Podcasting
I have discovered "the next big thing." Podcasting.
What is podcasting? Basically, it can do for internet radio what the TiVo/PVR devices have done for cable TV. Imagine, being able to listen to radio shows from around the world, when it's convenient for you. Not being tied to the "airtime" of a specific show. (Indeed, lots of these podcasts don't have an airtime; they're simply recorded and put "out there," for listeners to enjoy at their own convenience.)
So podcasting has sprung up to make this whole process easy as pie. I stumbled across it thanks to a link on WWdN, and it's been mentioned at Leoville as well. It's being pioneered by people like Dave Winer and Adam Curry, one of MTV's early VJs.
Adam developed the whole iPodder concept. Basically, you run software on your machine that looks for the XML feeds of shows you like to listen to. The software can automatically download an audiofeed "enclosed" inside an RSS feed. It's a news aggregator, but instead of gathering RSS text entries, it's gathering audiostreams.
It can then move these audio files to iTunes and automatically move them to your iPod. (There are also hacks out there for other music players, for you poor unfortunate iPod-less masses.)
So for example, I've added Adam Curry's Daily Source Code into my iPodderX software, and it pulls his show into iTunes each day. I just strapped my iPod on and listened to his show while sitting at the Waffle House eating lunch. (I'm actually finishing it now here at work -- kind of bad because he's playing Georgle Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" bit.)
Leo Laporte has also just added a feed for his radio program, so I look forward to hearing his KFI show via my iPod. Since Leo left The Screen Savers, and since his new "Call for Help" is so far only broadcast on G4TechTV Canada, I'm not getting my Leo fixes like I used to.
This is the beauty of podcasting. In a way, it's a lot like satellite radio. You don't have to be tied to your geographic location when it comes to radio shows. You can listen to radio shows that are broadcast across the country (like Leo's), across the world, or not even "broadcast" at all in the traditional sense -- like Adam's show, which is net-only.
It also can make every teenager in America the equivalent of Christian Slater's "Hard Harry" character in "Pump up the Volume." But Harry had to have an FM transmitter and get the word out to his listeners: listen to this station at this time, etc. He could only reach people that lived within range of his transmitter.
Podcasting makes all of this so much simpler. Anyone with a laptop and a microphone can record their own radio show -- play songs, spout off against the government, review the latest Jackie Chan movie, whatever. This could completely revolutionize radio; indeed, it could make traditional broadcast radio even more irrelevant than it already is.
What this means is that broadcasters don't have to play by the rules of mainstream radio anymore. I mean look at Howard Stern -- he and his stations were fined millions because he said a few dirty words on the air. Big fucking deal. So now, he's moving to satellite radio, to get out from under the thumb of the FCC.
Podcasters have even more freedom than satellite broadcasters. Hell, Adam Curry sits in his home office in the Netherlands and smokes weed while he's on the air. Bet he couldn't get away with that on "107.7 the X"!!
This has the potential to be incredible. What if I always had the latest "Fresh Air," or "Car Talk" on my iPod, all downloaded automatically!?!?!
I might never listen to the "traditional" radio again.
What is podcasting? Basically, it can do for internet radio what the TiVo/PVR devices have done for cable TV. Imagine, being able to listen to radio shows from around the world, when it's convenient for you. Not being tied to the "airtime" of a specific show. (Indeed, lots of these podcasts don't have an airtime; they're simply recorded and put "out there," for listeners to enjoy at their own convenience.)
So podcasting has sprung up to make this whole process easy as pie. I stumbled across it thanks to a link on WWdN, and it's been mentioned at Leoville as well. It's being pioneered by people like Dave Winer and Adam Curry, one of MTV's early VJs.
Adam developed the whole iPodder concept. Basically, you run software on your machine that looks for the XML feeds of shows you like to listen to. The software can automatically download an audiofeed "enclosed" inside an RSS feed. It's a news aggregator, but instead of gathering RSS text entries, it's gathering audiostreams.
It can then move these audio files to iTunes and automatically move them to your iPod. (There are also hacks out there for other music players, for you poor unfortunate iPod-less masses.)
So for example, I've added Adam Curry's Daily Source Code into my iPodderX software, and it pulls his show into iTunes each day. I just strapped my iPod on and listened to his show while sitting at the Waffle House eating lunch. (I'm actually finishing it now here at work -- kind of bad because he's playing Georgle Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" bit.)
Leo Laporte has also just added a feed for his radio program, so I look forward to hearing his KFI show via my iPod. Since Leo left The Screen Savers, and since his new "Call for Help" is so far only broadcast on G4TechTV Canada, I'm not getting my Leo fixes like I used to.
This is the beauty of podcasting. In a way, it's a lot like satellite radio. You don't have to be tied to your geographic location when it comes to radio shows. You can listen to radio shows that are broadcast across the country (like Leo's), across the world, or not even "broadcast" at all in the traditional sense -- like Adam's show, which is net-only.
It also can make every teenager in America the equivalent of Christian Slater's "Hard Harry" character in "Pump up the Volume." But Harry had to have an FM transmitter and get the word out to his listeners: listen to this station at this time, etc. He could only reach people that lived within range of his transmitter.
Podcasting makes all of this so much simpler. Anyone with a laptop and a microphone can record their own radio show -- play songs, spout off against the government, review the latest Jackie Chan movie, whatever. This could completely revolutionize radio; indeed, it could make traditional broadcast radio even more irrelevant than it already is.
What this means is that broadcasters don't have to play by the rules of mainstream radio anymore. I mean look at Howard Stern -- he and his stations were fined millions because he said a few dirty words on the air. Big fucking deal. So now, he's moving to satellite radio, to get out from under the thumb of the FCC.
Podcasters have even more freedom than satellite broadcasters. Hell, Adam Curry sits in his home office in the Netherlands and smokes weed while he's on the air. Bet he couldn't get away with that on "107.7 the X"!!
This has the potential to be incredible. What if I always had the latest "Fresh Air," or "Car Talk" on my iPod, all downloaded automatically!?!?!
I might never listen to the "traditional" radio again.
Labels: geekiness
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