This comes up from time to time, I know. It's time again. What are some of your favorite podcasts out there, and why? If possible, please give a link.

Since I pull all of mine from iTunes, I don't necessarily know links offhand. I'll provide them when I can, though.

COMICS

First, comic-related podcasts I listen to one and off (taken from a previous post). I pick and choose what episodes of each I listen to depending on the guest:

What I listen to or sometimes listen to depending on guest/topic:

Fanboy Radio – An actual radio show also put online for download. Ross started this thread about them. Typical radio show stuff; intro, bring on guest, take some calls, talk about upcoming projects. The crazy enthusiasm is part of their charm. Shows run just under an hour. They get some pretty good guests. The Alan Moore show last year was a treat. (I believe you can download the Moore show here.) FANBOY RADIO WEBSITE. Recent guests include Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch, and they’ve been posting encore episodes with lots of good guests, including Stan Sakai, Terry Moore, Evan Dorkin, Erik Larsen, Mike Wieringo, Greg Rucka, Joe Quesada, Robert Kirkman and more.

Comic Geek Speak – An amateur podcast, and it shows (despite having near 300 shows under their belt). They’re disorganized and have lapses of silence and their interviews are sometimes awkward. The shows also run WAY long (near two hours each) and come out too often (two or three times a week, too much to keep up with!). However, they cover a broad range of topics, have gotten some good interviews (Stan Lee! Marv Wolfman. Denny O’Neil, Dave Sim) and their Book of the Month shows are excellent (Dark Phoenix Saga, Cerebus: Church & State – with Dave Sim!, Fables, Animal Man, and more. COMIC GEEK SPEAK WEBSITE. Archive of shows is under “episodes” in the bottom menu. Click on the “podcast” buttons to direct download mp3 versions of their shows.

Wordballoon – A professional radio guy (sports, I think) decided to do his own podcast of interviews with comic creators. He really goes in depth. Good stuff with legends of the industry. He asks good questions and isn’t afraid to delve into the more obscure work by some of these comic guys. This is the best place to get big names from yesterday instead of today’s HAWT TALENT. Though he ALSO gets today’s talent, too. A very good mix. Neal Adams. Max Collins. Kurt Busiek. Dan Slott (great stuff!). Adult language caution. WORDBALLOON WEBSITE. Archives are in the right menu, with shows available for direct download or streamable via that goofy Podcast Pickle player thingee.

I Read Comics – Another amateur, this one’s hook is that, “I’m a girl who reads comics.” Comes with a somewhat feminist slant. She reads some good stuff, a mix of Silver Age superheroes, indie books and traditional superhero stuff. She’s smart and good to listen to. I often disagree with her, but she entertains. Not much in the way of guests, though. Adult language and content caution. I READ COMICS WEBSITE – Past shows available by direct download, just look for the “podcast” button.

FILMS

I listen to Filmspotting. Great hosts, good reviews and regular features, excellent themed marathons. This really is a superb film podcast.

These guys have some glaring holes in what classics they've seen, though, and they sometimes skip big mainstream flicks.

VIDEO GAMES

Gamespot presents The Hotspot - Wacky and sarcastic and rambling, these guys are pretty funny once you get their schtick. Even better, they really do touch on all the latest gaming news. Makes me feel in the loop. Good stuff if you're into gaming.

PC Gamer Podcast - Solid podcast on PC gaming. They used to get guests frequently; not anymore. The anti-console bias is annoying. Otherwise, a very good show.

GFW Radio (Games for Windows magazine podcast) - Takes some getting used to, as some of the personalities are initially grating, but when it clicks, it clicks. Funny, love for all sorts of games, and loads of off-topic content. Lots of adult language, too, though, so don't listen around the kids.

SCIENCE & STUFF

Discovery News
Discovery Channel features - News tends to be short, just a few minutes each. Comes out every few days with science news. Great little podcast. Features is just that, features. Sometimes it seems like it's just the audio from a show they're plugging, sometimes not. I don't listen to all of them, but when a subject interests me I check 'em out.

Skepticality - This used to be good. Very good. These days? Don't bother.

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY & BOOKS

I recently unsubscribed to a few of these that weren't doing anything for me ... they did so little, in fact, I can't even remember what they were called. I still check in on a few, though listen to none regularly. They are:

The Dragon Page: Cover to Cover - Interviews with authors and other SF/fantasy discussion.I look for authors I like and skip the rest. Decent, if lightweight, interviews. Sometimes they clearly haven't read the author's work so the interview ends up being just hype. That stinks. I turn them off.

Adventures in SciFi Publishing - Only just started with this one. Listened to three or four excellent interviews. Larry Niven, some other chaps. Good stuff.

Hmmm. Used to be more than this. I think they all stank.

WRITING

I only just started on this catagory. No standouts so far.

Americanwriters.com Creative Writing Podcast - Skip it. I thought it'd be a good one to listen to based on the topics, but I find the host irritating and the content of limited value. Probably a fine listen for people who've not yet written a word, but if you'd hacked away at it for more than a few years this is little better than a clumsy refresher.

OTHER

KPBS A Way With Words - Short podcasts on the origin of certain words. Cool!

There are others I check out once in a blue moon, or have tried and dropped, but that sums up those I listen to or just started listening to.

Thanks, Eric. I've got weeks of enjoyment ahead of me on Fanboy radio alone.

The podcasts I've enjoyed most are:

1. The weekly book review podcast from the NY Times. They interview actual authors and famous reviewers, and the books are usually the crowd pleasin' hits. http://podcasts.nytimes.com/podcasts/20 ... review.mp3

2. The fantasy football podcasts from CBS. http://www.sportsline.com/xml/podcasts/ ... otball.rss

This American Life (awesomely entertaining stories)
http://www.thisamericanlife.org

Radio Lab (awesomely sciency and entertaining stories)
http://www.wnyc.org

Fresh Air (great interviews)
http://www.npr.org

Car Talk (fun even if you don't like cars)
http://www.npr.org

Botar's Old Time Radio (Superman, Green Hornet, The Shadow...)
http://www.botar.us

I didn't know about this one. Looks like I'll have a new one to check out this weekend. Thanks.

Bump, since Microsoft has finally graced the Zune with Podcast subscription abilities.

Here's what I dig:

Scientific American's 60-Second Science - Leading science journalists provide a daily minute of commentary on some of the most interesting developments in the world of science. Sometimes interesting, often fascinating.

Fanboy Radio - I just subscribed to it today. No opinions yet.

Filmspotting - Ditto.

News Jog Weekly - Conservative Eric Von Haessler, Moderate Jimmy Baron, and Leftist Leonard Sharing discuss the news. They are joined by crude humorist Tim Andrews who is all over the map politically. These guys are all local Atlantans, so occasionally you get some local flavor, such as when they discussed the draught in the 11/9 News Jog.

Nova: scienceNOW - Irreverant stories and intriguing personalities from the world of science.

Nova: Vodcast - Snippets of upcoming Nova shows. It's how I found out about their terrific 2 hour documentary about the Intelligent Design trial in Dover, Penn, called "Judgement Day".

NPR Movies - Cherry-picks all the movie stories reported on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, Day to Day, and the Bryant Park Project.

NPR Technology - Same as above, only for Tech stuff.

Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me - NPR's weekly current events quiz show.

Real Time with Bill Maher - Just audio of the HBO show. I'll be dropping this, unless it improves after the strike is over. Maher is funny, but just flat-out idiotic sometimes.

Microsoft TechNet Radio - Just trying to keep my job skills up.

The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe - Weekly talkshow discussing the latest news and topics from the world of the paranormal, fringe science, and controversial claims from a scientific skeptical point of view. Hosted by Steven Novella, founder of the New Englad Skeptical Society.

VH1's Best Week Ever - Highlights of the TV show. It includes Best Night Ever, which lampoons moments from that weeks television dramas, comedies, and reality shows.

And of course, WANcast....returning soon.

Some new Podcasts I've been enjoying....

The Bugle - Audio Newspaper for a Visual World - The Daily Show's resident correspond-brit spends his strike riddled days dissecting politics and the news of the world with his pal Andy Zaltzman. Very funny. Try the Audio Cryptic Crossword, or submit your favorite "Hottie from History".

Skeptoid - Brian Dunning spends 7 to 15 minutes twice a week dissecting everything from World Trade Center conspiracy theories to How your Kitchen May Be Killing You, all with a wry sense of humor.

I'm really fond of the Sex With Emily podcast, but my guess is that it's not going to be Jay's cup of tea.

Ditched this. It's kind of crap. Replaced it with The Secrets by Michael Stackpole. Great podcast.

I dumped FanBoy Radio. I just found the hosts annoying beyond words, and they seemed to be high on just about EVERYTHING. The interviews were just a little too fluffy for me.

I also dumped Word Balloon for the same fluffy interviewness, plus the audio quality is just absolutely awful.

Today, I subscribed to NPR's Politics podcast, Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier's "SModcast", Free Talk Live, and the Alex Jones Radio Show. We'll see if they keep me entertained at all.

Sweet. I am looking at getting an mp3 player shortly and would like to check out a few of these. Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Thanks for reminding me, DAC: "A Way With Words" is awesome. Just great stuff. It's a radio show that deals with words, how certains words and terms came about, and all sorts of fun stuff like that.

That sounds right up my alley, Taft. Subscribed for the ride home in 15 minutes.

I think you'll enjoy it. The hosts are funny and engaging, and the show itself is informative and highly interesting. They deal with everything from slang to regional vernacular to commonly misused words to "what the heck is the origin of this saying?"

That sounds like something I'd really enjoy, too.

Me, too. All of it. I just do Around Comics and cherrypick it when they have a good interview. Recently, they've done Roy Thomas (2 parts) Denny O'neil (2 parts), Dan Slott.

New York Times Book Review is still my favorite, judged on this criterion: I have a consistent desire to listen to it every week, all of it. I always remember to refresh my player and get the new episode.

This is how I judge a good TV series. It requires no mental effort to remember that it comes on.

You fellas aren't alone. I haven't listened to a comics-related podcast in a few months at this point.

Time for an update.

New Podcasts:

The Way of Reason is a podcast discussing religious history by atheists. Probably not suggested for religious folks.

The Totally Rad Show is basically "Fanboy Radio" for everything other than comics. Movies, TV, videogames, etc. Except the hosts are a little less 100% exuberant about everything. Particularly enjoyable is how the opening of the show lampoons a beloved popculture classic every week.

The Regular Guys ShowYay! My favorite morning radio show is back...in pod form!

Podstar Runner Podcast versions of weekly Homestar Runner cartoons. Always funny, and safe for the kids to watch.

Skepticality Not as good as Skeptoid or The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, but still entertaining, and since it's the official podcast of Skeptic Magazine, they get bigger luminaries for interviews like Richard Dawkins and Michael Shermer.

My History Can Beat Up Your Politics My favorite new podcast to listen to. Bruce Carlson compares and contrasts today's political landscape with what has gone on before. Surprisingly informative. Even if you are a history buff like me, you'll be surprised about some of the interesting tidbits in American history you never knew before. Recommended if you are big into politics and history.

The Rush Limbaugh Show

You have to be a member of Rush 24-7 to get his podcast, don't you?

(Note: All my podcast recommendations are free of charge.)

I have been checking out the skeptic-themed podcasts mentioned in this thread. Really like Skeptoid. The link in the post of DAC's I've quoted has one of the worst podcasts I've ever heard. Which isn't all that many. Maybe because Skeptoid and a few of the others are so good this one seems bad in comparison. If you want some unintentional comedy check this podcast out. Just flat out bad. The host is very sloppy. He interrupts the guest. He lets things go off track. He seems clueless on the topic. He had trouble following what the guest was telling him. Just a comically bad job. The shame of it is it's a great guest and topic. Someone who was hard core in Scientology and got out on his own. He knew much of inner workings of the cult and really gave a good sense of things. Shame it's being told on such a lousy podcast!

Anyway. I'm really liking the whole podcast thing.

Good things often cost money.