WOWEE, podcasts are BACK, baby! I mean, they never actually left, or anything. Regardless, I thought I'd put together a short list of some great shows that aren't produced by Ira Glass (though I love This American Life and Serial):
- The Flop House. Merlin Mann recommended this one through various channels, and I'm hooked after a few episodes. About 50% of each episode is actually a discussion of a commercial and/or critical flop while the rest is hilarious banter between the hosts, two of which are writers for The Daily Show. It's easily over an hour most of the time so plan accordingly if you already have some long listens in your queue.
- The Memory Palace. Infrequently published but always beautiful. I suppose host Nate DiMeo bills this as a history podcast, but it's really a collection of well-written essays read on air, recorded and edited with care and skill.
- A Responsive Web Design Podcast. Sure, it's ostensibly about a digital design philosophy, but if you work in teams on large projects with frequently competing goals, there's still a lot to love and learn from on this one. I REALLY wish the audio quality was better, but the information and hosts are so good that it's worth the listen.
- Roderick on the Line. This one includes the aforementioned Merlin Mann and his friend, John Roderick. The web guy and the indie rock guy have a weekly conversation that oscillates between humor and philosophy. And really, just a load of great storytelling. Supertrain is coming.
If you're not listening to any of these already, you should check them out. And who knows, maybe some day I'll eventually wake up my own dormant show...
Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the excellent Overcast podcast app (if you're an iOS user like me). You can hook up your Twitter account to see and provide recommended episodes and shows. Another great discovery tool if you don't trust iTunes reviews from strangers.