nerd news needed (audio only)
January 2, 2011 5:25 PM   Subscribe

Looking for a great new science-fiction-flavored or otherwise nerd-centric podcast.

I really enjoyed listening to Iain M. Banks's Transition last year while exercising and I haven't found anything I like enough to replace it. What are the best huge-nerd-friendly podcasts?

To give you some sense of my tastes, I already listen to cult favorite Poli-Sci-Fi Radio, as well as This American Life, Comedy Death Ray, and the Pod F. Thompkast, as well as The Bugle and RSA Events. In the past I've quickly burned through the various incarnations of The Ricky Gervais Show and How to Think about Science. Please assume anything else is completely new to me, no matter how banal or totally obvious it may seem.

Thanks!
posted by gerryblog to Media & Arts (13 answers total) 28 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Escape Pod (sf short stories), Podcastle (fantasy) and Pseudopod (horror) podcasts? They're great, and even if you dislike one story, there are always more.
posted by jeather at 5:34 PM on January 2, 2011


Response by poster: Added it, jeather! Thanks. The podcast referenced in this thread seems interesting to me as well.
posted by gerryblog at 5:49 PM on January 2, 2011


Best answer: For science: The Guardian's Science Weekly, The NY Time's Science Times, and The Naked Scientists.

For a couple of pals trading yuks and talking about stuff, sometimes with guest interviews: Jordan, Jesse Go! and Stop Podcasting Yourself. The relatively new Field Negro Guide to Arts and Culture is still forming its identity, but it's always good.

Oh, and based on hearing her on JJGO a couple of weeks back, I keep intending to subscribe to Jackie Kashian's The Dork Forest to make my goto podcast list a bit less of a boyzone. Thanks for reminding me.
posted by mumkin at 5:57 PM on January 2, 2011 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Another two-guys-talking-cast: Widely Ranging Interests... they seem to have fallen off-schedule recently, but there are almost 70 twenty-minute episodes, most of which are topically timeless, so if you're looking for something to distract your mind while exercising, the back catalog definitely deserves your attention.
posted by mumkin at 6:07 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: SciFi? Sword & Laser.
posted by blue_beetle at 6:14 PM on January 2, 2011


Response by poster: These are all great.
posted by gerryblog at 6:39 PM on January 2, 2011


Best answer: Are you listening to The Nerdist? It's Chris Hardwick (stand up comedian, 1/2 of Hard and Phirm, occasional MTV and G4 personality, and MASSIVE Whovian)'s podcast, often frequently featuring excellent nerdy guests (Adam Savage! Matt Smith! The Muppets!), stand up comics (Craig Ferguson! Maria Bamford! Mike Birbiglia!), and totally random events like MMA star Mayhem Miller, who friended Hardwick on twitter, so he asked him to do the show.

There's also The Nerdy Show, which is just what it says on the tin, and features weekly gaming, comics, and music reviews, remixes, featured artists, and semi-regular appearances by Atomic Robo writer Brian Clevinger. Generally a lot of good nerdy fun, but occasionally throws curveballs like the Rule 34 podcast, which was fascinating, but not for the faint of heart.
posted by BZArcher at 6:41 PM on January 2, 2011


Best answer: StarshipSofa
posted by Pater Aletheias at 7:48 PM on January 2, 2011 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Science, not sci-fi, but I recommend Radiolab and Quirks and Quarks.
posted by cider at 7:51 PM on January 2, 2011


Best answer: Seconding StarShipSofa.
posted by Artw at 10:01 PM on January 2, 2011


Best answer: The Incomparable
posted by ridogi at 10:20 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Nerdy, but in a way that seems difficult to categorize: You Look Nice Today.
posted by lantius at 1:28 AM on January 3, 2011


Best answer: If your interests stray into Lovecraft you might like the HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast is fantastic - they're doing all of his stories in order, so you may want to go back and start from the beginning.
posted by Artw at 10:23 AM on January 3, 2011


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