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Standing in my kitchen listening to the sizzling of burgers frying and drinking my coffee, I was contemplating what this post would be about. I wanted my second post to Steemit to be something I could share with the community that might both spark conversation, and show the community a bit of myself, my interests, and also learn about some of you in return, my readers.

My mind wandered, as it so often does when I am drawing a blank on something, and I began to think about what I was going to listen to on the way to work in the morning. I have a long commute, and I usually fill the otherwise idle time by listening to podcasts or audiobooks. As I started scrolling through my feed, I realized two things: I listen to about the same seven shows regularly (which makes a good list, and a good post by extension), and that I listen to about the same seven shows (which makes for poor variety, especially between updates when I'm all caught up, and wondering what to listen to next).

It dawned on me, finger poised mid-scroll above my phone screen, that this post would be about the podcasts I find interesting and listen to the most, but that it would also be an invitation. Dear reader, I invite you to check out any of the podcasts below if they are interesting to you, as I feel they are quality shows worthy of attention. I also invite you to share your list of favorite podcasts in the comments, as that would help me (and I'm sure other Steemers as well) find more interesting stuff to fill my commute with!

So, without further ado, here are the podcasts that have influenced my life in a positive way (in alphabetical order):

1) Astronomy Cast (http://www.astronomycast.com/)

This podcast is hosted by Fraser Cain of Universe Today (http://www.universetoday.com/) and Dr. Pamela Gay of CosmoQuest (http://cosmoquest.org/), and is a general astronomy podcast. The two co-hosts have a long history of promoting citizen science and communicating with the public about astronomy. These two provide entertaining looks into, as they put it, “What we know, and why we know what we know”. I highly recommend checking this podcast out if you are even remotely interested in space and astronomy, as it will definitely draw you in, You can't help but learn something new every time you listen. And if you want to engage in citizen science and contribute to the field of astronomy, check out CosmoQuest, co-host Dr. Gay's project.

2) Dan Carlin's Hardcore History (http://www.dancarlin.com/)

This podcast is hosted by Dan Carlin who does an AMAZING job making history fun to learn. If you hated history in high school or college, I definitely recommend listening to this. Dan does an awesome job in laying out some of his favorite historical moments. These podcasts are not for the faint of heart or the short of attention, as some of them are 3+ hours long. They are well worth the investment in time, though. If you want to check him out, do so as soon as possible. The new material he releases is free, but you have to pay for the archived stuff. Don't despair, however, the archival material is well worth the reasonable price he is asking for it, and the free stuff is still many many hours of listening time. These podcasts take him a long time to research and produce, so they are only published at the rate of a few per year.

3) Paul's Security Weekly (http://securityweekly.com/shows)

This is the Paul Asadoorian media conglomerate known as Security Weekly. They have several podcasts (Paul's Security Weekly, Hack Naked TV, Enterprise Security Weekly, and Startup Security Weekly) that deal with various topics. I listen to the regular Paul's Security Weekly show, and it's a good current affairs show for those interested in computer security. The best part of this podcast is the interaction of the co-hosts. Definitely recommended for anyone in the Computer Security field, or anyone who wants to be. Their technical segments also provide good how-tos on interesting technology in the space that is mostly open source oriented. Definitely a good listen.

4) Radio Lab (http://www.radiolab.org/)

Radio Lab is a top notch podcast by WNYC and NPR. This award winning podcast is known for its amazing co-hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich. Their website says it better than I ever could: Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.

5) Risky Business (http://risky.biz/netcasts/risky-business)

Patrick Gray (with Adam Boileau on for the news for the week) is the host of Risky.biz podcast. This is the Aussie cousin of Paul's Security Weekly, though it tends to be more about interviews with people in the biz, as it were. This feels a bit quicker paced than PSW does, as there is only one host and he does a good job of keeping the tempo of the show moving. He covers a lot of US news and affairs, but I really like this show as a source of foreign cyber security news as well.

6) The Joe Rogan Experience (podcasts.joerogan.net)

Powerful Joe Rogan, the stand-up comedian, host of Fear Factor, UFC Commentator, and many other works, has been hosting this enlightening podcast before podcasting was popular. He has long conversations with a different guest several times each week. The thing that makes this podcast one of my all time favorites is the variety of guests that he has on each week. Scientists, comedians, politicians, conspiracy nuts, authors, you name it. It is a grab bag of what you are going to get that week, but it is always fun and entertaining. It feels like you're in the room with these guys, and I've often laughed until it hurt listening to this podcast.

7) Welcome to Night Vale (http://www.welcometonightvale.com/)

Jeffry Cranor and Joseph Fink, as well as Narrator Cecil Baldwin, take a fictional small desert town lost somewhere in the Southwest United States and transform it into a real, living place in your mind. Done in the style of a community radio show for the town, Cecil Baldwin features, as their website puts it: “local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.” This podcast is a fun time if you are into the creepy, scary, or just plain weird. Just remember to avoid the dog park.

Bonus Podcasts:

The Message (http://themessagepodcast.com/)

The Message is a GE Podcast Theater production about a team of codebreakers trying to decrypt an intercepted alien transmission. It is finished being produced, and is a great story!

The Conversation (EP. 28 http://www.findtheconversation.com/episode-28-tim-cannon/)

This episode of a podcast called The Conversation is with Tim Cannon of http://www.grindhousewetware.com/ . It is a good listen if you are interested in biohacking, grinding, or human augmentation, and the philosophy behind some of the people who are actively practicing it.

There you have it, readers. What do you think of my list? I hope some of you have found a new interesting podcast to enjoy because of it. If you have an interesting podcast or list of podcasts you would like to share with your fellow Steemers, please comment below!

[Edited for Formatting]