Accidental Technologist

Musings about Entrepreneurship, Technology and Software Development

Podcasters Please Stop Wasting My Time

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I listen to many podcasts. I have some I’ve followed for years. I have some I add to my favorite podcast app on my iPhone, hear a couple of episodes, and remove.

The number one reason I unsubscribe; the hosts are wasting my time. I don’t have much time each day for podcasts, and when I turn them on, I would like to get right to the details.

I don’t want to list those that I have problems with because I don’t want to call anyone out. Those that waste time know who they are.

Examples of wasting my time:

  • Casual banter. Carrying on about the trip you took or the co-working space you visited adds no value. It’s not the reason I am listening to your podcast. Get to the point.
  • Complaining – many do it, complaining about something unrelated to the topic isn’t adding value to the show.
  • Personal discussions are unrelated to the topic I tuned into in the first place.
  • Your world philosophy – podcasts tend to be a soapbox for some folks, it’s really not the place.

Examples of who does it right:

I don’t know why so many podcasters do this. I can only imagine they think they need to fill more time in the show. I’d rather have a short show on-topic than a longer show with talk. I believe shows that run 60 minutes could easily shorten to 30-40 with being on topic

Maybe they think we are interested in their personal stories. Sorry, but I’m not.

Podcasters, value the time of the listener. Address the topic with spot-on discussions and remove the filler. No fluff, just stuff.

Podcast: Thoughtbot – Giant Robots

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I have an addiction to podcasts. There, I said it.

According to my podcast player, I am subscribed to 38 podcasts. Definitely too many to keep up with very easily. I am constantly rotating new ones in and old ones out but always keeping my favorites queued up. One of my favorites of late is The Giant Robots Smashing into Other Giant Robots from Thoughtbot. It’s not a new podcast but recently has taken on a new format, where the topics focus more on building and running Saas products within Thoughtbot.

Recent episodes chronicle Upcase and FormKeep. Topics include:

  • Pricing
  • Customer acquisition and retention
  • Churn
  • B2B vs B2C
  • Choosing Features
  • Etc.

The format of the show reminds me a bit of agile weekly stand-ups. The hosts take turns discussing goals for the week, how they made their products better for users, what could be better.

Lots to learn and take away from this one. Well worth subscribing if you’re building and launching your own products.

Podcatch.com

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Dave Winer is always working on something new, something creative and innovative. While running out of something good to listen to Dave cam e up with Podcatch.com, a curated list of podcasts from friends.

New shows from my friends’ favorite feeds. That’s what I need when I’m rushing to get out of the house and don’t have time to load up my phone with good shows. I’m getting a lot more value for my podcast-listening time. And so can you!

The list is if full of a variety of podcasts so there has to be something to catch your ear.

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I have already discovered a couple new podcasts to add to my Instacast client.

Talking about Building iOS Application on The Tablet Show Episode 85

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I was a guest recently on The Tablet Show with Richard Campbell and Carl Franklin, to talk about iOS development, client projects, API’s with Ruby on Rails and creating applications with interactive back ends.

I think it turned out pretty well but I really can’t stand listening to my own voice, so please give it a listen and decide for your self.

Thanks to Richard and Carl for having me on the show.

More Great iOS Developer Podcasts

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Podcast RSS

I subscribe and listen to a lot of podcasts. ?I wrote about some of my favorites before,?7 Great iOS and Mac Developer Podcasts to Learn from Today, and I wanted to share some more today.

CMD+Space

Hosted by Myke Hurley, CMD+Space?is a show with interviews various independent Mac and iOS developers from the perspective of running their businesses and how they got to where they are today.

So many developers go independent all the time and could use some solid guidance.

CMD+Space is on then 70decibels network which hosts many other shows that you might find interesting.

Debug

Hosts Guy English and Rene Ritchie have been running this podcast for the past few weeks but it quickly became one to get sync’d to my iPhone for listening while driving or daily walks.

Debug is also an interview show with well-known Mac and iOS developers. ?As often happens while I listen to interviews various questions come to mind that go unanswered, not the case here. ?These guys seem to ask the questions I want answered. ?Coincidence? ?Most likely but the great questions result in solid advice.

Identical Cousins

Hosted by Michael and Brent Simmons, they discuss various topics important to Mac and iOS developers who are mainly independent but also those gainfully employed at companies large and small.

I stumbled across Identical Cousins while listening to another podcast, which is often the case.

Iterate

This podcast is a bit different with a focus on the design side of mobile development for Mac, iOS and Android applications.

Iterate is hosted by Rene Ritchie and others. ?Rene seems to be a repeat name here and other podcasts including MacBreak Weekly.

My Updated Developer Podcast List

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My appetite for podcasts is always growing but my interests routinely change.? I don?t listen to many .NET-specific podcasts any longer, but more along the lines of software craftsmanship, Mac/iPhone, Python and Ruby development.? I hike about an hour a day to try to stay somewhat fit and always have my iPhone loaded up with podcasts to pass the time.

I am always searching for new podcasts and from time-to-time that I come across new ones I consider worth sharing. It has been a while since I have shared any, so now seems like as good a time as any.? My last update from a few years ago titled Software Development Podcast List has seen a few additions.

General Coding, Ruby on Rails, .NET

  • coderpath podcast with Miles Forrest and Curtis McHale ? mainly interviews with Ruby on Rails community folks, great dialog.
  • Teach Me to Code podcast with Charles Max Wood ? covers a wide variety of topics and interviews with community members from Agile to Ruby and everything in between.? Very good detailed discussions, highly recommended.
  • The Dev Show with Dan Benjamin and Jason Seifer ? news covering JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Java, PHP and more.
  • The Ruby Show with Dan Benjamin and Jason Seifer ? good review of the latest Ruby and Rails news, with a side of hate for MongoDB (just kidding).? Most episodes are 20-min or so in length.
  • The Changelog with Adam Stacoviak ? very detailed interviews and discussions on more obscure subjects in Open Source including JavaScript, iPhone, Sinatra, node.js and others.? This podcast exposes listeners to subjects not really heard elsewhere.? Good stuff.
  • Herding Code Podcast with K. Scott Allen, Kevin Dente, Scott Koon and Jon Galloway ? originally mainly a Microsoft-centric podcast, lately they have been expanding into many great areas such as iPhone development, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, jQuery and more.? Great interviews by people really focused on technology.
  • Startups for the Rest of Us with Rob Walling and Mike Taber ? not a developer podcast per se but a podcast about going out on your own from two software developer.? Truly valuable episodes if you are thinking about starting a software company or even if you have an idea for a product and wonder what to do.
  • Ruby5 with Gregg Pollack and Nathaniel Bibler ? great source of Ruby news in very short episodes (5-6 minutes).

Open Source

  • FLOSS Weekly with Randal Schwartz ? interviews with leaders in open source.? Great insight into great projects.

Mac and iPhone/iPad

  • Core Intiution with Daniel Jalkut and Manton Reece ? includes many aspects of Mac development.
  • The Mac Developer Network ? covers a wide range of development topics for Mac, iPhone and iPad development.

Screencasts

Even though I don?t put screencasts on my iPhone, I do watch these in my free time on my Mac.? These are really good, so I wanted to share.? I didn?t really have enough to put in their own categories, so everything is just lumped together.

  • RailsCasts with Ryan Bates ? short (6-15min) screencasts covering very specific topics of Ruby on Rails development.? This is great for beginners and experienced developers alike who want to come up-to-speed on new topics like Rails 3 (222 episodes as of the time of this writing).
  • web pulp tv with Josh Owens ? very detailed interviews with many high-profile tech companies talking about how they approach a tech stack and make thing scale.
  • Teach Me to Code with Charles Max Wood ? great how-to videos on various aspects of Rails, including Rails 3, RSpec and others.? These are very well done and worth watching for the latest.

I am always looking for any other podcasts or screencasts covering unique topics.? Please leave a comment here with some I may not be including here and may enjoy.? Thank you.

Great find – The Thirsty Developer Podcast

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I have to admit, I have a problem.   I am addicted to podcasts and I listen to them all, either on a commute to a client or while working.  I stumbled across a new one (to me) recently and I wanted to share it with my readers. ThirstyDeveloper_small

It’s called The Thirsty Developer and it covers development from a fairly platform agnostic view.  Recent shows cover topics such as:

  • Scrum
  • Collaboration between Developers and Designers
  • Continuous Integration
  • Globalization and Localization

They do cover such specific topics such as:

  • Silverlight 2
  • IIS

As I write this there are 16 episodes and just need to check out the podcast feed to see all the episode details.    The sound quality on many podcasts, especially new ones varies a lot but they seem to have gotten it right.  The sound quality is excellent and the conversations good too.

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Rubiverse Podcast

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I recently discovered a Ruby-focused podcast called Rubiverse Podcast.   It is a new podcast, so the number of episodes are limited but the first two are very good.

The most recent one is an interview with Scott Bellware who is a Microsoft MVP but sees the downsides of Microsoft and has been gravitating toward Ruby on Rails.  I really enjoyed the interview.

Scott’s viewpoint is much as mine is these days and its nice to hear Scott speak the way I feel.  Scott is the found of the ALT.NET Conference and one I wish I could attend.  I am glad I am not the only one out there who thinks there has to be a better way to make a living.

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Podcast : Rubyology

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I came across a new Ruby on Rails podcast recently called Rubyology by Chris Matthieu who founded Numly.

Chris’s podcast include introductions and reviews to frameworks such as Camping and Hobo and include various screencasts showing their use and general Ruby and Rails techniques.

These podcasts run about 1/2 hour each and are very good, especially for a novice.   The content is geared more toward development than another podcast I really enjoy, Rails Podcast.

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Software Development Podcast List

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I spend a fair amount of time in my day.  I work in an organzation that has many office workers and warehouse as well.  In fact, my office is next to the warehouse and you can probably guess that it is not as quiet as it could be.  It's difficult to concentrate sometimes with all of this "white noise" around me.  I therefore turn to podcasts to get rid of the useless noise and add some good content to my day.  I find listening to podcasts gives me better concentration and I can also learn a thing or two. Anyway, I wanted to put a list together of the podcasts I listen to on a frequent basis.  I also watch some shows as well.  I know these aren't really categorized as podcasts but they cover the same topics.

  • The MicroISV Show – not really directly software development related but a show about software developers making it out on their own.
  • .NET Rocks – the first show I started listening to put on by Carl Franklin.  As of this writing they were up to show #173.  They include all types of guests including Don Box, Chris Sells, Scott Hanselman, Ted Neward and others.  This one is probably my favorite.
  • ARCast with Ron Jacobs – Ron is from Microsoft and has talks manly about software architecture and best practices.  He has had some great guests on there including Martin Fowler, Jeffrey Richter and Ivar Jacobson.
  • Audible Ajax – You probably guessed it.  This podcast is all about Ajax, those using it and different companies supporting it.
  • Hanselminutes – a podcast put on by Scott Hanselman where Scott talks about being a more efficient and well-informed developer.  Topics include code generation, debugging and testing.
  • Polymorphic Podcast – hosted by Craig Shoemaker.  This is also one of my favorites as Craig's style and voice is very soothing to a stressed developer.  Topics include Ajax, ADO.NET, disassembling DLL's among others.
  • ASP.NET Podcast – produced by Wally McClure.  I am up and down on this podcast.  It has great topics and Wally interviews some interesting people but Wally tends to talk too much about his personal life and not about technology.  There is good stuff in here but they podcasts can be cut in half with the useful content.
  • Ruby on Rails Podcast – focuses on developers who use Ruby and Ruby on Rails in particular to create applications.  I am not aware of another Ruby on Rails podcast as of yet.
  • The Web 2.0 Show – talks about how people are creating companies using Web 2.0 technology and being successful at it.
  • DNR TV – a video version of Carl Franklins .NET Rocks Show. This one shows a video of a developer giving detailed lessons on various topics.

I don't spend my days listening to these shows but listen when I can.  I have found something useful in all of them. Technorati Tags :