First Click: Your favorite podcast

August 12th, 2015

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Did you ever play the game I’ll show you mine if you show me yours? This is like that, only with podcasts, not the fleshy bits.

Right now, I have 12 favorite podcasts that I've sorted below in order of my own fickle preference:

**1) My Brother, My Brother and Me — What could be finer than eavesdropping on Justin, Travis, and their itty bitty baby brother Griffin McElroy as they answer Yahoo questions? Nothing, that’s what.

2) Sawbones — Laughing at medical history is way more fun than screaming in terror.

3) What’s Tech — Next time I’m in Austin, I will a) gorge myself on BBQ, and b) cuddle Christopher Thomas Plante. Of these, I will not regret the latter.

4) The Vergecast — Shh, don’t tell Nilay he’s 4th.

5) Tomorrow with Joshua Topolsky — Shh, don’t tell Josh he’s 5th.

6) The Talk Show with John Gruber — Love him or hate him, there’s no better place for Apple gossip.

7) This American Life — Two words: Ira Glass.

8) Fresh Air — Three words: Terry Gross interviews.

9) Freakonomics Radio — Who knew that economists could be such freaks?

10) Radiolab — Always listen at 1x speed because it's the benchmark for audio story telling.

11) Invisibilia — You’re probably not as weird as you think, says science.

12) a16z — Often a snoozer but sometimes brilliant, especially when Benedict Evans is a guest.

Honorable Mention:

**Serial — The This American Life spinoff is singularly responsible for the resurgence in Podcast popularity after its 2014 debut. It’ll quickly jump back to my #1 slot when season 2 starts sometime later this year.

So, I’ve shown you my faves — now show me yours.

Five stories to start your day



  1. How internet-connected sex devices became the weapons of a patent troll

    In September 1993, David Rothschild saw the future of sex: it was teledildonics, a word used to describe internet-enabled sex toys that allow partners to remotely pleasure one another. Twenty-two years later, the most promising use for the technology appears to be patent trolling.

  2. FDA busts Kim Kardashian selfie for leaving out drug side effects

    Kim Kardashian is no stranger to Instagram promotion, but a recent post has landed her in hot water with an unexpected enemy: the Food and Drug Administration. In a letter dated August 7th, the FDA's Office of Prescription Drug Promotion requested that Kardashian take down a post promoting Diclegis, a drug that combats morning sickness. The office reviewed Kardashian's post in response to a complaint about its validity and found that it was "false and misleading... it omits material facts."

  3. Trans fats significantly increase the risk of heart attack and death

    Since the 1970s, people have been given dietary advice about avoiding fats — and it’s wrong, a new analysis published in the British Medical Journal suggests. Specifically, the meta-analysis found that the fats in cheese and meats — called saturated fats — aren't linked to type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, or an increased risk of early death. However, a diet high in trans fats — the kind of fat that's often added into packaged snack foods or found in margarine — can significantly increase a person's risk for heart disease and early death.

  4. Drone racing league receives a $1 million investment from Miami Dolphins owner

    Does drone racing have what it takes to be a sport? Billionaire property developer and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross thinks it might, and has invested $1 million in the first round of funding for New York startup The Drone Racing League via his investment firm RSE Ventures, reports The Wall Street Journal. Like similar organizations, the League races small drones that can hit speeds of up to 70 mph and are flown with the aid of goggles that transmit a live video feed from the craft to the pilot (also known as FPV or first person view racing).

  5. Tinder throws a Twitter fit over Vanity Fair article

    On Tuesday, the company spewed a torrent of angry and bizarre tweets aimed at journalist Nancy Jo Sales, who wrote the Vanity Fair piece. The meltdown began when Sales tweeted the results of a survey which showed that 30 percent of the app's users are married. Tinder contested those findings, and invited Sales to have a "factual conversation." The company then proceeded to completely lose its shit.

NSFW wizard swears of the day

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