25 October 2024
Podcasts have been an integral part of my life for a long time. My first memories are that I had downloaded the show Revenge of the Screen Savers, later ranamed to This Week in Tech, back in 2005. I dipped in and out over the years but it has been a daily habit since 2016, when I subscribed to Overcast through the App Store. If you wonder how I take so many steps, the answer is I have a robust podcast subscription list and I am a completionist. I find the best time to listen to podcasts are on my walks and runs. This post is meant to catalog the subscriptions I have in October 2024, as I add new ones and take out old ones over time.
These subscriptions are listed in alphabetical order as I don’t want to make any of them feel jealous, considering there are a few that I tag as priority and listen to them first. Otherwise, I listen in chronological release order.
99% Invisible: In the past I had dipped in periodically to 99% invisible, a podcast about how design impacts our lives. However, with their breakdown of Robert Caro’s The Power Broker this year, I think I’m fully committed to everything they release.
Accidental Tech Podcast: I do love technology and that is where I started with ATP. However, you stay with podcasts because you like the hosts. I absolutely love the interactions between John, Marco, and Casey. Their analysis of Apple is often good. I love their dips into cars.
Blank Check with Griffin & David: Blank Check is a podcast about director’s filmographies. As a movie lover, they tackle the films of a single director. They are often insightful and always comical. I try to watch the movies along with their analysis. It’s great go dip into their 500 episode backlog if you end up watching a movie they’ve covered and want a lot of information.
Blank Check: Special Features: Blank Check also has a special feed that releases new episodes every 10 days. Usually they do film commentaries of different film series or groups of movies. This is more free-flowing and often brings in producer Ben, who is a real treat.
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History: Episodes of Hardcore History don’t drop often, but when they do, buckle up! They’re often 3+ hours going into stories of the past. Dan Carlin has a really cool way to talk about various topics like World War II or the Persian empire.
Doughboys Platinum Plate Club: This is another series where I subscribe to their Patreon feed to get the Doughboys double and ad-free episodes. It’s a show about chain restaurants. It’s odd because I don’t go to chain restaurants, but Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell are absolutely hilarious. They bring on guests each week that just keeps everything feel fresh. I do love that they often record well in advance, and only recently stopped mentioning Joe Biden’s campaign for president. It’s just another element of hilarity.
Filmspotting: Filmspotting was one of my first podcasts I started to listen to. As a lover of film, it’s been a constant companion for modern film criticism. I love their insight and the marathons of blindspots are always fun to follow along.
The Flop House: The original peaches are hilarious and have been summarizing bad movies for a long time. They’re experts but keep it fresh and fun.
Moretex / Cortext: Myke and Grey talk about their work. I love the insights into how they work. I’ve got a lot of great app suggestions, workflow ideas, and more. The biggest thing is that it’s shown me that the way I do things should have thought and reasons.
My Brother, My Brother And Me: I got into MBMBAM relatively recently, but the McElroy brothers are hilarious. As one of three brothers in my family, I do relate a lot to the way they riff on each other.
Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster: I first discovered Ed Gamble and James Acaster last year when my wife and I got into Taskmaster. They are hilarious. James Acaster’s rant in the studio about Rhod Gilbert in a team task is what made me fall in love and seek how his content. I discovered this hilarious podcast where comedians and actors come on to talk about their favorite food, another thing that I really enjoy.
Plain English with Derek Thompson: A friend turned me on to this podcast. Derek Thompson chooses some important topics and asks really interesting questions of his guests. It’s how I stay on top of science, politics, and trends to why the world is the way it is.
Reconcilable Differences: I branched out from the hosts of ATP and discovered Reconcilable Differences. I had been a fan of Merlin Mann for a while, and the dynamic betweent hese two is remarkable.
Search Engine: Reply All was one of my favorite podcasts for a while. With its company’s acquisition by Spotify and the scandal that ended the show I lost contact. It was an episdoe of Reconcilable Differences that pointed me to the new venture Search Engine, where the hosts tackle a question each week. They’re usually interesting and thought provoking.
Shift+F1 Patreon Feed: Formula 1 is a big part of my life and I settled on Shift+F1 as my podcast of choice on the topic. I subscribe to support the hosts and do enjoy the monthly bonus episodes.
Shmanners: I like how short the episodes are. They tackle why society functions the way we do throughout history. The idioms episodes are some of my favorite because you often won’t stop and think about why certain phrases mean what they do.
The Talk Show With John Gruber: Apple products are instrumental to the way I work and live my life. I find John Gruber’s podcast very interesting for his analysis and the guests he brings on.
Taskmaster The Podcast: Taskmaster is a favorite show in our house and we love the companion podcast hosted by Ed Gamble.
Under the Radar: I’m not an independent app developer, but I do like to stay on top of the trends and things for those developers as I typically prefer to use them as opposed to apps from larger companies. It’s insightful and the 30 minute runtime makes for a pointed listen every two weeks.
