Skip to main content

Recommended podcasts (update)

Two years ago I listed my recommended podcasts. Here’s an updated list.


Guide:

  • Asterisks are meant to show how timeless the episodes are. One asterisk (*) means the last year or so is likely still relevant.  Three (***) means you could (or should) start from the first  episode and it would still be relevant.
  • The number two (2) means they were also on my list two years ago.
  • I don't necessarily listen to every episode, especially for podcasts that do different topics or different guests (like Vox, Spycast, Hidden Brain). You can’t really skip episodes for serials (podcasts that tell a story, like In the Dark).
  • Tiers are based on a combination of quality and personal preference.

Tier 1
In the Dark*** [Crime podcast. Start with season 1. This show is amazing.]
Revisionist History*** (2) [Malcolm Gladwell's podcast. First couple seasons were outstanding. The most recent episodes are just ads for Gladwell's other projects.]
I Spy by Foreign Policy*** [Fun stuff.]
The Memory Palace*** (2) [The first several seasons are best.]
Homilies by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM [Christian content.]

Tier 2
Nutrition facts with Dr. Greger** (2) [Cheesy delivery but very science-based.]
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend** [The earlier episodes are best. Adult humor and language.]
Vox Podcast with Mike Erre** [Christian content.]
Unsolved* [Crime podcast. Wisconsin stories.]
Spycast [Interviews with foreign policy and intelligence types. Not pure entertainment, but good education about foreign affairs and the mindset of our intelligence community.]
Presidential*** (2) [Dated, but timeless. Has one episode about each American President.]
Planet Money (2) [NPR. Brings economics down to earth.]
Hidden Brain* (2) [NPR. Psychology.]
Strict Scrutiny [Covers the Supreme Court. Political content from a progressive perspective. The hosts are all female legal scholars.]
Connected Families Podcast** [Christian content. Parenting advice. They sell their workshops pretty hard, but still have good content.]
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History*** [Great history content, but 1-2 episodes a year.]

Tier 3
Democracy Works

Other notes
Radiolab and 99% Invisible are off my list just because I haven’t listened to them for a while. It’s likely they both still do good work, and you should check them out.
My guilty pleasures are The PFF NFL Show and The PFF Forecast. PFF is Pro Football Focus, and they do football analytics.

Let me know any great podcasts I'm missing out on...

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Real Estate in America

We sold our house this summer and bought a new home. The experience has led me to reflect on homes and home-buying in America. As in any industry, there are good and bad incentives at work in real estate. A home seller would like to get the highest price for their house and sell it in a reasonable period of time. The industry operates on a commission system so that the agent seeks to sell the house at a higher price. This incentive works, but only to a point. Consider the impact of $5000 on the seller vs. the agent. Six percent of $5000 is $300. After the realty company and purchasing agent take their cut, the agent isn't left with much. A $5000 difference in the price of the house means little to the agent, but a lot to the home owner. Does an agent become successful by getting the highest price or by turning over lots of houses? The answer is obvious. An agent's ideal world is not one where people get exactly the right price for their homes, it is a world where everyone is wi...

The 2020 Vote: Bending toward justice

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.  --  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My hero, Dr. King, was wrong about justice. I love Dr. King. His writings and speeches are collected in a book called “A Testament of Hope”. That book was a revelation for me. Dr. King had a moral clarity that is rare in this world. Many of his observations were accurate, wise, and timeless. But the ‘arc of the moral universe’ statement is misleading. We are promised no such experience in this world. In Dr. King’s time, the quote may have been both accurate and wise. King saw the expanding reach of national newspapers and television networks. When the nation, through that new media, was exposed to the reality and brutality of overt Southern racism--then the nation, which believed it shared a common and decent morality, imposed that morality on the South. While Dr. King’s understanding may have been both accurate and wise, it was not timeless. This is where my moral hero comes u...

Support Ukraine: contact your representatives.

Congress has held up another support package to Ukraine. The simple fact that the aid package has been delayed is a win for Putin’s authoritarian regime. I’ll start with what you should do, then a little about why, then address some objections to Ukraine aid. What you should do Please contact your Senators and Representatives to the US Congress and ask them to support Ukraine aid. Find them here . The US government, acting on behalf of US citizens, can do things that individuals just can’t do. That’s why contacting your elected officials is important. I also encourage you to contribute regularly to alleviate the ongoing suffering Russia causes. Here are some I have supported: Lutheran Disaster Response, Eastern European Crisis Fund , which supports Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees who have fled to nearby countries. Razom For Ukraine , which supports Ukraine in a variety of ways, which can include supplies for civilians or troops (but not weapons). Safe Skies , which raises money for rada...