No Agenda

Back when I was in Natick, one of my friends over there got me interested in the TWiT (This Week in Tech) podcast. As I started working out more, I got bored listening to nothing but music for over an hour, so I revived my interest in this podcast. I loved the idea of learning and working out at the same time.

As much as I loved learn about technology and tech news, I did get bored of listening to the podcast after a couple weeks - except for when a certain John C. Dvorak was on the podcast. His cynicism and sense of humor always grabbed my attention. I wanted to listen to another podcast, so I checked out another podcast that he would occasionally plug, the No Agenda Show. For a time, I was listening to both programs, but I eventually dropped TWiT entirely and was exclusive to No Agenda.

TWiT was definitely a technology news podcast, but No Agenda is entirely different. While it deals in tech news, it's better described as a media deconstruction podcast. Similar to how the Daily Show as back in 2004 (when it was at it's prime), the show is at it's best when it takes a news story in the media and deconstructs it showing how made up a lot of it is. The podcast also tackles issues such as native advertising and how advertising influences the news. The hosts, John C. Dvorak and Adam Curry (the Podfather), also do a great job at inserting humor with ridiculous jingles, sound clips (called iso's), and poking fun at conspiracy theories. Also their life experiences are also really fascinating since they've both been involved with mainstream media. John C Dvorak has been a tech consultant for multiple news outlets and Adam Curry was a major MTV DJ. Aside from that they are also pioneers in technology; Adam Curry being the inventor of the podcast.

Cover art from one of their episodes. Gives a sense of the humor of the show.

The show is unique in that it is funded entirely by listener donations dubbed the value-for-value model which allows them complete freedom to say whatever they want without having to worry about repercussions from advertisers - an issue they harp on every episode. The hosts are not afraid to tackle a controversial topic or even to point out someone's BS whether they are well respected or not.

As they deconstruct the news, they provide an analysis that is truly inspiring. I now get most of my news from twitter and then wait for their analysis every Thursday and Sunday. I can't really point out what bias if any that they have except for the instinct that they are generally skeptical of anything the media puts out. Dvorak says that he's an independent, and Curry has said in the past that he's supported Ron Paul which probably makes him more of a libertarian than a republican. Regardless, it's really hard to pinpoint what their biases are because they rarely put out their political opinions. They are not afraid to call BS, but usually their opinions on the show are limited to wine, food, and other benign things. 

I can't recommend this podcast enough. Check it out at www.noagendashow.com or download it on iTunes which is how I listen to it. They usually run about three hours which is perfect for cardio days at the gym or long car rides. I'm sure you'll get addicted to it as I have. It truly is the best podcast in the universe.