Four Podcasts is my upper limit---that's the remark of a friend while discussing the overabundance of podcasts in the last few years. I was curious how friends managed to listen to so many of them. I'm a Patreon supporter of Retronauts that puts out lengthy new episodes weekly, and even that is sometimes hard to keep up with. What I Listen To blog posts from others that boast a huge listen lists---woah, that's difficult to pronounce---can come across quite intimidating.

It turns out that we mainly listen to podcasts while preparing dinner or doing other chores around the house. I never understood how people can actively listen while driving. I struggle to pick up on interesting facts if I have to do something else that occupies another portion of my attention.

How many podcasts are you subscribed to? Let me rephrase the question: how many podcasts do you regularly listen to? If the answer differs radically, it's perhaps time to admit there's too much casting on that pod plate. On top of that, as most episodes of the ones I'm interested in take up to two hours, I resort to chunk-consuming, picking up where I left off in the next day(s).

Joel and I have exchanged a few podcast recommendations, and this seems like a good place to list the ones I've at least once listened to (but rarely regularly listen to except for Retronauts).

Tech

• TechLead Journal, on software tech leadership beyond coding.
• Software Engineering Radio, on professional software development.

Gaming

• Axe of the Blood God, an RPG-focused one with ties to Retronauts.
• New Game, Old Flame, on new games for old platforms.
• DOS Game Club, our club talks about the games we play each month.
• Into the Aether, a low key video gaming podcast.
• Collectors Quest on (retro) game collecting.
• Shut Up & Sit Down "podcastle" on card and board games.
• Casual Magic on casual Magic the Gathering play sessions.

Other

• Dooddoeners, two Flemish philosophers discussing sayings.
• The Knowledge Project, learn from the world's experts via Farnam Street.
• The Minimalists, on eliminating physical and mental clutter.
• Hurry Slowly, ideas on tech, creativity, and consciousness.
• The Rubenerd Show, Ruben Schade's quirky self at his best.

Needless to say, there's a podcast for any topic or hobby, ranging from short and sweet to very long digressions. Into the Aether has a four hour long summer special where the hosts discuss a single game: Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door. I'm a sucker for these kinds of things. On the other hand, Dooddoeners released a limited number of episodes, each only about fifteen minutes long. These are ideal to take your mind off work and get in a philosophical mood.

As the amount of released podcasts increase, it's becoming more and more difficult to identify the genuine ones. Every respectable professional news site has their own. I generally try to avoid subscribing to those to favor the shows hosted by truly passionate people.

I'm curious to hear your podcast listening and/or subscribing strategies. Drop me a line if you also struggle to keep up!