The Pod Files - Friday 10 October 2025

 

The ‘casts -

(Notes spoken to Siri, and edited later if I remember

(Changed tactic now where starred dialogue denotes quoting from the show’s own notes

Desert Skies - 6 October 2025: Chapter 23 2025: *Sometimes You Gotta Die A Little - The Season 3 Premiere begins with the return of a friend, and she's keeping secrets. / Arriving determined to bring her friends "home", everyone's left wondering what that means. It all comes down to trust. Ready for the ride?

Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise - Trailer: 25 September 2025: *Introducing Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise - John and Ann Bender had hundreds of millions of dollars and one dream: to build a glittering glass mansion deep in the Costa Rican jungle. But paradise soon gave way to paranoia — with abduction plots, armed guards and a bedroom blazing with hundreds of Tiffany lamps. And then one night, it all ended in blood.

Hosted by award-winning journalist Becky Milligan, Hell in Heaven is an eight-part limited series from Blanchard House, Exactly Right Media and iHeart Podcasts.

Haunted: The Van Buren Manor - Trailer: 1 October 2025: HAUNTED: THE VAN BUREN MANOR premieres Wednesday, October, 8th. / Tone: HAUNTED is a supernatural satire fiction podcast. / About: When their staged ghost hunter investigations lead them to the mysterious Van Buren Manor, the so-called "Spirit Sleuths" must confront their first real haunting. Trapped inside, their only hope of survival is to unravel a long-buried mystery and stop the manor's vengeful Matriarch from carrying out a dark plot a century in the making— one that may cut closer to home than they ever imagined.

Unknown and Mysterious Creatures - episode 25; 15 August 2025: *The Grendel - Step into the mists of legend and history with Unknown and Mysterious Creatures. In this episode, host JV Torres unravels the mystery of Grendel, the fearsome monster from the epic Beowulf. Was Grendel merely a symbolic villain-or could this night-stalking terror have been inspired by a real creature? / We dive deep into the poem's ancient origins, explore archaeological clues, and examine theories ranging from lost human species to massive prehistoric predators. Along the way, we hear insights from renowned scholars, cryptozoologists, and even primatologists who keep the door open to the unknown. / From biblical connections to the possibility of relict hominids, from misunderstood fossils to mythic chaos-bringers-this is the story of a monster that refuses to stay buried in the past.

Stupid Gen X Tricks - Trailer: 6 June 2025: Check out Stupid Gen X Tricks, the show for people who used to be cool!

Ghost: Scary Stories for Halloween - 6 October 2025: The October Records Episode 6: “Dead Air" - WMIL radio station becomes a conduit for the drowned after midnight broadcasts begin naming the recently deceased and their living relatives' addresses-deaths by drowning follow within hours. DJ Mac reveals he's trapped in the booth, broadcasting simultaneously from the current station and the original WMIL that sank into Miller's Lake in 1954 with seven people inside. The signal carries more than sound; it carries drowning itself through the airwaves. Every night Mac slips deeper underwater while something else uses his voice to call the living to join the dead. The sixth point of the Pattern is marked as all communication devices begin broadcasting the same impossible message: the Pattern requires witnesses, and everyone listening will drown where they stand.

The Stupid History Minute - 8 October 2025: Albert DeSalvo

Podnews Daily - 8 October 2025: *Alex Cooper launches ad agency - A conduit for brands to reach Gen Z women

BirdNote Daily - 2 Apr 2023: *White-crowned Sparrow - The White-crowned Sparrow pours out its song over and over on spring and summer days-and even on moonlit nights-often up to 15 times a minute. Now here's a curious thing: Just as people in different regions may have different dialects, White-crowns have different songs, according to where they live.

Daily Dad Jokes - 21 June 2025 

New Podcasts - 7 October 2025: *BTWN LVRS The Heart& Soul Chronicles: A Micro Podcast - You ever feel like no one talks about what really happens when the intimacy fades? In this episode of BTWN LVRS: The Heart & Soul Chronicles, Tee breaks it all the way down, hormones after 30, emotional disconnection, and the quiet grief of long-term relationships when no one knows how to bring the fire back. It's tender, bold, and healing in a way that sneaks up on you.

The Trip by Theo Banks - season 1 episode 7: *Thursday's - Colonie is their Thursday ritual and neutral ground - competence over charm, open-kitchen hum, phones down, no speeches, verbs only. They come to calibrate: turn noise into schedule, trade performance for pace, and practice a friendship that sends them back into the week a little cleaner than they arrived.

5 Minute Chef - 9 December 2024: *Quick Aussie Laksa - Dive into Darwin's favorite dish as Chef Tony shares his shortcut version of the iconic laksa. / From night market revelations to chili-induced tears, this episode brings the heat and humor while teaching you how to create a bowl of comfort that would make any Malaysian grandmother proud (well, almost). His market tales and spice adventures perfectly complement this quick but authentic-tasting recipe.

7 Good Minutes - 4 August 2025: Build a Morning Ritual That Actually Sticks and Transforms

Womanica - 2 April 2021: Vera Atkins

5 Good News Stories - 20 February 2025: Friendly Garbage Truck Drivers

7 Good Minutes - 4 August 2025: 7 Good Minutes: Extra - A morning ritual that transforms...

Literally! With Rob Lowe - episode 283: 2 October 2025: *Simon Sinek: Light Up a Room - Author and inspirational speaker Simon Sinek joins Rob Lowe to discuss pursuing risk, what they would tell young people about the future of higher education, whether product placement actually works, how to survive in a post-Al economy, and much more.

Daily Tips That May or May Not Help You - season 2 episode 243: 8 October 2025: *A Tip For Meaningful Pet Bonding (w/Amanda B.) - Take a moment to connect with your furry companion through a mindful pet session. / Slow down and focus entirely on gentle, intentional touch - creating a special bonding experience that both you and your pet will appreciate. This simple practice transforms routine interactions into meaningful moments with the animals we cherish.

Daily Facts - 26 September 2025 

New Podcasts - 8 October 2025: *The Problem With... is brand new from James Smith, a founder, fitness content creator, and author of three Sunday Times #1 bestsellers. / James sits down with experts across tech, health, and media to tackle some of today's most provocative topics - from Al and hormones to screen time and business trends. It's new from Platform Media.

7 Minutes For Yourself - 5 May 2024: Mini Habits for a Better Life

Sounds Profitable - 7 October 2025: *ChatGPT Integrates Spotify, Alex Cooper Launches Ad Agency, & More - Today in the business of podcasting: ChatGPT debuts Spotify integration, Alex Cooper's new creative agency lands Google as first client, and reflections on what new generative Al video tools mean for content advertising.

Ghost: Scary Stories for Halloween - 7 October 2025: *The October Records Episode 7: "Sunday Service" - Pastor Williams delivers a silent sermon at St. Mary's Church while his congregation hears screaming inside their heads—he's been screaming since Thursday though his mouth continues preaching. Seven congregants from founding families stand with clouded eyes as the church fills with impossible water, the congregation breathing liquid as if it were air. Past and present collide as churchgoers from 1924, 1974, and 2025 attend simultaneously, all witnessing the same horrific service. The church, built over the site of the original compact, becomes the seventh point of the Pattern as water pours from the mouths of the chosen seven. Margaret learns the terrible arithmetic: thirty souls must be given freely, taken by force, or everyone drowns when Halloween arrives.

MinuteEarth - 7 March 2025: Why Do Some Animals Get Gigantic?

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - 8 October 2025; finicky

Science Quickly - 20 November 2014: *Worse Than the Bite - A new study suggests bed bugs can transmit Chagas disease to mice-but the same thing is unlikely to happen in humans. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

Composers Datebook - 8 October 2025: Sharon Isbin and John Corigliano

The Official Marvel Podcast - 8 October 2025: *Marvel Zombies Take Over the Marvel Universe - Today on The Official Marvel Podcast, we're digging into the legacy of Marvel Zombies throughout comics as we explore their creation, their evolution, and of course the carnage with Marvel Comics legend Ralph Macchio along with current Marvel Senior Editor Jordan D. White. Plus, we keep the spooky vibes going with a chilling story from the Marvel archives. 

When They Was Fab - 29 September 2025: a bit naughty, but I listened to this episode where Ed and myself discussed a Paul McCartney section to an imaginary Paul and Ringo joint concert tour, so that I could record an add on with Ed to the follow-up episode about Ringo’s set, which has gone out since. 

The Stupid History Minute - 9 October 2025: Israel Keyes

Station 151 - Season 2 Episode 1: 17 September 2024: *Richard - Pilot Richard Johns finds Wayne Robertson near death on the ice while the howls of a terrifying creature permeate the fog. Richard attempts to rescue Wayne and Buzz but things take a turn for the worse when the creature attacks. Can Astrid help them find their way back to Station 151 before they die of exposure...or worse?

BirdNote Daily - 3 April 2023: *Kari Sasportas on Advocating for Autistic Birders - For Kari Sasportas, who helps lead the Feminist Bird Club of Boston, birding is a way to become absorbed in the sensations of the outside world - something that can be difficult for them to do elsewhere as an autistic person with an auditory processing disorder. Kari advocates for making the birding world more accessible for neurodivergent people. While they have seen programs designed specifically for autistic children, Kari says it's important to ask autistic adults what they want from birding, too.

Beauty Unlocked the podcast - Bonus: 7 October 2025: *The Erotic Bite: Dracula, Carmilla, and Forbidden Desire - Welcome, my ghoulish fiends! / Why do vampires seduce us even as they terrify us? In the second episode of Dark Thirst, I explore the erotic power of the vampire's bite, where intimacy meets violence, and desire crosses forbidden boundaries. / We dive into repressed sexualities, dangerous loves and the Victorian obsession with "beautiful death," uncovering how fear and lust became inseparable in Gothic literature. / From the shocking passion of Carmilla to Mina Harker's disturbing "baptism of blood" in Dracula, we reveal why the vampire still haunts our most forbidden fantasies. / Join me... if you dare...