We at Gerrell & Hard are fascinated by the sectors we work in, and do all we can to monitor the pulse of our ever-transforming industries. It doesn’t always have to be hard work, either; podcasts are a great way to keep ahead of the curve and are good company too, especially while we work from home.
And therein lies a lot of their appeal: in the era of increased remote working, podcasts have boomed. Spotify podcasts alone have more-than tripled in a year, from 700,000 in the final quarter of 2019 to 2.2m at the end of 2020. Last year, well over 15 million people in the UK listened to podcasts.
Matey, familiar and with something for almost any interest, podcasts are a welcome tonic to the isolation of working from home. Here are our favourites from tech, engineering and other Gerrell & Hard related sectors. And please, let us know your techy favourites because we’re always on the lookout for more!
Fully charged [Listen]
The world’s number one clean energy and EV channel and one of our go-to ‘casts for passionate but gentle banter about an ever-evolving subject. To quote its website, ‘the origins of Fully Charged lay in the question, “is it possible for humans to no longer need to burn things to live, to work and to travel?”’ And if that’s not a noble basis for an ongoing conversation, what is?
Founded and presented by actor and writer Robert Llewellyn (perhaps best known as Kryten from comedy series “Red Dwarf”) it is described as “filled with interesting stories, almost breaking news, a pinch of wit and….a few guests who actually know what is going on in the world of EVs, renewable energy and sustainability”. Co-presenters include some familiar names with outstanding CVs from broadcast and tech: Maddie Moate, Rory Reid, Helen Czerski, Chelsea Sexton and Andy Torbet.
Sample episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/03M73GwoxjfHMUvfWNy3xi
Here, Robert chats to Alex Voigt, an occasionally-controversial German engineer, on why Electric cars are still more expensive than their combustion-based forebears.
Leaders in Cleantech [Listen]
In this weekly podcast, Cleantech thought leader and green entrepreneur David Hunt speaks with Cleantech CEOs and leaders about the challenges, successes and failures they have faced in renewable, energy storage and related industries, and hears their predictions for the sectors. Perfect listening for anyone who wants to stay at the forefront of innovation, because if any one theme unites a wide range of tech and industry sectors, it’s the drive towards sustainability.
Sample episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5yfgnuhro6V36ozdzTJgod
Here, author Gretchen Bakke talks about her book “The Grid”, which is informed by her fascination with what happens when the systems we rely on start to fail us. Bill Gates files this under “One of my favourite genres: books about mundane stuff that is actually fascinating.”
The Accidental Tech podcast [Listen]
Geek alert: this is for die-hard techies who dream in code. Describing itself as “a tech podcast we accidentally created when we tried to do a car show” and “Three nerds discussing tech, Apple, programming, and loosely related matters,” this is hosted by developers Marco Arment, Casey Liss, John Siracusa, who get into things in a way that uber-geeks will love: one of the ‘casters describes his green tea going down the wrong way as a “wrong type exception”.
Sample episode: https://atp.fm/425
Here, the team talks vaccines, Oracle versus Google, the next Apple CEO, and BMW vs. CarPlay.
Women Tech Charge [Listen]
A podcast from the Evening Standard, Women Tech Charge is hosted by Stemettes founder and CEO Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon and “puts women’s experiences in tech front and centre”. Each episode sees Imafidon interview a woman in STEM on her life, work and the challenges they’ve faced in the industry.
Sample episode: https://play.acast.com/s/womentechcharge/newepisode-explorerkathysullivan-whatsitliketogotospaceandthedeepestpartoftheocean-
Here, explorer Kathy Sullivan chats about what it’s like to cross the two greatest frontiers we know of, as she recounts her experience travelling into space and the deepest part of the ocean.
TED talks daily [Listen]
Not a pure tech ‘cast, but this is a broad and enriching show for anyone who loves learning and especially those who find themselves dipping into TED footage on You Tube. The sheer variety of ideas and perspectives on show is what makes TED talks so fascinating and there are plenty of tech talks on offer.
Sample episode: https://player.fm/series/tedtalks-audio/possible-futures-from-the-intersection-of-nature-tech-and-society-natsai-audrey-chieza
Here, Biodesigner Natsai Audrey Chieza shares the vision behind her innovation lab, which creates sustainable materials and models of how people can work in the future.
-----
Just five of many great techy podcasts out there – do tweet your favourites to @gerrellandhard; they may even feature in a future blog!
