What I'm listening to

Podcasting is finally coming of age. 11 years ago, podcasting was this funny new word that was a way to time-shift radio or to hear shows too niche to be on radio. Now, podcasting has blossomed into a medium with breakout shows like Serial and startups like Gimlet that are giving birth to a suite of new shows.

However, we're not in the golden age with podcasts are we are with television. Only 17% of the US population listens to podcasts each month, and the money that Netflix and Amazon have poured into new content isn't there (yet) with podcasts. Despite this, there are a number of great podcasts out there that have audiences that number in the millions.

Here's a list of the podcasts that I listen to on a semi-regular basis.

• Serial - the blockbuster itself. A true crime investigation. If you haven't listened to it, you need to put this one at the top of your list. You'll probably do a lot of web searching, reading, and hypothesizing during and after your journey through this one.
• StartUp Podcast - a show about startups. The first season was an introspection on how the host/producer himself started the podcasting company that birthed the show. How meta! Season 2 is about a dating startup. Season 3 is pending.
• Radiolab - topics about science and culture combined with interesting editing and sounds. Lately Radiolab has moved towards less hard-science topics but it's still an interesting and varied show.
• 99% invisible - a show about design and architecture and the mostly unseen activity that shapes our world. Well-produced, and thankfully all advertisements are at the end to avoid breaking the spell while you're listening.
• Mystery Show - seemingly commonplace mysteries that unfurl into interesting stories. It's all about the journey, not the destination. Some are hits and some are misses in my opinion, but the wide-eyed curiosity of the show brings me back.
• Reply All - a show about the Internet. A more grown-up Internet culture show than others I've heard. 
• Invisibilia - a show that analyzes how our thoughts and emotions shape our actions. 
• GeekWire Podcast - a local Seattle tech institution that recaps the week's tech news and interviews tech influencers. More of a radio format than the other shows (because it's broadcast on the radio).
• a16z - VC Andreessen Horowitz's podcast about tech trends. Topics range from bitcoin to how tech is evolving in the developing world. 
• Freakonomics Radio - Combining simple questions with lots of data to come to some surprising conclusions. 

Try one or more out. And, let me know what podcasts you listen to, and why.