Episode: 1488
Title: HPR1488: What's on My Podcatcher
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr1488/hpr1488.mp3
Transcribed: 2025-10-18 04:01:48

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We'll help you.
Hi, it's Keith Murray back again with another episode of Hacker Public Radio.
I was recently so inspired by Ahuka's two-part series on all the different podcasts he had
in his media player that I decided to take a crack at this myself.
Despite the large number of podcasts that the two of us have subscribed, there's fairly
little overlap.
So without further ado, let me just say that I will include all of the links to the podcasts
and to the podcast RSS feeds in the show notes in case you find something that you're interested
in.
I'll keep each of these reviews pretty short and punchy, give you a bit of an idea of what
he shows about, so let's get started.
99% Invisible
Storytelling is the focus of Roman Mars podcast 99% Invisible.
This show tells the stories behind the design of things you may never have noticed before,
or the things about which you didn't give a second thought.
Mixing interesting and compelling stories with brilliantly produced audio, this is one
of the shows I look forward to every single week.
99% Invisible is a member of the newly founded Radiotopia Network.
If you like stories or have any interest in design, I highly recommend you check this
one out.
The accidental tech podcast.
And three developers try to make a car show, but end up talking more about technology
than cars.
You get an accidental tech podcast.
Hosted by Marco Arment, John Sue Rikusa, and Casey Liss, the trio provide an Apple and
developer center to discussion each week about various goings-on in the tech world.
Occasionally, the trio will invite a guest to participate in the conversation.
The show quality is quite good, with a bit long wind at times, and episodes run about
90 minutes to two hours.
The Alton Browncast
TV personality, Alton Brown, has a podcast.
Being a big fan of the series Good Eats, I had to check this one out.
Each week features an interview with someone in the food or food entertainment world, and
it gives an interesting behind-the-scenes look at this world I typically have no insight
into.
It's usually pretty well produced, and the episodes run about an hour, and this show
is a member of the Nerdist Podcast Network.
Astronomycast
Astronomycast is a fantastic podcast that takes a look into one specific space-related
topic each episode, and tries to delve into just enough detail to make you think.
Hosted by Fraser Kane and Dr. Pamela Gay, Astronomycast is an excellent primer for those
who are interested in learning more about space, the cosmos, and the underlying science
and physics that ties it all together.
Astronomycast is also closely affiliated with CosmoQuest, the group behind the very
successful 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast and other citizen science initiatives.
Audio quality and production value were very good for Astronomycast, and shows typically
run about 30 minutes.
Back to work
Not only a show about productivity and communication, back to work is hosted by Merlin Man and Dan
Benjamin, and is a member of the 5x5 Network.
Each episode is as much a chance for Dan and Merlin to have a chat as it is about productivity.
Recent episodes have included the blight of buzzwords, bad customer service, nostalgia, and
sleep.
The show was produced similarly to many of the other 5x5 shows, with very good auto-quality
and a very conversational feel.
Like other 5x5 shows, the episode titles rarely describe the episode, which can be a little
annoying, but it leaves you listening for where the joke occurs during the show.
Episodes of back to work typically run about 90 minutes.
Click
The BBC World Service produces a number of fantastic shows.
One that I like, which is tech focused, is click.
Hosted by Gareth Mitchell and Bill Thompson, click tries to offer a fairly global perspective
on new technology, often taking advantage of BBC field offices to provide insights from
Asian or African correspondents.
As you can expect the audio quality and production values are excellent given its radio heritage,
and episodes of click typically run about 30 minutes.
The domestic CEO
The domestic CEO is quick and dirty tips to manage your home, it's a mouthful.
Like many shows on the quick and dirty tips network, it takes almost as long to say the
title as it does to listen to each episode.
Each week this show covers tips for managing the day-to-day things in your home.
I've put a large number of these tips to use in my own place over the last few years,
and have learned ways to better clean and organize my home, as well as save some money
along the way.
Episodes generally run about 5-10 minutes.
Floss Weekly
Host Randall Schwartz is at the helm of this podcast on the Twitter network, delving
into the world of free, Libra, and open source software.
Each episode provides a deep dive into an open source project or technology, and is hosted
by Schwartz on a panel of rotating co-hosts.
Huka provided more information about Floss Weekly back on HPR 1479, and episodes of the
show typically run about 1 hour.
From Python Import Podcast
If you want to learn about the ins and outs of the Python community, this is one way to
get your fix.
Though it's rather sporadic and it's releases, and the audio quality is only average, the
information into the background and back rooms of the Python community has been excellent.
The current lineup of hosts includes David Noise, Mike Pernott, Ben Smith, and David
Stannick.
Shows vary as much in length as they do in release schedule, but recent episodes, only
three in the past year, have been about 1-2 hours.
The Geologic Podcast
This has nothing to do with geology, though that's what I was looking for when I subscribed
to it back in 2007.
Host George Robb talks about skepticism and rationality, interspersed with personal stories and a
series of recurring bits and segments.
In some ways, it's kind of like an audio blog, but it's a lot of fun, particularly if
you enjoy the subject matter.
Audio quality and post-production work done for the show are absolutely fantastic, and
episodes of the Geologic Podcast typically run about 1 hour.
Get it done, Guy
Officially titled the Get It Done Guy's Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less or Do More,
this show is another member of the Quick and Dirty Tips Network.
Steven Robbins touches on productivity tips with real-world application that you can
use to help get you organized, stay organized, and actually get stuff done.
Shows are typically delivered weekly and range from about 5 to 10 minutes.
Girl on Guy
Comic and actor Aisha Tyler hosts this show where she interviews people from the entertainment
industry.
Most of the guests are involved as actors or writers in comedy, and others are a bit
further afield.
The interviews are usually quite personal, focusing on stories from and background of the
guest.
Some recent guests include Ryan Siles and John Cho.
The episodes are pretty long, about 90 minutes in most cases, but the entertainment value
is definitely there.
Going Linux
Larry Bushee and Bill Smith bring a look at Linux from the perspective of people looking
to make the switch from an alternative OS.
The show comes in three separate flavors, a topic focused Cho, a listener feedback show,
and Computer America episodes, which showcased Larry's monthly appearance on a radio program
in the U.S., where he is their Linux expert.
Audio quality for the show is pretty good.
Episodes range from about 20 minutes for the listener feedback shows up to around 90 minutes
for the computer America shows.
And this was also one of the episodes covered by Ahuka back on HPR 1479.
Grammar Girl
Like other shows from the Quick and Dirty Tips Network, this one has a very long title.
Ahuka Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for better writing.
Each week, host Mignon Fogarty brings a language tip or the solution to a common language
conundrum.
I have really enjoyed the show for the last several years and it's helped me refine
my writing skills quite a bit.
The show's typically last about 5-10 minutes and are pretty well produced.
Hacker Public Radio
Well, this one really should be pretty self-explanatory.
So let me just say, make an episode.
We need more content.
We want more content.
We want more hosts.
If you need help, if you want help, if you would like tips on how to get a show recorded,
check out the show notes for this episode and get in touch with me or you can ping me
on Twitter at KD Murray.
Handzel Minutes
Handzel Minutes is a show hosted by an aimed at people working in the software industry.
Unlike the host of other developer shows, Scott Handzel Minutes takes about 30-60 minutes
each week to talk to the people in software and explore the things beyond the code and
in some cases beyond even the technology.
This is a great show for anyone in software who wants to expand beyond the role of a code
monkey.
I feel that it should say Handzel Min does work for Microsoft, but the shows don't often
focus on Microsoft technologies.
As of this writing, the most recent episodes are, teaching my daughter to code with hopscotch,
the Go programming language, Bitcoin explained, creating theplex software ecosystem, and I'm
a blind software technician.
Handzel Minutes is a member of the POP podcast network and the audio quality and production
values of the show are usually pretty good.
A history of Alexander and a history of Hannibal
Two separate podcasts by Jamie Redfern, which offer a deep dive into life and times of
two of the ancient world's most capable military commanders.
Broken up were the course of dozens of episodes, each of these shows provided me with a great
deal of knowledge and entertainment about a subject that I really enjoy.
Most episodes run somewhere in the 30 minute range, and both shows have also completed
their runs.
The history of Rome
Host Mike Duncan is passionate about history.
His deep love for the subject shows in his five-year run from 2007 to 2012 of the history
of Rome.
From the early origins of the Roman kingdoms to the fall of the Western Empire, Duncan
provides a fantastic and very well-researched look into a crucial time in history.
Episodes run about 25 minutes and have very good audio quality.
I should also mention that Duncan has a new show that started in the fall of 2013 called
Revolutions that I haven't begun listening to yet, but I do have it subscribed and I'm
really looking forward to it.
IRL Talk
Irreverent is probably the best word to describe this show.
Hosted by Jason Cipher and Faith Corpy, IRL Talk provides a nerd's eye view into the
things happening in the world of technology and the internet.
It's silly, yet informative, and helps balance out my somewhat tech-heavy podcast lineup.
IRL Talk provides about an hour of excellently produced content with each episode.
The Nightcast
Many of you probably know about Nightwise' show already, and Ahuka did cover it back
in HPR 1479.
I've known Nightwise for several years and really do enjoy his platform-agnostic take-on
issues, and learning how to make technology work for me instead of the other way around.
This is definitely one of the shows I look forward to.
Audio quality is typically pretty good, unless he's decided to record from his car, and
the episodes usually run about 60 minutes or so.
This show is my day starter.
Ken Ray puts together a short 10-20-minute podcast with a dose of Apple news and news related
to Apple news.
Every weekday he rounds up the latest news and information surrounding Apple.
The show has been going about 5 days a week, pretty near every week, since January of 2006.
The show is very well produced, professionally hosted, and a great example of how to deliver
a great podcast.
I wish I could get a show like this about a great many other topics.
Mac Power Users
Hosted by Katie Floyd and David Sparks, the Mac Power users' podcast is a great way to
learn more about the tips and techniques that other Mac enthusiasts use to get the most
out of their Macs.
The show is loosely affiliated with the 5x5 network and does have space on their site,
but the show format is pretty well consistent with its pre-5x5 format and doesn't have
some of the other tendencies of 5x5 shows like strange episode titles.
If you want to learn more about getting more out of your Mac, this is definitely the
place to do it.
Audio quality for the show is very good for the most part, and episodes run about 60-90
minutes.
The Memory Palace
Hosted by Nate DeMail and a member of the Maximum Fun Podcast Network, the Memory
Palace tells the stories of places and people from history, often American history, and
these are almost always very interesting little factoids.
Though it isn't produced very often, it is produced very well and is another show that
I look forward to.
Episodes of the Memory Palace typically run about 20-30 minutes.
Mission Log
Hosts can Ray and John Champion are on a mission.
To review every episode of Star Trek from every series, and discuss the messages morals
and meanings they're in.
This is a crazy undertaking, but it's a very fun podcast.
If you're a Star Trek fan, you owe it to yourself to check this show out.
Each of the very well-produced episodes runs about 1 hour.
The Nacilla Cast
A technology geek podcast with an ever-so-slight Macintosh bias.
That's how host Alison Sheridan describes her podcast.
Lots of product and app reviews make this a go-to source for me each week, and the rotating
cast of interviewees from the back half of the show provides some very interesting deep
dives into everything from learning the bass shell to photography to accessible computing.
Each of these very well-produced episodes runs about 60-75 minutes.
Radio Lab
Produced out of WNYC in New York, Radio Lab is a radio show, but it's also a podcast.
This Chad Abumrod and Robert Krollwich supported by a cast of producers and journalists bring
stories that explore very diverse topics and often take unexpected directions.
Professionally produced, the show sounds absolutely fantastic.
Episodes range from full length episodes at about an hour, down to Radio Lab shorts, which
generally run 15-30 minutes.
Run As Radio
This show is decidedly outside the realm of free and open-source software.
Usually.
Hosted by Richard Campbell, Run As Radio is a podcast directed at IT professionals, those
who spend the majority their time worrying about things like federated security, five
nines uptime, and how to effectively replicate an active directory server.
The show focuses primarily on the Microsoft tech stack, which I deal with it work quite
of it, but goes deep into lots of very technical topics.
Run As Radio is a part of the pop network, and shows typically run about 30 minutes.
Security Now
Hosted by Leo Laport and Steve Gibson, and a member of the Twitch network, Security
Now provides a no-nonsense, soup-to-nuts view of current security news, interspersed with
deep dives into the technologies we use every day to help protect our security and privacy.
The content is great, the production is excellent, and the episodes typically run about 90 minutes
to 2 hours.
For some more information on Security Now, you can check out Ahuka's review on HPR 1482.
Spark
Hosted by Nora Young and produced out of the offices of the CBC in Toronto, Spark
looks at the world of technology and the internet and how it impacts us little humans
in our societies.
Produced from a Canadian perspective, the weekly show runs about 1 hour and gives a Canadian
perspective on the technological issues that affect society and culture.
Star Talk Radio
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts Star Talk Radio, a show dedicated to all things space and
occasionally other sciences.
This is a fun and entertaining approach to science topics and is often co-hosted by
Chuck Nice or another comic to provide a foil for Dr. Tyson.
If you're enjoying the new Cosmos series hosted by Tyson, check out Star Talk Radio.
Fans run typically about 45 minutes and Star Talk Radio was also reviewed quite enthusiastically
by Ahuka in episode 1482.
Well that pretty much brings me to the end of this episode of Hacker Public Radio.
As I mentioned earlier, I have included links to all of the shows and their RSS feeds in
the show notes.
I hope this has been helpful in calling out a few podcasts that you might be interested
in.
If you're interested in me, you can find me on Twitter at KD Murray or on my blog at
KD Murray Donnet.
Have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
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