Podcasts I’m listening to in late 2024
Bryan Alexander 2024-12-06
After a series of heavy posts I thought I’d offer a gentler, more entertaining one for the weekend.
Here I’ll introduce the podcasts I’m currently listening to. (taps mic). Wow, I haven’t done one of these posts since 2021.
In terms of habits, I listen to podcasts pretty frequently. Mostly it’s in multitasking situations where my hands are busy and I can’t read or watch a video: biking, doing dishes, lifting weights, making food, walking, doing housework. I’ll pause to forward a noteworthy program by email to a friend or, for later citation, to myself.
Software and hardware: most of the time I listen via the Podcast Addict podcatcher on my Android Fold, which serves my purposes well. Sometimes I’ll listen to a news program on my desktop or laptops, if I’m not writing about something else.
One more note: all of these are current programs or ones I’m currently listening to. There’s a big backlog of completed programs I’ve enjoyed but which aren’t going on right now; those won’t appear here. Conversely, I’ll mention some programs which are done, but I’ve only now gotten to them.
Now let me break down what follows into categories. I’ll link to websites if I can find them.
News
BBC – I listen to several programs. Their Global News offers frequent, very short takes on emerging events. Newshour covers multiple topics, often in depth.
NPR News Now Very short survey of headline stories, updated every hour or so.
Reuters – Reuters World News summarizes current events in around 10 minutes. I also enjoy Reuters Econ World for business and economics news.
The World Next Week Two researchers break down emerging global news. Excellent and thoughtful.
The Daily A New York Times program, each episode looking into one current event, often stemming from Times reporting.
What’s News The Wall Street Journal surveys leading stories with an eye on the business world. Sometimes twice per day.
The Foreign Desk Skeptical updates on global news.
Slate Money Several regulars and the occasional guest explore current economic events.
This Week in Space A friendly conversation about space news. Part of the TWiT empire.
Analysis
Ones and Tooze Prolific economic historian Adam Tooze discusses current events with his usual combination of data, political economy, and elegantly explaining complex problems.
Intelligence Squared Conversations with luminaries about current events, recent history, culture, politics, economics, and more.
Plain English with Derek Thompson The titular journalist investigates current events.
538 Politics The poll-focused team analyzes current events. As you might expect the discussions are fast and data-heavy. (The link is to their YouTube channel; ABC doesn’t have a good page that I can find.)
Behind the News Doug Henwood interviews people about current events from a left wing perspective. Always thoughtful and useful. Henwood is a fine person.
The Great Simplification A wide ranging, humane, and sobering discussion of the present, including both humanity and the natural world.
The Munk Debates A series of debates (as you might expect) and interviews about current and recent events. There’s a paywall, but a lot is available for free.
The Lawfare Daily Podcast Analyses of current events with a focus on law and policy.
Economic Update A look into major economic issues from current affairs from a left perspective. Richard Wolff is very engaging.
On the Media Formerly a look at developments in news coverage, the program now offers more straightforward and liberal analysis of current events.
School of War Each episode explores one aspect of military activities, usually with an expert guest.
Higher education
College Matters The Chronicle of Higher Ed’s program, consisting of interviews with interesting people, illuminating academic news.
The New Books Network Academics interview other academics about their recently published scholarly titles. Helpfully divided into categories like history, religion, science and technology, architecture, art, folklore, museum studies, literary studies, etc.
FutureU Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn interview leading academic figures.
Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak interviews a wide range of guests involved in postsecondary instruction. (my first appearance)
EdUp Interviews with educational practitioners.
What We Are Learning About Learning My colleagues in Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) explore education.
Design Thinking 101 My colleague Dawan Stanford hosts discussions on the many ways design thinking can play out.
Futures thinking
Future Now The Institute for the Future (IFTF) podcast.
Foresight Institute Podcast Deep dives into emerging technologies.
The New Abnormal Sean Pillot de Chenecey interviews people about the future with a focus on the business world. (Not The Daily Beast’s show)
Seeking Delphi Mark Sackler interviews guests about different aspects of the future.
The Future of Everything Another Wall Street Journal podcast, this one investigates unfolding developments, mostly in technology, science, and economics.
Jim Rutt Show The titular host interviews a wide range of people with thoughts pointing to possible futures.
Seminars about Long-term Thinking Presentations to the Long Now Foundation on a variety of topics (history, science, culture) through the lens of very long-term thinking.
Anglofuturism An entertaining discussion of possible British futures.
Climate change
Planet: Critical Rachel Donald examines various aspects of the climate crisis.
Culture
In Our Time Each episode Melvyn Bragg interviews several academic experts about a topic from history, literature, or science. Very intense, high quality, and accessible conversations. One of my favorites.
Hardcore History The great Dan Carlin mesmerizes with narratives of history, especially war and politics.
History Extra podcast An audio program from the BBC’s History Magazine, each episode interviews an historian to discuss an interesting event, period, or person.
Lost Prophets Exploring mid-2oth-century writers and thinkers, centered around Ivan Illich.
Behind the Bastards This black comedy show examines historical and some present-day villains or acts of horror, combining some research with patter and jokes. Very uneven, especially due to whomever is guest.
Conspirituality Two yoga/New Age guys explore the many ways gurus, alternative medicine, woo, wellness, and the like can go badly wrong.
Technology
Engines of Our Ingenuity Short accounts of and reflections about technology and science. It’s been running an astonishing time, with more than 3,000 (!) episodes as of today.
Google Deepmind: The Podcast The official program for that Google AI initiative.
Foundering A Bloomberg show exploring OpenAI.
A Sense of Rebellion I’m a longtime Evgeny Morozov fan and am very happy to listen to this history of technology in the 1960s.
Fiction and storytelling
Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature A fun academic fiction about a professor who thinks he’s discovered the oldest human civilization, and that mysterious forces would aid or stop his studies.
The Department of Midnight A fun series about a mad scientist of sorts, very Quatermass-like, who investigates other mad scientists. Very much Warren Ellis.
Ciatrix: Scars of Parchment A horror podcast consisting of mysterious seventeenth-century British stories read by a researcher. Just started it.
Starship Sofa Science fiction stories short and long, plus poetry, science, discussion, and the awesome MC-ing of Tony C. Smith. The first science fiction podcast to win a Hugo award, and the first denizen of the District of Wonders. Tony hosted me a few times.
Creepy Short horror stories, some from the creepypasta world.
That’s all for now. Are you enjoying any of these? Do you have more podcasts to recommend?