Recommend me a (non-gaming) podcast

UCRC wrote:
El-Producto wrote:

I'll say it again, Radiolab is my favorite podcast time and again. I wish they did it more often, but it's got fairly high production values, so I understand why.

No! It's so precious precisely because it doesn't appear too often.

If you want more Radiolab... then just go and listen to back catalogue. That's what I'm planning to do in the summer.

I'm actually doing that right now, thanks for the recommendation. Fantastic show. My iPhone (and commute) is now taken over by Radiolab almost completely.

I went through that with Idle Thumbs recently. I listened to every podcast from the beginning. It was fun because I got to listen as the memes developed.

I should check out Radiolab.

I'm pretty sure Stuff You Should Know has been mentioned before in the thread. It's usually really interesting. Although, it can get really frustrating when they are talking about something that you know a lot about. Oddly, the breathalyzer episode had me wanting to yell at my ipod.

I've had Stuff You Should Know on my subscription list for about a year now and I think I'm about to axe them. I think I mentioned it before but I'm often feeling like I'm getting too much opinion and not enough fact and that's not really why I began listening to them.

Oh, and I'll drop another big thumbs up for History of Rome. I'm addicted.

Would it be too far off track to ask for free audiobook recommendations ala podiobooks? Previously I've gone through some of the Scott Sigler books and now I'm working through weekly installments of Murder at Avadon Hill. So far I think I've gone through maybe a dozen books but I've run across some real stinkers in there since I'm generally just picking based on three sentence descriptions or award winners.

Iridium884 wrote:

Speaking of chemistry, the group of podcasts that got me into listen to podcasts (The Twit network), I haven't listed to for a long, long while. I got tired of them air-dropping four people with no chemistry together who were on there solely to promote their own website/social product/themselves. Has it gotten any better?

No. Leo has pretty much become a pandering twit. The only time TWIT is listenable is when the 'old farts' like John C. Dvorak and Jerry Pournelle are on.

MacBrave wrote:
Iridium884 wrote:

Speaking of chemistry, the group of podcasts that got me into listen to podcasts (The Twit network), I haven't listed to for a long, long while. I got tired of them air-dropping four people with no chemistry together who were on there solely to promote their own website/social product/themselves. Has it gotten any better?

No. Leo has pretty much become a pandering twit. The only time TWIT is listenable is when the 'old farts' like John C. Dvorak and Jerry Pournelle are on.

I like Tech News Today on the Twit Network, but then I'm a huge fan of Tom Merrit. So I may be biased.

I added four suggestions to my subscription list last night and I've listened to two so far. I'm loving the few episodes I've listened to of WTF but this morning I gave The Smartest Man in the World a shot and man.... painful. Are all of those episodes just Proops standing there rambling in stream of consciousness? I always enjoyed him on Whose Line but this was just boring.

Yep Kehama. His stage stand up is an acquired taste.

If you like RadioLab, CBC Radio's Quirks and Quarks can help fill the emptiness between episodes and scratch that science itch.
Quirks and Quarks site has both iTunes and RSS feeds for both Full shows and Segemented shows.

Binge Thinking - History
History of the American Revolution Podcast - an amateur/enthusiast gives some very well-thought-out and well-stated thoughts, digging deep into certain details, ideas, or events. Sadly, far too short. Disclaimer: This is not about the American Revolution. It's about the things that led to it. I wish he'd come back and do more.
Historyzine - A fairly in-depth look at the War of Spanish Succession - I've listened to most of it(maybe all) at least twice. I recently emailed him and he does plan to return to podcasting, but real life has taken precedence.
Originz - Odd, bizarre, and just plan interesting stories from the news and the internets. I love listening to this one at bedtime. He's got a subdued, soothing, calm speaking style that is very relaxing. He used to also do Mysteries Abound and Bizarre Bazaar, but consolidated a few months ago.
Out There - From 2005 to 2008, two Georgia college students do a radio show where they talk about various conspiracy theories and legends, one per show, in a light-hearted but earnest manner. I'm not as much a fan of what came after they left the University/branched out from the original, but I can listen to the first 50 episodes over and over.
TEDTalks - It's TEDTalks.
Dungeons & Dragons Podcast - Whether you plan DND or not, if you haven't listened to the Penny Arcade and PvP guys and Wil Wheaton play DnD, you really, really should. Trust me. Oh, when they do the Live show at PAX (Oct 11, 2011) - Turn the volume down. Every time the DM says "acid", Wil Wheaton SCREAMS. I have hearing loss now. Do not listen with earbuds on this episode.
The Tolkien Professor - This guy has the best job ever. He teaches a course at Washington College(University? I forget) about Tolkien's writings. Truly amazing and in-depth. The feed is enormous now with the current semester's course on Faerie(not Fairy) but so much of this feed is pure Tolkien gold.
This Developer's Life - a podcast about coders and coding and being a coder and much, much more. It's This American Life's format for geeks/coders/devs. I've listened to all of these at least twice. Some of them 3 or 4 times.
ARTC - Atlanta Radio Theater Company - Radio Theater. Yep. Some real gems in the back Catalog - Guards! Guards!(with blessing from Pratchett), some multipart Cthulhu/Lovecraft stories. Sometimes seems to be done in a studio, sometimes performed by full cast, live, before a live audience.

That's all I feel like sharing. Enjoy.

Some other one's i forgot to mention are: Jordan Jesse Go! and The Sound of Young America.
The first is a comedy podcast hosted by 2 guys in their late 20's, 30's. l feel like I grew up with these guys, as I enjoy(ed) the same pop culture. Sound of Young America is the same host, and is an interview show... really well done.

Hey Ducki, the American Revolution podcast, where can I get the first 3 episodes? I can't seem to find them on his site.

It looks as though he was going to go back and update but stopped before he got to #2.

Thanks for the suggestions, I've pulled a sampling and I'm looking forward to going through them =)

He yanked them before I ever found the podcast, I think due to audio quality, and hasn't rerecorded them yet. I don't think it kills the podcast, but I do wish they were available.

Thanks to everyone who's recommended MBMBAM. I've found tons of excuses to go out driving and listen to them over the past few weeks, and am currently learning about pregnant stacking babies.

Kehama wrote:

I've had Stuff You Should Know on my subscription list for about a year now and I think I'm about to axe them. I think I mentioned it before but I'm often feeling like I'm getting too much opinion and not enough fact and that's not really why I began listening to them.

I gave up on them too, for much the same reason, but found a something that fits into that niche -- the producers of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me have started their own podcast, "How To Do Everything". There are only ten episodes so far, with topics from 'how to jump off a ski lift without dying', 'how to get a job as a bartender with no experience', 'how to pick a name for your military operation', a sure-fire hiccups cure which GWJ already seems to know about*, and the ever-popular 'ask a rocket scientist' segment. The hosts collect questions, then interview experts in the subject. (iTunes link)

[size=10]* Episode 4, from March 8. **[/size]

[size=9]** What, you want to know what it is? ***[/size]

[size=5]*** Finger->Butt[/size]

The Tobolowsky files are extremely good once you get into them. They are tales from the life and career of Stephen Tobolowsky. Groundhog day is episode 29 but there are excellent stories in most if not all episodes.

Hi Stephen! (Just incase your Google alerts brought you here.)

Higgledy wrote:

The Tobolowsky files are extremely good once you get into them. They are tales from the life and career of Stephen Tobolowsky. Groundhog day is episode 29 but there are excellent stories in most if not all episodes.

Hi Stephen! (Just incase your Google alerts brought you here.)

There was a really good interview with him on WTFPod a couple of months ago.

duckilama wrote:

ARTC - Atlanta Radio Theater Company - Radio Theater. Yep. Some real gems in the back Catalog - Guards! Guards!(with blessing from Pratchett), some multipart Cthulhu/Lovecraft stories. Sometimes seems to be done in a studio, sometimes performed by full cast, live, before a live audience.

I've been enjoying their back catalog. I really like their modern interpretations of radio programs from the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

You might also like 19 Nocturne Blvd as it's a similar full cast podcast. The quality of the stories varies, but there are some good ones in their catalog.

Library Police - books new and old
Skeptoid - critical thinking vs urban legends
DGR - formerly Drunken Gamers Radio @ Robot Panic. Don't talk about games much at all anymore. "Suck it, Andrich!"
HPPodcraft - H.P. Lovecraft's stories discussions
Escape Pod - Short SciFi stories in audio format. Can be hit or miss depending on your tastes.
Galactic Watercooler - All things SciFi and geek
and I'm sure this one MUST have been mentioned before:
My Brother, My Brother, and Me - "An advice show for the modren era" (yes, mod-ren). Hi-lar-i-ous

It gets mentioned in this thread every couple of pages, but WTF with Marc Maron is getting the public radio treatment, starting with WBEZ in Chicago.

If you want to get their "best of" episodes, they're here.

I've just started listening to WTF but I've already made it through a dozen episodes. Fantastic interviews, but how the heck are they going to air any of that on public radio? They'd have to edit the shnizzle out of Maron and that would just kill it for me. It's the fact that everyone is just being themselves that makes it. If they had to start worrying about rules of public radio it'd just take all of the steam out of it.

El-Producto wrote:

Some other one's i forgot to mention are: Jordan Jesse Go! and The Sound of Young America.
The first is a comedy podcast hosted by 2 guys in their late 20's, 30's. l feel like I grew up with these guys, as I enjoy(ed) the same pop culture. Sound of Young America is the same host, and is an interview show... really well done.

Another shout out for Sound of Young America. The host has a way of making interesting topics and persons I'd otherwise not know or care about.

It's been recommended on here already, but this week's Rum Doings features discussion of the use of "obey" in marriage vows, the dangers of nationalism and John's unwell butt-hole. It's disgusting and hilarious and well worth a listen.

I'm n-thing the Nerdist podcast. My girlfriend got me onto it and it's easily one of the funniest podcasts I've ever listened to.

Iconic comedy show Comedy Deathray Bang Bang has a new spinoff podcast: Affirmation Nation with Bob Ducca. It's a self-help and self-improvement show hosted by the most miserable sad sack in the world. The shows range from 2-3 minutes long and feature a wide range of topics such as reviews of fictional medical equipment, existential poetry, and a guided meditation session that slowly turns into a graphic depiction of a grizzly bear attack. The humor is silly and self-deprecating, but delivered with dry wit and verbosity.

Okay...I'm trying to get into the "We're Alive" podcast and getting frustrated.

Apparently it's not on iTunes. So I followed the link in this thread, and that took me to the website, of course. Only way they indicate to get it to my iPhone is to enter my e-mail address on their site, at which point they send me an e-mail that I'm supposed to open on my iPhone, tap on a link in the e-mail, which installs the "Stitcher" app. Weird. Irritating, and weird.

...but not as irritating as trying to use the app, which only allows me to stream it (which will make for more frustration if/when I want to listen to the podcast anywhere I don't have good cell reception, which is most places around here). I can't for the life of me figure out how to listen to past episodes.

Am I doing this wrong?

Mytch wrote:

Okay...I'm trying to get into the "We're Alive" podcast and getting frustrated.

Apparently it's not on iTunes. So I followed the link in this thread, and that took me to the website, of course. Only way they indicate to get it to my iPhone is to enter my e-mail address on their site, at which point they send me an e-mail that I'm supposed to open on my iPhone, tap on a link in the e-mail, which installs the "Stitcher" app. Weird. Irritating, and weird.

...but not as irritating as trying to use the app, which only allows me to stream it (which will make for more frustration if/when I want to listen to the podcast anywhere I don't have good cell reception, which is most places around here). I can't for the life of me figure out how to listen to past episodes.

Am I doing this wrong?

Wow... I have no idea why it's like that. I went through the iTunes store front to subscribe to the Podcast and after it auto-downloaded the latest I went back and downloaded everything.

As far as Stitcher, that's a legit app. It's basically a "cloud radio" style app where you can stream popular podcasts to your phone on demand. I use it when my iPod is out of juice or I don't have it handy. Pretty nice app and We're Alive is worth the hassle. Nothing else like it out there.

Well, good grief. It is right there...I don't know why it wasn't coming up earlier! Thanks for the post, even though the problem was apparently my own incompetence at running an iTunes search!

Downloading the first episode now!

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but I'm enjoying The Sword and Laser podcast. It's basically an online book club for fantasy and sci-fi. Plus they get some really interesting interviews with authors.

Just saw this on twitter for the MBMBaM podcast (one instance of cussing included for the NSFW disclosure)

duckilama wrote:

ARTC - Atlanta Radio Theater Company - Radio Theater. Yep. Some real gems in the back Catalog - Guards! Guards!(with blessing from Pratchett), some multipart Cthulhu/Lovecraft stories. Sometimes seems to be done in a studio, sometimes performed by full cast, live, before a live audience.

I've found another podcast exactly like ARTC but much, much better: The Thrilling Adventure Hour.

It's a comedy troupe that does monthly staged productions in the spirit of old timey radio. Not only are the episodes hilarious, but they are performed by top-notch talent. The episode just I listened to had Nathan Fillion and John DiMaggio in it.