I’ve always been a fan of podcasts ever since I bought my first iPod (which is now over a decade ago), because I’m able to listen to them anywhere while doing other things (like driving, cooking, etc.). And the world of podcasting content has only gotten better. In the past few years, podcasts have gain more notoriety and stopped being viewed as that niche media that only geeks use. They have become massive online repositories of interesting audio content, specially after major radio broadcasting networks have adhered to this format so intensively.

But one of the things that I like the most about podcasts is the freedom they give to content creators to go back to one of the most interesting features that radio broadcasting used to have: telling smaller less-known stories about individuals or places that you may not have heard before. And I’ve been focusing more on listening this kind of podcasts.

One example is 99% Invisible podcast’s story about the Gander International Airport. I had no idea that such a place existed and was once one of the most important airports in the world (bonus content at the end: you’ll learn what the numbering on airport runways means). It’s always interesting to learn about these stories and learn new stuff every day.

Here are some other podcasts I’ve recently listened to and found interesting:

• 99% Invisible (weird but fascinating stories, mostly focusing on design and the influence in our lives)
  • Making It Rain
  • Fordlandia
  • Border Wall
  • The Nut Behind the Wheel
• Freakonomics Radio (the hidden side of everything, as the authors call it)
  • The “The Secret Life of CEOs” series
  • Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Money (But Were Afraid to Ask)
• Hidden Brain (one of my favourites, ranging from sociology and psychology to technology and art – fully recommended)
  • Romeo and Juliet in Kigali
  • Crickets and Cannibals
  • The Mind of the Village
  • Counting Other People’s Blessings
  • Lost in Translation
  • Kinder-Gardening (awesome for parents)
• Invisibilia (stories focusing on human behaviour)
  • I, I, I. Him.
  • Emotions (this one is really tough to hear)
• You Are Not So Smart (focuses mostly on psychology and related sciences)
  • Belief Change Blindness
  • Active Information Avoidance
  • Tribal Psychology (this one is really cool)
  • Machine Bias

Other interesting podcasts:

• StarTalk Radio
  • by Neil DeGrasse Tyson – no further introduction needed, he’s a natural entertainer in the world of science
• TED Talks Daily
  • just what the name says – get access to interesting TED talks every day
• Today, Explained
  • small episodes explaining current events, usually politics
• Too Embarrassed to Ask
  • just as the name hints, they answer embarrassing questions, mostly about technology
• The Infinite Monkey Cage
  • BBC Radio 4 program with cool interviews focusing on science
• ID10T
  • former Nerdist, great if you like that kind of conversation-based interviews with famous people