When I started as a supervisor of loan officers at FINCA in Zambia, I bought a car. My commute on the bus had become untenable after I moved to a new branch, and with a car I could take a more direct route. It didn’t save me from traffic entirely though; my commute still pushed an hour each day. After playing my music collection to the brink of fatigue, I needed a new way to pass the time. That’s how I came into podcasts, and I've been listening to them ever since. I figured it was worth writing down all my favorites in one place. I’ve listed them all first, and added my thoughts afterwards.
Short (15 - 30 min)
Planet Money - economics
99% Invisible - design
Song Exploder - music
Long (30 min - 1 hr)
Radiolab - science
Short (15 - 30 min)
Planet Money - economics
99% Invisible - design
Song Exploder - music
Long (30 min - 1 hr)
Radiolab - science
Car Talk - cars and humor
This American Life - peoples' stories
Serial - investigative reporting
Open Source - current affairs
Video
NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts - music
Planet Money- clever and funny podcast highlighting interesting stories that embody some economic themes. Entertaining, short, and lots of them available for download.
Radiolab- new or interesting things related to science, philosophy, humanity, etc. Almost always fascinating, sometimes unbelievable.
This American Life- stories told by people, often interesting, typically emotional or thought provoking. Can be indulgent or boring at times, but frequently very good.
Car Talk- ostensibly about cars, but the focus is more on the hosts and their interaction with people calling in. The humor is classic, but nothing fancy. Also objectively a good way to learn about cars.
More recently, I’ve found some new favorites, and I keep realizing how much is actually out there:
99% Invisible- exploring design and the role it plays in our lives, often in overlooked places.
Song Exploder- artists walk you through the thinking that went into developing one of their songs. Always gives me a deeper interest and appreciation for the song afterwards.
Serial- a spinoff of This American Life, it features investigative journalism into murky criminal cases. The new season is a lot different than the first one, but they’re both good in their own ways.
Open Source- a friend turned me onto this one recently. It’s a news show about current events, featuring great guests and an intelligent host.
NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts- not the best phone downloads since they’re videos, but feature tons of great artists looking cramped and awkward (and human!) playing shows behind a desk.
This American Life - peoples' stories
Serial - investigative reporting
Open Source - current affairs
Video
NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts - music
Planet Money- clever and funny podcast highlighting interesting stories that embody some economic themes. Entertaining, short, and lots of them available for download.
This American Life- stories told by people, often interesting, typically emotional or thought provoking. Can be indulgent or boring at times, but frequently very good.
Car Talk- ostensibly about cars, but the focus is more on the hosts and their interaction with people calling in. The humor is classic, but nothing fancy. Also objectively a good way to learn about cars.
More recently, I’ve found some new favorites, and I keep realizing how much is actually out there:
99% Invisible- exploring design and the role it plays in our lives, often in overlooked places.
Song Exploder- artists walk you through the thinking that went into developing one of their songs. Always gives me a deeper interest and appreciation for the song afterwards.
Serial- a spinoff of This American Life, it features investigative journalism into murky criminal cases. The new season is a lot different than the first one, but they’re both good in their own ways.
Open Source- a friend turned me onto this one recently. It’s a news show about current events, featuring great guests and an intelligent host.
NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts- not the best phone downloads since they’re videos, but feature tons of great artists looking cramped and awkward (and human!) playing shows behind a desk.
