The Garden
Books, articles, papers, courses, videos, podcasts, and reports I have read, watched or listened to, with a note on each saying why I kept it.
7 items Podcasts
Podcast
Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri
I read nonfiction more carefully because of this show. Hobbes and Shamshiri go through bestsellers from airport bookstores and check each big claim against the research. Often it rests on one small study, stretched far past what it showed. They’re funny about it, too.
Podcast
Ed Zitron
Zitron explains why so many apps I use every day keep getting worse. He tracks how big tech companies chase growth at the expense of the products people use, and he calls it the rot economy. He also questions how much money is going into generative AI, and he brings numbers to back it up.
Podcast
Mangesh Hattikudur
I started this show as a skeptic, and it moved me. Hattikudur set out to make a skeptical season about astrology, and his first interview changed his life. He talks to NASA employees and visits a shop in Tamil Nadu, and it ends up being about grief and family. A second season covers longevity science.
Podcast
Robert Evans
Evans tells a guest the full story of one terrible person from history, usually across a few episodes. I keep thinking about how many ordinary people helped each of them rise. It gets dark in places, and the guest’s reactions make it easier to get through. It’s one of the funniest shows I listen to.
Podcast
Laurie Santos
Santos walks through what research says makes people happier, and a lot of it goes against instinct. Time with other people and small habits like gratitude do more than we expect, and the joy from a raise wears off faster than we think. It’s a calm listen, and it made me rethink a few of my own goals.
Podcast
Andrew Huberman
I listen to Huberman Lab for advice I can use in my everyday life, at work and outside it. Each episode takes one topic, like sleep or focus, and ends with things you can try, like getting morning sunlight to set your sleep schedule. I only wish he pushed supplements less.
Podcast
The New York Times
These are true stories about love from the New York Times column, and plenty of them are about friends, parents, and siblings. Regular people tell you what happened to them, including the parts that didn’t go well. I still think about some of them. Pick any episode, since each one stands on its own.