Photo credit: Digitalnative
About a year ago, I came across an online deal for a car stereo system with a USB port.
After the purchase, I had to wait a long time until the guy at the shop installed the system, but after passing this hurdle, it turned out to be one of the best purchases I have ever made!
Until then, I spent my trips to and from work changing channels searching for a nice song or an interesting conversation.
But after the purchase, I decided to make those trips more productive, and started searching for interesting Podcasts on the web.
It turned out to be an exciting world, where you can find interesting shows in almost every topic.
Here’s why I love Podcasts so much:
- It’s a great way to learn, less structured than the conventional ways of reading or watching presentations, because basically you listen to interesting people talking to each other.
- You can listen whenever you want, wherever you want. I like listening mainly when I drive to and from work, making the most of this time. You can also listen while jogging or even when you work, if you can split your attention.
- You can subscribe to your favorite shows using RSS and the shows will come to you automatically.
- It’s free!
If we talk specifically about SQL Server, here are the audio Podcasts I listen to regularly:
RunAs Radio - A show for IT professionals, hosted by Richard Campbell and Greg Hughes, focusing on infrastructure stuff – SQL Server, Sharepoint, security, Exchange and so on.
.NET Rocks! - A show focusing on the programming side, hosted by Richard Campbell and Carl Franklin. You can find shows about SQL Server, NoSQL, BigData and other data related technologies, in addition to other programming subjects.
People Talking Tech - A technology show, hosted by Denny Cherry. Up until now most of the topics were around SQL Server, but Denny also talks about Windows, Windows Server, Office and other technologies.
SQL Down Under - A show focusing solely on SQL Server, hosted by Greg Low.
On each show, the hosts talk to a different guest, which is often one of the industry leaders.
When I started listening to Podcasts, I used to download the episodes and transfer them to a USB flash drive.
Today, I use a software called BeyondPod to download and listen to the episodes from my Smartphone, which I connect to the car stereo system.
ByondPod currently works only on Android phones, but there are other programs for other operating systems as well.
Start listening. there’s a good chance you’ll love it!
All the links can also be found on my recommended resources page, where you can also find my favorite videos and Blogs.
