Recommend me some smarty-pants podcasts

MrBigmuscles

Hey guys, here is my situation. I am a recent college grad and now am grinding away in a 'real job', and miss the intellectually-hefty type of material I was exposed to daily while in college. So, I am in the market for some (free) podcasts that will keep my brain gears in motion. Why go for audio and not books? Basically:

-I'm too busy too read
-And I commute a lot

So I would like to find some podcasts I could listen to in my car that are, you know, smart and stuff. Any topic is ok pretty much, I'm interested in hearing whatever others find interesting and stimulating for their grey matter.

alcoholic_engineer

i know this costs money, but if you can score a copy of " A Brief History of Everything" in audiobook form it is excellent in that it teaches you a hell of alot of stuff.

other then that, i dont have a clue, but this book is highly reccomended.

fforde

If you are into technology, I like a lot of stuff from the TWiT Podcast Network:

TWiT (This Week in Tech)
Security Now
FLOSS Weekly

If on occasion you are looking for something lighter, I would check out:

ExtraLife Radio (total geek podcast)
Escape Pod (30-45 minute short sci-fi audio fiction)

Doc

http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php

I like "Left, Right, and Center," "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me..." and "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?"

RiemannLives

Doc wrote:

http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php

I like "Left, Right, and Center," "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me..." and "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?"

Hmm, the rest of the week just got a lot better. Keep on rockin' Doc.

KalTorak

I like NPR Shuffle (it's a daily) and NPR Technology (Weekly). Also, "This American Life" just started a weekly podcast version of their show, which I've always been a fan of.

Dalboz

I concur with the NPR sentiment. I also listen to shows from my local NPR affiliate (KCRW) which are also available as podcasts. "To the Point" is interesting discussions and interview on current events (I don't know if this podcast is published under NPR's banner as I haven't checked). I know Scientific American has at least a couple of different podcasts.

I think it really depends on the type/area of intellectual stimulation you are looking for. I myself would like to find a good general philosophy podcast, but haven't had much luck yet.

MrBigmuscles

Thanks everyone. I am going to check all this stuff out.

embrik

Doc wrote:

http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php

I like "Left, Right, and Center," "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me..." and "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?"

Whad'Ya Know is great. I haven't listened to it in a while, I need to start again. It's done in my hometown (Madison, WI). If you're ever here, I'd recommend getting into the audience. It's quite cool to actually be present for the recording/broadcast of a radio show.

DamienThorn

I'm a big fan of "Wine for Newbies", which is a smart and unpresumptious guide to the world of wine. Stuff from the economist can be decent. Security now is well done, as is the National Geographic News.

Mariam

Berkeley and MIT also podcast some of their lecture classes, if there's a particular subject you want to learn more about. It's under "Education".

Also, lots and lots of language podcasts, some video + audio, some just audio.

If you have any hobbies, look for podcasts relating to those - there are lots of in-depth podcasts about all sorts of crafts, woodworking, bicycling, cars.. whatever.