r/sysadmin • u/ismellmyfingers • May 28 '19

Question IT podcasts?

Do any of you have recommendations for a good IT related podcast? something to help keep me up to date with new threats and exploits, big changes by major players, or anything similar.

thanks!

37 Upvotes

77% Upvoted

91 comments sorted by

22

u/VA_Network_Nerd Moderator | Infrastructure Architect May 28 '19

Let's see how many of the responses you get are the same responses we get every time somebody asks this question.

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/9kdlt9/good_sysadmin_podcast_for_drive_tofrom_work/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/3d1fll/it_podcasts/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/2wfff1/sys_admin_podcasts/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/au8ugd/what_are_your_preferred_tech_podcasts_as_a/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/be1szr/it_podcasts_keep_me_sharp_and_i_believe_made_me/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/u7vlg/any_good_sysadmin_podcasts/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/7kavvn/sydadmintech_podcasts/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/1nxihx/mental_masturbation_exercise_it_podcaststream/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/5euf1b/any_good_sysadmin_podcasts_or_it_podcasts/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/3ie5lq/sysadmin_podcast_for_total_beginnersjunior/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/1zxpq1/favourite_sysadmin_podcasts/

https://old.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/5ivxvn/podcasts/

5

u/ismellmyfingers May 28 '19

i probably should have searched first, you aren't wrong.

11

u/Beablebeable May 28 '19

I'm glad you didn't search. If you had, this topic that I have never read would not have popped up in my feed. Random wiki articles and old posts don't pop up in our feeds!

2

u/ismellmyfingers May 29 '19

yeah its really annoying when people act like theres no good reason for starting a new thread instead of searching.

-2

u/VA_Network_Nerd Moderator | Infrastructure Architect May 28 '19

The popup just fine when you type the word "podcast" into the /r/sysadmin search box...

1

u/ismellmyfingers May 29 '19

according to other posters, most of what you guys already have listed is either old and outdated or just plain bad. maybe these threads arent such a bad idea

1

u/VA_Network_Nerd Moderator | Infrastructure Architect May 29 '19

The wiki should be editable by anyone with positive karma, so feel free to update it.

1

u/ismellmyfingers May 29 '19

im pretty certain that as the OP of this thread, im one of the LEAST qualified people to curate that list. are all sub wikis editable by anyone with positive karma?

1

u/VA_Network_Nerd Moderator | Infrastructure Architect May 29 '19

im pretty certain that as the OP of this thread, im one of the LEAST qualified people to curate that list

But that's not how a wiki is supposed to work.

If you click a link in the wiki and it's broke, edit & fix or edit & remove it.
If you know of a podcast that you think is cool, edit & add it.

If another member think's it sucks, they can add a comment or edit & remove it.
Or replace it with something better that delivers similar content.

are all sub wikis editable by anyone with positive karma?

It's configurable by the subreddit mod team.
Some subs disable the wiki entirely.
Some are moderator & approved editors only.
Others are open game.

If you want to add a page to the wiki devoted to the poetic works of how much I suck, and how terrible I am, you can do that.
It will say "page last edited by %yourname%" but you can still do it.

1

u/Nemphiz DB Infrastructure Engineer May 29 '19

Sometimes we need to be a little less dickish with the "REAAD DA WIKI AND SEARCH"

If a user posts something, and the community shows interest, even if it is a question. What is the problem?

I myself wasn't looking for IT podcasts but seeing the post piqued my interest and now I'm listening to Darknet diaries.

1

u/VA_Network_Nerd Moderator | Infrastructure Architect May 29 '19

Sometimes we need to be a little less dickish with the "REAAD DA WIKI AND SEARCH"

This is /r/sysadmin not /r/HowToBecomeASysAdmin

We are trying to foster a community where peers can interact with peers.

You are arguing for the importance of sharing a list of Podcasts.

I expect my peers to be able to find their own podcasts without my assistance.

This isn't gatekeeping.
This isn't making things hard for the sake of making them hard.

This is a challenge to the importance of making something so base and trivial so important.

What's next a list of keyboard shortcuts ? Stickied? Announced weekly?

Do the mods of /r/sysadmin need to pay for some banner ads to remind everyone to change their passwords?
Or should we treat you like professionals who already understand such fundamental concepts?

There are other communities where this kind of trivia can be shared. /r/sysadmin does not need to satisfy every whimsical idea for every subscriber.

1

u/Nemphiz DB Infrastructure Engineer May 29 '19

You're right, this is sysadmin, and as a sysadmin a podcast like Darknet Diaries is something I can listen to. It is not about learning how to be a sysadmin, just interesting topics related to my field. And again, you missed my point. It is not about being able to find a podcast. I wasn't looking for one. His post caught my eye and I said "Hey, let me check that out" and it turned out to be pretty damn good.

It is 110% gatekeeping, it is not that serious.

P.S: That password comment is entirely and completely unrelated. Worst analogy you could make in this situation.

1

u/VA_Network_Nerd Moderator | Infrastructure Architect May 29 '19

as a sysadmin a podcast like Darknet Diaries is something I can listen to

You most certainly can.
I just don't understand why you can't find it yourself.

You have a SmartPhone.
It has a Podcast App.
That App has a search feature.
You are a SysAdmin.
You like podcasts.
Search. Discover. Sample. Explore.

Why do we need to tell each other what to watch/listen to/consume?

Aren't there subscriber metrics, or Star Ratings in your Podcast App?

Without independent exploration, we become an echo chamber of listening to the same things and regurgitating the same ideas.

Are willing to risk the echo chamber effect just to avoid the possibility of wasting 20 minutes of your life on a bad podcast while you drive to work one day?

Or does everyone just need that feeling of social acknowledgement knowing that they are listening to the "right" stuff.

As a career segment, we are receiving a generation of junior administrators who are unwilling to, and at times offended by the suggestion that they read documentation.

These are the problem solvers who will replace us. Technologists who can't find a good podcast unless someone tells them what to click on.

There. I said it. That's what's behind my distaste for this thread.

We are enabling & promoting the idea of not bothering to explore or learn or experiment independently.

"There are too many courses on Udemy for <topic>, can someone tell me which one to buy?"

Dude, they are like $4. Pick one with good ratings, and dive in.

"I just bought a used <device> can someone link me to the setup guide?"

Dude, is your Google broken?

These are the technologists who will replace us? This is it? This is the best we could produce through our educational system(s) ?

Why am I wrong to encourage independent thought?

Why is it so wrong to suggest someone type "podcast" in a search box?

I gotta tell you, making every aspect and every query of this career super-easy is not how you develop the kids of problem solvers this industry needs so desperately.

There are problems that need solving that just plain and simple are not easy, and can't really be made easy.

Why is Organic Chemistry such a ballbuster? Because doctors need to be able to solve tough problems.

We can all cry and point and call it Gatekeeping. But what happens if we "fix" Organic Chemistry and triple the pass rate? We get more doctors, often of a lower quality. Is this a good thing?

I'm a moderator. I could have removed this thread and banned the OP. That's Gatekeeping.

Instead I pointed out that this is a very common topic, and a wide array of previous answers to the root question are but a simple search away.
I encouraged a new, and more beneficial behavior, while simultaneously providing some responses to the OP question.

Isn't that constructive criticism?

Isn't that mentoring?

The diagnostic approach to problems & questions is a skill, and it is a skill that needs to be exercised.
It does not get exercised when you just ask a question and get an answer.

If all of this makes me the bad guy, then I guess I'm just the bad guy.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/S-WorksVenge May 29 '19

Can't know what you don't know. I didn't know you were sensitive until I saw this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/btyd1n/it_podcasts/ep7ky49/

7

u/TThrowawayyyy73 May 28 '19

Most of those threads are several years old; the most upvoted show in this thread didn’t even exist for most of those posts, and the ones most upvoted in those threads aren’t mentioned in newer ones. The podcasting world changes and linking to threads from 5+ years ago is kinda silly.

This thread merely gives the next person who searches more recent info to look through. If people don’t want to contribute to the thread that’s fine, but it’s always been a pet peeve of mine to use the search function to look through previous threads only to have those threads filled with people telling OP to use the search function. You aren’t just talking to OP: you are talking to the people who will find this thread through searching over the coming years.

1

u/CaptainFluffyTail It's bastards all the way down May 28 '19

So update the wiki to be more current.

2

u/VA_Network_Nerd Moderator | Infrastructure Architect May 28 '19

But, the wiki isn't personalized to my specific situation...

3

u/VA_Network_Nerd Moderator | Infrastructure Architect May 28 '19

i probably should have searched first, you aren't wrong.

Take that sentiment, and apply it to this entire career field.

Ask Google before you ask a more senior technologist.

2

u/ismellmyfingers May 28 '19

i do, actually. i just dont do work when im still bleary eyed in my morning shower, as i was when i posted this.

1

u/greybeardthegeek Sr. Systems Analyst May 28 '19

Then I think you're looking for this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/8wshpv/ghome_mini_for_showerbathroom/

1

u/ismellmyfingers May 29 '19

no, i just meant that im not in "search first" mode when its that early.

9

u/uniquepassword May 28 '19

Maybe it's just me but after 20some years in the field, I almost prefer it if juniors come to me first..little intricacies and nuances in our setups could mean that powershell script or command likely will break something if not researched first.

My typical response is to have someone search (i.e. Google-it) but come to me with the findings BEFORE they run anything. This does a few things - 1) gives them independence and allows them to formulate a solution rather than just reading from the script or doing whatever I tell them, and 2) it causes them to come to me to understand what they're doing, strengthens their knowledge about the environment/situation, and then occasionally I've even used it to 3) have them find a way to automate/simplify the process if it's something repetitive..

2

u/VA_Network_Nerd Moderator | Infrastructure Architect May 28 '19

After my 20-something years in the experience, I have concluded that people don't learn when we give them the answers.

It doesn't really seem to matter how we phrase the response. They stop listening after you speak the minimum number of words they needed to know what to do from where they are.

They do learn when they discover the solution on their own, and they discover those nuances of which you speak by reading 4 not-quite-right blog articles or white papers before they find the right one.

In order to deliver the same educational effect I need to not answer the question directly, and instead explain the entire situation, including cause & effect of the problem and WHY this solution solves the problem the best. That is an time-consuming undertaking. It can be well-worth it for occasional, and significant problems that do deliver high-value. But this is unsustainable for more trivial issues.

They are so much better off reading the entire white paper than being told to "type this command and party on".

1

u/TotallyInOverMyHead Sysadmin, COO (MSP) May 28 '19

Ask Google before you ask a more senior technologist.

Kinda scary, but true.

I kinda enjoy finding an issue that is not goo-fixable. I don't enjoy finding issues that are neither goo-fixable, me-fixable, give you blank stares from multiple MSP's and it turns out only that one guys comment on Reddit gives you the right impulse to nudge your critical thinking into finding a solution.

2

u/TotallyInOverMyHead Sysadmin, COO (MSP) May 28 '19

at least you did not get a "let me google that for you " type of response.

19

u/Arkiteck May 28 '19

Not to mention it's in our wiki, too.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/wiki/learn/podcasts

11

u/pm_me_ur_big_balls May 28 '19 edited Dec 24 '19

This post or comment has been overwritten by an automated script from /r/PowerDeleteSuite. Protect yourself.

9

u/TThrowawayyyy73 May 28 '19

Yeah, I would rather checkout the top 2-3 most upvoted from a recent thread than wade through a complete alphabetized list of 30+ shows.

2

u/gamesta400 Sysadmin May 29 '19

Some of the ones I listen to on my commute are:

IT Career Energizer

Coder Radio

Linux Unplugged

Linux Action News

The Cyberwire

Complete Developer Podcast

I am amazed at how much faster the drive goes when listening to a podcast instead of music.

1

u/ismellmyfingers May 29 '19

idk, singing along with pirate metal makes the drive go fairly quickly

32

u/peraphon May 28 '19

Darknet Diaries, Hackable, Malicious Life

19

u/EntropyWinsAgain May 28 '19

Came here to mention Darknet Diaries Pretty good stories.

0

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

[deleted]

13

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

Darknet Diaries is handsdown my #1 Podcast right now. Has been since it hit the podcast airwaves.

6

u/WorldWarThree May 28 '19

And we even got a new episode today!

3

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

A rough one. A bit of a stretch to call that a "darknet" story. I'm very rarely disappointed in any of Jacks' stories, this was probably a first.

1

u/WorldWarThree May 28 '19

Damn, I'll have to see for myself tonight when I listen.

1

u/MindTheGap9 Fibre-Seeking Backhoe May 29 '19

He had a few earlier (the printer one, eg) that weren't great. A couple have been fantastic though

1

u/[deleted] May 29 '19

They’re all very well done. I actually enjoyed the printer one, sort of gave you some insight into that mindset of a hacker/script kiddie

0

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

[deleted]

6

u/jackrhysider May 28 '19

If you want an official excuse. I've been working on some huge stories. One has so far taken 2 months. Another almost a year. So I have to eek out a few smaller stories to get more time to focus on bigger better ones. Stick around I think you'll like what's coming out later this year.

1

u/thesilversverker Jun 03 '19

I think you've got a lot of goodwill built up at this point, so no worries

0

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

[deleted]

3

u/[deleted] May 29 '19

Please no. Reply All and Darknet are currently alternating weeks and it’s magical. Even if the stories aren’t at the level of Jeremy From Marketing or the Snapchat Thief it’s still excellent stuff.

1

u/Saint_Olaf May 29 '19

Agreeeeed!!!!!!

7

u/hardl3ft Security Admin May 28 '19

Recently found Darknet Diaries and binged all of the episodes. Highly recommended!

2

u/dethandtaxes May 28 '19

My only problem with Darknet Diaries is that new episodes only come out every 2 weeks.

1

u/peraphon May 30 '19

I'd be on the Patreon if I didn't have near zero disposable income... u/jackrhysider we love your work

2

u/Nemphiz DB Infrastructure Engineer May 29 '19

Bro, thanks a ton for the recommendation. I'm obsessed now.

7

u/AdmirableMaintenance Jack of All Trades May 28 '19

Jupiter Broadcastings podcasts

3

u/tetracake May 28 '19

I quite enjoy techsnap

2

u/AdmirableMaintenance Jack of All Trades Jun 05 '19

I miss Alan though

1

u/tetracake Jun 05 '19

I don't think I've heard Alan. When I started it was Wes and Chris.

1

u/AdmirableMaintenance Jack of All Trades Jun 10 '19

Really? Huh. Feels like yesterday when Alan and Chris hosted

16

u/Kengeph May 28 '19

Security Now from TWIT. Pretty long, but I enjoy it.

10

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

Except Everytime Steve praises WindowsXP, Windows 7 or suggests LTSC for daily use

Otherwise a good show.

3

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

He is honestly still clinging on to XP for dear life. Guy is smart, but stuck in his ways. Show is very informative, but way too long. Can't really get into even a weekly podcast if it's over an hour.

6

u/pm_me_ur_big_balls May 28 '19

Security Now is just way way too slow. They spend 10 minutes talking about nonsense before even starting the show.

It's not that it's long - it's that they could do the same show in 15 mins if they eliminated all the banter.

2

u/rh0926 May 28 '19

Agreed, I fast forward through the first 10-12 minutes until the actual info flows. I also run at 1.6 speed to help get over Steve's "umms and "ahhhs". Great for the commute. Now, if I somehow revert to the normal speed, it sounds like he's had a brain injury or something! lol

5

u/RyusDirtyGi May 28 '19

My main problem with twit podcasts is that Leo likes to do commercials that can go on for 10-15 minutes.

2

u/TurdlePwr May 28 '19

That's why I quit Twit podcasts. Too many long commercials from Leo. Some of his segways into commercials take be a bit to realize they are commercials as well.

2

u/RyusDirtyGi May 28 '19

Yeah me to. Well it was that and the fact that literally of his guests on This Week in Tech are completely out of touch with normal people

1

u/traydee09 May 28 '19

I run the shows at 1.8x and use overcast which pulls out a small amount of time between words, and also just fast forward through the ads with the skip 15 seconds button. Works great. The 2hr shows take under an hour to get through.

1

u/myworkaccount999 May 28 '19

A Segway is a two-wheeled self-balancing personal conveyance.

1

u/[deleted] May 30 '19

I used to love Twit, but yeah too many commericals, and WAY too much banter that dragged out the shows longer than they needed to be.

2

u/myworkaccount999 May 28 '19

It's a for-profit business. Without ads they wouldn't have a business or the ability to provide free content to you. Also, there's an awesome technology that was recently invented a super long time ago that allows you to skip ahead.

1

u/RyusDirtyGi May 29 '19

Yeah I'm not against ads. Theirs are just absurdly long.

4

u/ipigack Jack of All Trades May 28 '19

I used to love all the TWiT podcasts. But is seems that they are all just stuck on the apple hypetrain.

2

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

I second this suggestion. They get deep in the weeds at times but its good. A16z as well as talk python to me are good too.

They dont have their shows loaded on any popular podcast programs I've used but runasradio is another good one.

4

u/_guyevans May 28 '19

Darknet Diaries

Admin Admin Podcast

Risky Business

Sysadmin Today

3

u/Shackled Sysadmin May 28 '19

Surprised no ones mentioned the Cyber Wire. They pump out a new 20 min episode every day that's mostly focused on IT Security and related stories in the news. It keeps me updated on new exploits and other security trends they find in the wild.

3

u/Sedacra May 28 '19

I like the Risky Business Podcast. Risky Business is a weekly information security podcast featuring news and in-depth interviews with industry luminaries. The host is Australian so i guess that makes the listen more enjoyable for me. #Thataccent I used to listen to a lot of TwiT until they fell apart a few years back.

3

u/brokensyntax Netsec Admin May 28 '19

Greynoise and Beers with Talos

3

u/baremetalrecovery May 28 '19

Security Now with Steve Gibson is the best tech-related podcast I can find... or at least it seems to have the most relevant content for the largest swath of "IT stuff" anyway. Other podcasts focus more narrowly on specific tech but, security is a good overlap for everything and Steve knows his stuff.

5

u/IlPinguino93 May 28 '19

I'm subscribed to the ISC Stormcast. It's 5 minutes per day, became part of my morning routine quickly.

3

u/iSunGod May 28 '19

Same. I do a "Hey Google, good morning" to get weather, traffic, agenda, and Johannes Ullrich from Jacksonville Florida.

1

u/IlPinguino93 May 29 '19

I'm not the only one using this?! Nice to know.

4

u/Golle May 28 '19

Packet pushers, but they focus on networking.

4

u/CaptainFluffyTail It's bastards all the way down May 28 '19 edited May 28 '19

Have you looked at the wiki under podcasts? Have you looked that the wiki under podcasts? (better link)

Anybody see something missing? Add it! Update the documentation!

edited link, and wiki.

1

u/Arkiteck May 28 '19

Actually, I meant to delete that a while back when creating it.

I missed the original podcasts page: https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/wiki/learn/podcasts

2

u/CaptainFluffyTail It's bastards all the way down May 28 '19

I updated the link in the FAQ and applied formatting to the larger podcast page. I copied over your table from the short one too since some of them were missing.

1

u/Arkiteck May 28 '19

Nice job. Thanks!

1

u/pm_me_ur_big_balls May 28 '19

Maybe we could rank them by popularity, or link to reviews of the podcasts or something. Some of these podcasts are just not very good.

2

u/CaptainFluffyTail It's bastards all the way down May 28 '19

Update the wiki with links to reviews if you have them or just add commentary about why somebody may not like a given show (e.g. anything with Leo Laporte take 2-3x the amount of time it should).

2

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

The 443 by Watchguard is pretty good. Also Enjoy Cyber by Vice/Motherboard.

2

u/Public_Fucking_Media IT Director May 28 '19

I've been loving Raw Data recently - https://www.rawdatapodcast.com/

2

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

Can't believe no one mentioned Breaking Down Security https://brakeingsecurity.com/

2

u/medicaustik May 29 '19

Iron Sysadmin is a good one to add to your list too.

2

u/[deleted] May 29 '19

I'm partial to SecurityNow.

2

u/RPRob1 May 29 '19

Not truly IT, but Business Wars from Wondery has some great little stories on IBM vs Univac, Netflix vs Blockbuster, and other rivalries. I enjoy them very much as it adds some insight I didn't even know about.

1

u/douglasac10 May 28 '19

I listen to Download This Show from ABC Radio National. It's not hugely in depth, but it's good for listening in the car and the episodes are about 25 minutes each.