Things I listen to…Podcasts / Audio Books
Tags: bookreviews, nerdstuff, gaming, listening
Published: 2020-03-19 14:47:06

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title: Things I listen to…Podcasts / Audio Books
published: true
date: 2020-03-18 09:00:00 UTC
tags: Book Reviews,Nerd Stuff,gaming,listening
canonical_url: 
---

Hello all, a shorter post this week. One question I’ve been asked a few times, so I thought I would put together a post on it. I listen to a lot of podcasts, and audio books. Personally I like this because it gives me an opportunity to take advantage of times I might not have and make them productive.

For Tech Podcasts, I listen to:

[DotNetRocks](https://www.dotnetrocks.com/) – This really is a great and long running technical podcast, that I have been listening to for easily 7 years. They cover a wide array of topics but rerally have a great collection of guests. I was lucky enough to be a guest on this podcast once and I have to tell you it made me much more of a fan.

[Azure Monk](https://www.azuremonk.com/audio/) – Cloud Solution Architects – A shameless plug for a friends podcast, Anand is a great architect and very gifted technology specialist, and his podcast involves interviewing a other architects. The part I like about this is hearing the disparate backgrounds that leads everyone to this field..

[Hanselminutes](https://www.hanselminutes.com/)– To me this is a must have for anyone in technology. Scott Hanselman is “everyone’s favorite developer” and to be honest what I really enjoy about this podcast is the breadth of topics. He covers everything from coding, game development, mathematics, soft skills, and just about anything else that comes to mind.

For more fun stuff I enjoy these podcasts when I need a break:

[Critical Role](https://critrole.com/podcast/) – Ok, I’ve made no secret of the fact thatt I am a huge nerd, and a big fan of gaming whether it be video games, or most recently table-top games. Recently I’ve dove into Dungeons and Dragons. To that end I’ve really enjoy Critical Role as a podcast, as it really does a good job of capturing everything I enjoy about the storytelling medium.

[Angel of Vine](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-angel-of-vine/id1440183372) – A fictional podcast that documents an investigation during Hollywood’s golden era, and has some major name actors behind it. Leads to some great mysteries and storytelling, definitely recommend it.

[Welcome to Night Vale](http://www.welcometonightvale.com/) – A bizarre podcast that can be a lot of fun if you are actually looking for something weird. Welcome to Night Vale is very much a podcast that embraces Cthulu and that Lovecraft-ian horror. Like I said it a podcast for someone who just wants something off beat.

[Decoder Ring Theatre](https://decoderringtheatre.com/) – Going to get a little personal here, when I was growing up, I had a great uncle who introduced me to the Shadow, the original radio program, and it is part of what turned me on to comics in general. So when I found this podcast series that is modeled on old radio dramas, I absolutely jumped at it. The adventures of the Red Panda are absolutely something me and my amazing wife enjoy.

And for additional listening, I highly recommend the following audio books:

The Infinite Game – Simon Sinek – This is my most recent read, and it really is a fascinating book. The idea of the infinite game has so many implications to a lot of our life, but specifically the ways of attaching this to career and your goals is absolutely fascinating. This is a very dense but powerful book, with a lot to digest.

Just Mercy – Bryan Stephenson – This is a really powerful, and at the same time brutal read. The story is a powerful one, about standing up for what’s right, and not backing down. And the underlying story of empathy is a truly powerful one. I will say that if you are looking for “light reading” this is not it. But it is a powerful story about standing up to protect people from the hate off the world, and what I would consider to be “true evil” in this world.

Retired Inspired – Chris Hogan – This really is a great book for everyone when its comes to managing your finances. The advice in here is powerful for retirement and I recommend this to anyone and everyone who is working. It’s never to early to think about retirement.

Grit – Angela Duckworth – Really is an amazing book, and definitely changes your mindset with regard to what is the difference between talent and effort.

Mindset – Carol Dweck – Another amazing book that when combined with the above will really help you to understand the difference between a Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset and the overall impact on your life of each.