Traveling through the Earbuds
Recapping my 2024 Streaming Media Consumption
I decided to remind myself of the most impactful streaming media that I consumed in 2024 to see what I learned about the world and about myself. While I do listen to podcasts occasionally on Spotify and other platforms, the vast majority of content that I consume is sourced via YouTube and Audible. I prefer listening to content as it allows me to do something useful while commuting, getting some exercise, or doing mundane tasks. I also generally listen at between 1.5 and 2.25x speed. Hence, I manage to get through a lot of content in a year.
Here I present a fairly abridged version of what I listened to in 2024, followed by a few personal reflections.
For Audible, I include my ten top audiobooks of the year, as well as some honorable mentions.
Top Ten:
On Call by Anthony Fauci, M.D. (autobiography of a great and impactful American, who was quite unfairly maligned during and after the Covid pandemic)
On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (historical lessons leading to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine)
Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson (journey of the first Black woman on the Supreme Court)
Brave New Words by Salman Khan (AI and the future of learning)
The Venture Mindset by Ilya Strebulaev, Alex Dang (how VC investors think and act)
Burn Book by Kara Swisher (Swisher understand the inner workings of Silicon Valley like no one else)
Bad Therapy by Abigail Shrier (contrarian, insightful thoughts pertaining to grade school education and pedagogy)
War by Bob Woodward (Ukraine and perspectives from inside the White House)
Life in the Key of G by Kenny G, Philip Lerman (memoir of fun and fascinating tales from the tenor sax legend)
Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger (an inspiring “Renaissance Man” figure who is bursting with wisdom)
Honorable Mentions:
Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (I always come away thinking differently about something after reading or listening to Gladwell)
Pattern Breakers by Mike Maples, Jr., Peter Ziebelman (why select startups thrive while most others fail)
The Art of Power by Nancy Pelosi (story of the first female Speaker of the House)
Concorde by Mike Bannister (my most “unimportant” life regret is never having flown on the supersonic Concorde)
Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards (the “Seinfeld” co-star looks back on a career full of ups and downs)
From my YouTube archive, here are my most listened to channels currently by category.
News, Politics, Current Events, Perspectives:
Allan Lichtman (“Nostradamus” whiffed on the 2024 election outcome, but that doesn’t diminish the value of his lessons in American political history)
60 Minutes (still the gold standard for investigative reporting)
The War in Ukraine:
Jake Broe (the only YouTube channel for which I have a paid membership)
DW News (general news from Germany, but I come here for Ukraine perspectives)
Times Radio (general news from the UK, also come here for Ukraine)
FRANCE 24 English (you can probably guess…)
UATV English (directly from Ukraine)
VC, Startups, Science, and Technology:
WIRED (The “Tech Support” vlogs are always fun and informative)
StarTalk (love me some Neil deGrasse Tyson)
Alumni Ventures (my team generates some terrific content!)
General Business and Finance:
Humor:
Saturday Night Live (mainly for the cold opens and “Weekend Update” clips)
The Daily Show (though I’m oddly not a big Jon Stewart fan)
Society and General Interest:
CBS Sunday Morning (therapeutic short and mostly happy slices of life)
Aviation and Travel:
Sam Chui (the king of “avgeeks” and happy to say, a personal friend)
Random:
DrSaxLove (smooth jazz is my relaxation music of choice)
Xiaomanyc (roaming polyglot… a skill I wish I had)
Dr. Eric Berg (generally sound advice on nutrition, diet, and metabolic health)
My listening history for 2024 is a time capsule on what captured my attention, which from a current events perspective, were primarily the 2024 presidential election and Russia’s sadistic ongoing war on Ukraine. This was supplemented by my ongoing discovery and learning in areas like education, wellness, and of course startups, investing, and innovation. I don’t expect to ever see a list like this that doesn’t also include a healthy dose of living vicariously through aviation and travel vloggers. Without a doubt, I will always need some therapy by consuming the troubling news of the day through the comedic takes of “late night” monologues and interviews. For 2025, I expect to continue following geopolitics as closely as ever. I will continue diving deeper into health and wellness. I plan to also take in more perspectives from world history, as well as thinking further about where technology, particularly driven by AI, will lead society in the future.
What is on your mind to learn more about in the year ahead?