in praise of podcasts
I listen to podcasts quite much. Almost always while commuting, and sometimes during exercise. They’re an excellent fill for dull times. Here’s a few favourites:
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- Jocko Podcast
- Waking Up
- The Tim Ferriss Show
- Hardcore History ( + Common Sense)
- The Paleo Solution Podcast
- The Drunken Taoist
Whichever one I’m listening to, I’m bombarded with facts, ideas, information and inspiration. There is slight problem, though. My mind is filled with bits and pieces of knowledge, and I sometimes forget important details, not to mention sources. “I just heard this somewhere, and I suppose it was along these lines”.
As Jocko mentioned in one of the episodes, audio has some kind of a special way of getting into the brain. That is, as opposed to the written word, and in the sense that immersion and retention is much better.
Even though the technology required to enjoy podcasts is decades old, to me the smartphone era, and the limitless data plans have brought this into perfection. I can start or switch to any episode, anywhere and anytime. Is good. I never expected to get so into this somewhat old fashioned thing, which is essentially on-demand radio.
the mother of all podcasts #
The Joe Rogan Experience, which currently has 700+ 3 hour episodes, is crazy, in the best kind of way. The general premise is that he’s got a guest there who’s an expert, proficient or knowledgeable in some area. Then they proceed to a detailed discussions on the topics. Joe is, by his own words, “a dummy”, and so all the information handling starts from a low level of expertise.
The variety is astonishing. Topics include, MMA & BJJ, psychedelics & drugs, comedy, exercise & fitness, conspiracy theories, mediation, history, physics & astronomy, war & combat, philosophy, music, porn, economics, bitcoin, politics. In fact, hosts from the other podcasts listed above have all been guests at the JRE.
JRE, in addition to the Paleo Solution podcast, got me into listening these regularly a few years back. And I’ve found them so useful. No commute feels like a waste of time anymore. Even the slowest and dullest of jogs is more than just aerobic exercise.
The others are worth a review or description too, but perhaps later. And it doesn’t stop there, as the offering and my reach exceeds the time I have to listen, I just can’t keep up with my playlist.
I get into different work-related podcasts every now and then, but tend to get overwhelmed with the technology stuff pretty fast. So it’s very much possible to go all-in on the tech or business stuff if one is so inclined. But as I’ve expressed before, a life with wide selection of interests and understanding is more flexible and less boring.