – A real doctor answers your questions in very plain language every week. Lasts about 10 minutes.

Hypothetical Help (4) – Scott Johnson and Turpster answer listener questions in a funny but sincere manner. It runs about 30-40 minutes once a week.

Legal Lad’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Lawful Life (4) – This time it’s a lawyer addressing questions from listeners and talking about current events and what they mean in plain language.

MacBreak Weekly (5) – Another TWiT offering dealing with all things Apple, this weekly 90-minute show brings together highly respected tech writers to talk about Macs, iPhones, iPods, and other Apple news. While I’m not an Apply guy, it’s interesting to hear insight into the news from those with an obvious Apple-bias.

 

… …

(Clearly this is going to take a while; I’m only half-way through my subscriptions. And that’s just the audio. Rather than wait any longer, I’m going to break the list down into a few different posts.)


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