GEEKERY: Awesome Podcast Roundup
Traveling for the holiday? Put on your headphones and try these podcasts!
If you’re going to be sitting in a car, train, or plane – or perhaps hiding in a coat closet from your Aunt Agnes’ yappy dogs – this holiday week try these podcasts to sooth your nerves. Maybe you’ll pick up some interesting lines of inquiry and/or trivia to bring up over dinner in the process…
Hardcore History tops the iTunes podcast charts for good reason. It is badass. Dan Carlin’s background in journalism and his conversational presentation makes his series on history something you want to listen to over and over – the opposite of a dry lecture. I suggest:
Prophets of Doom – Murderous millennial preachers and prophets take over the German city of Munster after Martin Luther unleashes a Pandora’s Box of religious anarchy with the Protestant Reformation.
The American Peril – Imperial temptations and humanitarian nightmares force the United States of the late 19th Century to confront the contradictions between its revolutionary self-image and its expanding national interests.
The perennial geek podcast, Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich have been exploring science, philosophy, and human experience for 13 seasons so far. To get you started:
Stochasticity – A look at chance and patterns
Loops – Something happens, then happens again, and again
Games – What is it about games that make them feel so pivotal?
Talking Machines – When humans and robots try to connect
If you’re a movie fan that’s not listening to this podcast – DUDE! Each week, the FilmSack crew picks a strange movie from the bowels of Netflix streaming and splatters it all over your inner ear. Sometimes it’s a long forgotten horror movie; sometimes it’s a recent under the radar gem of brilliance. Did I mention it’s hilarious? It’s hilarious. A few I suggest:
The one about Total Recall
The one about Dragonslayer
The one about Terminator 2
The one about Escape from LA
Looking for a shorter format? Mike Danforth & Ian Chillag answer your questions about How to do Everything – if you need to know how to find a date, or how to find water in the desert, they’re here for you. No question is too big or too small. Check out these episodes:
Episode 175 – How to survive family time this Thanksgiving
Episode 180 – How to build a really, really, really big Lego model
Episode 183 – How to keep your cereal from getting soggy
Episode 185 – How to drive a rally car
Those should keep your ears busy for awhile. Hope everyone has a great holiday… enjoy some great food and pick some fights with your siblings for old time’s sake.
Which podcasts are you subscribed to?
