Podcasts

Podcasts have grown exponentially in the last two or three years. Some like "Serial" and "This American Life" have caught the attention of pop culture, being parodied on Saturday Night Live and other television shows. I thought that I would write this great article with a few podcasts from a few different topic areas. It started with a short list and kept growing, and growing and growing. I decided to say, "that's more than enough". I've listed a bunch here and that's not even a tip of the huge iceberg that is the podcast landscape. At the end I list articles you can read for longer descriptions of shows and more podcasts that I did not list.


Educational:

Invisibilia - About the unseen, unconscious forces that guide our lives: biases, dreams, and quirks of perception.

Motley Fool Answers – The Motley Fool publications and website answer listener questions regarding personal finance, insurance, retirement, investing, and economics.

99% Invisible - The coolest design podcast on earth, it discusses why things are designed the way they are and what lessons can be applied to other things.

Stuff You Missed in History Class - This podcast is great for every history buff. It explores the bizarre, fascinating, outlandish, and incredible things that may not have been covered in high school.

Freakanomics Radio – Like the bestselling books it ferrets out connections between seemingly unrelated things.

The Tim Ferris Show – Tim Ferris puts the life into life hacking. He is all about learning the most efficient way to do everything. He has been called one of the best interviewers who does tons of research about who he talks to, never asking them a question that they’ve been asked before.

Star Talk - Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses space tourism, comets, and the basics of astrophysics, just to name a few of his topics.

The Gist – Slate.com produced news show is fast paced and witty and gives you an easily digestible spread of all the news you need to know.


Entertainment:

UnFictional - fascinating mix of crazy, interesting, bizarre, and captivating stories.

Criminal - crime and mystery, it explores complex crimes and people who may have been wrongly accused.

The Memory Place - a mixture of wacky, sad, fascinating, and bizarre tales from the past.

Everything is Stories - a raw, honest, and unfiltered look into the past and present.

The Thrilling Adventure Hour – like old-timey radio broadcasts; a hilarious adventure-filled segment

Why? Oh Why? -  it covers all the awful and cringeworthy aspects of dating in today’s society.

The Dollop - two comedians discuss weird, wacky, and hilarious moments in America’s history.

Left, Right, & Center - Three political experts with different perspectives go head-to-head to discuss real issues. Each episode is entertaining, engaging, and a great representation of all sides

The Bugle – Comedian John Oliver discusses current news items

PodQuiz - 20-questions trivia podcast is a great way to keep your brain sharp.

The Indoor Kids - Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) and Emily Gordon (his wife) talk mostly about video games but also about other nerd pop culture like comics and films.

WTF - Marc Maron draws the ups and downs of life out of people with a certain raucous grace.

The Adam Carolla Show – Comedian Adam Carolla discusses everything from automotive, home improvement,  parenting , self-help, and much more.

The Adam & Dr. Drew Show - Adam and Drew take uncensored, nothing-off-limits, calls about sex, drug, medical and relationship issues.

Trends Like These – Two comedians discuss and mock current trends

Cracked – Learn all kinds of weird stuff about a variety of topics from biology, history, military technology, and much more.

The Simpsons Show – The two hosts discuss each episode of the Simpsons. They started with season one, episode one and are now somewhere in season 5 (there are currently 26 seasons). For fans of the Simpsons it is a lot of fun.

SW Action News – a podcast for the Star Wars fans, they talk about events, movies, collectibles, and basically everything that has anything to do with Star Wars.

Lost in the Stacks – A library podcast! Librarians of the Georgia Tech library discuss all kinds of topics in the library world: literature, technology, culture, administration, management, the ALA, and they mix in lots of rock music between discussions.

Nerdist – Host Chris Hardwick interviews actors, comedians, musicians, etc. and they discuss a range of things in pop culture and entertainment.

You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes – Comedian Pete Holmes interviews celebrities, comedians, and spiritual leaders to discuss work, life, psychology, meaning, relationships, and more.

Giant Bombcast – Discussion of  the latest video game news and new releases, taste-test questionable beverages, and get wildly off-topic.


Technology Podcasts:

This Week in Google – a look at what is going on in the Google Universe each week, learn about cool innovations, new apps, new phones, and tech trends from knowledgeable hosts that have a variety of current and former Google employees.

Android App Arena – a video podcast that chooses a topic to cover three or four great apps

Exponent – two tech start-up entrepreneurs discuss technology, science, politics, and trends. It’s like being invited to a party with very well informed guests who are concise and insightful.

Reply All - It’s a hilarious show about all the awkward, odd, quirky, and interesting things that you can find on the World Wide Web.

Hello World Podcast – Interviews with tech start-up founders about how they got started, trends, changes to the tech landscape, and running a business.

 a16z – discusses the biggest trends in the technology world

Off the Hook 2600 – If you are familiar with the Hacker magazine 2600, this podcast is for you. It’s about tech trends and hacker news.


NPR (National Public Radio) Podcasts:

Hourly News Summary - a fast five-minute overview of everything in the news you need to know.

This American Life – hard to describe it has oral histories, original storytelling, reporting about important topics, and much more. Amazing stuff.

Serial – The first season was about a young man convicted of murdering his girlfriend but, did he do it… Listen then tell me what you think.

Fresh Air With Terry Gross – Interviews with everyone from interesting experts to big-name actors, singers, writers, etc.

Marketplace – Quickly learn everything you need to know about what is going on in the world of business, the economy, and capital markets.

Planet Money – Better understand micro, macro, and personal economics.

Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me - Test your knowledge of current events in pop culture and news in this fun trivia podcast.

On the Media – A great show that looks at what is being reported and how the new media reports stories. It takes a careful look at the why of what is being reported in the news.

Radiolab - Hosts investigate everyday oddities with a blend of science, philosophy, and music.

The Moth – real life stories told before a live audience without notes

Snap Judgement – storytelling that has music and effects added to pump up the drama, really fun for long car rides

On Being with Krista Tippett - A Peabody Award-winning public radio conversation and podcast, opens up the animating questions at the center of human life: What does it mean to be human, and how do we want to live?

Selected Shorts - Classic and contemporary short fiction read by some of the most iconic voices in today’s world of film, theater and comedy.

For more suggestions (and there are so many more) or to read where I found out about some of these podcasts read these articles:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/fuelthejourney/were-bringing-radio-to-the-internet
http://www.businessinsider.com/podcasts-that-make-you-smarter-2015-7
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-podcast-resurgence-your-definitive-listening-guide-1438982728?mod=WSJ_GoogleNews&utm_content=buffere5cb5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
http://www.wired.com/2015/07/wired-guide-to-podcasts/
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9207360