Podcasts I enjoy
================

  By George Mandis <george@mand.is>
  https://george.mand.is/2014/04/podcasts-i-enjoy
  Thursday, April 24th 2014

<p>A list of podcasts I've been enjoying while chipping away at work this week:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://grantland.com/contributors/jalen-rose/#podcasts">The Jalen Rose Report</a>. The NBA Playoffs are here and if there's one thing better than basketball it's copious quantities of basketball analysis <span class='footnote'>(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrOH-KHxXg0">Both teams played hard</a>.)</span>.  I enjoy these podcasts because he provides a little bit of inside-info regarding the inner-workings of professional basketball from a unique, player perspective. I also like them because he talks off the cuff and sounds a little like a boxer that got hit too many times in the head sometimes. You will probably only like this if you're a die-hard basketball/NBA junkie.</li>

<li><a href="http://grantland.com/contributors/bill-simmons/#podcasts">The BS Report</a>. Another Grantland podcast I listen to primarily for the basketball/sports angle, but other interesting things crop up from time to time. Anything with Zach Lowe <span class='footnote'>(He also has a podcast, though I'm reluctant to include it just yet. For starters, this list hardly needs three sport/basketball podcasts on it. Secondly, while his writing and analysis is top-notch I think the podcast format is something he's still cutting his teeth on. I imagine in time it'll be a regular part of my rotation)</span> is pretty much guaranteed to be top-notch basketball analysis, but there are also interviews with Chuck Klosterman, Malcolm Gladwell and, amusingly, his dad.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/">Stuff You Should Know</a>. Probably my favorite right now, and has been a for a solid year. Covers the most random topics you can imagine, in-depth and in a manner that's always entertaining and makes the topics interesting <span class='footnote'>(Or perhaps this is my <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2965303/">genetic propensity for novelty seeking</a> that I've recently learned about via <a href="http://23andme.com">23andme.com</a>)</span>. Ever want to know more about <a href="http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/how-burlesque-works/">Burlesque</a>? <a href="http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/how-mars-works/">Mars</a>? <a href="http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/termites-bore-boring/">Termites</a>? <a href="http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/how-income-taxes-work/">Income Taxes</a>? <a href="http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/online-dating-works/">Online Dating</a>? They have a huge body of work to pull from: some 500+ episodes!  Josh &amp; Chuck kept me calm (And informed!) during the 40+ take-offs and landings I endured through clenched teeth and closed eyes.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/">This American Life</a>. A classic and I'm not sure I could write anything you don't already know about it. I wrote a blog post many years about the theoretical server costs of hosting This American Life <span class='footnote'>(Short answer: feasibly expensive!)</span>, but it's lost to history.</li>
<li><a href="http://freakonomics.com/radio/">Freakonomics Radio</a>.  If you're a fan of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Freakonomics-Economist-Explores-Hidden-Everything/dp/0060731338/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=snapwebl-20&amp;linkCode=w01&amp;creativeASIN=0060731338">the book</a> I think there's a reasonable chance you'll be a fan of the podcast. Typically bite-sized case studies and interviews along the lines of the content found in the book. Stephen Dubner has a rare gift for coming across personable and endearing both in writing and speaking. As an added bonus, he (or whoever makes the musical interlude choices) has excellent taste in music! I've checked the show notes on many occasions to find out who played a snippet here and there and found some wonderful albums that way.</li>
</ul>
<p>There are plenty of others I listen to as well, but those are at the top of the list these days.</p>
<p>Have any recommendations? <a title="Contact" href="/contact/">Send me your list</a>!</p>