2016 is the year of the podcast. While there has always been podcasts on more specialized topics enjoyed by their fans ( penaddict , All Sorted, ATP ), 2016 sees a lot of big name media figures started to enter the industry. Just when people are declaring radio is dead, podcasts, playing on mobile phones, are growing. Nielson announced that they are going to start monitoring on-demand audio, podcasts numbers.
Here are five podcasts that you might not have heard of, and you should start listening to them.
1) The Productivity Show by Asian Efficiency
This show is all about productivity. Compare to others, this show really gets into the details. The hosts are really into personal workflow management and productivity. Asian Efficiency sells paid content on top, but the podcast is very genuine and facts packed.
2) Gastropod
If you love food, you probably want to learn more about origins of food and food culture. This podcast takes a deep dive into various food related topics from honey to Sriracha with everything in between. Think of this as the serious version of Spilled Milk podcast, but just as entertaining.
This show is suppose to be about design and architecture, but it takes design in the broadest sense. You will learn about a lot of things around you that are there by designed, even if you don’t know it.
This podcast, each month, takes a possible future scenario and work out in details what if it were true. What will happen if space pirates dragged a second moon to Earth? What if someone found a way so that we never have to sleep again? Think of this as the ultimate what-if exercise. This show has a very timely episode about fake news.
5) NION radio
NION radio by Nick Onken was just rebranded. It used to be caled Shoptalk Radio. Nick interviews a different creative artist each episode. He has a contact network that get him to speak with big names as well as less known, at least to me, personalities. Especially for me, as a technologist, this podcast gives me a view into a different space that normally I have little knowledge of. Sometimes this podcast is like the more grown up version of pop fashion.
Bonus pick: I often think of this one as the one that started the legitimization of podcast in the media industry. Make sure you start from Season 1, where Alex Blumberg of NPR fame, document, in the podcast, how he started this podcast company. You will learn a lot about the startup world and the world of VCs right from the inside.
If you are looking for a good podcast app on iOS, I recommend overcast made by Marco Arment.
Download the app, subscribe to the podcasts, and have a enjoyable time learning about different things during your commute!