A lightning talk given at Deccan Ruby Conference 2015(http://www.deccanrubyconf.org/) on what inspires me to continue listening to podcasts and how it helps me be a better software craftsman.

1. Podcasts - What, Why,
When and How

2. Listening to Podcasts - A Habit

3. What are podcasts?
● A digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading
● Involves two or more people discussing things around a topic

4. Why Podcasts?
● Efficiently use my Travel time
● Learn new stuff from different perspectives
○ Avdi Grimm - “I feel one of the most important things that I strive for
in development is just perspective”
● Get mentored
● Evaluate myself
● Draw inspiration from people’s experiences
● Be cognizant about happenings from around the world

5. ● Ruby Rogues Podcast
■ Career Advice
● Staying sharp with Dave Thomas
○ Three times a month rule
● Giant Robots
○ Inspirational
■ Prolificness - The capacity to learn and grow
● Second Shift
● Picks/Shoutouts
○ Book suggestions
■ The Pragmatic Programmer
○ Video suggestions
■ Fast Rails Tests
○ Useful links
■ E.g:- Level Up Rails
○ Other useful resources
Why Podcasts?(contd.)

6. When?
● ..Do people generally listen to podcasts?
○ Commuting
■ Driving - Take a leap of faith
○ Taking a break
■ Walk

7. How..
● ..To get started?
○ Subscribe to your podcasts on iTunes
○ Download them on to your aud
○ Listen to them via a podcast app
● ..To ensure you don’t forget what you’ve heard from a podcast?
○ Make quick notes mentioning important keywords from the podcast

8. ○ The Bike Shed
■ Web Development Related
○ The Ruby India Podcast
■ Ruby, Rails etc.,
○ The Code Newbie podcast
■ Stories from people on their coding journey.
○ The Changelog Podcast
○ Find what best suits you..
Which other podcasts could one listen to?

9. Takeaways
● Podcasts
○ Are fun to listen
○ A nice way to start your day(especially if you’re
commuting)
○ Have useful takeaways in the form of picks/shout
outs/show notes
○ Learn new things
○ Get great advice and insights from experts
○ Help you become a better developer

10. Thank You
● Photo Credits
○ Habits - AZQquotes
○ Podcast - http://www.britishpodcaststudios.com/
○ Alex Wong on unsplash - Person sitting on the edge
○ Baby in bliss
● Other Credits
○ Avdi Grimm’s quote taken from - Evaluating yourself
episode of the Ruby Rogues podcast

11. Twitter - @mohnishgj
Github - boddhisattva
Blog - boddhisattvadedicates.blogspot.in
Mohnish G J - Software Craftsman @ Cybrilla