Recommend me some podcasts

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bilateralrope
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Recommend me some podcasts

Post by bilateralrope »

Currently I work security, which means lots of time spent watching security cameras with nothing happening on them. So I'd like something to listen to while working. The radio isn't enough any more.

Does anyone have any podcasts they would recommend ?
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Mr Bean
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by Mr Bean »

Lets see I currently have seven podcasts I'm subscribed to, I used to have a lot more but I've paired back. The main five are the Rachel Maddow show, Planet Money, the RT Podcast, Skeptoid and This American life.

Rachel because I enjoy Rachel's little on air history lessons that are the first part of her show each night, I tend to fast forward past her interviews and if it's a podcast of some breaking news I tend to delete unlisten to.

Planet Money tends to do lots of nice 15-20 minute long stories which while mostly economic are interesting to listen to.

Skeptoid for a similar reason 12-15 minute skeptical episodes on one topic the shear variety pumped our are intresting.

The RT podcast because I love Rooster Teeth (Note not Russia Today)

And last This American Life because to this day it produces the most interesting consistent content month to month.

I'm also subcribed to Downloadable content by the Penny Arcade Guys as they disscuss putting a strip together and Weekly Manga Recap because I'm a damn nerd and Weekly Shonen Jump contains an insufficient number of wrestling references.

For you Planet Money, Skeptoid and This American Life surefire recommendations heck skeptoid has 575 episodes as of writing of this and for like 10$ they will send you a usb keychain with their entire catalog loaded onto it. Note Skeptoid is recently ad supported but just start each episode 30 seconds in to avoid that.

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FireNexus
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by FireNexus »

bilateralrope wrote:Currently I work security, which means lots of time spent watching security cameras with nothing happening on them. So I'd like something to listen to while working. The radio isn't enough any more.

Does anyone have any podcasts they would recommend ?
Welcome to Nightvale was my first podcast and it should be your first as well. Start from the beginning, as it has a long continuity. But it's essentially a parody of NPR-type public radio which takes place in a world where all conspiracy theories are not only true, but seen as mundane aspects of a normal life. It is so unreasonably good.
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DesertFly
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by DesertFly »

I tried Welcome to Nightvale a couple of years ago, and I just could not get into it. I gave it several episodes and was bored to tears.

For what I would recommend, it depends on what you are interested in. If you like Star Trek, Post Atomic Horror and Mission Log are two I enjoy. They are both review shows that have started at the very beginning of Trek, and cover an episode or two each week. PAH is more humorous and less serious, and has just started Enterprise, while Mission Log is more analytical, and is near the end of TNG.

Savage Lovecast is Dan Savage's sex and relationship advice column. I may not always agree with his advice, but it's still fascinating hearing the various issues people call in about. For me it really highlights how much easier it is to see the solution to a problem when you have a little distance from it.

The Arkham Sessions has a psychologist watching Batman: The Animated Series and commenting on the psyches of the various villains, allies, and Batman himself.

There are plenty more I listen too as well, but I would definitely consider those the best.
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bilateralrope
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by bilateralrope »

Thanks for the suggestions.

At the moment I'm estimating that I'll be listening through at least 20 hours each week. Long back catalogs give me more time to find listenable podcasts.

I see some recommendations for podcasts that go through TV series an episode at a time. How listenable are those podcasts when I barely remember most of the episodes in question ?
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by JLTucker »

Those TV podcasts are only good if you're familiar with the episodes.
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by DesertFly »

JLTucker wrote:Those TV podcasts are only good if you're familiar with the episodes.
If you're talking about the three I suggested, then no, you're quite wrong. Each of them provides in-depth summaries before/while they discuss the finer points of each installment. Knowing the show, and having seen the episodes they discuss, absolutely helps, but is definitely not necessary.

That reminds me, I'm also recommending There's No Place Like Terra, which is a podcast with two hosts. One of them has seen all of Stargate (SG-1, Atlantis, Universe, and the movies), and one who has seen nothing (well, before the show started, since they're now up to season 4 of Stargate SG-1). This podcast also has a beat-by-beat breakdown of each episode they cover. Whether you are familiar with the series, or are just listening to the podcast, I am certain you will find entertainment.
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bilateralrope
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by bilateralrope »

I started listening to Post Atomic Horror. Then I got to their reviews of A Taste of Armageddon and This Side of Paradise and heard the shows presenters state that they disagreed with Kirk's actions in both episodes.

My take on A Taste of Armageddon is that the Enterprise came across a pair of planets* that:
- Have figured out how to have the deaths (including civilian deaths) of a war without the infrastructure damage that would lead to at least one side unable to continue the fight. Thus allowing the war to continue until external forces disrupt it.
- Are willing to kill members of a neutral party because the video game said that they must die and they are too afraid of a real war to do anything but follow its instructions.
- Are so detached from reality that they think sonic weapons are a good idea against spacecraft.
So Kirk blows up the computers essential for the video game, forcing the planets into a simple choice: Fight the real war that they are so afraid of or make peace. Then leaves an ambassador behind to help negotiate peace.

Somehow the Post Atomic Horror people think that Kirk should have let the planets keep slaughtering their own populations.

This Side of Paradise
My take:
- Enterprise finds a colony that has been drugged by alien spores. No idea if the colonists consented.
- The crew of the Enterprise are then drugged against their consent.
So Kirk ends the drugging.

The Post Atomic Horror people think that Kirk was wrong because everyone was happy under the influence of the alien spores.

A reviewer who can't accurately review the content in question is not worth listening to. It doesn't matter if they were not paying attention or intentionally lying to further a joke. So I won't be listening to them any more.
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Ziggy Stardust
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by Ziggy Stardust »

What's the point of listening to podcasts at all if you aren't willing to consider other people's perspectives and analyses, even if you think they are wrong? If all you want to hear are your own opinions just record your own podcast and listen to that ad nauseum.

Anyway, it's hard to recommend podcasts to you because you've given zero background information on the types of podcast you are interested in listening to in the first place. My favorite podcasts are "Hardcore History", "The Bill Simmons Podcast", and "The Adam Carolla Show", but it's hard to tell whether you'll like any of them, because I don't know if you are as into history, basketball, and random pop culture stuff as I am.
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by Soontir C'boath »

If you're looking into radio/audio drama, I would recommend trying out most of what's on iTunes. Edict Zero FIS, Byron Chronicles, Wolf 359, The Black Tapes, Archive 81, etc.
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bilateralrope
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by bilateralrope »

Ziggy Stardust wrote:What's the point of listening to podcasts at all if you aren't willing to consider other people's perspectives and analyses, even if you think they are wrong?
Fair point. However some opinions I find so disgusting that I can't listen any further. Everybody is better off being drugged into happiness against their consent is one of those opinions.
Anyway, it's hard to recommend podcasts to you because you've given zero background information on the types of podcast you are interested in listening to in the first place. My favorite podcasts are "Hardcore History", "The Bill Simmons Podcast", and "The Adam Carolla Show", but it's hard to tell whether you'll like any of them, because I don't know if you are as into history, basketball, and random pop culture stuff as I am.
I'm not sure what I'd like listening to and I do want a variety. Probably not basketball, but I'll give all three of those a try.

If I have time. I managed to get myself transferred to another site, so I might not have as many hours of boredom to deal with.
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Reyvan
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by Reyvan »

If you're into D&D I have two podcasts to recommend. First is Critical Role, which is recorded on twitch, but they recently started porting to Podcast. Its basically a group of voice actors playing D&D. Currently there's about 13 days of content, so it should keep you occupied for awhile.

The other is The Adventure Zone, which you can find from Maximum Fun. Its another D&D podcast played by three brothers and their dad. Its a lot sillier in tone than Critical Role and they play pretty fast and loose with the rules. Once they really get into it the story is great.

Incidentally this family, the McElroys also do a bunch of other podcasts if D&D isn't your thing. The brothers run one called My Brother, My Brother, and Me, where they give silly advice to peoples questions on Yahoo answers, there's one where one of the brothers and his wife watch the bachelor and talk about it each week, I think that ones called Rosebuddies. There's another one called Sawbones which is run by one of the other brothers and his wife, who is a physician, where they talk about Medical history.
All the McElroy podcasts are pretty silly, so if you're looking for something serious maybe they wouldn't be the best choice, but they are a lot of fun.

I'd also second Hardcore History, thats a pretty good one.
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by Lonestar »

Last Podcast on the Left
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Re: Recommend me some podcasts

Post by SCRawl »

Yeah, "The Adventure Zone" if you like D&D without the hard edges of a serious game, "Hardcore History" if you like history, "The Skeptics Guide to the Universe" if you like science stuff, "Planet Money" and "Freakonomics" if you like economics and interesting stuff in general, "Revisionist History" by Malcolm Gladwell, "Best of the Left" if you like politics (especially if you're a conservative and like to be infuriated - I bet that one would drive them around the bend).
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