I’m looking to refresh my podcast subscriptions with thoughtful, insightful, non politics stuff (enough of that already in my subscriptions). I’d love some recommendations for:

  • Techie stuff for a luddite like me
  • Long form explorations of a single topic
  • Video gaming (loved the video game historian but he stopped)
  • TTRPGs and game design
  • Reading and Writing
  • Absolutely no interest in art, finance, crypto, cars, sports, aliens, murder/horror/crime, or influencer style conversation casts (Rogan or Piker)

My current subscriptions are to:

  • Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
  • Disasters Deconstructed (though I’m not liking the academic tone anymore since I left this career, so stopped listening as much)
  • Ralph Nader Radio Hour
  • CBC podcasts, a wide variety on politics
  • Autocracy in America
  • NPR Shortwave and Planet Money
  • John Stewart
  • Trevor Noah

Edit: Wow! So many great suggestions. Thanks!

  • lowbulb@beehaw.orgEnglish
    2·
    4 hours ago

    Articles of Interest talks about the history of fashion, but focused on specific pieces of clothing like zippers, pockets, high heels, etc.

    Shedunnit analyses classic mystery books (pre-1960s more or less) and authors.

    Love NADDPOD, and Rude Tales of Magic for another actual-play.

    I also like Too Many Tabs but their audio ads are so awful it’s made me switch to watching the video version as the YouTube ads are more palatable.

  • gyrfalcon@beehaw.orgEnglish
    2·
    1 day ago

    Not sure if the interest in TTRPGs extends to actual play shows, but 3 that I have enjoyed are:

    • Not Another D&D Podcast (NADDPOD): The other D&D actual play filled with former CollegeHumor people, the most famous being Dimension 20. First campaign is very classic D&D vibes to me, but with the twist that the world has already been saved by legendary heroes and our cast is finding their way in the shadow of that.
    • Dungeons & Daddies: A group of dads lose their kids through a portal to the Forgotten Realms, and have to go in after them. Hilarity ensues
    • Legend Lark (previously Dames & Dragons): Originally picked this as a counterbalance to the number of RPG podcasts that have a cast of all men. Did not disappoint. Great custom world and atmosphere, and the cast is extremely funny.

    These are all comedy actual play casts because that’s what I like. I will also caveat that I’m not caught up on any of them, and I’ve listened by far the most to NADDPOD, and give them some money on their Patreon to get bonus content.

  • Rin@beehaw.orgEnglish
    1·
    2 days ago

    hi! I have the suggestion of Ludonarrative Dissidents for TTRPG content. I haven’t personally gotten a chance to listen to them, unfortunately, but I’ve heard good things!

    on writing, my partner really loves Worldbuilding For Masochists which I’ve listened to and enjoyed, I just didn’t get very far into it.

    hope you find some good ones! I’m trying to get back into podcasts myself.

  • Vodulas [they/them]@beehaw.orgEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    Too Many Tabs - A comedy history podcast. Every week they pick a topic to deep dive on, usually a horrible person that influenced how the US is today.

    Even More News - Comedy news podcast that does a good overview of news for the week. From the same folks that do Some More News, bit not scripted and out of character

  • yum_burnt_toast@reddthat.comEnglish
    1·
    2 days ago

    Not sure these recommendations fit neatly into those categories, but here are some:

    • Tech: EFFector, How to Fix the Internet, Tech Won’t Save Us - these mostly deal with the issues surrounding tech as opposed to the tech itself
    • Long form explanation: Let’s Learn Everything - the topics are mostly science related with most of the research coming directly from scientific papers, but they also do miscellaneous topics
  • Powderhorn@beehaw.orgEnglish
    1·
    2 days ago

    I never got into podcasts. Are you open to suggestions about YouTube channels?

    (also, how’d my print recommendations a few months back end up working out for you?)

    • its_me_xiphos@beehaw.orgOPEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      Print recommendations were stellar. I thank you! I’m glad, too, as some of the magazines you mentioned were available through my library via e-magazine. Otherwise, I go and read when I can. But I did subscribe to Macleans.

      Pertaining to 80,000 hours it struck me as a new variety of affective altruism/morale ambition. Very AI bro feel to their career advice and work.

      I am open to YouTube as well.

      • Powderhorn@beehaw.orgEnglish
        1·
        21 hours ago

        I’ve since come to understand 80,000 Hours as basically MBA-lite (all the “what’s wrong with you,” less filling). Their “free consultations” require having first read all the literature and accepted your role as a cog (as such, I lost interest). I don’t find it inherently worthless – I was, after all, still running into people in their 30s and even 40s bereft of direction and purpose, and for some, it might have been useful.

        But of course, only a cult claims to have a One True Way.

        Interestingly, I took one of those personality tests from a career counselor late in high school, and it came back with three top results:

        • Newspaper editor
        • Journalist
        • Reporter

        —[1]

        I had zero interest, having been told not to write by high school teachers. How the hell would that be my destination? I didn’t run into that long-forgotten dot-matrix printout until I was cleaning out my apartment for a move in 2018. Why was I moving? Because I’d been dating another newspaper editor for a couple of years, and paying separate rent was starting to look stupid.

        1. only inserted because Lemmy seems to disregard two CRLFs after a bullet list and sets the next bit within the same graf ↩︎

      • Powderhorn@beehaw.orgEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        So, I’m going to open with the obvious: Nader, Stewart and Noah are scarcely apolitical.

        I enjoy Seth Meyers’ A Closer Look segments but rarely care for much more. I’m also going to violently reject your prohibition on finance by suggesting Patrick Boyle, just because he knows enough to keep me abreast of underlying trends internationally. Miniminuteman is usually a good time, but he can be a bit hit-or-miss. I like Mentour Now/Mentour Pilot to learn about aviation. For video games, I like The Geek Cupboard, OrbitalPotato and Real Civil Engineer. Tom Scott, GamersNexus are also at the top of my subscriptions. And if you like watching middle-aged men solve sudokus, Cracking the Cryptic is perfect for a certain mood.