Software Engineering Radio [1]. In my opinion this is one of the best software engineering podcasts out there. I find the interview format really effective at really extracting programming wisdom from the experience of the interviewees (especially the older, more experienced ones). They've also got quite an impressive back catalog (currently on episode 272).
I've also really enjoyed Android Developers Backstage [2], despite doing very little Android development myself. It's hosted by two very well spoken and likeable Google engineers on the UI toolkit team, and the tools (IDE, lint, etc.) team. They invite one guest (sometimes two) each episode to discuss some aspect of Android, app development, and platform development. It gives a really unique perspective on what is required to develop for developers, and on highly constrained devices.
Software Engineering Radio is hands down the best programming podcast out there. The guests are always top tier and they discuss interesting problems that push the edges of tech in their domain. I also like the fact that they don't focus on one particular tech community.
My only wish is that they put out content more frequently (I think it's once a week now) and improve the audio quality. SER needs to hookup with Carl Franklin and Richard Campbell from .NET Rocks. Those guys put out tons of shows with the highest production quality.
> SER needs to hookup with Carl Franklin and Richard Campbell from .NET Rocks. Those guys put out tons of shows with the highest production quality.
Having been a guest on .NET Rocks, I know they record raw footage with retakes in the conversation, etc, to be edited out later. As a result I always find it jarring when listening to other podcasts that keep obvious errors in.
I like to listen to podcasts when I'm doing something repetitive, like walking or running. I like podcasts that are educative, not so much podcasts that are about new features and don't explain things very much. I like to listen to them when it's a subject I don't know very well (like microservices).
None of them. Most software podcasts are rubbish. IMHO, you should go listen to Nightvale, Radiolab, or 99PI instead.
The only time I'll listen to a tech podcast is when Cantrill is on BSDNow. Because Bryan Cantrill, like him or not, flaws or no, is a fantastic speaker, and is amazingly funny.
Pocket Casts is the Android app I use and it's pretty good. It supports streaming or downloading podcasts and you can adjust playback speed, auto-skip silence, customize forward/backward skip button durations, etc.
I second Pocket Casts. It is good enough that I will probably keep using it instead of switching back to Overcast if/when I go back to iOS. (It has an account sync feature.) I paid $5 for it, similarly to the $5 I paid for Overcast.
Not if it's something you're listening to while travelling, working on something else that doesn't need your full attention or while falling asleep when you aren't able to read instead. Along with your sentiment though, I've never understood the need for lectures for learning when you could just read about it.
This Developer's Life (http://thisdeveloperslife.com/) is an excellent podcast. It hasn't been updated in a while, but is essential listening for any developers working in the field. It's run by two very well known developers in the .NET community (Scott Handselman and Rob Conery), but isn't .NET related.
It covers topics like getting fired, deadlines, etc.
It's done in a very NPR-ish style, and is really easy to listen to. Can't recommend it enough!
> (Also I can't program while listening to podcasts, it gets in the way of thinking)
Agree to that completely.
I am anticipating a change in my commute next year. I may have to start using a car instead of public transport. The drive could be ~35 minutes. Thus trying to curate some content.
I don't listen to podcasts while programming, I listen to them in the shower or during a drive. I do find the interview format to be a great way to learn (at a high level).
Maybe a weird question, but how do you listen to podcasts in the shower? I find the water is loud enough that I can't hear speakers outside the bathroom, and phones or laptop inside. I don't really want to figure out mounting a sound system in my shower...
I have something almost identical to this (except the brand was Bush, probably just a white label). It sounds great & works well, but I stopped using it because the volume controls are hard to adjust precisely. You have to press & hold, and the volume ramps up too quickly. If I was buying another I'd look for something where the volume controls are separate from the forward/back buttons.
It was very good quality in every other respect, though.
There's some good waterproof BT speakers, as well as some phones are waterproof enough to come into the shower with you (been doing this with my iphone 7, and just bought a speaker)
AquaAudio Cubo - Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker with Suction Cup for Showers, Car, etc. - Pairs with All Bluetooth Devices + Siri Compatible - 10 hours Playtime/ Built-in Mic (Silver) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G7KJV2Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.Nuy...
I find my iPhone (6s) speaker, when turned all the way up, is loud enough if I aim the speaker to bounce the sound off of a wall opposite to the shower. In my case it's far enough away that it doesn't get hit by any water.
this isn't quite what you asked, but Debug (http://www.imore.com/debug) is really good. It's focused on Apple stuff, but features some really tremendous in-depth interviews, and Guy Ritchie is the best technical interviewer I've heard.
I would be happy with 10-15 minute episodes, like a TED talk. So many podcasts seem to want to fill 45-60 minutes, including 10 minutes of intro banter.
Any recommendations that feature shorter episodes?
I've also really enjoyed Android Developers Backstage [2], despite doing very little Android development myself. It's hosted by two very well spoken and likeable Google engineers on the UI toolkit team, and the tools (IDE, lint, etc.) team. They invite one guest (sometimes two) each episode to discuss some aspect of Android, app development, and platform development. It gives a really unique perspective on what is required to develop for developers, and on highly constrained devices.
[1] http://www.se-radio.net/
[2] http://androidbackstage.blogspot.com/