Most Useful Podcast Ever

By Popular Mechanics / Panoply

What's Most Useful Podcast Ever about?

A podcast for getting things done. Popular Mechanics Editor Jacqueline Detwiler hosts a rotating cast of characters who answer tough questions and provide tips for being smart about life.

4.0

101101 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Most Useful Podcast Ever episodes:

04.25.2019
Time to Say Goodbye
Hi y'all from Jacqui, Peter, Kevin, Eleanor and Roy! We've had an amazing, enlightening time creating this podcast for you for the last four years, but it's time for something new. Listen for our goodbyes and all the fun stuff...
04.04.2019
The Least Useful Podcast Ever, Part III
Every year, the week of April Fool's Day, we take a break from providing our listeners with useful information, and instead do stuff like taste the new orange-vanilla Coke and try to explain movies we've never seen. Do you want...
03.15.2019
Collecting Dust
One day, when they were having lunch at their local bar, Rick Kiley and Jeff Boedges had an interesting idea: What if they came back one day and finished this weird old bottle of booze that had been sitting there...
03.01.2019
The Drug Lord
We'll be the first to admit that the Most Useful Podcast Ever doesn't pursue a lot of hard-hitting journalism, but that's ok, because this week's guest, Elaine Shannon, certainly does. She came upon the story of criminal mastermind Paul Leroux...
02.15.2019
The Dog Days of Winter
Deep in the middle of winter, it would be easy to hole up on the couch with a bag of Doritos and watch TV. But wouldn't it be more fun to get outside? On this episode, field editor James Lynch...
02.04.2019
The Booze Library and the Ultimate DIY Mindmeld
With snow and cold descending across the Midwest and Northeast, we talk to the owner of StilL 630 spirits in St. Louis, about an experimental booze library that sounds like an excellent place to while away the winter. We also...
01.18.2019
All-Testing Tables!
Portable table saws, a wash-free gym shirt, a USB-based coffee cup, we'll test anything! Whether you're buying new stuff for yourself or gifts for your friends, you'll leave this episode with a ton of smart new ideas—and no buyers remorse. Learn...
01.04.2019
Myth: The Week Between Christmas and NYE is Boring. Verdict: Busted!
With the office nearly empty between Christmas and New Year's, Jacqui and Tech Editor Alex George introduce the only other person in the office: PM's new Video Producer/Editor/Videographer, Todd Bogin. Todd shares some tips on what makes compelling video. Then...
12.26.2018
Holiday cocktails and cleaning the house
With so many people coming over for the holidays, it's probably wise to make sure your grout is clean and your chimney in working order. You'll also want to stock up on some booze. Perhaps something unexpected, like cachaça? On...
12.07.2018
The Annual Holiday Shopping Guide
Do you know what you're getting all your friends and family for the holidays? If so, good for you, overachiever. For the rest of us, the staff of Popular Mechanics gives a rundown on the hottest shopping tickets for this...
11.21.2018
Popular Mechanics Thanksgiving!
In an episode chock-full of things we're thankful for, we start out by speaking with Steven Caple, Jr., the director of the new movie Creed II. We highly recommend checking it out this Thanksgiving--preferably early in the day, before you...
11.09.2018
Would You Go to Mars?
The Martian author Andy Weir is really into Mars. So much so that National Geographic tapped him to be an expert on their series Mars, about what human colonization of the red planet might be like. In advance of the...
11.01.2018
THE MARATHON
Endurance races have gotten substantially more popular over the last several years, which means a lot of people with not a lot of experience are tackling serious miles on foot or by bike. One of those people is your humble...
10.12.2018
How to Invent Everything
Ryan North's new book, How to Invent Everything, addresses that question that's probably been sitting in the back of your brain since you were a kid: If you got stuck in a previous time period, could you survive on your...
09.28.2018
This is Real Life
The editors of Popular Mechanics have been crazy busy dealing with real life tasks lately, but what they learned doing their weekend work is great fodder for a podcast that's supposed to make your life easier. First, Roy spruces up...
09.17.2018
The Roy and Alex Spectacular!
Do you know how many eyes Popular Mechanics home editor Roy Berendsohn has? Two. And that's thanks to his diligent wearing of safety goggles. On this episode, we'll learn what items Roy deems essential to wear when doing work, plus...
08.31.2018
Friday Movie Night
In honor of tonight's premiere of the new action flick Kin, starring Myles Truitt, Jack Reynor, James Franco and Zoë Kravitz, we talk to the directors about crazy stunts and shots, as well as how they came up with their...
08.17.2018
Big Ideas
This episode, we decided to delve into some of the more serious, thoughtful, and future-thinking topics Popular Mechanics covers. In keeping with the theme, we interview iceman Wim Hof about how he changes his own autonomic nervous system so he...
08.08.2018
Well, that was random
Sometimes at the Popular Mechanics office, we have a lot of interesting things to talk about, but none of them have anything to do with each other. We figure that's fine—the smartest people always know enough to be conversant about...
07.20.2018
Road Trip!
On today's show, MUPE tackles the most all-American of vacations: The summer road trip. We call up Kevin's mom, who is somewhere in Idaho in the midst of a weeks-long trip around the northern US. We ask Alex George about...
07.11.2018
Biohacking so you don't have to
On this episode of the Most Useful Podcast Ever, Jacqueline Detwiler tries biohacking to (hopefully!) become smarter, healthier, happier, more creative and more productive. Experimenting with specialized diets, float tanks, and microbiome testing, we try to find out what works...
06.22.2018
Smart Camping and Backyard Renovation
Summer is heating up and the Most Useful Podcast Ever has advice for you for all of it. First, we talk to the authors of Popular Mechanics' investigation into camping in 2018, with advice on site booking, packing food, truck...
06.10.2018
EXTREME!!!!
The Most Useful Podcast Ever is tired of being practical. So this week we threw caution to the wind to learn about some bonkers extreme sports. First, Jacqui jumps out of a plane with Red Bull Air Force member Jeff...
05.25.2018
Upgrade Your Sleep
The latest Blumhouse action movie, Upgrade, is a trip—creepy, adrenaline-pumping, and scarily prescient. On this week's episode, writer and director Leigh Whannell stops by our studio with the film's star Logan Michael Green to tell us how they pulled it...
05.14.2018
Summer Beers and Back Pain
Did you know that Popular Mechanics editor Matt Allyn is a certified beer judge? Well, he is, and lately, he's been trying truckloads of beer for an article he's working on called 500 Beers of Summer. If he told us...
04.27.2018
The Spice Man
Burlap & Barrel founder Ethan Frisch is a cool dude. He travels around the world finding smallholder spice farmers and connecting them with customers so that they're not exploited by huge, impersonal supply chains. He's also a former chef who...
04.13.2018
Spring Cleaning
It's been a LONG winter, which means your place, car, and stuff could probably use a deep clean and some fresh air. On this episode, we talk to the Good Housekeeping Institute about dry cleaning, and visit the Corona Maintenance...
04.02.2018
The Least Useful Podcast Ever, part 2
Do you want to be the most informed person on your block? We sure do. That's why we put together today's episode, full of incredibly useful tips for living the smartest life possible. April Fools! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
03.19.2018
Choosing Cheese and Making Maple Syrup
Did you know that frequent Most Useful Podcast Ever guest Eric Gunnar Rochow of Gardenfork.tv makes amazing maple syrup? Well, he does. We tasted it last fall, when he came by the office to teach us how to tap a...
03.01.2018
Wanna be a Secret Agent?
Excited to go see Red Sparrow tonight? Find out how Jason Matthews, the movie's author, used his own experience as a CIA agent to make the story realistic. Also on this episode, we visit a brand new Spy museum in...
02.16.2018
How to Get Rich on Bitcoin (maybe?)
Do you know what the heck people are talking about when they say they got rich on Bitcoin? We didn't either. Thankfully, technology editor Alex George has been doing a deep dive on cryptocurrencies, from Bitcoin to Ethereum. Also on...
02.05.2018
Homemade Donuts with Wylie Dufresne
Founder of molecular gastronomy Wylie Dufresne is making donuts these days, so we asked him to come by the studio and make us some. They turned out super tasty—topped with crazy flavored sugars combined with chemistry ingredients. Also on this...
01.22.2018
2018 Tech Preview (Plus the Wood Whisperer!)
Who knew there were so many hinge-impaired people in the Popular Mechanics office? Jacqui and Kevin have both hung cabinet doors poorly over the years, which is why today, Marc Spagnuolo of The WoodWhisperer.com calls in to tell us everything...
01.05.2018
Fighting the Freeze
Ever wondered about the scientific reasons behind drafty rooms and overactive boilers? Wonder no more! On this episode, Henry Gifford, author of Buildings Don't Lie, explains how humidity affects a cold room, why your thermostat has a tough time accounting...
12.22.2017
All We Want for Christmas
On today's episode, we spend a lot of time on gifts. In the latest iteration of our annual tradition, Matt, Peter, Jacqui, and Kevin share their holiday wish lists. Plus Jacqui tests a new pair of headphones that she gifted...
12.08.2017
The Winter Coat Spectacular
We've said it before and we'll say it again: There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. In that spirit, we called two experts to help you pick out the perfect winter coat, Nick Meyers, director of the...
11.27.2017
Struggle Thanksgiving (Plus the Points Guy!)
This week's episode features three special guests to kick off the beginning of the holiday season: Frankie Celenza of Tastemade.com stops by to use his Struggle Thanksgiving techniques to help us make holiday dinner on the cheap; We talk to...
11.10.2017
A Technology Showdown!
We puzzled over what to call this week's guest segment—the Dork Debate seemed too mean, so we went with Future of Technology Free-for-all. In fairness though, Popular Mechanics technology editor Alex George and CNET senior editor Dan Ackerman are neither...
10.27.2017
Happy Halloween!
No costume? Have no fear! Eric Gunnar Rochow of GardenFork.TV has some great ideas based on stuff you probably have in your garage. We also check back in on the jack o lanterns we carved and preserved last week, and...
10.13.2017
Make Your Own Luck!
There's a lot of superstition about Friday the 13th, but here at the Most Useful Podcast Ever, we believe that it's preparedness that creates luck. First up, we carve pumpkins with Hugh Mcmahon, who creates faces, animals and even ads...
09.29.2017
Cooking with your Shop Vac
The managing culinary director of Serious Eats, J. Kenji López-Alt, has some crazy ideas about tools you can use for cooking. Like, he uses actual tools that you might find in the garage. Also on this episode, tech editor Alex...
09.15.2017
A Useful Fan
What do you do when a fan sends a huge jar of honey to the office? You invite him on the podcast, of course! This week we interview our fan, Eric Rochow of Gardenfork.tv, about all his DIY hobbies, including...
09.01.2017
How To Watch Football If You Can't Fix Your Broken TV
It's that time of year again--football is coming back. Kevin tries to fix up a TV he found on the side of the road, and calls up technician from ShopJimmy.com for help. Meanwhile Peter Martin explains all the non-traditional ways...
08.18.2017
*Bzzz* *SLAP!*
Mosquitos suck, particularly in August, when people are still eating outside and the camping is just starting to get good. On this episode, we talk to Joe Conlon, technical advisor to the American Mosquito Control Association, about DEET, citronella, and...
08.04.2017
The Great Car Noise Challenge
Chris of Chrisfix.com and Popular Mechanics car editor Ezra Dyer join the cast of the Most Useful Podcast Ever to diagnose car sounds we found on the internet. We also talk about what to do if you find a lost...
07.21.2017
Woodworking for Mere Mortals
Handy guy Steve Ramsey has almost 800,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel Woodworking for Mere Mortals, and yet he still found time to talk to the Most Useful Podcast Ever about the most necessary tools for a beginner's workshop. He...
07.07.2017
Ticks!
Ok, ok, we scared you guys with the threat of Lyme disease, and while we do have a neurologist on this episode to tell us how to catch the disease early, it's not the only topic we cover this week....
06.24.2017
Summer Fun
The summer has a habit of sneaking up on you. One day there are buds on trees, and the next, it's 95 degrees and almost July. This week, we've compiled a fantastic set of tips to smooth the transition: Wash...
06.09.2017
Happy Fathers Day!
Have you decided what to get your dad for Father's Day yet? Fear not: The Most Useful Podcast Ever has your back. Newly golf-obsessed executive editor Peter Martin and goods editor Matt Allyn both stop by the recording studio to...
05.30.2017
It's a Drone Off!
Professional drone pilot Edward Kostakis stops by the studio to teach the staff of Popular Mechanics how to fly drones without crashing all the time. We also talk to Alex George about protecting your smart home via your router, and...

What's Most Useful Podcast Ever about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Most Useful Podcast Ever episodes:

Time to Say Goodbye

The Least Useful Podcast Ever, Part III

Collecting Dust

The Drug Lord

The Dog Days of Winter

The Booze Library and the Ultimate DIY Mindmeld

All-Testing Tables!

Myth: The Week Between Christmas and NYE is Boring. Verdict: Busted!

Holiday cocktails and cleaning the house

The Annual Holiday Shopping Guide

Popular Mechanics Thanksgiving!

Would You Go to Mars?

THE MARATHON

How to Invent Everything

This is Real Life

The Roy and Alex Spectacular!

Friday Movie Night

Big Ideas

Well, that was random

Road Trip!

Biohacking so you don't have to

Smart Camping and Backyard Renovation

EXTREME!!!!

Upgrade Your Sleep

Summer Beers and Back Pain

The Spice Man

Spring Cleaning

The Least Useful Podcast Ever, part 2

Choosing Cheese and Making Maple Syrup

Wanna be a Secret Agent?

How to Get Rich on Bitcoin (maybe?)

Homemade Donuts with Wylie Dufresne

2018 Tech Preview (Plus the Wood Whisperer!)

Fighting the Freeze

All We Want for Christmas

The Winter Coat Spectacular

Struggle Thanksgiving (Plus the Points Guy!)

A Technology Showdown!

Happy Halloween!

Make Your Own Luck!

Cooking with your Shop Vac

A Useful Fan

How To Watch Football If You Can't Fix Your Broken TV

*Bzzz* *SLAP!*

The Great Car Noise Challenge

Woodworking for Mere Mortals

Ticks!

Summer Fun

Happy Fathers Day!

It's a Drone Off!

Bzzz SLAP!