I didn't see a thread for this, so here it is.
For this post:
* name - duration range, percent that I aspire to listen to, recommended episode
description
Technology/Business:
* Acquired - 60-120 minutes, 100%, LinkedIn
Two 30ish broadcasters delve into various tech acquisitions/mergers. It's sort of a mix of excitement, nostalgia, and business analysis. If you listen to a lot of podcasts, you'll probably also like the Midroll episode.
* Internet History Podcast - 40-100 minutes, 60%, Mosaic Chapter 1.1
The broadcaster chronicles the internet age, starting from Mosaic/Netscape and going up to (currently) the early 2000s. He also interviews a lot of people who were involved in these companies, some of which are worth listening to. I really recommend just going through the Chapter episodes, though.
* Decrypted - 20-30 minutes, 20%, Siri
A Bloomberg Tech podcast, some of which are worthwhile. I read the topics and decide whether or not it's worth my time. One of the broadcasters annoys me.
NPR:
* Planet Money - 20-30 minutes, 40%, The Chicken Tax
I reject/accept these based on the topic. The narrators are a bit smarmy, but they cover some interesting topics.
* The Moth - 40 minutes?, 1%, Fog of Disbelief
I don't even bother following this. Too many of the stories are shitty, but you occasionally get a good one. I recommend the Fog of Disbelief episode. Please post if there are other stories worth listening to, because I'm not going to sift through the reams of shit that are this podcast on my own.
Crooked Media (political):
* Pod Save the World - 45-70 minutes, 100%, Heather Higginbottom
The broadcaster (Tommy) was on Obama's national security council and has interesting conversations with people who are genuinely knowledgeable about foreign policy. Of all the Crooked Media podcasts, I favor this one because the host seems completely reasonable and willing to change his mind if convinced. You can listen to old episodes of these and it'll still be worthwhile.
* Pod Save America - 50-100 minutes, 100%, Most Recent
Four people who worked in the Obama administration (mostly speechwriters) bullshit about current events and interview topically relevant acquaintances. It was kind of interesting for me to listen to this from the start, but I wouldn't really recommend it to a new listener. There's too much content and it's no longer current events if you're listening to it 5 months late. Check out interviews you're interested in and future episodes
* Pod Save the People - 80-100 minutes, 100%, Edward Snowden
Pretty much Pod Save America from a minority perspective. I think this broadcaster (Deray) is my second most favorite host from Crooked Media for the same reason that I like Tommy. They both seem like if you ran through some data/analysis with them, they'd ask insightful questions and eventually agree with you or not. You should probably listen to interviews you're interested in and future episodes.
* Lovett or Leave It - 60 minutes, 100%, Most Recent
Although this is probably the funniest, it's also the closest Crooked Media comes to just being a liberal echo chamber/fap session analogous to conservative talk radio and that skeeves me out a little. The format is unique (kind of like listening to a mix of a Late Show and a gameshow), the guests are generally random public figures (comedians, writers, journalists, etc.), and there is agreement more often than conflict. It's entertaining, but probably the least substantive.
Science:
I p.much hate all science podcasts. If someone finds a good one, please let me know.