The best podcasts you should listen to this week
By Jaclyn Schiff and Simon Owens
Do you love listening to podcasts but are overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices out there? Have you subscribed to way more podcasts than you could ever listen to and don’t want to miss the best episodes? AudioTeller is a weekly newsletter that tells you the can’t-miss episodes you absolutely need to download. To have this newsletter delivered to your inbox, sign up here.
In this week’s issue we’ll tell you how Silicon Valley moguls are preparing for the apocalypse, describe what happened when a rich capitalist went up against Vladimir Putin, and bring you a humorous story about a college prank gone too far.
From Jaclyn Schiff, AudioTeller co-editor:
Preparing for the end of the world [link]
Podcast: Fresh Air — Episode: Why Some Silicon Valley Tech Executives Are Bunkering Down For Doomsday
A number of super wealthy Silicon Valley execs are taking steps to ensure their survival in the face of a major global pandemic or other kind of disaster. In fascinating and unnerving conversations, Evan Osnos, who recently wrote about the topic for The New Yorker, discusses why and how some execs are making such preparations. According to Osnos, this is not a predominantly Left or Right draw and has attracted people from across the political spectrum.
From Renan Borelli, director of audience growth and engagement at MTV News:
Is Donald Trump really as abnormal as we think he is? [link]
Podcast: Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly — Episode: The Land Of Unintended Consequences
This week, Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal and Senior Tech Correspondent Molly Wood launched the first episode of a new podcast called Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly, focused on “analysis and understanding” of the economy, technology, and culture, “not on headlines and talking points.” They break down big issues, talk to experts, and take questions from their listeners, with an emphasis on contextualizing the news. This week, they discussed whether or not the new policies introduced by the Trump administration are normal for a new president (as opposed to being, uh, abnormal), and whether or not someone can profit from shorting the stock of the companies Trump rips on Twitter. It’s only the first episode, and the plan seems to be for the show to broaden beyond politics, but in an era where everything seems to be on fire all of the time, resources like this one will be extremely helpful in understanding what news you should be paying attention to (and what it ultimately means).
From Sriram Gopal, a DC-based writer and musician:
When a capitalist went head-to-head against Vladimir Putin [link]
Podcast: Katie Couric — Episode: Bill Browder: Kremlin Critic
Bill Browder’s parents were well known American communists, and as children are wont to do the opposite of their parents, he resolved to become the man who would bring capitalism to Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Initially, he was incredibly successful, making hundreds of millions of dollars for himself and his investors. Things turned south when Vladimir Putin rose to Russia’s top office with help from the country’s infamous oligarchs. Browder tells the story of his rise and fall, the latter of which had tragic consequences for a trusted colleague. For those of us who are concerned about what may be Putin’s rising influence in American politics, this interview will do nothing to allay those fears. Still, it is worth a listen because Browder’s story gives an insider’s view into Russia’s ruling class.
From Michele Coxander, neuroscience PhD student at Vanderbilt University:
The myth of hard work as a cure for poverty [link]
Podcast: Radiolab — Episode: Busted, America’s Poverty Myths
In America, there is a pervasive idea that anybody, no matter the circumstances, can improve their lot through hard work alone. This “bootstraps” ideal may be comforting, but it’s a total myth. In this episode, Radiolab and On the Media delve into the bootstraps myth, showing why hard work in not a panacea to poverty, discussing the historic origins of this idea, and explaining why it’s so hard to shake.
From Lakshmi Sridharan, a physician in New York City:
A devastating story of family loss [link]
Podcast: Strangers — Episode: Wouldn’t It Be Nice
This week, I stood on a crowded subway on my way to work at the hospital with headphones in my ears and tears in my eyes, completely unaware of the crush of subway riders around me. This week’s episode of Strangers, the podcast I was listening to at the time, is one of its most powerful, by the sheer force of its humanity. The story builds to a family’s devastation resulting from medical complications, issues with which I am intimately familiar given that I am a physician. This podcast unfolds the personal journey of a family experiencing every moment of tragedy, and, in so doing, left me deeply contemplative for long after.
From Erik Jones, a blogger who writes about learning on the internet:
A top hat, a sling, and an escape to freedom [link]
Podcast: Criminal — Episode: In Plain Sight
This episodes tells the truly amazing story of William and Ellen Craft, a young couple who escaped slavery in 1848 in the most daring way possible. You’ll have to listen to get the details, but it involves courage that is inspiring and some close calls that will make you sweat. This is the type of story that will put anything stressful in your life into the proper perspective (of probably not really being a big deal). If you’ve been meaning to check out Criminal, this is the place to start.
From Simon Owens, AudioTeller co-editor:
The case of the Mormon burglar [link]
Podcast: This American Life — Episode: My Undesirable Talent
In this episode, This American Life tells the stories of people who find out they had skills and talents that they never wanted or asked for. There are two segments that stood out to me. The first is about a devout Mormon who became addicted to gambling and, out of desperation, discovered he’s really, really good at burglarizing small businesses. The second is about an American kid who sets out to punk his college roommate by convincing him that he’s fresh off the boat from Uganda — but in the process gets trapped in his own lie and spends the entire semester speaking in an Eddie-Murphy-in-Coming-to-America African accent.
Thanks for reading (and hopefully listening to our recommendations). Think we missed a great episode? Email us at audioteller@gmail.com. Want to have this list delivered to your inbox every week? Go here.
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