I listen to podcasts a lot. My gift to you for the new year is a selection of podcasts I really enjoyed in 2014.
My recommendations are all audio-only because I'm often listening during a commute, shower, walk, or as I'm falling asleep. What did I miss?
Storytelling
Serial by This American Life
This is obviously the breakout show of the year and it definitely got to me. The post-series interview with Jay definitely keeps the mystery alive.
This American Life
An essential standard.
Welcome to Night Vale by Commonplace Books
A slightly creepy news cast about a slightly creepy town. Goodnight, Night Vale. Goodnight.
Radiolab by WNYC
Great storytelling on a wide range of subjects.
Reply All by Gimlet Media
Like it says, a show about the Internet. Fascinating stories about how the Internet shapes us and how we shape it.
StartUp by Gimlet Media
A series (like Serial) of episodes recording the journey of one entrepreneur trying to start up.
Selected Shorts by PRI
Short fiction read by actors. Makes me feel like the golden age of radio might still have a place.
TED Radio Hour by NPR
This is an excellent mashup between TED talks and storytelling, often going behind the scenes or deeper into subjects presented at TED events.
Ideas
TED Talks Audio
These folks are so awesome they compiled all the episodes available into a Google Spreadsheet. I prefer the audio format for listening on the go, but each episode does suggest "This talk contains powerful visuals."
Ruby5
Get five minutes of curated news about the Ruby and Ruby on Rails community twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays).
The Ruby Rogues by DevChat.TV
I have to be honest: this is hit or miss. In the last few months, though, it's been more hits than misses. I like the regulars on the show and someday I hope to be grilled by them about technical leadership. If I am so lucky…
The ChangeLog
I like how polyglot this podcast is. Lots of communities get play including, for the first time, Perl just a couple weeks ago. Their [website] also has a nice link blog of interesting open source projects. Keep an eye on it.
Current Events
Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! by NPR
Family favorite every weekend.
The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC
Scroll to the bottom of that page for podcast subscription links. Warning: political alignment obvious.