I’m a podcast junkie, and LISTEN TO THIS is a recap of my favorite tidbits, soundbites and short bursts of brilliance that I have to share with everyone who will listen. After digesting hours and hours of podcasts, here’s the best 9 minutes from this week.
ALL ARE ULTIMATELY COMPROMISED
BACK TO WORK | The Mayor of Perspective
One of the complaints of Back to Work is that Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin spend too much time on the front end of the show with irrelevant small talk. I actually think that’s the brilliance of this show. They’re tight buddies, and their weekly rambles make me feel like I’m part of that inner circle. And then out of nowhere comes a moment of clarity. This week’s best moment comes at 55:33 when Merlin compares comments from the DVD commentary on the show The Wire with the difficult choices we face at work when we have to enforce rules determined by someone else.
TWO KINDS OF EXPERIENCES: HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL
THE TOBOLOWSKY FILES | The Long Distance Relationship
Stephen Tobolowsky is an incredibly talented and hard-working character actor. He’s played multiple roles every year since the 70’s, but for me, I’ll always picture him first as the insurance salesman Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day. The Tobolowsky Files are short stories written and read by Tobolowsky from his own life. They are endearing, funny and thoughtful. The last couple of episodes have chronicled his decision to seize an opportunity to star in a Broadway production which required him to leave his family in California and live in New York during the run. To sample this podcast at its finest, jump in at 28:36 and listen to the tale of his farewell party.
VERY DIFFICULT TO START A CONVERSATION
MIKES ON MICS | Conference Conversation
Michael Schechter and Mike Vardy met online and started broadcasting Mikes on Mics before ever meeting face-to-face. This is the first episode they could physically clink their drinks when asked, “What are you drinking,” as they recorded the show while attending the World Domination Summit. If you plan on attending a conference within the next year, or if you need to convince someone that you should attend an upcoming conference, listen to the entire show. The Mikes cover several practical tips on how to select the right conference, create a pre-conference game plan, meet the right people at the conference, get the most out of the conference, and share your learning post-conference. At a minimum, make sure to catch the discussion at 6:15 where they share the benefits of connecting with people online prior to the conference. BONUS: they discuss the entire topic without saying the word “networking” once.
Podcast Test Drives (Hat tip on all three to Chris Gemignani):
- JUDGE JOHN HODGMAN - brilliant. Adding to my weekly must-listen-to.
- MY BROTHER, MY BROTHER AND ME - clever. I enjoy the rapport between the three brothers. Loved their recap of the Pixar movie Brave.
- Checking out another podcast app: POCKET CAST. Like the visual display.
Unsubscribing from:
THE BEERISTS - I would love to go drinking with this gang, but I’m not clicking with listening in on their discussion. I’m curious to better understand how I can feel included in the Back to Work private jokes, but not in the Beerist.
OTHER PODCAST POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
What about you? What podcasts did you enjoy this week and what do you recommend? Leave your favorites in the comments below.