
Ask HN: Any good audio podcasts? - rbanffy
Many of my favorite tech podcasts seem to be vanishing. What are your favorites and why?
======
sant0sk1
I'm a big podcast fan. Here are my favorite tech podcasts:

* ATP: [http://atp.fm](http://atp.fm)

* Giant Robots: [http://podcasts.thoughtbot.com/giantrobots](http://podcasts.thoughtbot.com/giantrobots)

* The Changelog: [http://thechangelog.com](http://thechangelog.com) (disclaimer: co-host)

* Ruby Rogues: [http://rubyrogues.com](http://rubyrogues.com)

* Debug: [http://www.imore.com/debug](http://www.imore.com/debug)

Non-tech but also lovely:

* We Have Concerns: [http://wehaveconcerns.com](http://wehaveconcerns.com)

* The New Disruptors: [http://newdisrupt.org](http://newdisrupt.org)

* The Incomparable: [http://www.theincomparable.com](http://www.theincomparable.com)

* IRL Talk: [http://www.irltalk.com](http://www.irltalk.com)

~~~
ToastyMallows
What is "We Have Concerns" about, I can't find an About page anywhere on their
site. Looks interesting though!

~~~
icebraining
From their Patreon page:

 _It 's called We Have Concerns and it's a mix of science, philosophy, and
improv comedy. It's also where we get all of our weird out._

[http://www.patreon.com/wehaveconcerns](http://www.patreon.com/wehaveconcerns)

~~~
ToastyMallows
Gah, thanks. That kinda stuff should be on the front page though. Subscribed!

------
onion2k
99% Invisible -
[http://99percentinvisible.org/](http://99percentinvisible.org/) You Are Not
So Smart - [http://youarenotsosmart.com/](http://youarenotsosmart.com/) NPR
Planet Money -
[http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/](http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/)

~~~
anmilo
99% invisible has shot up to the highest priority in my playlist. highly
recommended

------
rb2k_
In terms of light entertainment I enjoy Merlin Mann's stuff:

Roderick on the line:
[http://www.merlinmann.com/roderick/](http://www.merlinmann.com/roderick/)

Back to Work: [http://5by5.tv/b2w](http://5by5.tv/b2w)

~~~
splawn
Thanks for these links! I will have to check them out. This week I have been
listening to all the old episodes of "you look nice today"
[http://youlooknicetoday.com](http://youlooknicetoday.com)

------
cfeduke
Pragmatic:
[http://techdistortion.com/podcasts/pragmatic](http://techdistortion.com/podcasts/pragmatic)
(nothing to do with the defunct Pragmatic Programmers podcast, straight
technology talk; professionally produced; replaced Ruby Rogues as my favorite
podcast)

Infinite Monkey Cage:
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00snr0w](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00snr0w)
(science, brilliant! no interspersed advertisements)

Hardcore History:
[http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hh](http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hh)
(when I need to get away from technology and science; professionally produced,
no interspersed advertisements)

~~~
Kudos
Seconding Hardcore History by Dan Carlin. I'm currently going through the
Blueprint for Armageddon series, where he gives a passionate and compelling
telling of the events leading up to and surrounding World War One.

------
alexyoung
These aren't really technical, but they're some of my favourite podcasts.

* Trivia: Good Job, Brain! [http://www.goodjobbrain.com/](http://www.goodjobbrain.com/)

* Video games: Idle Thumbs [https://www.idlethumbs.net/](https://www.idlethumbs.net/) \-- they also had a book club that was fun

* Poetry Magazine podcast: [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/features/audio?show=The%20Po...](http://www.poetryfoundation.org/features/audio?show=The%20Poetry%20Magazine%20Podcast)

* New Yorker podcasts: [http://www.newyorker.com/podcasts](http://www.newyorker.com/podcasts)

------
davidw
[http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/](http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/)
has lots of good advice. Most importantly, it has a transcript, for those of
us who are _not_ fans of audio.

------
alanl
My top 5 (in no order):

ted radio hour [http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-
hour/](http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/)

radiolab [http://www.radiolab.org/](http://www.radiolab.org/)

linux outlaws [http://sixgun.org/linuxoutlaws](http://sixgun.org/linuxoutlaws)

techzing [http://techzinglive.com/](http://techzinglive.com/)

accidental tech podcast [http://atp.fm/](http://atp.fm/)

------
hadoukenio
\- [http://techzinglive.com](http://techzinglive.com)

\- [http://rocketship.fm/podcast/](http://rocketship.fm/podcast/)

\-
[http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/](http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/)

\-
[http://www.2600.com/offthehook/archive_ra.html](http://www.2600.com/offthehook/archive_ra.html)

\- [http://bootstrapped.fm/](http://bootstrapped.fm/)

------
yan
Some I listen to regularly: 99 percent invisible, planet money, radiolab, the
occasional Nerdist podcast, this american life, Dan Carlin's Hardcore History,
Dirtbag Diaries

~~~
shankysingh
Love Radiolab I would add 1\. Startalk
([http://www.startalkradio.net/](http://www.startalkradio.net/) ) 2\. How
stuff works ( [http://www.howstuffworks.com/hsw-
podcast.htm](http://www.howstuffworks.com/hsw-podcast.htm) )

to the list

------
sidmitra
There's some interesting Tech podcasts that i'll give a try this week.

Some people might still enjoy some Non-Tech ones below:

* NoAgenda [http://feed.nashownotes.com/rss.xml](http://feed.nashownotes.com/rss.xml)

* The Smartest Man in the World - [http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheSmartest?format=xml](http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheSmartest?format=xml)

~~~
alexissantos
In the morning! I second No Agenda! I've been listening for _years_. Here are
some others (non-tech):

\- Let's Drink About It:
[http://www.letsdrinkabout.it/](http://www.letsdrinkabout.it/)

\- The Morning Stream: Geeky morning show, four days a week
[http://frogpants.com/tms/](http://frogpants.com/tms/)

\- Back to Work: Merlin Mann (Need I say more?)
[http://5by5.tv/b2w](http://5by5.tv/b2w)

\- Ear Biscuits: An interesting look at YouTubers and "new media" folks. Their
stories, etc. [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ear-
biscuits/id717407884...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ear-
biscuits/id717407884?mt=2)

Also, a shameless plug: I've been interviewing developers ranging from Mark
Shuttleworth of Canonical to Frederico Knabben of CKEditor. I want to learn
from experience. How'd they start their businesses and what knowledge have
they accumulated over time? So far, I've racked up 10 interviews. Highlights
include:

\- Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical

\- Mitchell Hashimoto, HashiCorp

\- Jeff Haynie, Appcelerator

\- John O’Nolan, Ghost

Here's the latest show: [http://www.binpress.com/blog/2014/09/09/binpress-
podcast-epi...](http://www.binpress.com/blog/2014/09/09/binpress-podcast-
episode-10-mitchell-hashimoto-hashicorp/)

------
runjake
Search for these in your favorite podcast app.

\- Rich Roll Podcast (Lots of life inspiration & healthy eating advice)

\- Tim Ferriss Podcast (Interesting random people and perspectives)

\- An occasional episode of Joe Rogan Experience. I don't find Joe all that
highly-intelligent, but I find his views, questions, and interviews
interesting and thought-provoking.

\- The Nerdist (Good, informal interviews)

\- Trail Runner Nation

\- Zencast (Everything by Gil Fronsdal)

I don't really listen to any tech podcasts anymore. I'll catch ATP on
occasion, but for me they're all a bit of a waste of time, immersed in
minutiae. I can catch all of the important bits I want with a 5 minute glance
at my Twitter stream, or Techmeme or The Verge or wherever.

I also don't listen to every episode of the above podcasts. The only time I
have for podcasts is during commuting and I take frequent breaks from any
podcasts/music as a form of commuting meditation, left alone with my thoughts.
That happens at least one day a week, and I've gone as long as 3 weeks of
commuting in silence, with nothing playing.

------
phrasemix
Techzing: [http://techzinglive.com/](http://techzinglive.com/)

------
cjjuice
Tim Ferriss Show -> [http://fourhourworkweek.com/category/the-tim-ferriss-
show/](http://fourhourworkweek.com/category/the-tim-ferriss-show/)

I like Tim's style, very insightful and I think he gets some great guests.

------
pwaring
I listen to:

bsdtalk: [http://bsdtalk.blogspot.co.uk/](http://bsdtalk.blogspot.co.uk/)

FLOSS Weekly: [http://twit.tv/show/floss-weekly](http://twit.tv/show/floss-
weekly)

Tech Weekly:
[http://www.theguardian.com/technology/series/techweekly](http://www.theguardian.com/technology/series/techweekly)

Linux Voice:
[http://www.linuxvoice.com/category/podcasts/](http://www.linuxvoice.com/category/podcasts/)

Ubuntu UK: [http://podcast.ubuntu-uk.org/](http://podcast.ubuntu-uk.org/)

------
er0l
If you're into comedy, I'd recommend Joe Rogan Experience (sometime's gets
tech guys), Fighter and the Kid, Monday Morning Podcast with Bill Burr, WTF
with Mark Maron.

I find a good laugh important after a long day at work!

~~~
baseh
I second JRE, great podcast and guests. Some of the guests on JRE have their
own great podcasts. My preferences are:

\- Duncan Trussell Family hour : duncantrussell.com

\- Chris Ryan - Tangentially speaking : chrisryanphd.com

\- Psychedelic Salon By Lorenzo

~~~
er0l
if you haven't checked out the fighter and the kid, you should. Brenden Schaub
(UFC heavyweight) and Bryan Callen. Hilarious

------
Xavierf-
Unfortunately not exactly tech, but Hello Internet is extremely enjoyable and
it's made by some pretty awesome guys.

[http://www.hellointernet.fm/](http://www.hellointernet.fm/)

------
kevinoid
In addition to several of the ones already mentioned by others, I'd include
Free as in Freedom - [http://faif.us/](http://faif.us/) \- It covers legal and
policy issues in technology (particularly FOSS), rather than technology
directly, but I think it fits your question. I find it provides some good
depth on issues that aren't covered as fully or as often as on other podcasts,
if you are interested in legal issues.

------
chriskelley
TropicalMBA for startup business talk. Nathan Barry Show and Kalzumeus for
inspiring, actionable content. Seth Godin's Startup School series is pretty
timeless as well.

------
frabrunelle
Kinsella on Liberty: [http://www.stephankinsella.com/kinsella-on-liberty-
podcast/](http://www.stephankinsella.com/kinsella-on-liberty-podcast/) (often
talks about intellectual property in the context of technology)

MKBHD:
[https://www.youtube.com/user/marquesbrownlee](https://www.youtube.com/user/marquesbrownlee)
(reviews Android phones and talks about various tech news)

------
marksteadman
I'm a big fan of the Daily Tech News Show
([http://www.dailytechnewsshow.com/](http://www.dailytechnewsshow.com/)), and
I present a digital startup show that focuses on stories for product-led web
and mobile startups, which is called Bootsector
([http://poddle.io/bootsector/](http://poddle.io/bootsector/)).

------
rsendv
Daily independent news: Democracy Now!
<[http://www.democracynow.org/podcast.xml>](http://www.democracynow.org/podcast.xml>)

Entrepreneurship: Stanford's Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders lecture series
<[http://ecorner.stanford.edu/podcasts.html>](http://ecorner.stanford.edu/podcasts.html>)

------
linuxexchange
Bad Voltage: [http://www.badvoltage.org/](http://www.badvoltage.org/)

"Every two weeks Bad Voltage delivers an amusing take on technology, Open
Source, politics, music, and anything else we think is interesting, as well as
interviews and reviews. The show is presented by Jono Bacon, Jeremy Garcia,
Stuart Langridge, and Bryan Lunduke."

------
kcovia
I've made a site just for this purpose:

[http://www.programmingpodcasts.com](http://www.programmingpodcasts.com)

------
rbanffy
To start, one I try not to miss is FLOSS Weekly, which always brings in some
interesting free/open source project. There is also the NPR Hourly News
Summary and the WSJ Tech News Briefing (which are fairly short), Steve Blank's
Customer Development for Startups (always valuable lessons) and Grady Booch's
On Computing (always deep).

------
exelib
Software Engineering Radio: www.se-radio.net

------
Sami_Lehtinen
* OWASP Podcast: [https://www.owasp.org/index.php/OWASP_Podcast](https://www.owasp.org/index.php/OWASP_Podcast)

* Security Now: [http://twit.tv/sn](http://twit.tv/sn)

Something you can listen while jogging or cycling, when reading is practically
not an option.

------
programminggeek
My regulars:

\- Forever Jobless

\- Mad Marketing with Marcus Sheridan

\- Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn

\- Empire Flippers

\- The Nathan Berry Show

\- Kalzemus Podcast (like twice a year there is a new ep.)

Those are the ones I haven't got tired of yet.

I used to like Startups For The Rest Of Us and The Foolish Adventure, but I
sort of grew out of both of those as they got repetitive or I started to
dislike the hosts (familiarity breeds contempt).

~~~
justincooke
Thanks for the Empire Flippers shout, Brian. Glad to hear you dig the show.

------
ZanderEarth32
The new Relay.fm podcast network has some good stuff on it, particularly
Analogue.

Rich Roll Podcast - Cool if you're into endurance sports, health, spirituality
in a general sense.

MTNmeister - Outdoor related podcast (backpacking, climbing, etc.)

Enormocast - Rock climbing podcast, interview style.

BS Report with Bill Simmons - Sports focused.

Debug - Tech related.

DLC - Gaming related (video and tabletop)

------
leemcalilly
* Sound Opinions: [http://www.soundopinions.org](http://www.soundopinions.org) \- best music podcast on the web

* All Songs Considered: [http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/](http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/) \- another good music podcast

------
mncolinlee
I currently follow The Java Posse and Android Developers Backstage. Both have
great hosts and are newish.

[http://www.javaposse.com/](http://www.javaposse.com/)
[http://androidbackstage.blogspot.com/](http://androidbackstage.blogspot.com/)

------
krmtl
Radiolab: [http://www.radiolab.org/](http://www.radiolab.org/)

------
staunch
Revolutions by Mike Duncan, who also did The History of Rome.

[http://www.revolutionspodcast.com/](http://www.revolutionspodcast.com/)

[http://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/](http://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/)

------
TheSaaSGuy
Two of my routine podcasts include > APM Marketplace > BBC's from our own
correspondent -
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qjlq](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qjlq)

------
ing33k
Not exactly tech, but Found this few days ago.

This is a series about what happens when someone who knows nothing about
business starts one. It's called StartUp.

[http://hearstartup.com/](http://hearstartup.com/)

------
miles_matthias
* stuff you should know * the daily show podcast * product people * the changelog

------
eiji
I highly recommend "History of Philosophy without any gaps":
[http://www.historyofphilosophy.net/all-
episodes](http://www.historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes)

------
springogeek
NodeUp [http://nodeup.com/](http://nodeup.com/)

I use node regularly for side projects and this podcast is both educational in
Node's history and use, as well as inspirational.

------
alexhektor
[http://thisweekinstartups.com](http://thisweekinstartups.com) from @jason ..
extremely good. Not techy though. I'd say it's more of a business podcast.

------
windust
I would biased-ly recommend javapubhouse.com (I host it). Is a tech dive on a
Java topic that you can listen while on the radio/threadmill (you can close
your eyes and follow the code) :)

------
simonbarker87
This week in TWiT (TWiT.tv) hosted by Leo Laporte on Sundays is a good panel
show and they cover a broad range of topics. I listen to thw audio version but
it is technically a video netcast.

------
hackerboos
Alex Blumberg (This American Life & Planet Money) - StartUp podcast -
[http://www.hearstartup.com](http://www.hearstartup.com)

------
fotcorn
A similar question has been asked two months ago:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8041789](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8041789)

------
goblin89
[http://backspace.fm/](http://backspace.fm/) is a tech podcast in Japanese, in
case anyone speaks or learns this language.

------
p0nce
Not a tech podcast, but a bunch of 25 minutes music slices designed for
pomodoros: [http://tech.no.com](http://tech.no.com)

------
mpthrapp
I've been listing to dev-hell[1] and I'm really enjoying it.

[1][http://devhell.info/](http://devhell.info/)

------
metaleks
I'm an avid podcast listener, and here are some of my favourites off the top
of my head:

Radio Lab (science) -- [http://www.radiolab.org/](http://www.radiolab.org/)

THE science show to listen to. If you're going to listen to anything from this
list, this is the show to listen to. It's very well produced and always
interesting. Their most controversial show was Yellow Rain
([http://www.radiolab.org/story/239549-yellow-
rain/](http://www.radiolab.org/story/239549-yellow-rain/)).

=====================

Freakonomics (science/economics) --
[http://freakonomics.com/](http://freakonomics.com/)

I often consider this show to be Radio Lab's counterpart. Their headline is
"exploring the hidden side of everything". Every single episode is fascinating
(here is the show "Cobra Effect" to get you started:
[http://freakonomics.com/2012/10/11/the-cobra-effect-a-new-
fr...](http://freakonomics.com/2012/10/11/the-cobra-effect-a-new-freakonomics-
radio-podcast/)). The shows all lean toward a very economist-like way of
looking at things, so unless you're in the field, you'll enjoy much of the
insights that come about because of this.

=====================

Planet Money (economics) --
[http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/](http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/)

Just a well-produced podcast about money and its long-reaching tendrils. Shows
usually focus on interesting stories about money/finance that are in the
"background" and go otherwise unnoticed by the population at large.

=====================

TED Radio Hour (everything) -- [http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-
hour/](http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/)

Basically a radio version of TED talks. However! It's very well produced and
every show is basically _made_ for radio. It's not just TED talks with the
video part stripped out.

=====================

This American Life (everything) --
[http://www.thisamericanlife.org/](http://www.thisamericanlife.org/)

The most downloaded podcast for a reason.

=====================

The Irrelevant Show (comedy) --
[http://www.cbc.ca/irrelevantshow/](http://www.cbc.ca/irrelevantshow/)

Fantastic comedy sketch group from Canada. Their most famous cast member is
probably Mark Meer (Shepard's voice actor in the Mass Effect games). While
some of their sketches can fall flat, more often than not they make me smile.
Their humour has a very Canadian slant, so unless you're living in Canada,
sketches about, say, Canadian law and politics, might be a little more
difficult to decipher. :)

=====================

Wait Wait Don't Tell Me (comedy) -- [http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-
dont-tell-me/](http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/)

The only show that actually manages to consistently make me laugh out loud in
public. It's a news trivia show with a panel of well-established comedians and
writers that participate in the game. Highly recommended.

=====================

Honourable mentions include:

To the Best of Our Knowledge --
[http://www.ttbook.org/](http://www.ttbook.org/)

Snap Judgement -- [http://snapjudgment.org/](http://snapjudgment.org/)

Intelligence Squared --
[http://www.intelligencesquared.com/](http://www.intelligencesquared.com/)

Science Friday --
[http://www.sciencefriday.com/](http://www.sciencefriday.com/)

Ask Me Another -- [http://www.npr.org/programs/ask-me-
another/](http://www.npr.org/programs/ask-me-another/)

------
bear_king
I have been a listener of Red Bar for a couple years now - www.redbarradio.net

Give it three episodes because you'll hate it after one.

------
chillingeffect
Philosophy Walks - light-hearted but clever and intelligent intros to
philsophers

Great Lives - 20 minute biographies of famous dead people

------
icebraining
Personally, I find most tech podcasts annoying. The ones I still follow are
the Java Posse, Hanselminutes and SE Radio.

------
caschw
Great Microsoft podcast - [http://msdevshow.com/](http://msdevshow.com/)

------
Satoshietal
BBC World Service _._ BBC Radio 4 _._

Those two alone are more than sufficient to fill your time and fill your
brain.

------
minikites
Accidental Tech Podcast - [http://atp.fm](http://atp.fm)

------
xauronx
ATP Radiolab Occasionally, iPhreaks (although quality has gotten iffy since it
started)

------
miles_matthias
* stuff you should know * the daily show podcast * product people

------
amjd
It's not technical like the many posted here but as the name suggests, it's
quite interesting:

[http://www.damninteresting.com/damn-
audio/](http://www.damninteresting.com/damn-audio/)

------
tgandrews
My three favourite podcasts are:

* Startups for the rest of us

* Bootstrapped with kids

* Freakonomics

------
B5geek
I like a lot of the Jupiter Broadcasting lineup. TechSnap

Linux Action Show

Unfilter

Coder-Radio

...etc.

