Some Current Recommendations for Passing the Time

As COVID-19 and the fires and smoke on the west coast continue to impact us, the Ideba team has put together some great ways they are spending their spare time. Whether you enjoy listening to podcasts or sitting down with a good book. We’ve created a list based on our team member’s recommendations, hopefully you find some new ones to check out!

Podcasts

Aaron Baldwin:

• Bardstown – Welcome signs proclaim it “America’s Most Beautiful Small Town.” And in many ways, Bardstown, Kentucky is just like a lot of small, tight-knit communities all across the country. But just under the surface, there’s something darker. Not everyone wants to talk about it. That’s because since 2013, Bardstown has also been the site of five unsolved murders. Now, the team is digging into these cases to find out what’s really happening in Bardstown, and whether these murders could be related. And along the way uncovering a history of violence and fear in this otherwise quintessential southern town.
• Hit Man – In 1983, Paladin Press, a fringe publisher, released a book called Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors. The author, who went by the pen name Rex Feral, offered very specific tips for the aspiring contract killer— where to find employment, how much to charge…and how to get away with murder. Ten years later, Tiffani Horn’s mother, 8-year-old brother, and a close family friend were found murdered. The exhaustive investigation involved multi-state surveillance and wiretaps, but it wasn’t until detectives stumbled upon Hit Man that they suddenly had what they called a blueprint for the murders.
• Motherhacker – Bridget’s life is a series of dropped calls. With a gift for gab, an ex-husband in rehab, and down to her last dollar, Bridget’s life takes a desperate turn when she starts vishing over the phone for a shady identity theft ring in order to support her family. Motherhacker is written by Sandi Farkas and executive produced and directed by Amanda Lipitz. 
• Planet Money – The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, “Meet me at the bar and tell me what’s going on with the economy.” Now imagine that’s actually a fun evening.
• Revisionist History – Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell’s journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past—an event, a person, an idea, even a song—and asks whether we got it right the first time. From Pushkin Industries. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance.
• The Briefing – Albert Mohler – Cultural commentary from a Biblical perspective.
• The Clearing – When April Balascio was 40 years old, something she’d feared for decades was finally proven true. Her father, Edward Wayne Edwards, really was a murderer. The Clearing is about what came after April called a detective in 2009 to tell him about her suspicions — a call that led to her father’s arrest and eventual conviction on multiple murders — and tracks the emotional journey as she and host Josh Dean dig back into her childhood, unravel the truth of her father’s life, and overturn a viral online narrative that had turned Edward Wayne Edwards into a kind of serial killer caricature.
• The Dream – In Season 2 we look at a world just as shady and mysterious as MLMs, but one whose promises are at times even more bombastic and unfathomable: WELLNESS. What is it? Who sells it? And will it bring you eternal happiness…and, perhaps, eternal life?

James Rice:

• The Prof G Show – We live in a winner-take-all economy that’s bifurcating into those who are part of the innovation economy and those who aren’t. Every week best-selling author, professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway answers questions from you (his listeners) on who’s winning and losing, and how you can get ahead. Other professors, practitioners, and entrepreneurs join Scott to contribute ideas, alternate opinions, and insights to help you thrive at work.
• Pivot – Every Tuesday and Friday, Recode’s Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway offer sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no one else. After all, with great power comes great scrutiny. From New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
• HBR Ideacast – A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management from Harvard Business Review.

Jocelyn van der Geest:

• SmartLess – “SmartLess” with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind.
• Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend – After 25 years at the Late Night desk, Conan realized that the only people at his holiday party are the men and women who work for him. Over the years and despite thousands of interviews, Conan has never made a real and lasting friendship with any of his celebrity guests. So, he started a podcast to do just that. Deeper, unboundedly playful, and free from FCC regulations, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend is a weekly opportunity for Conan to hang out with the people he enjoys most and perhaps find some real friendship along the way.
• Freakonomics Radio – Discover the hidden side of everything with Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the Freakonomics books. Each week, Freakonomics Radio tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do) — from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything. Dubner speaks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, intellectuals and entrepreneurs, and various other underachievers. 

Lee Sumner:

• Reply All – “‘A podcast about the internet’ that is actually an unfailingly original exploration of modern life and how to survive it.” – The Guardian.

Perri Read:

• Spittin Chiclets – Former NHL vets Ryan Whitney, Paul Bissonnette and Barstool Sports’ Rear Admiral bring their outspoken and irreverent opinions to the masses. Focusing on the NHL but also touching on pop culture and everything else under the sun. 

Books and other activities:

Jenna Whelan:

• Jenna is currently binge-watching Chicago PD and reading “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” before her new baby (and the newest member of the Ideba team) arrives!

Jocelyn van der Geest:

• Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah; Trevor Noah tells his wild coming-of-age tale during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa. (non-fiction)

Mark Salow: Mark has been reading up a storm since COVID-19. Here are his recommendations:

• Tightrope by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn: an exploration of how & why parts of the US have been left behind (non-fiction)
• Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe: a history of murders carried out in Northern Ireland by the IRA (non-fiction)
• Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith: a poetic blend of fact and fiction (fiction)
• Memories and Misinformation by Jim Carrey: wacky storytelling peppered with some inscrutable truths (fiction)

Hope you found a few new podcasts or other ways to spend your time as we head into fall. What are some of your recommendations? We’d love to hear from you!

– Jocelyn van der Geest, Senior Research Analyst