I listen to a lot of podcasts. Most of the time this is when I am at work and I need to make the office noise go away. I also find podcasts a good alternative to audiobooks for my commute when I’m just not in the mood for radio.
Here’s some of my favourites, some are pretty technical, but some are just a lot of fun.
A weekly discussion with Marco Arment, developer of Instapaper for iOS. Topics include Apple, iOS, web / mobile development, plus coffee.
Merlin Mann talk about, well, all sorts of stuff, but from time-to-time he gets into personal productivity and work issues.
I’m no Ruby expert, so many times the specifics of what the panel are discussing is over my head, but they’re all smart guys and even without fully understanding everything there’s still TONS to learn from them.
Part of the Dave Ramsey series, this podcast isn’t at all technical, but tackles big topics such as leadership, strategy, motivation and decision making.
This one is new to my list, but the host is an ISV that builds apps for iOS. He’s pretty open about his business and does offer a glimpse behind the scenes of an app developer. Never longer than 15 minutes.
Finally a podcast for PHP developers! Chris and Ed are very direct individuals, they’ll say it exactly how it is and aren’t afraid to drop an f-bomb or 10.
Giant Robots Smashing into other Giant Robots
From the guys at thoughtbot share insights into how they build software for their clients. Mostly Ruby / Rails focused, but still covers some universal ideas.
Surprisingly not Ruby focused most of the time, instead much more directed at the life of a freelancer working with clients on web projects.
Lots of great tips for running multiple small businesses from two micropreneurs that have the experience to back it up.
Jason and Justin each have their own projects going on, but at the same time they’re trying to build a new startup together. Very interesting to see the dynamics between these two founders as they work to build their product.
Cal Evans interviews people of note within the PHP community. Topics are typically related to community building, or specific contributions that the weekly guest has made via open-source projects or other useful tools.
This one definitely sits in the ‘not-so-technical’ category. I can see myself doing a startup some day, and this podcast, if you can call it that since many episodes are 2 hours +, provides tons of great ideas for starting and running a company. The host, Jason Calacanis, can be a bit over-the-top sometimes but that’s a part of what has made him a successful entrepreneur.
A staple among tech podcasts, Leo Laporte practically started the whole podcasting business. I have to admit, I usually listen to this one while I’m working because I don’t have to concentrate heavily to listen to it. It’s almost like having a radio on in the background, but instead of the local traffic and weather reports, you get commentary on tech news.
Similar to This Week in Startups above, but done by two developers, Bob Walsh and Patrick Foley, so the content is of a much more technical nature. Typically the format is some useful tips for being a better Micro ISV wrapped with an interview with a startup founder or somebody startup founders would be interested in. Bob digs pretty deep on the interviews sometimes so it’s worth checking out.
Do you have a favourite podcast that I don’t have listed here? I’d love to check it out, just post a link in the comments. If I like it I’ll add it to the list.
Two podcasts I enjoy:
Software engineering radio
Entrepreneurial thought leaders
I used to like Software Engineering Radio, but it’s worn off on me. Too many enterprisey topics, and with some of the new interviewers, the quality just hasn’t been that great.
I will definitely be looking into Entrepreneurial Throught Leaders though, thanks for the tip!
(hope you don’t mind, but I’ve updated your comment with links to the podcasts that you mentioned)