2018 Podcast Picks

I post my annual podcast picks on Linkedin rather than Facebook because I think it's such an important habit for professionals. If you have downtime in airports or rush hour, there's no better use of your time than this free, rolling university.

If you are new to podcasting, you'll need a podcast player. I recommend Pocket Casts. It offers apps for Android/iOS and a web player that syncs with the apps. It also offers a powerful search tool covering a deeper catalog than most other apps. Finally, it features a great variable speed option-- allowing you to power through episodes without listening to the chipmunks.

You can see my 2017 picks here. Most of those are still in my playlist.

A few notable drops

• Adam Carolla: Still love the man, but found the shows to be too long and repetitive.
• Homecoming/Life After: Lost interest.
• Sword & Scale: Started to dislike the unprofessional nature of the host's narration.

A few notable additions

The Joe Rogan Experience - You might remember Joe as the gross-out king from Fear Factor or a meat-head commentator for the UFC. But, I promise you there is a compelling intellect and unusual mix of political views that might equally repel and appeal to parts of each listener. The interview guests cover an impossibly wide range of topics, and Joe takes them deeper than you'd normally hear.

Sleep With Me - I sometimes suffer insomnia. This podcast features a mumbling, droning guy telling ever branching stories guaranteed to put you to sleep. Seriously!

Waking up with Sam Harris - Sam leans a lot more Left than me, but I don't think there is a more thoughtful, pragmatic, Liberal voice today. You can listen and still learn, even if you disagree. We need this kind of talk on all sides in our current climate of division.

Up First - The daily news in under 15 minutes. Or, you could waste 3 hours gathering the same information from cable news.

Voices of VR Podcast - I believe that VR will continue to grow as an important enabling technology in Engineering & Product Development. It's current implementation in this area still feels a bit cold and inhuman, though. VoVR focuses much more on the artistic and gaming applications of the technology. These are the ideas that need to eventually filter back into the Engineering use cases. As a bonus: the host, Kent Bye, is an Electrical Engineer from my alma mater, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Aviation Week's Check 6 and Defense & Aerospace Business Report - I recently moved into Siemens' Aerospace & Defense team. After 20 years of selling CAE software to anyone who opened the door for my knock, I owe it to myself and my customers to narrow the focus. These podcasts are helping to get me plugged into this world.

What's missing

Talking CFD is still the only active CAE related podcast I've found. Robin Knowles promises that season 3 is in the works-- but, he might have his work cut out for him given all the recent M&A in this space! We need more CAE focused podcasts.

I'm always looking for new gems, so please share your favorite podcasts in the comments. Happy New Year!