Almost 5 years ago, I made a list of my favorite podcasts in the first episode of my then-hopeful new podcast qbdp which I stopped doing because it lacked a real purpose.
I’ve gone on and off some podcasts in the past years, like Mysterious Universe, but these are the 5 podcasts I tend to load up my old-fashioned, dedicated MP3 player with and go for runs, walks, commutes etc.
Dan Carlin
The first podcast guy I started following many years ago. Nowadays he doesn’t make episodes so often, but I love his super-longform Hardcore History series and the blitz episodes he makes. Some of my favorite recent and not-so recent episodes:
Nightmares of Indianapolis — how a shipwreck days before the end of WWII became a true horror story. Dan Carlin’s personal “the place I’d least want to be across time and space”.
Painfotainment — people in the not so distant past enjoyed witnessing suffering, pain and brutal executions as a form of entertainment. Have horror movies and Netflix become substitutes for our bloodthirsty urges, and what does that mean about human psychology?
Blueprint for Armageddon — the first episode of this series was released in 1914, 100 years after the beginning of WWI. Now it’s been a few months after the centennary of the end of WWI. No better time to educate yourself about the true horrors and fascinating history of the time period between 1914 – 1918.
Potterless
Inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore, Potterless is “a magical journey following Mike Schubert, a 25-year-old man, reading the Harry Potter series for the first time, as he sits down with Harry Potter fanatics to poke fun at plot holes, make painfully incorrect predictions, and rant about how Quidditch is the worst sport ever invented.”
His tour through the books and silly commentary has certainly taken me back 15+ years, when I was a big fan of the Harry Potter universe and was growing up together with Harry and gang. A great way to revisit the books and feel embarrassed about your adolescent taste.
Personality Hacker
The ultimate typology and self-development podcast on the web. Anthony and Joel are excellent, well-rounded hosts that are looking at personality psychology as the necessary social technology we need to supplement our other kinds of technological progress. A podcast that has certainly helped me develop my knowledge and interest in the MBTI and the Enneagram.
Also check out my review for their recently published book, cleverly titled Personality Hacker.
No Such Thing As a Fish
The creators of QI (Quite Interesting) introduce four fascinating facts each week about history, culture, science and life. Useful for building a stockpile of “did you know” conversation starters and/or “actually…” conversations killers.
Skeptiko
Who watches the Watchmen? Who’s skeptical about scientific skepticism? Alex Tsakiris, that’s who. This podcast is dedicated to challenging scientific materialism. His guests and interviewees will broaden your concepts on subjects like life after death, NDEs, telepathy, artificial intelligence and more.