Podcasts

LISTEN TO THIS | Salty Margaritas

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I’m a podcast junkie, and LISTEN TO THIS is a recap of my favorite tidbits, soundbites and short bursts of brilliance from this week. After digesting 12 hours and 36 minutes of podcasts this week, here’s my top 3 must-listen-to moments.

Sweet Roles for Mom

THE TOBOLOWSKY FILES | Gone

Sometimes Stephen Tobolowsky is overly dramatic and a titch didactic in his storytelling, but that never stops me from enjoying it. He has a wonderful way of tying elements together, building momentum throughout, and exploring lessons learned in everyday events. He’s originally from Dallas, and this episode explores how he overcomes the fear of disappearing memories as buildings come and go and as his parents age. The context of the entire story is important to see how it all connects, but I especially related to his narrative at 38:35 where he describes taking his mom to Starbucks and the tactics he used to get her to eat something.

I Particularly Like the Color

WAIT, WAIT, DON’T TELL ME | Ambassador Peter Westmacott Plays Not My Job

This week’s interview with Ambassador Peter Westmacott was absolutely delightful. I loved the part at 22:28[1. This time refers the full episode, but the link in the heading goes to just he interview portion of the show.] when host Peter Sagal asks him to illustrate his skills at diplomacy by answering a series of questions like, “Does this dress make me look fat?” and “Would you mind reading a draft of my first novel?”

We Would Do a Training Before Each Crawl

HOW TO DO EVERYTHING | The Bedbug Strategy

In answering, “How do you start a conversation with perfect strangers?” Ian interviews Brandon Silverman about what he learned from spending eight years crashing corporate holiday parties in Philadelphia. Start at the beginning or skip to 1:20 to hear more about these two shared tips:

  • The Bedbug Strategy - find a common enemy to complain about. “Man, this line to the bar is so long,” or “These margaritas sure are salty.”
  • The Superman - start with a totally hyperbolic comment. “This has to be one of the best bands on the entire east coast.” The best part is the statement doesn’t need to be true or even sincere.

Podcast Test Drives:

Brett Terpstra’s relatively new podcast Systematic. I liked when Brett did a workflow episode on the Mac Power Users, and Michael Schechter gave a surprisingly good interview on this this week’s show. I plan to go back and listen to Brett’s interview with Merlin Mann last week, and I’ve added this to my subscriptions. Getting lots of techy/productivity interview shows on the list. Still searching for a good one about learning and training issues.

OTHER PODCAST POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

What podcasts did you enjoy?

LISTEN TO THIS | Why Nobody Came

in ,

I’m a podcast junkie, and LISTEN TO THIS is a recap of my favorite tidbits, soundbites and short bursts of brilliance from this week. After digesting 900 minutes of podcasts, here’s the top 3 must-listen-to moments.

900 minutes of podcasts listening for Todd Chandler

Thinking Can Be the Enemy

BACK TO WORK | LAMP for Your Productivity

Merlin may have added one too many Stok Black Coffee Shots to his coffee before the show, but then again, maybe it was the right amount. At 55:11 he hits one of his classic moments of clarity and provides a stirring rant on not over-thinking things, yet dealing with the reality of a complicated life. Nice!

Attention > Page Views

CMD+SPACE | Memberships and Being Classy with Shawn Blanc

I’m liking where Myke Hurley is taking CMD+Space. He’s lined up some fascinating guests, and I see him growing as interviewer. He does his research, gets his guests to share openly, and leads solid, thoughtful discussions. On episode three, he talks with Shawn Blanc about being nice on the internet and building a strong membership base. At 56:10, Myke asks about the difference between attention and page views. Shawn provides an excellent, specific explanation of the age-oId question of quality versus quantity. If you have a little extra time, jump back 5 minutes prior and listen to Shawn’s approach about assuming the best in others.

“I believe everyone wants to be the best version of themselves that they can be.” ~ Shawn Blanc

I Wondered Why Nobody Came

ON THE MEDIA | Homicide Watch

This interview with Laura Amico provides a powerful perspective from friends and family of the homicide victims. It also walks through how to get a jump on the cops with diligent reporting practices and strategic search tactics. The story peaks when host Brooke Gladstone compares Amico to Miami crime reporter Edna Buchanan. The title link above is direct to this segment, or if you’re listening to the full podcast, fast forward to 25:20.

Podcast Test Drives:

I listened to 512 PODCAST | Firing on One Cylinder based on a tweet recommendation from Michael Schechter (by the way, his name is quite easy to spell despite what he tells you). This was not the right episode to listen to this podcast for the first time. The title tells why, as Stephen was only firing on one cylinder. I can see how regular listeners would find the honest portrayal of being in a funk more engaging, but not having background with these guys, it just felt aimless to me.

OTHER PODCAST POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

I’m on the lookout for podcasts about learning. Any recommendations? Also, I want to see if I can break 1,000 minutes of listening to podcasts within one week. Wish me luck.

LISTEN TO THIS | Mind-blowing Trumps Justice

in ,

I’m a podcast junkie, and LISTEN TO THIS is a recap of my favorite tidbits, soundbites and short bursts of brilliance from this week. After digesting 14 hours and 43 minutes of podcasts, here’s my top three must-listen-to moments.

Podcasts minutes tracked on Todd Chandler's Daytum Dashboard

Though Parts of Her Were Considerably Younger

THE CULTURE GABFEST | 25 Sex Moves He Secretly Wishes You’d Try Edition

With the passing of 90-year-old Helen Gurley Brown, the Gabfest crew explores the positive and appalling sides of how she influenced women in America. I love listening to the debate about all the wonderful advancements she did along with all the negative stereotypes she helped reinforce. It’s the first story in this episode, so you can start at the beginning or fast forward to 1:55.

And If I’m Proven Wrong, I Want to be Part of It

BUILD AND ANALYZE | This Person Isn’t Really Here

Marco and Dan discuss the launch of app.net starting at 23:10. What makes this conversation worth listening to is the dialog around the effectiveness of the fund raising campaign and Marco’s proposed next steps for success. I also found the points on the function of each social network and the purpose of posting on each thought-provoking (38:50). If you want to hear a little more about app.net, Dan York also covered it on his report on For Immediate Release at 31:15.

The Thermal Detonator You’re Carrying

JUDGE JOHN HODGMAN | Probable Cos-Play

My favorite 5 podcast subscriptionsThis podcast has earned it’s way into my top five subscriptions. The format is so different, and Hodgman is engaging, clever, and smart. This week, the court docket included a couple headed to a Star Wars convention with their 4-year-old son. Dad and son are planning to dress in jedi garb, and dad was seeking a ruling to mandate mom dress up as well. After the ruling, Judge Hodgman came back into the virtual, fake courtroom and asked the husband to step out. Then he offered a fantastic idea for the wife stating that the ruling stands, but “Sometimes mind-blowing trumps justice.” Not sure if it will make much sense without listening to the entire case, but his bonus suggestion starts at 32:52.

Podcast Test Drives:

I branched out quite a bit this week trying two new shows on 5by5 and another two Slate podcasts. In addition to Build and Analyze and The Cultural Gabfest above, I also listened to:

  • The Incomparable - delightful panelist conversation on the Pixar movie Brave. I like and will keep testing for a few weeks.
  • The Political Gabfest - I was not that thrilled with this week’s discussion, but two of the normal panelist were out. I’ll give it another shot next week.

I also went back to my old Daytum account and set up a dashboard for podcasts listening to actually track what and when I’m listening to.

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What about you? What podcasts did you enjoy this week and what do you recommend? Leave your favorites in the comments below.