How I turn my linkblog into a personalized podcast
Contents
link.philippdubach.com is where I keep articles worth returning to and papers I haven’t had time to read. I can open the list from anywhere or send it to friends and colleagues so we have something to discuss.
An iOS Shortcut in the share sheet sends the URL and a short description to a Cloudflare Worker. It stores them in D1 and serves a plain page with the newest links first. Saving a URL again moves it back to the top.
Read across the links
I choose a date range and let sub-agents divide up the reading. Each pulls out the arguments from its sources. They group the results by theme and flag anything they could only partly read.
Other agents look for related reading and connections I might miss, so the podcast reaches beyond what I’ve already saved. The September run covered 127 links in nine topic groups and added 14 related recommendations, plus ten less obvious ones.
The agents then build an episode around one question and two main readings. The script works through the argument and its strongest objection. They check the claims and revise sentences that sound awkward when spoken.
Generate the audio with ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs v4 reads the script in short sections using the Christopher voice. The workflow joins the takes, adds pauses and the opening theme, then adjusts the loudness and exports an MP3 with chapters. It transcribes the audio to compare it with the script. Before release, the sources still need a final check and the episode needs a full listen.
The voice surprised me. In places, I find it hard to tell it apart from a human narrator, and I’d happily listen to a whole episode made just for me.
The first run used September’s reading. I can use a week’s links, or any other period, when I want another episode.
Listen to the first episode
Beyond the Proxy: If AI Proves It, Who Understands It? asks what a valid proof still needs before people can understand and use it.
Beyond the Proxy · Episode 01