Listening to podcasts while driving

published on 2024-08-20 by hyperreal

I’ve become frustrated constantly switching through our local radio stations to find something I want to listen to while driving, especially when more than one of those stations plays ads for like 10 minutes between songs. For a while I had been just turning off the radio and driving in silence, or with whatever entertainment or chaotic discontent my brain afforded to me.

I solved this problem by buying a USB-C to 3.5 audio aux jack so that I can connect my Google Pixel 6 (running GrapheneOS) to the aux port in my car. This enables me to listen to podcasts or run a music playlist on my phone through the car’s speakers when I drive.

The podcasts I’ve been enjoying lately include the Self-Hosted Show and LINUX Unplugged, both from Jupiter Broadcasting. It’s so refreshing to listen to stuff I want to listen to and not what radio stations impose on me. Driving is now somewhat more tolerable.

I look forward to the day when I can afford a car that is capable of running an open source operating system where I can install a podcast app. Like GrapheneOS for auto-mobile devices, or something.