Heading into the holiday season, I’m going to spend a bit less time in front of my laptop, but I’ll be keeping myself entertained and informed by continuing to listen to podcasts. Here’s a quick roundup of podcasts I find entertaining/useful.
- The Allusionist is an entertaining but informative podcast about language by Helen Zaltzman. Topics cover everything from the etymology of specific words to the evolution of language systems. Episodes are typically 15-20 minutes long. Good for either transitioning into or out of work mode at either end of the day.
- Grammar Girl, presented by Mignon Fogarty, picks a technical grammar issue each episode and gives it a quick explanation with some examples. Episodes vary in length, but are typically in the 5-15 minute range. Good for a quick palate refresh between writing projects during the day.
- Tom Johnson’s I’d Rather Be Writing podcast has a strong emphasis on API documentation best practices and tools, but covers other aspects of tech writing too. Episodes include Tom’s personal musings on the field, interviews with other SMEs, and recordings of presentations at various conferences and other events. Episodes are lengthy – one to have on standby for commuting listening, or to keep your mind occupied while working on something repetitive that doesn’t require thinking.
- Radiolab is a documentary series that covers a wide range of subjects. I think I’ve loved almost every episode I’ve heard, but the following couple are particularly interesting from tech and language perspectives: The Trust Engineers (about the inner workings of Facebook), and Translation (about language and, well, translation). Lengthy episodes again – one for the commute, or a lunchtime walk.
- No Such Thing As A Fish is a round table with the QI elves, where they discuss a selection of the most interesting facts they’ve come across in their research in the past week. Occassionally language-/tech-related, always fun. Episodes are usually 30-40 minutes long. Don’t try to listen to this at your desk – you will laugh out loud at some point.
