Once you’ve discovered podcasts, it’s a rabbit hole, and you easily get a collection of a few dozen podcasts. I started with the Tech45 podcast and from there on, I started listening to other (mostly) tech podcasts. In this blogpost, I try to lay out where podcasts come from, how to get started and some great podcast tips everyone should listen to.
A brief history
At the beginning of the internet, there were blogs. Text-based articles, like the one your reading at the moment. Text is a great and easy searchable medium, which is exactly why it’s still a major form of content creation on the internet. A downside of text: You need to “sit down” to read. It’s not mobile. Early 2000, MP3 became popular to listen to and the first portable devices were launched on the consumer market. Many blogs had (have) an RSS feed, with links to the articles on the blog. A new element was added to the RSS format, which allowed audiobloggers to add a link to the MP3-file of their new episode.
With the introduction of the iPod, Adam Curry made an RSS-to-iPod script available for his listeners to download new episodes from his RSS-feed and on to an iPod. Later on, podcasts were heavily integrated in iTunes, which is still the main search engine to find podcasts.
The full and detailed history of podcasting can be read on Wikipedia.
You need an app for that
Both Apple and Google have a podcast app for their mobile platforms. On the other hand, there are many independent podcasts apps available, with all the required features. The 3 following apps have everything you need to comfortably listen to podcasts, but there is a reason why I’ve chosen them.
Podcast Addict
🔗 podcastaddict.com
💲 Free
📱 Android only
This app has an historical advantage and has been around since 2014. It’s a great app to start listening to podcasts, if you’re on android.
Overcast
🔗 overcast.fm
💲 Free (remove ads for 10 USD/year)
📱 iOS only
Marco Arment, a wellknown developer and podcaster, built this app specifaclly for iOS. With a 4.7 star rating in the App Store, you will definetly have a great app for listening podcasts
PocketCasts
🔗 pocketcasts.com
💲 Free (remove ads for 10 USD/year)
📱 iOS & Android & Browser
PocketCasts has a great advantage over other apps, because it’s multi platform and your listening status synchronizes over all devices, which makes it a great experience
Podcasts I listen
Apparently, I’m subscribed to more than 60 podcasts. There is no use in listing them all. It would be too much. I’ve made 5 categories and for every category, I’ve selected some podcasts I really would recommend to listen to. The categories:
- Technology
- Current affairs
- Interviews
- Storytelling
- Science
For every podcast, I list the name, the language (pretty important 😅), a link to their website and in short why I picked them. This is no ranking, merely a list of interesting podcasts I like to recommend.
Technology
How to stay up to date with technology news and get to know more about the history of tech? These podcasts are a great place to start.
Tech45
🔗 tech45.eu
🗣️ Dutch
One of the longest running weekly tech podcasts. In under an hour, you get an update on tech news. Some episodes take a deeper dive in specific technical aspects of a technology
KitchensinkWP
🔗 kitchensinkwp.com
🗣️ English
In 15 minutes, you get a good idea of the current state of WordPress, some ideas of how a WordPress business/agency works and a weekly tool suggestion. Quick and up-to-date.
The many hats club
🔗 themanyhats.club
🗣️ English
A dive in information security, through great interviews and backstories. And a rant in every episode.
Darknet Diaries
🔗 darknetdiaries.com
🗣️ English
Every episode Jack takes a deep dive in technical hacker (related) story. The story is exceptionally well researched and every episode is told very well!
Current Affairs
I don’t follow the news on a day-to-day basis any more. On the other hand, it’s important to know what’s going on.
The Daily
🔗 nytimes.com/the-daily
🗣️ English
A daily podcast about a topic in the news. In roughly 30 minutes, the background story gets explored, they look what’s happening now, and how it will impact the (American) society.
De afspraak op vrijdag
🔗 vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/tag/de-afspraak-op-vrijdag/
🗣️ Dutch
In this weekly program, the host and 3 guests make an analysis of the most remarkable political events of the last week.
De Rudi & Freddie show
🔗 decorrespondent.nl/collectie/de-rudi-freddie-show
🗣️ Dutch
Two writers of De Correspondent discuss topics in the news in a more broad sense. Sometimes they invite guests. Many times it feels unstructured. But in any case, it’s their opinion they’re discussing.
Interviews
Welcome to the AA!
🔗 alexagnew.be/wttaa
🗣️ Dutch
A long form interview, with a lot of freewheeling of both the host and the guest. Most guests are famous in their field. This podcast takes (gives?) the time to elaborate on many topics and have in depth conversations.
Goede gesprekken
🔗 decorrespondent.nl/collectie/goede-gesprekken
🗣️ Dutch
A conversation with 1 guest. Every episode takes no longer than 45 minutes. From school directors, over artist, scientists. They all have a story to tell.
Interne keuken
🔗 radio1.be/podcast-interne-keuken
🗣️ Dutch
A podcastified radio program. 2 hosts, 4 interviews of half an hour each. All topics are non-fiction and give an overview of new insights and facts every week.
Science
Nerdland
🔗 maandoverzicht.nerdland.be
🗣️ Dutch
A monthly overview of what’s happening in the world of technology and science. Be aware, every episode takes more than 2 hours … But totally worth it.
13 minutes to the moon
🔗 bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2
🗣️ English
The story of the epic mission to the moon, told minute by minute for the last 13 minutes. Every aspect is documented and told in a heroic podcast series.
Houston we have a podcast
🔗 nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/
🗣️ English
What’s happening in human space exploration? Where are we going? What are the challenges to reach our goals? On all fronts: ISS, the moon and Mars.
Flash Forward
🔗 flashforwardpod.com
🗣️ English
Think of the future. Sometimes possible, sometimes not. Sometimes near, sometimes much further away. The introduction sets the scene, the rest is explained by interviews with experts in their field.
Storytelling
Death in Ice Valley
🔗 bbcworldservice.com/deathinicevalley
🗣️ English
An unidentified body, in Norway. Nobody asked for her. What happened to her? What was she doing there? This cold case of over 50 years is a mystery and keeps a lot of people busy.
The Chernobyl podcast
🔗 hbo.com/chernobyl/podcast
🗣️ English
Only listen to this podcast if you watched the Chernobyl miniseries! Every podcast episode discusses the background story of one of the miniseries episode. Ideally, you watch one miniseries episode and listen the matching podcast episode
Laura H.
🔗 collectiefschik.com/werk/584/
🗣️ Dutch
After a troublesome home situation and when child protection threatens to take her child, Laura goes to the caliphate to be with her husband. This is her story.
Bob
🔗 collectiefschik.com/werk/bob-vpro/
🗣️ Dutch
Who is Bob? Nobody knows, but Elisa (84 yo) tells stories about him. Her daughters never heard of him, so they decided to search for Bob. But how do you find someone who may not exist?
Serial
🔗 serialpodcast.org
🗣️ English
A famous podcast, telling the story of a murder investigation. Everything seems simple at the first glance, but nothing is what it seems. Serial tells a story.
