What are some good technical podcasts?

October 16, 2013 7:15 PM

I'd like to listen to some podcasts about something technical. I am picky, however.

I really like NodeUp, but I've run out of them. Besides being about Node.js, which I'm into, what I like about it is that it's:

- Human
- Gets deeply technical in places
- Sometimes addresses larger social issues that surround the technology
- Hosts are not jerks
- Discusses experiences rather than news/Is not a "Let's discuss what's hot this week!" panel

That last aspect is why I didn't like a lot of 5x5 podcasts and design podcasts.

The technical things I'm interested in right now are:

- Software in general
- JavaScript
- Node.js
- Design for electronic media
- Music synthesis

I'm open to hearing about stuff I've never even tried, though. Like, I dunno, nanobots?

posted by ignignokt to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

Do you listen to Roguelike Radio? Kind of a stretch but there it is.
posted by grobstein at 7:29 PM on October 16, 2013

I think you would enjoy Debug. Although it is primarily focused on Apple technologies, I think that it hits the things that you like about NodeUp. (I haven't listened to NodeUp so I can't compare the two directly)
posted by Kwine at 7:31 PM on October 16, 2013

Try Spark from CBC. It may not be super technical, but it hits on a lot of your other points, and discusses how technology affects people & culture. Aside from the regular podcasts they also post extra content that gets into more detail about specific ideas.
posted by photoexplorer at 7:58 PM on October 16, 2013

Best answer: You would probably enjoy Nitch. It's a weekly podcast about developing web apps (that run everywhere!) and they touch on just about everything related, including the various languages and platforms they prefer, the tech they use, the apps they're building, and other randomness.
posted by cgg at 8:03 PM on October 16, 2013

Alex Gaynor gave a quite fitting talk about software design you might enjoy.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:29 AM on October 17, 2013

I know you said no to the 5by5 shows, but did you try In Beta? Gina and Kevin don't do too much of the 'newsy' thing (though, yes, sometimes), and do tend to focus on Gina's experiences developing ThinkUp and TodoTxt, and Kevin's with TEDx Buffalo and Cowork Buffalo. They don't venture too far down the 'deeply technical' realm, but they check off the other items on your list: they're quite human, do not shy away from social issues, and might be two of the most likable people in tech. And they have genuine affection for each other, which makes listening so very easy.
posted by eafarris at 7:54 AM on October 17, 2013

Javascript Jabber is a good technical podcast that might suit you.
posted by aychedee at 1:02 PM on October 17, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks, guys! I subscribed to a bunch of these, and I'll let you know what I think!

I'm wary of Apple hero worship (I was an iOS developer for a number of years), but I did enjoy the Wil Shipley episode of Debug for his perspective on how developing software in the days of NeXT was. And the thing about using the Git object store for an app's database was very intriguing. (If anyone happens to know any more about that, I'd love to hear it.)
posted by ignignokt at 8:10 PM on October 17, 2013

Response by poster: I like the Nitch! It's a little sedate, sonically, but it's got some heart. I like the Concerned About Accessibility and the Web perspective, which I don't hear that often in the Race Toward the Future circles.
posted by ignignokt at 8:54 AM on October 18, 2013