I spend quite a bit of time in my car, commuting along California’s beautiful Central Coast to and from work. I estimate that I spend 10+ hours per week driving to and from my day job as web developer or my secondary job as a university lecturer. I’m not sure how that compares to your commute or the average commute in general, but each trip is typically 30 minutes or more. Prior to this current setup, I had a position with the state that required me to drive 3 to 4 hours several times per month. That’s a lot of time in the car.
I also suffer from a terrible case of earworm, so I don’t listen to music as often as I could. I instead shy towards podcasts, having discovered many that capture my attention, imagination, or curiosity for one reason or another. Here are the podcasts I generally listen to and that make me happy when I see there is a new episode available. I will update this post to include recommended episodes…after my next drive!
The “Listen on My Next Drive” Podcasts
- RadioLab
- Reply All
- 99% Invisible
- RadioLab Presents: More Perfect
- This American Life
- Homecoming – A psychological thriller from Gimlet Media, starring Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac, and David Schwimmer. *added July 2017*
- What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law – A new show about Consitutional Law by 99% Invisible’s Roman Mars and Law Professor Elizabeth Joh *added July 2017*
- Ear Hustle – Ear Hustle brings you the stories of life inside prison, shared and produced by those living it. *added July 2017*
The “Cool, a New Episode!” Podcasts
- Invisibilia
- Serial
- Mystery Show
- Song Exploder
- Wiretap from CBC Radio
- Surprisingly Awesome
- S*Town – from Serial and This American Life. *added July 2017*
“John despises his Alabama town and decides to do something about it. He asks a reporter to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But then someone else ends up dead, sparking a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man’s life.”
- Every Little Thing – Turn over the rock, peek through the keyhole, go down the rabbit hole. There’s always more to it. A new show from Gimlet Media, hosted by Flora Lichtman. *added July 2017*
The “I Listened to Everything Else So Let’s See If There’s a New Episode” Podcasts
- Note to Self
- Pop Culture Happy Hour
- Science and Creativity from Studio 360
- Planet Money
- The Longest Shortest Time
- How Sound
- Everything Sounds
- Stuff You Should Know
- The Moth Podcast
- Benjamin Walker’s Theory of Everything
- Revisionist History
