4 Podcasts I Live By These recommendations bring business and entertainment directly to our ears.

I know what you're going to say: "Podcasts are so last century."

The reality is, they've made a rather excessive resurgence that is largely due to considerable quality and content improvements, providing an incredible opportunity to learn from the people that you'd typically read about but can now hear in their own words -- while driving to the office.

Although there are dozens of podcasts that deserve attention, I have a small handful that I listen to religiously based on the quality of information and insight that can be absorbed via interviews and stories. Some are straight business and others are more entertainment. The best do a pretty good job combining the two.

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Let's have a gander at my favorite four.

1. The Tim Ferriss Show

In case you've been living under a rock and haven't yet heard of Tim Ferriss, he's the guy that brought us 4-Hour Workweek, 4-Hour Body and 4-Hour Chef -- all of which were on the New York Times best-seller list. Ferriss has a way of deconstructing complex topics, breaking them down to their most basic form to best understand how they work, and thus, how they can be mastered.

In his podcast, he interviews those that are the absolute best in their fields, whether it be billionaire investors, highly successful business people or world class entrepreneurs -- Peter Thiel, Peter Diamandis, Chris Sacca and Matt Mullenweg -- the result of which is personal insight that can be put to use in your own day-to-day life.

2. Startup

In its second season, Startup is a podcast about, well, a startup -- actually a podcast startup. Alex Blumberg, the show's creator, takes you through the earliest stages of the ideation, launch and early execution of Gimlet Media and gives you an extremely personal and in depth view of the struggles, trials and triumphs of a startup and the life of an entrepreneur trying to make it.

Startup represents an insightful opportunity to learn about some of the "do's and don'ts" that you might face as a first-time entrepreneur via conversations that were recorded in real time. Aside from the derivable value, it's also pretty entertaining.

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3. TED Radio Hour

TED Talks has been around for quite a while and is one of the best ways to get insight and advice from some of the smartest people around. So the TED Radio Hour, which is a podcast hosted by NPR, is built specifically around the latest and greatest TED Talks. If you don't have the opportunity or time to sit and watch TED Talks on video, these podcasts represent your chance to hear from some of the smartest people in the world while you're commuting to and from work.

4. Reply All

This podcast is actually the second product to come out of Gimlet Media -- the company from the second point -- and covers some of the odd and whacky things going on in the Internet, which you're probably missing. I enjoy this show because it digs into areas of the Internet and technology that are rather hard to otherwise find -- providing a lot of value when trying to learn about underground trends.

There are sure to be quite a few great podcasts that I've missed and would love your thoughts. Share your favorites in the comment section below.

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