Pods You Should Listen To
Welcome to the 16th edition of Find That Pod. Given current events in the good old U-S-of-A, I feel like this is an appropriate week to learn some American history and that’s why I’m including the first podcast on this week’s list. Go forth and fill your ears with some knowledge, and while you’re at it, suck in four more pods of some seriously good great quality.
The Road to Now
This podcast is an interview show that is done through the lens of tracing historical (mostly American) roots of today’s events. It explores the current state of affairs, and the USA as a country and its myriad of complex, ahem, issues, and literally how we got here, hence the title, The Road to Now.
Website | Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Not sure where to start? Try this episode: The Origins of American Immigration Policy
The 80,000 Hours Podcast
Some podcasts are snack-sized bites of entertainment or education, others, like The 80,000 hours podcast are more like 5-course meals, with some of the episodes running well in excess of 3 hours. That said, if you’re into in-depth and fascinating conversations about some of today’s more pressing problems with some of the most consequential authors, scientists, journalists, and educators, you’ll be glad to check out this pod. Topics like revolt of the public, authoritarianism, the future, computer science, machine learning, moral empathy, ethics, effective altruism, voting, and more, are all explored.
Website | Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Not sure where to start? Start with Episode 58 – Pushmeet Kohli of DeepMind on designing robust & reliable AI systems
Decoder Ring
This is not a regular podcast, as episodes are often spaced at least a month apart, but what you will get in Decoder Ring is a show that explores various cultural mysteries. Highlights include things like trying to discover the origins of the mega-viral baby song hit, Baby Shark. Or maybe you’re interested in finding out what the hell is up with Hotel art. Quirky, odd, and silly, if you’re into learning more about the everyday cultural artifacts we often take for granted, check out this podcast.
Website | Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Not sure where to start? Start with this episode: Baby Shark
Dragon Talk
An official podcast from the minds of the people that bring you Dungeons & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast), this pod is a mix of celebrity interviews and chats with various gaming world personalities about fantasy gaming and of-course one of the greatest fantasy brands of all time. What’s great about this podcast is that they don’t just explore the table-top game, they delve into various other topics that are at least somewhat related to D&D. If you were ever or currently are a fantasy role-playing nerd, give this a listen!
Website | Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Overcast | Not sure where to start? Start with any episode really.
The Treatment
The thing about this podcast is that while it definitely bring in some of the A-List celebrities (Bradley Cooper, Don Cheadle, Olivia Wilde, David Fincher), to name a few, the host, Elvis Mitchell does a great job of not being star-struck while conducting interviews these celebs and other noted actors, writers, comedians, and directors. If you’re into modern arts and culture of the visual kind, give it a listen.
Website | Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Overcast | Not sure where to start? Try this episode: Seth Meyers: “Late Night with Seth Meyers”