Four Great Podcasts To Check Out

By Meriam Shanti, Opinions Editor

Courtesy of TECHCRUNCH

Thanks to quarantine, many of us are finding a lot of extra time on our hands. Luckily, podcasts are a great way to kill that time; they're normally at least an hour long and can either play in the background of another task or take up a whole 60 minutes on their own.

Here are just a few great podcasts to check out to pass the time in this quarantine season.

“Pod Save America”

This podcast is produced and hosted by four former aides to President Barack Obama. Episodes come out biweekly and revolve around presenting current events along with the hosts’ personal takes. “Pod Save America” is a great way to stay up to date with the news— and the constant interviews with politicians and many other key players keep it entertaining. This one is definitely worth a listen and is especially great to have in the background if you aren't necessarily looking to sit down and pay attention through the whole hour.

“Serial Killers”

True crime fans will love “Serial Killers.” This podcast tells the captivating stories of real serial killers throughout history. It includes dramatic readings and recreations of the crimes, which is tacky in theory but in reality leaves the listener hooked, if not a little uneasy. The hosts constantly collaborate with other crime podcasts which ensures the stories they tell are diverse and interesting every time. “Serial Killers” uploads biweekly and currently has hundreds of episodes already out. This podcast is a great way to kill time (no pun intended).

“Stuff You Should Know”

“Stuff You Should Know” covers it all: from bidets to the deep web, hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant offer in depth explanations to questions you didn't even know you had. Each podcast leaves the listener with extensive, albeit obscure, knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. Even though a lot of the topics aren't necessarily essential knowledge, they do also cover important information like COVID-19 and other prevalent subjects. The hosts have a great dynamic and keep every episode fun & lighthearted. You should know that this one is definitely worth a listen.

“Sleep With Me”

It's hard to give a review of a podcast I haven't even really listened to myself. The reason? This podcast is designed to help you sleep. Hosted by Drew Ackerman, “Sleep With Me” is just a series of hour long episodes where Ackerman does what every podcast tries to avoid: boring the listener to sleep. Over 800 episodes have already been put out, all of which consist of the host reading bedtime stories that are hard to follow and tiring. I personally haven't gotten past the sponsored ads without knocking out: a testament to Ackerman's sleep-inducing voice.