There’s a Pod For That

I sometimes joke around that there’s a podcast for everything and everyone has a podcast. It certainly seems that way and yet I do know of numerous people who don’t listen to any podcasts. Perhaps it depends on your daily habits and I think it largely depends on how much time you spend commuting to and from work, or if your like me and your job involves driving on a daily basis then you might be more inclined to listen to podcasts.

One time I tried to explain podcasts to my mom, she’s 82, so I tried to keep it simple and the best way I could describe it was to compare it to a radio show, but not just any radio show because if you’ve tried to actually listen to a radio station it’s….well let’s just say it’s difficult with the endless commercials and very little content you want to hear. Which make podcasts great….you’re listening to subjects you want to hear with minimal interruptions. That’s not to say there aren’t commercials…there are but you also have a way to fast forward through them if your so inclined and can do so without losing focus on whatever else you might be doing….like driving.

Whatever your interest, hobby or guilty pleasure, there’s a podcast for that. Most of the podcasts I listen to have weekly episodes or bi-weekly episodes and then there are special podcasts taking a deep dive into one particular subject. I just finished a podcast by the author Michael Lewis on the trial of Sam Bankman- Fried and the collapse of his crypto exchange FTX. It helped me understand a subject I find fascinating and yet no matter how many times it’s explained to me I still don’t understand crypto or the blockchain. I enjoy Michael Lewis’ books and podcasts as he has a very wonderful way of writing and explaining things that make them relatively easy to understand.

I tend to like podcasts that aren’t about a bunch of yelling and screaming and taking sides on issues….so I tend to stay away from any political podcasts. They don’t seem to convey much relevant information or accomplish much….much like our political system.

Podcasts like Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History which reexamines subjects in a unique way or tells interesting history are favorites of mine. Along that line is a wonderful podcast by Mo Rocca called Mobituaries which gives an oral obituary of someone or something that’s been forgotten.

I enjoy a couple of business podcasts with Freakonomics probably being my favorite….again it tends to look at things in an entirely different way and discuss subjects that I’m generally not exposed to….they recently did a 3-part pod on the history of whaling…it was way more interesting than I would have thought.

In my free time I do enjoy watching sports so I do listen to some sports podcasts and of course there are many to choose from, and for sheer entertainment there is a hilarious podcast that finds stories about people screwing up and doing stupid, relatively harmless things and a trio of comedians pokes fun at their stupidity….it’s aptly named Dumb People Town and if you’re stuck in a commute that’s taking longer than expected it certainly helps pass the time.

Peace and Love……as always like, subscribe or comment….leave a podcasts recommendation as I’m always looking for new ones