I am constantly searching for other podcasts to fill in the days between Dan's

Does anyone here have any recommendations about pod casts that are intelligent, thought-provoking and entertaining-
Don't name any History or politics shows (we already have Dan's !!) - but other subjects?

Just to set the ball rolling, here some podcasts I have listened to eagerly for a long time- I know they wont be to everyones taste based on the subject matter, but they do fit the criteria of being "intelligent, thought-provoking and entertaining" :



The positive mind with Armand DiMele - This is a public radio broadcast which covers different topics of psychology/personality disorders

Science Weekly (The guardian) - The right combination of science and informal discussion- somewhat left-wing though

Skeptiko - One man's mission to straddle the divide between parapsychology research and skeptics

BBC Documentary Archive - Very well researched documentaries on just about anything as presented on BBC radio

It may or may not appeal but but have you considered classic literature? I travel/commute a bit and enjoy listening to B J Harrison's "Classic Tales" podcasts... they are technically superb and feature unabridged books, short stories, etc... Harrison is true a master and his podcasts are extremely well done. I subscribe through itunes and can count on a weekly addition/update.

http://www.theclassictales.com

Fergus

I like the Scientific American "Science Talk" podcast. The host isnt NEAR as good as Dan, but is always interviewing different experts and some are very interesting. Plus, it comes much more often than Dan's shows, about once or twice a week, I think. I don't have time to listen to them all, so I pick and choose the ones that interest me.

http://www.thescotchcast.com/ Even if you don't drink scotch this is good for a laugh, only I don't think it is supposed to be funny? Though to be fair, these guys do a great job of making one thusrty for dram

If you want something seriously challenging and thought provoking then try this feed - http://www.cuttingthroughthematrix.com/AlanWattPodCast.xml - and download a few of the episodes that start with "Blurb".

Let's see...

Behind the Bricks is a pretty interesting look behind stand-up comedy that's funny and fun.

Bidentification is a good 'cast with two bisexual people shootin' the shit--often funny, often imformative, always interesting.

Sex is Fun is a great, educational, and entertaining sex-positive weekly radio show.

Sidebar is a great interview series about comic books and pop culture.

Here's what I listen to on a regular basis:

The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe is my all-time favorite.
Point of Inquiry is always an interesting listen, but is more political.
Astronomy Cast is really good, along with the NOVA Science Now and Science Talk (from Scientific American).
My History Can Beat Up Your Politics is much more dry than Dan's history show, but is quite good nonetheless.

Great recommendation... I am working my way through the others on the list but this a great start!!

I enjoy Will Write for Wine, but it makes me wish I could drink at work (as if work didn't already make me want that enough). And the American Theatre Wing does good weekly interviews.

Mostly I wish there were better clearing houses for podcasts. Am slowly coming to dislike Podcastalley, but Blubrry hasn't disappointed yet.

I just want to say thanks fabkebab for posting this, I will never have to listen to the same 15 songs the play on every radio station EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got the cutting through the matrix, and there A LOT of those to go through, also Classic Tales and BBC's Documentary Series.

I like Democracy Now and Bill Moyers Journal. Both have great interviews and pertinent news not heard on mainstream media. Be sure to check out the interview on Bill Moyers journal with Andrew Bacevich. I think that guy nails the problems in this country squarely on the head. His book the Limits of Power - the End of American Exceptionalism is worth every penny.

Also, NPR's Planet Money is pretty interesting for gaining some understanding on the economy. And just for all-around entertaining quirkiness, there's always "This American Life", which is free for the current weekly episode, but charges .99 cents for back episodes. Worth it, though.

Bill Moyers weekly Journal (Fridays)
LSAT Logic by Andrew Brody (usually every Thursday)
Distorted View by Tim Henson (Daily comedy)
Democracy Now! (Daily)
Glenn Greenwald at Salon Radio (M,W,F 30 min interviews)
EconTalk with Russ Roberts (every monday)
The Bugle with John Oliver [Daily Show] and Andrew Zaltzman (every Monday)
Stanford Business School MBA Lectures
Pritzker Military Museum Podcasts (usually two in-depth episodes a month)
SpyCast (espionage museum podcast every month)


and ANY lecture I can find from Noam Chomsky, Robert Fisk, Michael Scheuer, Richard Clarke, or Andrew Bacevich,

Vote two for The Bugle - my other never miss podcast. Best comedy podcast in my opinion.

For those entertained by an amazing grasp of English and witty insight try Steven Fry's Podgrams. Not everyone's cup of tea, but there are no other's to compare and if you like Fry's erudition this podcast is terrific.

I listen to several history podcasts:
Binge Thinking History
In Our Time
TPN Napoleon

and more general podcasts
Stephen Fry
The Writing Show

and of course my own show - Historyzine

I echo the praise of Science Talk, This American Life, and Bill Moyers Journal.

Bob Edwards Weekend can be very good-on the occasions that it isn't, I just move along.

KCRW has a half hour political talk show, Left, Right, and Center, which is pretty good. There is some back and forth, but it is respectful and intelligent.

Jimmy Pardo's Never Not Funny is subscription based, but hysterically funny, as is Mike Schmidt's The 40 Year Old Boy. I'm going to have to check out Behind The Bricks-I've never heard of that one.

Slate does a podcast every day where they read one of their articles that is very good. They also do a political roundtable that I enjoy on Fridays.

On The Media, from WNYC, is a fantastic media criticism show that many of Dan's fans will like.

I also endorse Napoleon 101 from The Podcast Network-if you're into Napoleon at all, it is fantastic. 45 episodes, each an hour or so long, full of the life of Napoleon. They (the two hosts-Cameron Reilly and David Markham) also do a Biography show about other notable figures that is of high quality.

No Agenda is a 90 minute weekly show from Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak that is fascinating at times, and Adam's Daily Source Code is a bit out there, but also full of life.

I'm amazed that no one has yet mentioned Keith and the Girl. It's mainly comedy, but is surprisingly smart at the same time. Also, the Geologic Podcast can be pretty entertaining, he does a lot of bits that I don't always enjoy, but his monologues are always great. Then there's KCRW's To The Point which is a daily hour long news program that tries to be balanced with their interviews. NPR's Intelligence Squared is very occasional, but good, long Cambridge-style debates over current issues. Finally, Slate's Political Gabfest is a decent weekly political round table.