Summary
A list of what & why. Mostly tech-oriented 'casts, with the odd, odd exception.
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Podcasts (of the audio-only variety) are great for making use of the
boring and otherwise mindless time I have to spend: walking to the bus
stop, walking between the train station and work, etc. (I don't
listen on the train because I value what hearing I have left.) Here
are the podcasts I listen to regularly, and some less so.
LugRadio: "Four Large Gents" in England
talk about all things Linux, in an often bawdy (bad words are
used) and humorous way. "LugRadio Syndrome" often results: laughing
out loud on the bus, train, or sidewalk. In their fifth season, they
recently marked their 100th podcast. Unfortunately, they have also
decided that the fifth season will be their last.
LugRadio is the one that got me started with podcasts. I bought a
digital audio player just to listen to it (those adventures are
related in "DRM and the 800-pound gorilla").
The Linux Action Show: Bryan &
Chris have a show that's similar to LUGRadio, but distinct. Their
news docket is useful listening, plus reports, interviews, listener
feedback, and rants.
PyCon Podcast: Recordings
of talks from past PyCons (Python community conferences). We're still
getting our act together for the 2008 material. At the very least, it
should be good marketing for PyCon 2009!
Python 411: Hobbyist Ron
Stephens talks about points of interest in the Python world.
Occasional interviews and guest tutorials. It has been inactive until
lately, with one relatively recent episode after several months of
silence (Ron has been busy).
SModcast: Movie
director Kevin Smith and producer Scott Mosier -- creators of the
films Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and others -- get together
and talk about literally anything. Beware: not for the faint of
heart. I've learned about some subcultures, fetishes, and perversions
that I had no idea existed -- and I'm not sure I wanted to know.
CBC Spark: A short weekly radio show on
"tech, trends, and fresh ideas". It often has interesting segments.
stackoverflow: Joel Spolsky (of
Joel on Software fame;
recommended reading) and Jeff Atwood
discuss their upcoming programming Q&A site in weekly phone
conversations. A recent addition; so far it's mildly interesting.
Occasional listens:
This Week in Django, if the
featured topic interests me. I don't really use Django yet.
I am utterly addicted to <a href="http://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab">Radio Lab</a>, which I never manage to catch when it airs on my local NPR station.
Also, I'm not sure I could have survived the hiatus between seasons of "Battlestar Galactica" without the good folks of <a href="http://galacticawatercooler.com/">Galactica Watercooler</a>. (The lack of new BSG until 2009 is presently causing me physical pain.)
The Java Posse (http://www.javaposse.com/). This is useful if you're only casually interested in Java, because it provides a way to keep up without much effort. And having four different speakers (and opinions) makes for much more interesting listening.
Amongst tech, I find the SE radio podcast to be the best. Episodes have enough details so that you have a good chance of picking up something, but not so much that you have to sit down and make notes. Other tech podcasts I listen to are IT conversations (from the Thought works folks -recommended) , OnSoftware (very short pieces), arcast with Ron Jacobs (archives )and the polymorphic podcast.
Besides tech, public radio is a treasure trove of excellent podcasts. Some that I would recommend,PRI:To the best of our knowledge, PRI:The changing world, KQED Forum, Bill Moyers Journal, Commonwealth Club ... It really is a great way to fill those hours at the the gym, running etc.
GeekNights Mondays is probably a good replacement for LUGradio. The banter is inane and the arguments are idiosyncratic. But those two guys actually know what they are talking about when they are on topic.
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