For the past year, I have been spending more and more of my daily commuting time listening to podcasts and audio books. In the past few months, it has been almost 100% of the time. It really is a great way to regain some value from the time. I’ve been able to listen to books I’ve wanted to read as well as gain helpful news and information in my specific areas of focus through podcasts.

Below is the list of podcasts I currently am subscribed to:

HanselMinutes
HanselMinutes is far and away my favorite podcast to date. Scott Hanselman has an amazing breadth of knowledge in the areas of technology and development. Each week, along with host Carl Franklin, Scott brings us 30 minutes of great information usually focused on a particular topic. The depth of the material is just about perfect for a podcast where you can’t give the material 100% of your attention. The production quality is excellent and it is a joy to listen to. This is the only podcast I get excited to listen to before it arrives.

Marketplace Takeout
NPR Technology
Before I went to almost 100% iPod listening in the car, NPR was the main thing I listened to. The two things I enjoyed the most where the stories on Technology and Marketplace which is focused on business, usually cutting edge business news. It seemed natural to subscribe to these programs as they take the best stories from the week and put them in a weekly podcast. Each podcast is roughly 30 minutes and again the production quality is excellent.

.NET Rocks!
This was the first podcast I ever listened to and it is still in my subscribe list. Each week, Carl Franklin and Richard Campbill interview someone in the .NET development world. The program is roughly an hour and the content is not nearly tightly packed as the other podcasts I listen to. This has advantages and disadvantages. I will admit I do not listen to every show. I read the title/guest and if it strikes me I usually listen to it right away. Otherwise, it piles up and I listen to them when I’ve run out of other things to listen to. While that might sound negative, I hope it doesn’t come across that way. I enjoy it, but don’t get as much out of it as other things. The production quality is again excellent.

Polymorphic Podcast
Craig’s show is fairly new to me, but since I have 4 episodes under my belt I’ll share my initial thoughts. Craig’s show is similar to .NET Rocks in focus area and the interviewing concept, but it is a shorter show and a little more in depth. Craig keeps the host around 30 minutes and cuts out the fluff for the most part. After the opening stuff, it is really kept on target and keeps the chit-chat to a minimum. The production quality is a bit lower than the others listed here, but it is unpleasant to listen to.

I have a few others I’m still new too, but I’ll reserve much comment until I’ve heard a few more episodes of each.

ASP.NET Podcast
This is another in the style of .NET Rocks. I’ve listened to 2 episodes so far.

Audible Ajax
This is a show that is focused on news in the Ajax community. Again, I’m 2 episodes in.

TWiT (This week in technology)
I’ve got a few loaded up, but I just haven’t given it a go. I’ve heard good things about it however.