Podcasts to Listen to

Last updated May 2023

Creative Work

The 20 hour rule

While the super-popular 10,000-hour rule has merit, we think the 20-hour rule makes a lot more sense and is a lot more realistic for the majority of us who just want to learn a new skill or educate ourselves in some way. But, it’s not just about doing something for 20 hours, it’s about deliberate, intentional practice.

Left/Right: I give you permission

Environment

A Matter of Degrees

Join Dr. Leah Stokes and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson as they tell stories about the powerful forces behind climate change — and the tools we have to fix it.

Team Human: Rex Weyler

Cofounder of Greenpeace and writer of the Deep Green column Rex Weyler helps us transcend the idea that we can fix the environment – or anything else – so we can finally learn to participate as members of a living world.

History

Fort Nisqually: Indigenous Voices

The History of US Agriculture: part I (Farm to Taber by Sarah Taber)

Peopling the Past – “Real People in the Ancient World and the People who Study Them”

Napolean, War, Progress, Global Order (The Lunar Society)

Alexander Mikaberidze is Professor of History at Louisiana State University and the author of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History. He explains the global ramifications of the Napoleonic Wars – from India to Egypt to America. He also talks about how Napoleon was the last of the enlightened despots, whether he would have made a good startup founder, how the Napoleonic Wars accelerated the industrial revolution, the roots of the war in Ukraine, and much more!

Writing + Romance

Fated Mates — 14.5: Space Romance Interstitial – There Are No Wallflowers in Space!

Getting the Big Picture on Book Revisions

Culture + Tech + Sci-fi

The Politics of Civility

Science Fiction vs Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley executives claim to be inspired by SF, but mostly they use it retroactively to justify their products, often missing the more complicated, nuanced ideas embedded in the original stories. Today we’re going to tackle the hype cycle around A.I., which borrows liberally from the post-scarcity, post-human visions of Iain M. Banks in his Culture novels. It’s time for … the Culture vs. ChatGPT!

Losing Until We Win: Realistic Revolution in Science Fiction — EFF interviews Annalee Newitz

The Ethics of AI Art (Cortex)