1. Hardcore History [0]. Even if you're not a fan of history, check it out because Dan really grips you with the story. I can't say enough good things about this podcast and look forward to each new episode. The episodes are LONG; they're more like audiobooks in a way. The series on World War I (Blueprint for Armageddon) [1] was six episodes and 24 hours long. Perfect for road trips, but the downside is there's only 2-4 a year.
2. The British History Podcast [2]. Fills the gaps between Hardcore History releases. Jamie does a weekly, very deep dive into the whole of British history, starting from prehistory up through (currently) Alfred the Great. He's a bit more funny and sarcastic than Dan is, but you still end up learning a great deal.
3. Escape Pod [3]. Science fiction short stories covering a wide range within the genre.
I like Hardcore History, but I find Dan Carlin's style a bit over the top, which gets tiring.
I have since found Mike Duncan's History of Rome[1] and Revolutions[2], and I much prefer his writing and delivery, including his occasional dead pan humor. I can listen to him for hours on end. (Note: the early episodes of History of Rome are not representative, he and his equipment have much improved in the first year).
Science and engineering topics in the form of interviews with domain experts (often on site). Some episodes in German language, many in English. If you want to spend 2h learning about fusion and plasma or how batteries work or how airbus builds planes or what goes into a radar satellite... this is for you.
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AB Testing.
Alex and Brent, 2 managers at Microsoft, discuss how not to lead teams and how not to do testing. By discuss, I mean rant along in a productive manner.
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Javascript Jabber.
Good podcast, has lost some steam for me lately, but many early episodes are good for people who are new to the show.
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Software Engineering Radio.
Has a great backlist of episodes on topics like architecture, type systems, database systems ... definitly one where it makes sense to look through the archive instead of just subscribing.
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Software Engineering Daily.
Used to subscribe, but lately the episodes feel more like infomercials where 50% of the time is spent by the guests pitching their product. Did enjoy the earlier episodes though.
Accidental Tech Podcast - Apple and random tech discussion. Super fun listen. One of the hosts is also the author of Overcast, which is my favorite podcast app.
The Talk Show - Similar to ATP, but slightly more serious and with rotating guests
Pardon My Take - a humorous sports podcast. It’s kind of juvenile, but it’s growing on me.
Best of Mike and Mike - a semi-serious sports podcast. This one’s about to end, unfortunately.
Stuff You Should Know - funny but informative info about random topics you never realized you wanted to know about
Hardcore History - super long and rarely released episodes, but he gives an amazing in depth look at various historical battles. WWI, the Persian Wars, the Cold War 1945-1965, and the Anabaptist uprising are free now, and are all awesome.
They interview founders of successful companies and talk about the very beginnings of their companies and how they started them.
You hear about the humble beginnings of AirBnB, Mark Cuban, WeWork, Lyft. All really cool stories of starting businesses.
Talk python to me - Patrick Kennedy’s highly polished podcast on my favorite language
The cppcast
Syntax - web front end stuff
Software engineering daily
Mac OS ken
Brent Ozar Office Hours -SQL server q and a
Coder radio (and pretty much anything from Jupiter Broadcasting) - Linux and OSS oriented banter regarding development work
I have never successfully found a software engineering podcast that I've liked, so this will be a bit different from most here:
A Cast of Kings -- Game of Thrones episode discussion
My Favorite Murder -- Semi-descriptive title, but they talk about their favorite murders
Not Alone Podcast -- Podcast about things going bump in the night
Startups for the Rest of Us -- A marketing podcast aimed at micropreneurs
Last Podcast on the Left -- Comedy/oddly well researched show about Aliens, Murder, and anything else macabre or strange
The Adventure Zone -- A podcast about 3 brothers and their dad playing DnD
Strange Matters -- Another "things that go bump in the night" sort-of podcast
I have about 30 podcasts that I follow, but some of them I won't listen to if the subject doesn't interest me. These, however, I will listen to every episode (I'm putting off the final episode of "The Adventure Zone...") as soon as they come out.
Coffee With Butterscotch - A Game Dev Comedy Podcast. Super entertaining, and also interesting to hear from these brothers (Butterscotch Shenanigans) who managed to build a Game of the Year winner[1] (Awarded by Touch Arcade and others) using Game Maker of all things! Very informative to hear them as they make business mistakes and learn from them, and occasionally make a decision that actually positively affects their bottom line. This is what passion sounds like—the kind of dedicated passion that breeds success against all odds.
The Magnus Archives is a great horror podcast. It's mostly-independent pieces of short fiction, but start at the beginning because there's definitely a meta-narrative.
Also good is The Bright Sessions, also fiction, about a psychologist for people with superpowers. Also start at the beginning of this one.
A new one that's quite interesting is Ear Hustle, produced by and about the inmates of San Quentin prison. It's a fascinating look into the reality of prison life.
And then I'll second the recommendations for Hardcore History (snag The Prophets of Doom episode while it's still free, it's great) and 99% Invisible.
The Hilarious World Of Depression (THWOD)
99% Invisible
Accidental Tech Podcast
Reconcilable Differences
Do By Friday
Cortex
Writer's Almanac
Radiolab
Note To Self
MBMBAM
The Incomparable (as topics interest me)
Story Club - brief (often humorous) vignettes of Australian life
The Adventure Zone - funny people playing DnD
Song Exploder - bands rip apart their music and explain their process, often channel by channel
And ... Planet Money, Reply All, This American Life, More Perfect, What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law, Data Skeptic, Arms Control Wonk, The Mystery Show
NPR's Fresh Air. Terry Gross has a very soothing voice. She covers a wide range of topics, but my favorites are those relating to politics, history and science. She definitely does her research, and knows how to ask thoughtful questions.
It may be too technical/specific for the general listener, but there's a lot there regarding risk management and personal awareness, which applies broadly.
Mixergy, How I Built This, Startup, Criminal, Savage Lovecast, Dear Sugars, On Being, James Altucher Show, Planet Money, Fresh Air, Just the Right Book, Masters of Scale, The Distance, Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
2. The British History Podcast [2]. Fills the gaps between Hardcore History releases. Jamie does a weekly, very deep dive into the whole of British history, starting from prehistory up through (currently) Alfred the Great. He's a bit more funny and sarcastic than Dan is, but you still end up learning a great deal.
3. Escape Pod [3]. Science fiction short stories covering a wide range within the genre.
[0] http://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/
[1] http://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-50-bluepri...
[2] https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/
[3] http://escapepod.org/