My Podcast List

Finding and keeping up with quality podcasts is not easy. I have some ideas for a better “podcatching” client that would help with this, but in the meantime it’s a manual process to keep pruning my subscriptions to a manageable level.

Here’s my current subscription list, using the old Sears “good, better, best” lineup and indicating how many of the episodes I listen to completely:

Best

• The Bitterest Pill - a classic with great, funny stories; sometimes runs a bit long (almost all episodes)
• Hanselminutes - one of my favorites; in-depth technology without being overly long (all episodes)
• Reel Reviews Radio - my favorite non-tech podcast, but it’s been quiet this year (all episodes)

Better

• AP Auto Racing - a recent addition; not overdone, but a nice summary of NASCAR news twice weekly (all episodes)
• In the Trenches - has been around for a while but still entertaining; sometimes runs long but I like the guys and the topics (most episodes)
• Killer Innovation - recently started following this podcast from Phil McKinney, CTO at HP (all episodes)
• Ruby on Rails - I don’t do anything with Ruby or Rails, but I like following along with the community on this one (all episodes)
• Run As Radio - relatively new, focusing on IT with Microsoft technologies; shows are on-topic and not too long (all episodes)
• Software As She’s Developed - good stuff on AJAX, design patterns, and usability (all episodes)
• Venture Voice - unique perspective and interviews with entrepreneurs; generally good but you need your ego-deflector for some of these guys (most episodes)
• Windows Weekly - generally good and not too long; was better before Vista launched and took some wind out of their sails (most episodes)

Good

• IT Conversations - in general very good but I pick and choose the episodes; Technometria and Jon Udell are always good, others are mixed (some episodes)
• Net at Nite - entertaining, but can run long; I’m kind of a long-time Leo Laporte fan, so I keep up with it (most episodes)
• Polymorphic Podcast - .Net and other technologies (most episodes)
• Security Now! - when I first found this one I listened to every episode religiously; now I find they can ramble a bit, but the content is generally good (some episodes)
• This Week in Tech - most topics discussions are good quality and entertaining, but at 1 hour 15 minutes or longer, I’m beginning to fade (most episodes)