Since last year I have joined the ranks of podcast and vlog listeners. In the age of pandemonium, it’s hard to meet and exchange information, so I have searched the Internet for sources about new solutions, trends and ideas. Now I absorb new knowledge through my ears in every free moment. I’ve decided to share with you the broadcasts that really inspire me!
Podcasters and youtubers are a rich platform of information. Of those I have listened to so far, I have selected ten, in my opinion, the most interesting. Some of them deal with new technologies and smart solutions, and I am particularly interested in those in the context of their impact on our lives. In others, I listen to the problems of cities and their residents, or, more precisely, to the smart solutions and initiatives implemented by city administrators which, in my opinion, are worth following. The third topic that interests me personally is the directions of development of construction, urban planning and architecture.
Below is the TOP10 list – the order is random, but divided thematically. Enjoy your reading and I look forward to your comments!
#FOR TECHNOLOGY LOVERS
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Smart rzeczy
If you are interested in IoT, artificial intelligence, maintains and industry 4.0, smart buildings and smart assistants – Marcin Sikorski’s podcast is worth a look. Although the author does not publish regularly, I like his broadcasts mainly for their accessible language and formula, where he discusses not only what is what, but also how much it costs (you know, I am a businessman). He mentions that companies are often afraid of smart technologies, just like Poles, as users. It’s a pity, because if we know about them, we can not only gain but also not lose – deepfake, i.e. manipulating the image and the audience, can serve as an example.
The author of the podcast is passionate about news, like me, and a real expert and populariser in the IoT area. His half-hour episodes I “absorbed” with pleasure.
2 Future 4.0
Krzysztof Radzikowski is another podcast creator specialising in new technologies, but this time focused on motoring, and more specifically on car-sharing, electric cars and scooters, city bikes or autonomous vehicles [by the way, I recommend my blog article on this THEME]. These topics were close to me before Christopher’s broadcasts appeared. Currently, I follow them as one of the sources of interesting facts from this area.
The author also touches upon other kinds of issues in his episodes – I listened to his broadcast about the Amazon Go shop with a smile on my face, as you will also read about it on my blog.
The broadcasts are short, more or less 10 minutes long, and they focus on the interesting facts about the product in question, which is just fine by me.
https://krzysztofradzikowski.com/
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Kuba Klawiter and TechWeek
This yotuber was mentioned to me by my son and I am very happy. Kuba Klawiter used to host “Tester” magazine on TV4 (I didn’t watch it) and now his own Youtube channel TechWeek (over 800,000 subscriptions!). As an enthusiast of various gadgets and technological innovations, he tests and reviews various products from Poland and abroad.
Among the many recordings on his channel I watched those about testing drones, electric scooters and air purifiers. Probably not all of them, because Kuba records a lot of them, but each of them made me laugh and learned many interesting facts.
His episodes are conducted with humour and great distance to the discussed products. I appreciate his extensive, specialist knowledge and insightful analysis. As for me, Kuba’s videoblog is not only inspiring but also relaxing. I recommend!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLr4hMhk_2KE0GUBSBrspGA/featured
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This Week in Tech
If I have more free time I like to listen to a podcast in English hosted by Leo Laporte. It’s an extensive weekly recap from the world of technology, as the name suggests. Auditions last 2 hours, sometimes longer, but it’s worth it because we can really hear about the latest trends in advanced technologies. Interesting topics and interesting guests.
https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech
#FOR CITY LOVERS
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Miasto jest nasze
This is the name of the podcast and also of the association that runs it. Most of the episodes concern Warsaw, where this urban movement is active. They write about themselves: “As residents of Warsaw, we want an accessible, friendly and just city. That is, in my opinion, a happy city or – according to Charles Montgomery – a kind city. And that’s cool! I like young, active people who are familiar with ideas related to sustainable development, including respect for nature and understanding the needs of inhabitants.
Their broadcasts deal with everything that concerns the city and its inhabitants: from pedestrians and transport/logistics, to building new flats, to greenery and the climate crisis.
I, personally, enjoyed listening to the podcast about the smart city and Paris, but all are worthy of your attention.
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Międzymiastowo
Quite by accident (or maybe not?) I came across a podcast produced by the urban team of the Jagiellonian Club, which I am very happy about! It’s an interesting broadcast about such urban problems as spatial chaos, smog, ubiquitous concreting, lack of adaptation of space to people with disabilities, depopulation, the threat of blackouts – in a word, all the topics I’ve touched on in my blog, and even more! Bravo, bravo. You can hear the passion and commitment of the young presenters in the episodes as they discuss the challenges of 21st century cities with the input of experts.
Even though the Międzymiastowo podcast only launched in March 2020. There are so many topics on the channel that I haven’t been able to listen to them all yet. But so far I’ve enjoyed the 50th episode most, titled. “Basel, Gdansk, Krakow, Rotterdam, Budapest – we set off on a city tour with the listeners.
7 Urbcast
Marcin Żebrowski, an urban designer currently based in Copenhagen, takes a look at cities and interesting urban solutions in his podcast. Together with guests from Poland and abroad (some episodes are in English), he analyses issues related to urban development, revitalisation, suburbanisation, gentrification, transport, as well as sociological (cohousing), health (smog) and ecological (food waste) problems.
Why is this podcast worth listening to? I found a lot of valuable content that popularises urban issues, especially from the point of view of experts from other countries. I highly recommend it.
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xY2U0MjdhMC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==
#FOR ARCHITECTURE AND BUILDING LOVERS
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Architektura powinna
A city is mostly buildings, and since I’m also in the construction business, these topics are very close to my heart. The podcast “Architektura Powinna” is hosted by Klaudia Lachcik, an architect professionally connected with Warsaw and Amsterdam. During her broadcasts she talks to interesting people connected with architecture, urban planning and spatial management. The episode that appealed most to my ear and heart so far (for obvious reasons) was “How to design the city of the future”. “How is the city of the future designed?
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Construction Podcast
Women are in the minority in the construction industry, which is why I have highlighted the Construction Podcast created by two women with an M.Sc. in Construction: Ewa Matuszak, who is the author of the blog ‘Baba z budowy’ and Anna Żmuda of CONCRETniE na Budowie. The perverse name of the blog and a woman’s look at the “man’s world” are characteristic features of both ladies’ episodes. The podcasts deal mainly with technical issues, but you can also find those dealing with trends, such as the episode I personally recommend entitled “Directions of construction development”.
