Podcasts I like listening to

I discovered listening to podcasts about one year ago. Previously, I never knew why anyone would want to listen to people talk when they could listen to music or nothing, but that has changed a bit.

So, here’s a list of podcasts I’m currently listening to on a regular basis.

Tech Won’t Save Us

I have recently stumbled over Tech Won’t Save Us, a Podcast which is critical of the technological “progress” offered by Silicon Valley elites. It’s a great antidote for the generative AI hype.

I still have some stupid hope that AGI will solve our problems because maybe people will trust a computer more than scientists that something has to be done about the combined crisis we’re facing as humans. Who knows. I do not want to be too negative about it though, there are positive news if you’re looking in the right places. I myself do not write about those bigger issues as much as I used to. I support those more important issues elsewhere.

Generative AI is certainly not helping me in my work. I do not want a computer to generate code which I have to review and maintain when I still enjoy writing code myself. Maybe that will change at some point in the future. When that happens I’ll probably retire and become a gardener or something.

The Ezra Klein Show

This show seems to be a favorite of many people. I joined for the (relatively) critical perspectives on AI and stayed for the insights into politics and into the near east conflict. I think it’s great that people from different sides get a voice on the show, even if Ezra doesn’t agree with them.

I sometimes wish the questions they ask on the show were a little bit more critical.

Hard Fork

I like the perspectives and the bantering on this podcast. It’s a good way for me to stay informed about what’s going on in AI/ML land, among other things. It’s a lighthearted listen I often look forward to.

Django Chat

I work with Django all the time and Django Chat is a great way to learn more about Django, about the people involved and also about the surrounding ecosystem. A wholehearted recommendation!

Talk Python To Me

Good interviews, interesting guests and topics. Just a great way to learn about libraries, tools etc. which I cannot wait to use in my own projects.

Datenschutzplaudereien

Required listening for people working with customer data in Switzerland. Swiss german knowledge required.

Others

A few other podcasts I’m listening to more or less regularly:

• Wir müssen reden. Public Eye spricht Klartext: The podcast from public eye, an organization which uncovers human right violations perpetrated by Swiss companies around the globe. I’m not yet sure if I like the podcast, but I like and support the organization very much.
• Hanselminutes: The more polifor the wide and diverse array of guests.tical podcasts have displaced Hanselminutes in my listening schedule, but I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about tech. Recommended because of the diverse array of guests, among many other reasons.
• Syntax: At times very interesting, at times not much new for me. I still recommend it.
• Weird Studies: Really weird. I liked the discussion of Hellraiser and The Thing, and have listened to some of the other episodes. Religiosity and spiritualism was always around me when I was a child, and it’s interesting to revisit some of the ideas about reality from a different angle after years and years of not engaging with these questions at all. (Writing this down does sound a bit like a midlife crisis on the horizon, but I don’t think that’s it. I have studied a little bit of philosophy and ethics and have stayed interested in these topics ever since.)
• I don’t think the german “Welt” is a good newspaper at all. I do like the «Aha! History» and «Aha! Zehn Minuten Alltagswissen» podcasts because they are short and often examine topics I don’t know much about.
• Sternstude Philosophie: It’s a bit slow and definitely more geared towards viewers than listeners, but definitely interesting.