Three of the Best Podcasts On the Internet

Awhile back I wrote a post called 5by5 in which I talked about the 5by5 network. Without going into too much detail, the 5by5  network was created by a man named Dan Benjamin in 2009 and produces the best podcasts I have ever listened to, which is the topic of this post. Throughout the rest of this article, I will talk about what are in my opinion the best podcasts available to date.

Hypercritical

Hypercritical is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Benjamin and John Siracusa. Each week, after a minimum of 35 minutes of F-U (Follow-Up), John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin discuss various topics selected from a mysterious list created and known only by John Siracusa. For the most part though, the topics are related to Apple and similar technologies. Regardless of the topic, John Siricusa always seems to know virtually everything there is to know about it and does a great job conveying that knowledge in such a small amount of time. As the podcast description states, “Nothing is so perfect that it can’t be complained about.” Some of the best Hypercritical episodes are #1, #2, and #13, although each and every episode is infused a depth that is both amazing and refreshing.

Build & Analyze

Build & Analyze is another weekly podcasts, this time hosted by Dan Benjamin and Marco Arment. Despite the description claiming that Build & Analyze is “A weekly news and discussion show about the world of iPhone, iPad, iOS, and mobile web development.”, Marco Arment frequently talks about coffee and, more often in earlier episodes, politics and Fox News (check the first few episodes out to understand the joke). When not talking about Fox News, politics, and coffee though, Marco shares excellent advice concerning development in general–and specifically for iOS–, as well as his thoughts on recent happenings in the world of Apple and related technologies.

Back to Work

Back to Work is, just like Hypercritical and Build & Analyze, a weekly podcast. The release frequency and high-quality of Back to Work are the only two aspects this show shares with the other two podcasts previously mentioned though, as Back to Work focuses on, as the description says, “productivity, communication, work, barriers, constraints, tools, and more.” Each week Merlin Mann tackles a different topic or elaborates on something discussed in a previous episode, in addition to sharing helpful advice for anyone struggling with things like procrastination and barriers. Back to Work is one of the best podcasts available on the 5by5 network and is a nice change from the technology-oriented podcasts previously mentioned.