Ask HN: What are your favorite podcasts?

1. Hardcore History [0]. Even if you&#x27;re not a fan of history, check it out because Dan really grips you with the story. I can&#x27;t say enough good things about this podcast and look forward to each new episode. The episodes are LONG; they&#x27;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&#x27;s only 2-4 a year.<p>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&#x27;s a bit more funny and sarcastic than Dan is, but you still end up learning a great deal.<p>3. Escape Pod [3]. Science fiction short stories covering a wide range within the genre.<p>[0] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.dancarlin.com&#x2F;hardcore-history-series&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.dancarlin.com&#x2F;hardcore-history-series&#x2F;</a><p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.dancarlin.com&#x2F;product&#x2F;hardcore-history-50-blueprint-for-armageddon-i&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.dancarlin.com&#x2F;product&#x2F;hardcore-history-50-bluepri...</a><p>[2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com&#x2F;</a><p>[3] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;escapepod.org&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;escapepod.org&#x2F;</a>

Omega Tau.<p>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.<p>----<p>AB Testing.<p>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.<p>----<p>Javascript Jabber.<p>Good podcast, has lost some steam for me lately, but many early episodes are good for people who are new to the show.<p>----<p>Software Engineering Radio.<p>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.<p>----<p>Software Engineering Daily.<p>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.

Maybe this should be a monthly feature like Who is Hiring:<p><i>Podcasts to make you smarter</i> (49 comments 10 days ago) <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=14737772" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=14737772</a><p><i>Ask HN: What Podcasts are you listening right now and why?</i> (77 comments 28 days ago) <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=14616998" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=14616998</a><p><i>Ask HN: What podcasts are you listening to?</i> (62 comments 40 days ago) <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=14529759" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=14529759</a>

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.<p>The Talk Show - Similar to ATP, but slightly more serious and with rotating guests<p>Pardon My Take - a humorous sports podcast. It’s kind of juvenile, but it’s growing on me.<p>Best of Mike and Mike - a semi-serious sports podcast. This one’s about to end, unfortunately.<p>Stuff You Should Know - funny but informative info about random topics you never realized you wanted to know about<p>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.

How I Built This by NPR<p>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.

In addition to the ones mentioned here, I like:<p>What Trump can teach us about con law (from Roman Mars of 99PI): <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.radiotopia.fm&#x2F;podcasts&#x2F;trump-con-law" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.radiotopia.fm&#x2F;podcasts&#x2F;trump-con-law</a><p>50 Things that made the Modern Economy (Tim Harford): <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.co.uk&#x2F;programmes&#x2F;p04b1g3c&#x2F;episodes&#x2F;downloads" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.co.uk&#x2F;programmes&#x2F;p04b1g3c&#x2F;episodes&#x2F;downloads</a><p>Internet History Podcast: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.internethistorypodcast.com&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.internethistorypodcast.com&#x2F;</a><p>You are not so smart: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youarenotsosmart.com&#x2F;podcast&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youarenotsosmart.com&#x2F;podcast&#x2F;</a><p>Unjustly Maligned: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theincomparable.com&#x2F;ump&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theincomparable.com&#x2F;ump&#x2F;</a>

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

Council on Foreign Relations: The World Next Week, The President&#x27;s Inbox<p>Financial Times: World Weekly, The Money Show, Alphachat<p>BBC: The World This Week, Analysis, In Our Time, Infinite Monkey Cage, The Public Philosopher, A History of Ideas<p>Philosophy: The Partially Examined Life, Philosophy Bites, The Philosopher&#x27;s Zone, The History of Philosophy Without any Gaps<p>Others:<p>The Carnegie Podcast<p>Radio Atlantic<p>Guardian Books<p>Guardian Science Weekly

ARRL The Doctor is in - <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.arrl.org&#x2F;doctor" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.arrl.org&#x2F;doctor</a><p>No Agenda - <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.noagendashow.com&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.noagendashow.com&#x2F;</a><p>The Dividing Line - <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.aomin.org&#x2F;aoblog&#x2F;webcast&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.aomin.org&#x2F;aoblog&#x2F;webcast&#x2F;</a><p>The Adam Morgan Show - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;itunes.apple.com&#x2F;us&#x2F;podcast&#x2F;the-adam-morgan-show&#x2F;id1088616591" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;itunes.apple.com&#x2F;us&#x2F;podcast&#x2F;the-adam-morgan-show&#x2F;id1...</a><p>The Briefing &#x2F; Thinking in Public - <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.albertmohler.com&#x2F;the-briefing&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.albertmohler.com&#x2F;the-briefing&#x2F;</a>

Indie Hackers <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;indiehackers.com" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;indiehackers.com</a> is my current favorite<p>The Startup Chat <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;thestartupchat.com&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;thestartupchat.com&#x2F;</a> is a close second.<p>Startup School by Seth Godin was a limited 15 episode production of a event he did, this is also really good.

Uhh Yeah Dude, Chapo Trap House, Bodega Boys, Comedy Bang Bang, Cum Town, How Did This Get Made?, With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus

I have never successfully found a software engineering podcast that I&#x27;ve liked, so this will be a bit different from most here:<p>A Cast of Kings -- Game of Thrones episode discussion<p>My Favorite Murder -- Semi-descriptive title, but they talk about their favorite murders<p>Not Alone Podcast -- Podcast about things going bump in the night<p>Startups for the Rest of Us -- A marketing podcast aimed at micropreneurs<p>Last Podcast on the Left -- Comedy&#x2F;oddly well researched show about Aliens, Murder, and anything else macabre or strange<p>The Adventure Zone -- A podcast about 3 brothers and their dad playing DnD<p>Strange Matters -- Another &quot;things that go bump in the night&quot; sort-of podcast<p>I have about 30 podcasts that I follow, but some of them I won&#x27;t listen to if the subject doesn&#x27;t interest me. These, however, I will listen to every episode (I&#x27;m putting off the final episode of &quot;The Adventure Zone...&quot;) as soon as they come out.

Crime stuff: Accused, Someone Knows Something, Up and Vanished, Criminal, Sword and Scale, Convicted, Beyond Reasonable Doubt.<p>General: Radiolab, 99% Invisible, Revisionist History, Snap Judgement, This American Life<p>Amusing: No Such Thing as a Fish, RHLSTP, Adam Buxton Podcast<p>Listening to with my daughter: The Tumble, Brains On!

<i>Coffee With Butterscotch</i> - A Game Dev Comedy Podcast. Super entertaining, and also interesting to hear from these brothers (<i>Butterscotch Shenanigans</i>) who managed to build a Game of the Year winner[1] (Awarded by <i>Touch Arcade</i> and others) using <i>Game Maker</i> 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 <i>passion</i> sounds like—the kind of dedicated passion that breeds success against all odds.<p>[1] The game? <i>Crashlands</i> - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.crashlands.net" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.crashlands.net</a>

The Magnus Archives is a great horror podcast. It&#x27;s mostly-independent pieces of short fiction, but start at the beginning because there&#x27;s definitely a meta-narrative.<p>Also good is The Bright Sessions, also fiction, about a psychologist for people with superpowers. Also start at the beginning of this one.<p>A new one that&#x27;s quite interesting is Ear Hustle, produced by and about the inmates of San Quentin prison. It&#x27;s a fascinating look into the reality of prison life.<p>And then I&#x27;ll second the recommendations for Hardcore History (snag The Prophets of Doom episode while it&#x27;s still free, it&#x27;s great) and 99% Invisible.

The Hilarious World Of Depression (THWOD) 99% Invisible Accidental Tech Podcast Reconcilable Differences Do By Friday Cortex Writer&#x27;s Almanac Radiolab Note To Self MBMBAM The Incomparable (as topics interest me)

Interview Format: EconTalk, Conversations with Tyler, The Ezra Klein Show<p>News or weekly roundup: Slate&#x27;s Political Gabfest, Slate Money<p>Others: Two Dope Queens (comedy), History of Japan, Dan Carlin

Story Club - brief (often humorous) vignettes of Australian life<p>The Adventure Zone - funny people playing DnD<p>Song Exploder - bands rip apart their music and explain their process, often channel by channel<p>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

&quot;no such thing as a fish&quot;, a podcast on four favourite facts of the week. Really fun to listen to :)

NPR&#x27;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.

For the french speaking, Nouvelle Ecole is a very nice, humble podcast interviewing people with a non-standard path. Very nice and interesting!<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;nouvelleecole.org&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;nouvelleecole.org&#x2F;</a>

Data Skeptic (love this podcast)<p>Data Driven Discussions (new podcast)<p>Linear Digressions (good shorter discussions)<p>Pod Save America (awesome)<p>Coaching for Leaders (great interviews, the best soft skills podcast I&#x27;ve found)<p>Software Engineering Daily (a little hard to keep up, mostly listen to specific topics)<p>a16z (general trends)

<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;packetpushers.net&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;packetpushers.net&#x2F;</a> - great podcast for network-related industry news &amp; opinion. Nice mix of useful information and personality bombast.

ADB - Android Developers Backstage (it&#x27;s actually the only podcast I listen to)

Some of my favorites:<p>Planet Money - Current events and finance<p>Astronomy Cast - Long-running podcast with each episode about a topic in astronomy<p>Death Sex &amp; Money - Human interest stories<p>On The Media - Current events<p>Love and Radio - Human interest stories<p>Welcome to Night Vale - Weird scifi-ish stories in a newscast format

A niche offering: Slide, the avalanche podcast.<p>It may be too technical&#x2F;specific for the general listener, but there&#x27;s a lot there regarding risk management and personal awareness, which applies broadly.<p>Daily listening: Marketplace, Planet Money.

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&#x27;s Hardcore History

Acquired - history of (mainly) tech mergers&#x2F;acquisitions&#x2F;IPOs

econtalk - quite good, been going since 2006. two episodes with paul graham and sam altman from back in the day too<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.econtalk.org&#x2F;archives&#x2F;2009&#x2F;08&#x2F;graham_on_start.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.econtalk.org&#x2F;archives&#x2F;2009&#x2F;08&#x2F;graham_on_start.htm...</a><p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.econtalk.org&#x2F;archives&#x2F;2014&#x2F;07&#x2F;sam_altman_on_s.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.econtalk.org&#x2F;archives&#x2F;2014&#x2F;07&#x2F;sam_altman_on_s.htm...</a>

The Bottom Line - Excellent business podcast<p>Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman<p>How I built this - Interviews with entrepreneurs<p>Freakonomics - Very good<p>The Tim Ferriss Show - Lots of interesting people come on the show

No Agenda

* Skeptic&#x27;s Guide to the Universe: Science and Skeptiscism weekly Podcast<p>* Savage Lovecast: Frank Sex and Relationship Advice<p>* 99 Percent Invisible: Design

This Week In Machine Learning - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;twimlai.com" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;twimlai.com</a>

ADV China, a talk show on two wheels. SerpentZA and C-Milk ride motorcycles through rural china while discussing China.

The Tesla Show - <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;theteslashow.com" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;theteslashow.com</a>

The DFJ Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar from Stanford eCorner, This American Life, and Democracy Now!

Comedy Bang Bang, Monday morning podcast, Chapo Trap House, and Cum Town. I take it as a chance to shut off

Dark Pixel Gaming podcast (and YT channel) - discussion on gaming news focused on JRPGs.

Interview&#x2F;Comedy: We Got the Jazz gotthejazz.com<p>EconTalk econtalk.org<p>So Money by FARNOOSH farnoosh.tv

Dan Carlin&#x27;s &quot;Hardcore History&quot; is perhaps my favorite .

Greater than Code - software development from a humanist perspective

- The Changelog Podcast - Talk Python To Me - Podcast.Init

Chapo Trap House

Scale your code podcast is quite good.

Planet Money

Intercepted, Chapo Trap House

Sam Harris - Waking up Podcast. Dan Carlin - Hard Core History Econtalk

Intercepted

Hollywood Handbook, Chapo Trap House, Your Kickstarter Sucks, No Goals, Cum Town<p>Pretty much all are comedy except Chapo, which is a leftist political show.