Top 7 Technical Podcasts

Modified Podcast Logo with My Headphones Photoshopped On

Here’s a list of all the technical/startup podcasts I’m currently listening to – my own personal “top 7”. I have a longer commute now and whether in the car or the train, I’ve had lots of time to keep up. I’ve branched out and tried a LOT of different shows but these are the ones I’ve stuck with.

I can also highly recommend the Downcast podcast app for iPhones – see also my Downcast review from earlier this year. The app has continuous updates and improvements, and is rock solid.

Without further delay, here are my top technical podcasts:

Product People [RSS]
“A podcast focused on great products and the people who make them”, hosted by Justin Jackson (@mijustin). I’m really enjoying the variety of topics and interviewees on this show. Justin does a great job as interviewer and you can tell his passion for these people and their projects. A final bonus: many of the shows are split into two parts to keep their lengths reasonable.

Hanselminutes [RSS]
Probably my all-time favorite podcast. Scott Hanselman (@shanselman) gets a broad variety of guests to appear, and always keeps it interesting. Scott also has a ton of respect for the listener – when guests mention buzzwords or new technical concepts, he always asks the right questions to help keep the audience up to speed. His shows are also always a reasonable length with no extra chit-chat, just the content.

Startups For the Rest of Us [RSS]
This is probably the first “startup” podcast I started following. Hosts Mike Taber (@singlefounder) and Rob Walling (@robwalling) do a great job each week talking about their own startup experiences, with a focus on bootstrapping. Good mix of stories/ideas/interviews along with a healthy dose of answering listener questions.

Kalzumeus Software ยป podcasts [RSS]
Patrick McKenzie (@patio11) is an infrequent podcaster, but always delivers great content. Patrick shares his experiences running SaaS businesses and in particular trying to educate startups on the value and techniques of proper marketing.

Giant Robots Smashing into other Giant Robots [RSS]
Produced by Thoughbot and hosted by Ben Orenstein (r00k), Giant Robots covers a broad range of software design, development, and business. The guests are always great, and sometimes include internal Thoughbot team members. Ben is a great interviewer, and his enthusiasm shows.

.NET Rocks! [RSS]
I think this is first podcast I started listening to, probably back in 2003 or 2004. (I think I started by burning CD-Rs and listening in my car.) Carl Franklin @carlfranklin) and Richard Campbell (@richcampbell) have been at this for a LONG time, with over 900 episodes recorded since they started in 2002. The show covers all aspects of the .NET platform and related technologies and Carl and Richard make a great pair.

The Tablet Show [RSS]
Also by Carl Franklin and Richard Campbell, The Tablet Show started in 2011 to focus on mobile and tablet software technologies. It’s a good complement to .NET Rocks and branches out more often away from strictly the .NET world.