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Show HN: The best technology podcast episodes

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Re: Show HN: The best technology podcast episodes

#21

Post by hnews_account_1 »

contingencies wrote: post #11

Understand others may have differing opinions but I for one never understood podcasts. They seem a very inefficient way to consume information, with generally a very low signal to noise ratio. I can see an attraction while driving, but I don't do that so don't have that problem. The only one I can remember listening to and enjoying in the past was related to roguelike development, and was essentially more of a well c…

The reason they're so famous is because it is in the form of a conversation (generally). I like to take in information if it is in the form of a dialogue rather than simple one sided text / monologue.

Podcasts aren't meant for you to get upto speed on some high end technical concept. It's a lay person's perspective in most cases. So I'm fine if Joe Rogan interviews a scientist since unlike a lecture from susskind, I don't need to pay full attention and take notes. Similarly with finance podcasts, where I'm a professional, I don't need to find one which discusses a full economics paper. I prefer one where highly technical people get together and have a high level conversation since I know the basics and I can follow their train of thought.

Re: Show HN: The best technology podcast episodes

#22

Post by throwGuardian »

contingencies wrote: post #16
throwGuardian wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Others feel differently, as podcasting is a multi billion dollar industry

Sure, but so are tabloid newspapers, glossy magazines and junk food. (Edit: These are other examples of billion dollar industries that equate to low quality experiences you can choose to give yourself, but which will have longer term implications.)

How about illegal drugs and human trafficking, if you're going down the rabbit hole of false equivalency?

Re: Show HN: The best technology podcast episodes

#23

Post by ghaff »

TiccyRobby wrote: post #17
contingencies wrote: post #11

Understand others may have differing opinions but I for one never understood podcasts. They seem a very inefficient way to consume information, with generally a very low signal to noise ratio. I can see an attraction while driving, but I don't do that so don't have that problem. The only one I can remember listening to and enjoying in the past was related to roguelike development, and was essentially more of a well c…

I totally agree, it seems too much inefficient. I only like to listen to podcast while i taking the metro, which is about half an hour long.

Not everything is about efficiency. A good interview or a more produced podcast is often a more natural way to consume certain types of content than reading. As others have said, it's probably not the best way to adsorb complex/unfamiliar material though. (And, for myself, it is mostly when I'm driving that I listen to podcasts, i.e. what lots of people have historically used radio for.

Re: Show HN: The best technology podcast episodes

#24

Post by CathedralBorrow »

contingencies wrote: post #11

Understand others may have differing opinions but I for one never understood podcasts. They seem a very inefficient way to consume information, with generally a very low signal to noise ratio. I can see an attraction while driving, but I don't do that so don't have that problem. The only one I can remember listening to and enjoying in the past was related to roguelike development, and was essentially more of a well c…

Well, some people aren't as focused on achieving optimal efficiency in their information consumption.

Re: Show HN: The best technology podcast episodes

#25

Post by contingencies »

CathedralBorrow wrote: post #24
contingencies wrote: post #11

Understand others may have differing opinions but I for one never understood podcasts. They seem a very inefficient way to consume information, with generally a very low signal to noise ratio. I can see an attraction while driving, but I don't do that so don't have that problem. The only one I can remember listening to and enjoying in the past was related to roguelike development, and was essentially more of a well c…

Well, some people aren't as focused on achieving optimal efficiency in their information consumption.

Good point, but I would jovially rephrase that "some people don't get bored easily enough".

Re: Show HN: The best technology podcast episodes

#27

Post by heavyset_go »

contingencies wrote: post #11

Understand others may have differing opinions but I for one never understood podcasts. They seem a very inefficient way to consume information, with generally a very low signal to noise ratio. I can see an attraction while driving, but I don't do that so don't have that problem. The only one I can remember listening to and enjoying in the past was related to roguelike development, and was essentially more of a well c…

> They seem a very inefficient way to consume information, with generally a very low signal to noise ratio

For a long time, I agreed with this sentiment. But as someone who spends not a small amount of time commuting, jogging, going to the gym and cooking, I've replaced a lot of passive consumption of online resources with podcasts.

I like to stay on top of the open-source and Linux adjacent news, and reading LWN while working out can be tough. I've found a few podcasts from members of those communities and listen to them. I keep short notes on my phone for topics that I want to revisit later, and find the show notes the hosts themselves curate to be treasure troves of content I might otherwise pass by. My signal to noise ratio in passive consumption has definitely gone up.

Podcasts like the Longform podcast and Current Affairs allow me to delve into content I'd otherwise have to read about.

I do not find podcasts to be a good substitute for heavy technical content, in the same way I would find YouTube videos or audiobooks to be frustrating formats to consume O'Reilly books.

Re: Show HN: The best technology podcast episodes

#28

Post by dustingetz »

Please show podcast date; I appreciate you need to bootstrap signups by having Sam Altman on your front page but the product is not just useless but actively wastes my time when I can't tell if this is new content. (The Sam Altman interview is from Nov 2018 and this info is concealed by podnami)

Re: Show HN: The best technology podcast episodes

#30

Post by mgsk »

Cool idea. Some points of frustration: * there's no way to get to the "home" of the podcast (so that I can explore episodes not listed on the site) * there's no indication of how long the podcast is * there's no way to interact with the media playback (skip forward, etc.)
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