Back in May, I introduced you to 5 great podcasts you should listen to. I thought I was one of the few enjoying public radio programming, but apparently not: the article was read over 2,000 times and I received a lot of feedback about it. For instance, everybody loved Serial, and yes, there will be a “season two”, with a different story, coming sometime later in 2015 (I can’t wait!).
Meanwhile, September is the back-to-school, back-to-work and back-to-having-a-life (for parents of school-aged kids) season. If you are commuting and wasting time stuck in traffic or waiting for the never-show-up-on-time bus, I have a solution for you: load your mobile device with awesome podcasts.
Yeah, you won’t get to work any faster, but at least you will enjoy the ride.
So here 3 great podcasts you should listen to this fall!
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics Radio is an award-winning podcast and public radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It focuses on economics—the hidden side of economics, not the boring one with all these numbers and stats. In a funny and irreverent tone, the frequently-updated program shed new light on assumptions and so-called commonsensical decisions. No topic is off-limits, so if you want to know more about competitive eating, whether it’s legal for restaurants to racially profile their employees or how to build the best online dating profile, you’re in the right place.
Start with…
- Is It Okay for Restaurants to Racially Profile Their Employees?
- Diamonds Are a Marriage Counselor’s Best Friend
- How to Save $1 Billion Without Even Trying
Radiolab
Radiolab is a show about curiosity, science, philosophy, and human experience. It focuses on people and their fascinating stories, and the narrative is very addictive. I walked around the block for an extra twenty minutes when listening to the episode The Living Room because I was so engrossed in the story that I couldn’t pause it! Some episodes feature one story for the full hour, other shorter ones offer a slice of society, people and thoughts. No matter what you choose to listen, you’ll be hooked—and surprised.
Start with…
La marche de l’histoire
The last one is a French podcast (what? You’re not fluent in French?) that has been around on France Inter since 2011. It focuses on history—ancient, modern and contemporary—and features sound archives and a guest expert on the topic. Listening to this show is a bit like chatting with an older relative, minus the rambling. The topics are extremely eclectic, ranging from “the history of blue cheese” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but you’re sure to learn something about how the world we live in was shaped.
Start with…
- Mortaza Jami, parcours d’un migrant demandeur d’asile
- Polytechnique : l’X dans l’inconnu
- La faillite des Etats
Charge your phone and get your earbuds ready!
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Thanks for the suggestions! I mostly listen to Ted Talks radio from NPR and two Podcasts from France Culture: La Fabrique de l’Histoire and Concordance des Temps.
I’m going to check out the French podcasts! I’m already listening to Ted Talks 😉
This is a shameful truth – I have no idea what a podcast is, nor how to access one. There, I said it. And I feel old for saying it!
A podcast is just a radio show, usually made for people to download and listen on their mobile device 😉
Thanks for sharing, Zhu! Will try those out!
I listen to NPR’s and Rick Steves’ travel talks.
I’m taking note, will try it! Thank you 🙂