Wowowowow. Love this idea. I didn't click this link originally because I thought this was going to about camera tripods.

Context for my picks: I'm an economics, political science, and politics junkie, with a huge and abiding interest in behavioral economics and otherwise cataloging the ways people are less than perfectly "rational actors." I strive for personal productivity and to improve my writing. I like fandom but not sports per se. I love a good story.

I just linked one yesterday, but my three favorite recent podcast episodes are:

Ezra Klein interviews one of the most interesting economists I know, Tyler Cowen, on The Ezra Klein Show.

Freakonomics interview with Eric Posner, a legal scholar who thinks that true checks and balances on the president don't come from Congress but from things entirely unforeseen by the founders.

Radiolab, a very popular podcast, has one spin-off. That is the More Perfect podcast for the layman, centered around the Supreme Court, its cases, and Justices. It's touches a bit on competing doctrines the court has employed, controversial moments, and interesting asides. This was for me the series that I agonized over the most while waiting for new episodes.