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 « May 2005 | Main | July 2005 » June 30, 2005Podcast Legal Music: Creative Collective Issues Call to Podcasters
"Podcasters of the world. You are more than welcome to use our growing archives. Together we can make Creative Commons get bigger and bigger. Let others deal with so called "goods" and "rights". We do music!" Creative Collective was created in April 2005 by Cezary Ostrowski, one of the winners of Fine Art of Sampling Contest organised by Creative Commons and Wired. "I did it to promote Creative Commons," says Ostrowski. "To let people create without beeing afraid of so called "rights". Creative Collective does MUSIC! Big Media Corporations are unable to create art. They are only able to distribute." Podcasters are welcome to include music from Creative Collective musicians in their podcasts, with appropriate attribution. "We expect podcasters to promote Creative Collective and DiSfish net Posted by jlewin at 11:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Apple Extends Dominance in Online Music to Podcasting
"iTunes has done what possibly no one else could have accomplished, propelled Podcasting into the mainstream," said Will Lewis, management consultant for public radio station KCRW. "Our servers have been swamped with a stratospheric increase in traffic. In fact, downloads have increased tenfold as a result of the iTunes 4.9 launch." iTunes enables anyone to quickly and easily find and subscribe to their favorite Podcasts so that when there’s a new episode, it’s automatically downloaded to their Mac or PC and Auto-Synced to their iPod. iPods now offer an easy to use Podcast menu, including bookmarking within a Podcast and the ability to display color Podcast artwork. "With the release of iTunes 4.9, listeners are voting with their ears," said Adam Curry, co-founder of the PodShow Podcast Network. “Subscriptions have dramatically increased across our entire PodShow Podcast Network, and I predict over the coming months that iTunes will introduce tens of millions of new listeners to the world of Podcasting.” "Podcasting is like cappuccino," said August Trometer, developer of iPodderX. “"Gourmet coffee was around for a long time, but it took Starbucks to put it on the map. Apple is like the Starbucks of Podcasting and advertisers will take us more seriously now." Posted by jlewin at 10:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack Gnomedex 5 ReflectionsCommentary Some of the best conversations happened before the show officially began. Google put on a fine welcome reception, and everybody had the opportunity to meet a bunch of interesting people. The reception had free wireless, so there were some attendees that spent their evening blogging. This immediately raised the question "How does real-time reporting change the way you experience events?" Throughout the conference, nearly everybody was connected, updating sites, blogging, podcasting, posting videos, etc. At the receptions, this meant that some attendees were as disconnected from their immediate surroundings as they were connected online. We also found out that if you give developers unlimited access to free liquor, they will tell you anything that you want to know, and a lot of things you don't want to know. Want to know where you can find hallucinogenic mushrooms on Microsoft's campus? 10 cocktails is all that it takes! Dave Winer Keynote Dave Winer's keynote was what he calls a "mindbomb", disguised as a sloppy presentation of a beta version of a desktop outliner application. Winer's keynote was marred by problems with the wireless networking and by his sometimes confrontational style. Nevertheless, Winer presented a meta object-oriented approach to web content publishing that we think is going to be bigger than he, or anybody else, is suggesting. Microsoft's Dean Hachamovitch introduced some new features for IE7, discussed some RSS extensions and announced support for RSS in Longhorn. Hachamovitch's presentation was frustrating, because he didn't connect with the audience effectively. It would have helped if Microsoft's announcements were more exciting. IE 7 will add RSS support that should bring it up to par with competing browsers. Microsoft is introducing an extension to RSS and hyped the fact that they were Creative Commons licensed. This feel-good motion has distracted some people from the fact that the extensions themselves are pretty trivial. Finally, Microsoft announced that Longhorn was going to have support for RSS baked into it. This was the most intersting news, but Longhorn's release is way off. Developers were skeptical, too, about building applications based on Windows-specific technologies. Microsoft appears to be embracing RSS as a competitive tool. At one point, Hachamovitch pointedly showcased RSS support within MSN Search. Google's put its weight behind Atom, a competing syndication specification. Microsoft's announcements appeared to be about three things: parity with Firefox; establishing Longhorn as a desirable platform for RSS development; and competing with Google. Tomorrow's Open Source This was a very interesting discussion. Matt Westervelt is insanely funny, and the rest of the panel all had good information that would be immediately applicable for people developing open source apps. Matt Mullenweg, who manages to run Ping-o-Matic and develop WordPress as side projects, had a lot of ideas for improving web sites for open source projects, and on getting ideas from users.
Microsoft & Audible put on a bash at the Seattle Public Library Friday night. The library itself is just amazing. Inside it, you feel like you're in a futuristic space station. The design combines a high-tech feel with detailed craftsmanship. The event was another great opportunity to meet interesting people. What was most exciting was meeting people that you may not of heard of, but who were making their livings doing interesting things via the Internet. Blogging as Social Tool On Saturday, Julie Leung got a great reception for her discussion of Blogging as Social Tool. She translated the effects of technology into personal, intimate terms. For many, Leung's speech was the highlight of Gnomedex. There were only a few presentations from women at Gnomedex, but they showcased why tech conferences need to be more inclusive. Other Great Sessions Tomorrow's Media had JD Lasica, Terry Heaton, Cory Bergman talking about how blogging and podcasting are rewriting the rules of media. Tomorrow's Public Relations showcased the no-BS attitude of the empowered audience. Steve Rubel & Chris Sloop discussed advertising in a new-media environment, and they faced difficult, confrontational questions from the audience. Rubel, though, handled the tough audience like a pro. The Today's Digital Legalities session had Denise Howell, Buzz Bruggeman & Jason Calacanis discussing the legal issues that surround things like blogging and podcasting. Howell's Bag & Baggage blog is now on our radar, and Calacanis offered an in-the-trenches practical approach to dealing with over-litigious copyright holders. Adam Curry Keynote For his keynote, Curry did a live version of Daily Source Code. Curry gave a short history of podcasting, showcased some content emerging online, and gave his view of the show and the future of Internet media. You could hear the nervousness in Curry's voice as he began, probably because he'd seen how tough the audience was. But he quickly won the audience over with his professionalism and energy. At one point, he even had the audience, largely made up of self-pronounced geeks, dancing in the aisles. Best Reason to Avoid Drinking Seattle Coffee During Gnomedex In the breaks between the main presentations, Phillip Torrone of Make magazine nearly stole the show with his demonstrations of device-hacking. He captivated the audience with his demos of installing Linux on iPods and hacking closed-system ebooks. Torrone is human idea-virus that says "Let's hack the real world". Summary Gnomedex 5 was an exciting event. We had a great time in the convention, at the receptions and out on the town in Seattle. We're looking forward to Gnomedex 6. Posted by jlewin at 02:10 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack Prestopod Intros Podcasting Service for Radio StationsPrestopod, a new podcasting service for radio stations, has debuted in beta form. Prestopod’s all-in-one offering, designed to help community and independent radio stations reach a wider audience of music lovers, is designed to be simple, fast and cost-effective. "Station managers are busy enough running their radio stations, and they just don't have the time to research and implement new technologies. Prestopod takes care of the technology, and lets the station managers do what they do best: run stations," said Luke Knowland, Chief Technologist at prestopod. Prestopod will create and host podcasts of programs, list them in podcast directories, and report usage statistics. Listeners can subscribe to programs with a single click, and automatically download each new episode to listen to at their convenience. For a limited time, radio show producers can try out prestopod for free. A simple set up process will register beta users to have podcasts of their radio programs automatically created. Prestopod will host the podcasts, market them in podcast directories, and offer usage statistics to the show producers. Posted by jlewin at 02:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Podcast Audience an Attractive Demographic for LexusAdAge reports that Lexus has announced a 26-week deal with California public radio station KCRW to sponsor podcasts. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Southern California Lexus Dealers and goes into effect in October. KCRW, known for debuting and reporting on cutting-edge music, attracts an audience that reflects Lexus’ target: educated, affluent and intelligent. According to Adage's article: "The Lexus agreement is worth six figures, according to an executive close to the deal who declined to provide further details. Lexus and station executives said although the deal is structured on a CPM (cost-per-thousand viewers) model like typical Internet media buys in which the advertiser pays for the actual number of downloads, Lexus gets more for its money. It includes promoting the sponsorship in a print ad campaign; Lexus logos and links on KCRW.com and on the podcast player; mentions on the air during daily regular programming; and mentions at the beginning of all 22 podcasts. The pact is exclusive." Posted by jlewin at 01:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Apple's RSS Extensions Slammed By Podcasting CommunityWhile Apple's entry into podcasting has been welcomed by many podcasters, Apple's extensions to RSS 2.0, the standard which podcasting is built on, are being panned. "Apple needs to be smacked!" says Geek News Central's Todd Cochrane. "They blew it in their RSS implementation." Cochrane goes on criticize the way that iTunes changed the name of some of his downloaded files. "You are changing my Title without my permission. Stop now!" A similar view comes from author Ed Dumbill, in his appraisal of Apple's RSS extensions: "What could have been a useful and reusable addition to the world of RSS is really rendered only fit for the single use of adding content into Apple's own iTunes store. Apple prove they know how to be cool, but they've got no idea about making friends on the web." Apple's iTunes RSS 2.0 ExtensionsApple's closed development process and focus on secrecy appears to have resulted in myopic development on its iTunes extensions to RSS 2.0. Developers are finding multiple flaws with the specification that an open review process may have avoided. "It would have been really smart to review this stuff with the community before releasing their software," notes Dave Winer, the author of the RSS 2.0 specification. "Come on Apple, we can do better." Dumbill is more blunt, calling Apple's work "nuts", "daft" and "gob-smackingly ignorant". What's wrong with Apple's iTunes RSS extensions? The first sign of trouble is the namespace declaration: xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/DTDs/Podcast-1.0.dtd" This looks pretty innocuous at first, until you look at the actual values that Apple's chosen to use. They've named the namespace "itunes", which means that it's very unlikely that this namespace will be adopted by any of Apple's competitors. This means that publishers will probably be stuck duplicating effort to support competing standards. Developers also consider the URL for the iTunes namespace a poor selection. Apple's declaration points to a version 1.0 DTD. Developer Kevin Hemenway, author of Extending RSS 2.0 With Namespaces, recommends that namespace declarations should point to a URL that will last forever. Hemenway also recommends that the URL should reference a web page that documents the new namespace. Within the namespace, Apple has defined thirteen new elements. These are getting very mixed reviews from developers. Categorically Wrong? Apple's new category tag is a controversial example: <itunes:category> The itunes:category duplicates the existing RSS 2.0 channel tag "category". Here's an example of Apple's category tag in use: <itunes:category text="Technology"> It appears that Apple added their own category tag to allow for hierarchical categories. Apple's approach is messy, though, because it makes it likely that end-users will create incorrect category nesting. For example, this would be valid XML, but invalid iTunes categories: <itunes:category text="Business"> It's easy to see how someone could tag their podcast like this, to put it in the Business News category. iTunes doesn't have a Business News category, though. A better solution would have been to use the existing RSS category tag, and do something like this: <category domain="itunes">Technology News</category> The benefit of the RSS standard approach is that it supports multiple hierarchies, and the possibility of user-defined trees. Technology News could show up as a subcategory of both News and Technology. Apple's approach effectively doubles the amount of work needed to support categorization, while not adding any power. Dumbhill call's Apple's category element "nuts". RSS 2.0 author Dave Winer's take? "I suggest ignoring the itunes:category element." More Controversy Several other itunes elements have generated controversy. <itunes:explicit> The itunes:explicit element overlaps conceptually with the RSS 2.0 rating element, which is based on the Web standard Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) rating system. The tag signals to iTunes whether it should display a Parental Advisory Warning. The itunes:explicit tag carries much less information than the RSS 2.0 tag, but will be easier for many to implement. Several tags are fairly uncontroversial, and self-explanatory: <itunes:subtitle> Others, though, duplicate or overlap with existing RSS elements. This may lead to duplicate effort and confusion. The itunes:summary and itunes:author elements overlap standard RSS elements. itunes:owner, itunes:name, & itunes:email overlap standard Dublin Core metadata, and in some cases RSS elements. Overall, Apple's extensions are being viewed by many in the podcasting community as being poorly thought out. While the iTunes RSS extensions are likely to be adopted quickly by podcasters wanting to maximize their visibility within iTunes, they are also likely to inspire competition and fragmentation. Posted by jlewin at 01:15 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack Podcast Quicky: Podcasting Roundtable at GnomedexIf you couldn't make it to Gnomedex 5, here's the next best thing: a Gnomedex podcast wrap-up! We were fortunate to take part in this Gnomedex post-show discussion, hosted by WebTalk Radio's Rob Greenlee. The podcast was recorded shortly after Adam Curry's closing remarks, and continued until the convention center staff had to kick us out! The discussion features an interesting mix of podcasters, bloggers and new media revolutionaries. Show Panel
Posted by jlewin at 12:45 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack Denmark Gets Podcasts
"First off we have 16 talk-programes ready. All programs are broadcasted in danish radio P1. More programmes will come," according to Friis. Posted by jlewin at 12:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack June 29, 2005iTunes Directory Features Commercial Content from ABC News, Disney Online and ESPN.comABC News, Disney Online and ESPN.com, all part of The Walt Disney Company, have announced a line-up of free audio Podcast content available via the iTunes Podcast Directory. "ABC News is proud to be the recognized news provider for iTunes and to offer podcast highlights that appeal to an increasingly on-the-go news audience," said David Westin, president, ABC News. "We're thrilled to offer this wonderful content from ABC News, Disney Online and ESPN via the iTunes Podcast Directory and look forward to seeing more great content from The Walt Disney Company soon," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Applications. ABC News podcast content -- The AfterNote - an afternoon edition of ABC News' highly-acclaimed political newsletter, The Note -- Nightline - daily highlights of ABC News' award-winning program -- Showbiz Report - daily scoop in celebrity and entertainment news -- ABC News Shuffle - the best mix of news headlines, behind-the-scenes information and news winners and losers -- ABC News Exclusiva (English and Spanish) - news wrap-up on topics relevant to the Hispanic community Disney Online podcast line-up -- Disney Insider - exclusive inside scoop on Disney events, attractions, movies and innovations -- Gears Behind the Ears - behind-the-scenes look at beloved Disney properties including characters, movies, parks, TV shows and more -- Last Minute Book Reports - witty and fun narration of classic novels for kids ESPN.com podcast offerings -- ESPN Radio Daily - daily excerpts from Mike & Mike in the Morning, Dan Patrick, Colin Cowherd, Eric Kuselias and more radio commentaries -- ESPN.com Mix - regular rotation featuring, among others, Eric Karabell on fantasy games; commentary from Howie Schwab, Dan Shanoff, Gene Wojciechowski; a selection of Page 2 writers, Voice of the Fan, the Pulse and more Additional podcast content from The Walt Disney Company will launch on iTunes in July, including: -- Movies.com -- Ebert and Roeper movie reviews -- The Muppets - "Statler and Waldorf from the Balcony" -- Radio Disney - Music News -- Local content from ABC owned television stations -- SOAPnet - the original 'micro' series "One Minute Soap" -- Walt Disney Parks & Resorts - Insider information on Posted by jlewin at 02:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Feedburner Announces Plans to Support iTunes, Odeo & YahooFeedBurner, a company that provides automatic news feed translation services, has announced its intention to support the unique podcast news feed requirements of iTunes, Odeo and Yahoo. According to a post at the FeedBurner weblog, "For the more than 7,000 podcasts currently running through FeedBurner, we will very soon provide the ability to enter additional podcast description data via our SmartCast service, which we will ensure gets delivered with the appropriate RSS extensions to iTunes, Odeo, and others." FeedBurner's service has become popular among podcasters, as it lets them provide the required news feeds, without the need to maintain multiple feeds. The update will be a free enhancement to FeedBurner's SmartCast service. Posted by jlewin at 02:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Odeo Launches to Limited Group
Per the Anarchogeek site: We did it. We have started going through and sending out invitations to the over 11,000 people who've asked for odeo accounts. People started signing up for accounts right away. In related news, Make's Phillip Torrone has published a short review of the service: I'm really impressed with the ease of use, download tools, recording (great use of Flash com server, finally!) cross platform and niceties of ODEO- I think this is going to get a lot of people publishing and downloading podcasts. ODEO + iTunes 4.9 + iPodder 2.1 + iPodderX + AudioBlog + LibSyn + everything else that's going on right now, we're finally going to fill our 40GB portable audio players, and will all be recording a lot of important things to share. Posted by jlewin at 02:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack blinkz Searches Audio in Podcasts and Video Blogs
blinkx is a search engine that is optimized for rich media. It uses voice recognition software to transcribe the content of audio and video segments, so people can find the content they're looking for. blinkz joins Podscope in the rapidly emerging field of rich media search. "The volume of rich media content online continues to explode, but traditional search engines such as Google and Yahoo were developed for text-based keyword searches, not for audio or video content," said blinkx founder Suranga Chandratillake. "The prevalence of broadband and multimedia is driving demand for next generation search capabilities." blinkx's podcast spider crawls the Web in search of rich media content, automatically identifying and processing podcast and video blog data, indexing 100s of hours of casts every hour. blinkx.TV and advanced audio/video analysis blinkx TV combines advanced speech recognition and transcription techniques with intelligent Context Clustering Technology (CCT) and a patented context prediction and synchronization technology to analyze and understand the actual content (spoken words) of an audio/video file. The output of these analytical sub-processes are stored as further metadata tracks, alongside the digitally encoded content. Posted by jlewin at 01:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack New Open-Source Podcasting Software Library Released
Released on CPAN as the perl module Podcast::Publisher, this library supports a simple, object-oriented approach to dynamically constructing podcast xml feeds with item metadata tagging, enclosure byte length calculations, automatic and transparent MP3 tag information synchronization, intelligent file upload management, and process logging. This library is also available at the Webcast in a Box site. Posted by jlewin at 02:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack First Look: Apple iTunes 4.9 Podcast SupportApple has released an updated version of iTunes, adding support for podcasting. The new version tries to adapt podcasting to the format of the iTunes music store, with mixed success. To find out more, check out our walk-through, or download iTunes 4.9 from the Apple site. iTunes 4.9 Walkthrough
The first sign of something new is the giant podcasting icon. We're not sure what the purple "i" podcast icon represents though.... Clicking on the podcast icon takes you to an attractively laid out podcast main page. It's clearly derived from the iTunes music store:
It's also clear what Apple's attention is focused on - creating a marketable tool for promoting commercial podcasts. "Traditional" podcasters are given 4th-tier treatment:
Clicking on an icon for a podcast brings up a podcast description page. Many of these pages are incomplete or have spotty information, probably because the podcast feeds don't currently support Apple's proprietary extensions. For example, many podcasts have "Not Available" in the Time column. For many podcasts, the artist is listed as "info@podcastalley.com".
The Podcast page shows current subscriptions, and lets you listen to shows and subscribe to podcasts. Apple's implementation is more elegant here:
Finally, Apple has added a screen for setting your podcast preferences:
Apple has made an attractive interface to get people going with podcasts. It will expose millions of people to podcasting for the first time, and offers a good tool for working with podcasts. Experienced podcast listeners are likely to be frustrated by aspects of Apple's implementation. It's basically a closed system designed to promote commercial podcasts. It's less useful for identifying good niche content. Podcasters may have a love/hate relationship with the new iTunes. iTunes is likely to generate a great deal of new traffic for podcasters. However, podcasters may not like updating their podcast feeds with iTunes-specific tags, or the fact that their shows are given 4th-tier status, behind commercial podcasts that Apple has cut deals with. Posted by jlewin at 01:27 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack Time to Get Your Dog Earbuds; Purina Launches Podcast
"Podcasting is a highly innovative way for us to strengthen our relationships with pet lovers," said Michael Moore, director of interactive marketing at Purina. Veterinarians and pet lovers discuss topics such as animal training, pet surgery, behavioral theories and pet insurance. New shows will be published every other week. Podcasting and wireless technology are integral to the overall renovation to the Purina site. Posted by jlewin at 12:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Win a Copy of the First Podcasting Book!
We're also making a chapter of the book available online, and as a free download! It shows you how to Make a Podcast with the Gear You Own Today. The book, part of Wiley's ExtremeTech series, shows readers not only how to find, download, and listen to podcasts, but also how to create a podcast of their own. Author Todd Cochrane is the owner and host of Geek News Central, a technology news hub and podcast. Todd's podcasts, which began in Oct 2004, were among the first. Podcasting News Giveaway Details Posted by jlewin at 12:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack June 28, 2005New Podcast Appliance Released
Each box can manage a podcast feed workflow from encoding, archiving, hosting, to publishing. Each box also provides live Internet radio station capability and a year-long audio archive that will enable radio stations to comply with proposed FCC archive requirements. Archives can be edited into podcast segments via a web interface. All software on these appliances is open source. More information can be found at http://podcast.webcastinabox.com. Posted by jlewin at 10:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Apple Merges iPod & iPod photo Lines
The simplified iPod lineup features a 20GB model, holding up to 5,000 songs priced at just $299 and a 60GB model, holding up to 15,000 songs priced at $399. Also starting today, iPods will offer an easy to use Podcast menu, including bookmarking within a Podcast and the ability to display Podcast artwork in color. “iPod customers love to enhance their listening experience with color,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPod Product Marketing. “By simplifying our iPod lineup to include 20GB and 60GB models with color screens and the new Podcast menu, iPod and iTunes provide the world’s easiest and appealing way to discover, subscribe, manage and listen to Podcasts.” iPod’s color display provides a full color experience for users to take their entire photo library with them or for viewing album artwork, calendars, contacts and games. The 60GB iPod holds up to 25,000 digital photos, and the 20GB iPod holds up to 20,000 digital photos. Both models feature the ability to import photos from a digital camera with the optional iPod Camera Connector and let users combine their favorite music and photos to create slideshows for viewing right on their iPod or for sharing with family and friends on a big screen TV. The new version of iTunes enables anyone to quickly and easily find and subscribe to their favorite Podcasts so that every time there’s a new episode, it’s automatically downloaded to their Mac or PC and Auto-Synced to their iPod. iTunes also makes it easy to manage multiple Podcast subscriptions with simple organization and display by episode and date. Posted by jlewin at 09:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Apple iTunes Release Features Podcasting Support
“Apple is taking Podcasting mainstream by building it right into iTunes,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Podcasting is the next generation of radio, and users can now subscribe to over 3,000 free Podcasts and have each new episode automatically delivered over the Internet to their computer and iPod.” The new Podcast Directory in iTunes 4.9 features over 3,000 free audio programs, making it one of the largest Podcast directories in the world, with favorites such as ABC News, Adam Curry, BBC, Clear Channel, The Dawn and Drew Show, Disney, Engadget, ESPN, Newsweek and NPR member stations such as KCRW in Los Angeles and WGBH in Boston. iTunes enables anyone to quickly and easily find and subscribe to their favorite Podcasts so that every time there’s a new episode, it’s automatically downloaded to their Mac or PC and Auto-Synced to their iPod. iTunes also makes it easy to manage multiple Podcast subscriptions with simple organization and display by episode and date. Starting today, iPods will offer an easy to use Podcast menu, including bookmarking within a Podcast and the ability to display color Podcast artwork.
iPod and iTunes are leading the digital music revolution. With over 15 million iPods sold as of March 31, the iPod is the world’s most popular digital music player, and the iTunes Music Store is the number one online music store with over 430 million songs purchased and downloaded worldwide. Posted by jlewin at 09:03 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack Podcast Quicky: Pontiac Promotion Features Podcast
On June 21st, Pontiac used the summer solstice to "shine light" on its brand and vehicle line, including the Solstice two-seat roadster, G6 coupe and Torrent compact SUV. The event was held in Duffy Square in Times Square. According to Cangialosi, "It was definitely a unique experience in the realm of corporate podcasting." The behind-the-scenes podcast features an exclusive glimpse of the concert by JET, The Vacation, Citizen Cope and Kinky. Cangialosi is the host of Trend Radio, a podcast about music, technology, trends and culture. The Pontiac event is included in the GM Fastlane podcast. Posted by jlewin at 02:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack Podcast Quicky: Austria is PodcastingFleisch Magazine is putting podcasting on the map in Austria. "We are the very first Podcast here in Austria," says Fleisch's Christian Mayrhofer. "We also have a typical austrian yodel - remixed of course - here." Fleisch Magazine Podcast Details Posted by jlewin at 01:43 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack June 27, 2005Podcast Quicky: Bluegrass Preservation Society Podcast
Ewell Ferguson hosts the 1 hour program, along with his bluegrass kitty cat Buster. According to Ferguson, Buster "takes care of the sound board and pushes the buttons so you can hear the songs." "I call Buster my bluegrass kitty cat because he loves bluegrass music," notes Ewell. "When friends come over to pick and sing he climbs right up in their laps and checks out their instruments and usually ends up falling asleep in someone’s instrument case. I couldn’t run the program without him." Posted by jlewin at 11:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Podcast Legal Music: gidgets ga ga
The Chicago-based power pop group is making their tracks available for podcasters to use. Their music is podcast-legal, so check them out if you're looking for music for your show.
gidgets ga ga Artist Information You can preview their music at the gidgets ga ga site. They will make high quality originals of their tracks available to podcasters, and also have additional songs available. For more information, check with Molli Kreuser molli(at)gidgetsgaga.com. Posted by jlewin at 11:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack ESPN Dream Jobber Joins Sports Podcast Network With Yankee PodcastSports Podcast Network has announced that former ESPN Dream Jobber Anish Shroff has come aboard to host the New York Yankees podcast, Pinstripe Pulse. Sports fans may recognize Anish from the second season of the reality show ESPN Dream Job, where he competed against other sports broadcasters for a position as ESPN anchor. After placing top 3 in the intense competition, Anish worked with College Sports Television, providing the voice over for CSTV's March Madness on Demand. Sam Coutin, founder of Sports Podcast Network, notes "We are proud to have a sports personality of Anish's stature join Sports Podcast Network. Anish has an extremely bright future in sports broadcasting." Prior to Dream Job, Anish graduated from Syracuse University in the spring of 2004 with a degree in broadcast journalism. While at Syracuse U, Anish was the sports director of his college radio station WAER, and broadcasted Syracuse football, mens basketball, and mens lacrosse. He was lucky enough to call Syracuse's run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament in 2004 and games at the Orange Bowl and Lane Stadium. Upon graduation, he worked as a sports anchor and talk-show host for Sportsradio 620 WHEN in Syracuse. At WHEN he was the primary drive time "update guy" and co-host of the 'Friday Sports Connection' with a Redsox fan. New twelve minute episodes are published every Sunday and Wednesday night. Sports Podcast Network provides daily niche-based sports podcasts covering NBA, MLB, NFL, NASCAR, Golf, and more, and its listeners download more than 100,000 podcast episodes per month. Posted by jlewin at 02:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Podcast Quicky: John Furrier's infoTalk PodcastWhile at Gnomedex, we had a chance to talk with John Furrier, host of PodTech.net's infoTalk Podcast. His show features discussions with the "fresh voices of Silicon Valley." If anyone has a doubt about business models for podcasting, take a look at what Furrier is doing. Furrier has a clear vision of who his audience is and how to match his audience with sponsors. The key to the success of any podcast, though, is great content. Check out one of Furrier's podcasts from Gnomedex, a discussion with Microsoft's RSS Team about their announcements at the show. Posted by jlewin at 12:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack June 26, 2005Gnomedex 5: FeedMesh Initiative Aims to Streamline RSS UpdatingA working group for the FeedMesh initiative was held June 24th at the Gnomedex 5 conference in Seattle, Washington. FeedMesh is a informal group of individuals and companies working together to establish better ways of communicating web site update notifications ("pings) and content distribution. As the number of blog-based sites increses and the number of aggregators increases, the web of traffic communicating updates is becoming time-consuming and wasteful for both publishers and aggregators. A central idea of FeedMesh is that aggregators would support a common URL that publishers would submit updates to, and participants in the "mesh" would share information about updates. WordPress' Matthew Mullenweg related an anecdote that demonstrated one of the reasons why the FeedMesh idea matters. When WordPress was updated to 1.5, many users were impressed by how much quicker publishing was. Mullenweg explained that the speed gain was largely because WordPress was sending pings to Ping-o-Matic, a service that handles distributing pings. Previously, Wordpress users had to wait while WordPress pinged multiple services. By working towards a shared URL for ping updates, the FeedMesh group hopes to minimize bandwidth and duplication of effort associated with pings. We talked with PubSub's CTO, Bob Wyman, about FeedMesh and the benefits of maintaining proprietary stores of information vs sharing it freely with competitors. Wyman is convinced that it's in everyone's best interest to work together. "It's extremely challenging for one aggregator alone to keep up with indexing and searching syndicated blogs and Web sites," notes Wyman. "Rather than competing on how many blogs they monitor, aggregators are now differentiating themselves with the quality of services they provide." While a great deal of work on the FeedMesh initiative remains to be done, there are things that podcasters and bloggers can do now to work efficiently. Members recommended that sites only maintain news feeds in one format. Aggregators should be able to read and process any format used, and translate content as needed. It was also suggested that sites should send ping updates to a service like Ping-o-Matic, rather than dozens of sites. This should make publishing go faster, minimize the traffic generated by pings, and help aggregators collect and share ping information efficiently. Posted by jlewin at 11:47 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack June 25, 2005Gnomedex 5: Adam Curry Issues Podcasting Manifesto: "We want to take back our media"Adam Curry gave the closing speech at Gnomedex 5, a technology conference June 23-25 in Seattle, Washington. Best known as one of the first VJs for MTV, Curry, along with programmer Dave Winer, pioneered podcasting. Curry's discussion focused on personal broadcasting and music. "We want to take back our media," noted Curry. He also gave a short history of the origins of podcasting. In his view, most of the elements were in place for podcasting to take off in 2000. It didn't, though, because there were key links missing. "The magic happened when we switched places," noted Curry. "When I became the developer, and when he became the user." Curry developed the first iPodder application, a script that automatically synchronized audio files found via RSS feeds to an iPod. Curry had an epiphany when he heard Dave Winers first proto-podcasts. He explained that he heard something unique through the rough quality of the audio and production. As he put it, "It's so fucked up that it's great!" Curry's speech was recorded as Daily Source Code #200. Posted by jlewin at 06:55 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack Gnomedex 5: PT Torrone Makes GnomedexMake magazine's Phillip Torrone demonstrated his unique take on hacking the world at this year's Gnomedex conference in Seattle, Washington. Torrone demonstrated installing Linux on iPods, hacking iPods to support high-quality recording, breaking the limitations of audio-book readers and more. Check out his articles on podcasting in the most recent Make magazine. Posted by jlewin at 06:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Gnomedex 5: Julie Leung on Blogging as Social ToolAt Gnomedex 5, Julie Leung discussed her experiences with blogging about personal and social aspects of our lives. Leung's Seedlings & Sprouts shares her thoughts and images from an island in the Pacific Northwest. Leung's talk explored questions of what individual Internet publishers can and should reveal about themselves and their families in their blogs, podcasts or other Internet publication. According to Leung, preservation, protection and privacy are all reasons for not revealing information about yourself through your blog. Internet publishing often needs to be edited to preserve relationsships, so that friends and family don't feel like everything that they do with you will be blog-fodder. Posts should also be considered with self-protection in mind. Is the message of a post something that you'd want to be associated with your name in Google? Finally, Leung noted also that there's a time and place for privacy, intimacy and secrets, and these must be considered when making posts. A main theme of her discussion was that the limitations that you place upon yourself when blogging often result in creative work that you might not otherwise have done. Posted by jlewin at 05:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Clear Channel Radio Expands Podcast OfferingsClear Channel Radio has announced that the company will expand its portfolio of podcast feeds. In less than two weeks of the "Phone Tap" segment being available, 20,500 pieces of content have been delivered via podcast, download or stream from America's most listened to radio station's Web site. Clear Channel Radio's accelerated roll-out of its podcasting initiative will provide nearly 20 new feeds of popular on-air content from 12 more stations, with an additional 10 expected to launch later this week. "The early results from Z100's 'Phone Tap' validated our theory -- there is a huge appetite for station-created, short-form content via multiple-delivery formats," said Clear Channel's Evan Harrison. The following Clear Channel Radio stations feature programming feeds on the podcast page of their Web sites: WHTZ-FM New York, NY WAQX-FM New York, NY WKTU-FM New York, NY KYSR-FM Los Angeles, CA KGB-FM San Diego, CA KHTS-FM San Diego, CA KIOZ-FM San Diego, CA KKRZ-FM Portland, OR WLW-AM Cincinnati, OH KRZR-FM Fresno, CA WDVE-FM Pittsburgh, PA WZZO-FM Allentown, PA Posted by jlewin at 01:26 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack iPodderX Developer on iTunes 4.9, PodcastingiPodlounge recently spoke with iPodderX developer August Trometer on what impact the forthcoming iTunes 4.9 update will have on podcasting. Trometer said that he wasn't surprised at the announcement. "It was inevitable that Apple would take an interest in podcasting," he said. "After all, the more uses Apple can find for the iPod, the better for them. So when iTunes 4.9 was announced, I wasn’t too surprised." Trometer said that in the long run, it’s great news for both podcasting and for applications like iPodderX. “In much the same way that Safari RSS is introducing a whole new audience to syndicated newsfeeds, I think iTunes 4.9 will do the same for podcasting. But, also like Safari RSS, people will soon tire of the basic feature set and want more capabilities than iTunes offers. These folks will look elsewhere and to other applications for their podcast needs.” Full article at iPodLounge Posted by jlewin at 12:47 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack June 24, 2005
IE 7 adds RSS autodiscovery support, displaying an orange RSS icon when a news feed is available for a page. A plus-sign icon will give users a one-click option for subscribing. In addition, IE 7 will display news feeds in a user-friendly way. Microsoft also demonstrated IE 7 integrating with Longhorn, the next version of Windows, to communicate with Common Feed List that can be accessed by multiple applications. Posted by jlewin at 05:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack Audible Begins Commercial PodcastingAudible has announced that its selection of periodic audio content can now be delivered to customers via secure Really Simple Syndication (RSS). Audible customers can schedule automatic delivery of their periodic programming to their computers and to any one of more than 135 AudibleReady handheld devices. Audible customers can still receive their periodic programs through Audible's current delivery methods, but now have the additional option to use personal Audible RSS feeds for up-to-date delivery of their Audible content simply by installing software that supports the delivery of podcasts, such as iPodder, Doppler, NewsGator Online, FeedDemon or NetNewsWire. The periodic content distributed by Audible today includes: BBC News Hour, Car Talk, Charlie Rose, C-SPAN, Fast Company, Forbes Magazine, Fresh Air, JazzTimes, Harvard Business Review, Latino USA, Marketplace, MSNBC, News from Lake Wobegon, Scientific American, Science News, Technology Review, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The World, This American Life, and To the Best of Our Knowledge. "We've been delivering digitally downloadable spoken audio to hundreds of thousands of listeners for many years now. During this time, we have continually looked for advancements in digital audio technology that would improve our listeners' experience," said Donald Katz, CEO and chairman of Audible Inc. "We believe podcasting is an advancement that will make digital spoken audio more accessible and manageable for content creators and listeners around the world." "There are three companies that have the potential to be huge in podcasting and in creating this new medium," said Adam Curry, creator of iPodder and host of Daily Source Code. "Apple, Microsoft and definitely Audible." "We've only just begun the process of enabling content partners of all sizes to podcast on the Audible platform," Mr. Katz added. "Over the coming months, podcasters will have increased access to new infrastructure, tools and proprietary technologies that Audible has developed over the years to empower content creators to turn their digital audio into sustainable revenue streams." "NewsGator Online and FeedDemon now support advanced podcatching capabilities through 'FeedStation,' announced today at Gnomedex," said J.B. Holston, president and CEO of NewsGator. "We welcome Audible's members who are interested in receiving their content through our online system and FeedDemon using 'FeedStation', and we're looking forward to offering NewsGator customers unique Audible offers too." Posted by jlewin at 05:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Gnomedex 5: Microsoft Longhorn to Embrace, Extend RSS
According to Dean Hachamovitch, Microsoft GM, Longhorn Browsing and RSS technologies, "In Longhorn, we're betting big on RSS. We're trying to help RSS cover more scenarios than it covers today." "We want RSS everywhere" Hachamovitch discussed how Microsoft plans to embrace RSS in Longhorn. Services will be RSS-enabled, and Longhorn will maintain a central store of information on RSS subscriptions and how they should be handled. Microsoft's Amar Gandhi demonstrated how you could show calendar information as an RSS feed, view it within IE 7, and then subscribe to it using IE 7. Next, Gandhi showed how you could view the subscribed calendar within Outlook, next to your own calendar, so you could copy an event from the subscribed calendar to your own. They also demonstrated how you could subscribe to a photoblog within IE 7, and Longhorn could read it and turn it into a slide show automatically. Simple List Extensions Microsoft's implementation of RSS is based on extensions to RSS. They have introduced new tags for expressing what the meaning of an RSS feed is. RSS feeds can be tagged so that applications can display the information correctly. The extensions, Simple List Extensions, are implemented following the RSS 2.0 standard and are being licensed using the Creative Commons, Attribution Share-Alike license. Lawrence Lessig was on-hand, virtually, to congratulate Microsoft on tryng the Creative Commons approach. Microsoft is making available a Windows RSS Platform Architectural Overview, and the Simple List Extension specification. More information is available at blogs.msdn.com/ie and the MSDN Longhorn RSS page. Posted by jlewin at 04:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Gnomedex 5: Attensa Intros RSS Network
By analyzing information about RSS articles and how readers are interacting with the articles, the Attensa RSS network can deliver more relevant, timely information to individuals on the devices they choose and businesses can take advantage of RSS technology to streamline communication with employees, partners and customers. Using Attensa network attention streams that accommodate the Attention.xml standard, metadata is unobtrusively fingerprinted and triangulated through collaborative filtering to deliver the most relevant information. This metadata can be used to rank the popularity of articles by measuring the audience size and appetite for news from specific bloggers and news sources. It can also be used to create privacy protected anonymous user profiles, based on permission, that can recommend content, refine blog and Website searching and enhance the experience of tracking the news that matters to millions of people. The Attensa Product Line The Attensa RSS network is an integrated collection of software tools that organize, distribute, process and measure RSS attention streams in an end-to-end RSS network. The product line consists of RSS reader/aggregator clients and client technology, associated workgroup and enterprise servers and an underlying value-add infrastructure that aggregates and triangulates attention stream metadata. Attensa RSS Readers Designed for the desktop, the Web, for Web enabled mobile phones and PDAs and integrated into Microsoft Outlook, Attensa is developing RSS reader clients that use a single RSS engine to efficiently deliver and synchronize information across devices via one entry point to the Web. Attensa RSS clients use a unique synchronization system that helps people stay on top of articles coming from Websites and blogs. Attensa's bi-directional true-syncing capability ties desktop, web and mobile RSS reader clients together so articles read, filed and deleted are treated consistently across all of the clients. Attensa for Outlook -- Public Preview of an RSS Reader for Outlook with Innovative Features, Fit and Finish Attensa is introducing a public preview of its first RSS reader client, Attensa for Outlook 0.96 at Gnomedex. Designed by the same development team that created You Subscribe: RSS from You Software, Attensa for Outlook is an RSS reader that brings up-to-the-minute information and content from Websites, blogs and Podcasts directly into Microsoft Outlook. The innovative feature set includes a number of firsts for Outlook based RSS readers: -- Toolbars for Firefox and Internet Explorer Attensa for Outlook is the only Outlook based RSS aggregator and RSS reader that lets you easily add and manage news feeds and subscriptions from a toolbar in Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox. The Attensa Explorer and Firefox RSS toolbar plug-in scans a Web page automatically looking for feeds. When it finds a feed the Attensa toolbar icon glows. Click on the Attensa icon and select new feeds from the clearly labeled list to add to your subscriptions. You can also read your news feeds and manage your subscriptions from the Internet Explorer browser toolbar. -- Automatically load Podcast audio files into playlists Attensa for Outlook makes it easy to listen to your favorite audio content on your computer, iPod or other portable player when it's convenient for you by automatically loading Podcast audio files attached to RSS news feeds into easy to find iTunes or Windows Media Player playlists. -- Automatically Publish Content from Email and RSS News Articles to Blogs You can effortlessly post content from RSS news articles or email to blogs with out leaving Outlook or loading a browser. Select and add text in an Outlook email format and click the Publish button in the Outlook toolbar. The publishing feature can automatically connect to your Typepad, Blogger or LiveJournal blog. Attensa for Outlook can be manually set up to work with any blog publishing service. The public preview version 0.96 of Attensa for Outlook can be downloaded for free at http://www.attensa.com. Attensa Servers for Workgroups and the Enterprise Attensa is pioneering the development of RSS workgroup servers to bring the power of collaborative workspace software and RSS technology to help businesses solve problems, spark innovation and improve decision-making. Scalable RSS workgroup and enterprise versions supporting collaboration and publishing will provide secure data communication inside the corporate firewall and to external partners through a secure bridge. Attensa RSS Network Infrastructure Attensa RSS network infrastructure is designed to efficiently organize, distribute and measure RSS news feed articles and their associated attention stream to deliver the most relevant information to readers. Teaming Up to Build the Attensa RSS Network Attensa is also seeking partners who want to provide their customers with the best RSS tools, content, services and techniques. By integrating the Attensa engine into third party and private label RSS readers and aggregators, partners can quickly take advantage of the Attensa network's collaborative filtering power and deliver higher value content to their customers. This collaborative approach extends the reach of the network and improves its ability to distill content so users across the network receive fewer more relevant articles. Posted by jlewin at 03:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Gnomedex 5: Dave Winer Demos "The Next Web"
Winer demo'd his OPML authoring/editing tool, creatively named The OPML Editor, or TOE. Winer described TOE as the the intersection between RSS & OPML. He demonstrated how his tool could be used to organize information from OPML sources on the Internet, and the result could immediately published to the web. TOE is licensed using the GPL license, an open software license. "I'm trying to create a community that involves both users & developers," noted Winer. The application is currently in limited beta. The Importance of OPML Winer expounded on the importance of OPML, Outline Processor Markup Language, a standard for expressing information in outline form. "I think it's the next web. It's the next thing after HTML. It 's the next thing after RSS." While RSS has become the lingua franca of the blogosphere, it is limited to non-hierarchical data. OPML is designed to deliver arbitrary hierarchies, so it complements RSS. Winer wrapped up his keynote by leading the audience in a rousing chorus of the Beatle's Yellow Submarine. "Why?" Winer asked. "There is no why!" Posted by jlewin at 01:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Podifier Update Supports 1-Click Podcast StandardAustralian Internet agency Red Square has released an update to Podifier, making it one of the first podcast apps to provide support for the new One-Click Subscription standard for podcasting. Podifier is now available in two flavours, Podifier for MP3 files and Podifier .V for WMA and WMV video files. The Windows-based tool is free and available for download at the website: . "One of the issues hindering the acceptance of podcasting among the general populace has been that of subscribing to a podcast," said Tony Redhead, co-founder and principal of Red Square. "Up until now the process was onerous and one had to cut and paste URLs from browser windows to the aggregator. The new One-Click standard is intended to allow interoperability to improve the listener experience thus increasing the reach and listener base for podcast producers, creators and software developers." Red Square has been involved in the discussions regarding the development of a standard methodology for invoking a One-Click Subscription. Podifier 1.03 now provides support for the agreed One-Click standard and generates the required .RSS file. One-Click Subscription describes the method of subscribing to a podcast RSS feed by just clicking a link in a web page. An application, such as iPodder, installed on the user's computer will be invoked by the user's web browser when the link is clicked. The application is then able to add the selected podcast feed to the user’s subscription list. "In addition to providing .RSS support, we also have added a number of other improvements," said Mr Redhead. "Among them is the ability to save a file locally as opposed to ftping it to a server and the option to upload video files using Podifier." Launched in April to an enthusiastic response from the podcasting community, Podifier was the first, all-in-one tool designed to simplify the publishing of podcasts. It is a simple-to-use application that automates “in one application“ the creation of an RSS feed and the association of one or more MP3 files. It also includes the FTP application to upload them to a server. “We are extremely pleased with the reaction to Podifier after its initial release in April, said Tony Redhead. The number of downloads and feedback from users throughout the world has encouraged us to continue its development and incorporate more features. Posted by jlewin at 09:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack June 23, 2005Podcasting News at Gnomedex
Several major podcasting-related announcements are expected at this year's GnomeDex. It's expected that Audible.com will debut a podcasting service. There are rumors that Apple may make a podcasting-related announcent at the show (perhaps iTunes 4.9?). Microsoft will be on hand, so expect news from them, also. Podcasting News is on location in Seattle and will be bringing you the latest Gnomedex news. If you're attending, we hope that we can meet you there. If you can't make it, check back here for the latest blogging and podcasting news, as it happens. Gnomedex focuses on technology, ideas and issues in the world of Internet publishing. While Gnomedex is a small event, limited to about 350 attendees, it has a history of attracting an influential crowd. The attendee list is a Who's Who of the blogging and podcasting world. The list includes: podfathers and erstwhile podcast co-hosts Dave Winer and Adam Curry; Marc Canter, one of the founders of Macromedia; J.D. Lasica, grassroots Internet media pioneer and executive director of Ourmedia.org; independent journalist Dan Gillmor; Matt Mullenweg, creator of Wordpress; multi-channel media guru Eric Rice; Phillip Torrone, alpha-geek of Make magazine; Dean Hachamovitch, General Manager of Microsoft's Internet Explorer team; tech-savvy PR expert Steve Rubel; Denise Howell, intellectual property law blogger; Microsoft blogger Robert Scoble; and hundreds more. If you'd like to talk with us at Gnomedex, let us know! Posted by jlewin at 08:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack iPodderX Updated to Fix Download Issue
iPodderX users can get the latest version of the software from iPodderX.com. "Yesterday we released 3.0.1," announced iPodderX's August Trometer. The update "fixes the problem some servers were having with our HEAD request." Trometer also announced that they are planning a Windows release of iPodderX, and will be releasing it in to beta test in the near future. Posted by jlewin at 07:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack June 21, 2005iPodder Team Releases Version 2.1
With 2.1, iPodder's accessibility has been extended with the addition of more than 15 languages and enhanced meta data for the visually impaired. Additionally, the foundation for one-click capabililty has been implemented, and support for feedmanagers like Podnova have been installed. The update also improves security and optimizes handling. iPodder 2.1 Details
iPodder features:
Download iPodder Posted by jlewin at 07:27 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack NoteTaker Adds Podcasting to Mac Info OrganizerAquaMinds has added podcasting support to NoteTaker, its OS X information organization software. NoteTaker is a personal note and idea organizer that uses a spiral notebook interface. With NoteTaker, you can make a list, organize an outline or jot down an idea.
NoteTaker's built-in Voice Memo tool now supports MP3 Metadata input and editing. Users can add custom tags or "metadata" to their Voice Memo recordings. With metadata tags, sound files within NoteTaker can be searched from Spotlight, moved to iTunes for easier organization or they can be used as podcasts as well. NoteTaker includes a menu of standard genre types, but users may add their own genres to the menu by adding them, one per line, to a plain text file called "genres.txt" in the folder "Library/Application Support/Aquaminds/NoteTaker", in their home folder. A free Simple Podcast Creation kit is available fro download from the NoteTaker site. The kit includes an installer for adding the podcast XSL plug-in to NoteTaker, an example podcast template and basic instructions. via Scripting News Posted by jlewin at 07:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack June 20, 2005Podcast Quicky: Ottmar Liebert's Listening Lounge
Liebert also maintains a blog on music, performance, recording, traveling and other topics. While Liebert is best known for his Nuevo Flamenco style, the tracks in his podcast highlight the range of his skill. A recent track, untitled-may-2005, is a lovely solo showcase for his acoustic guitar work. The songs are provided free of charge, but they are for personal use only. Posted by jlewin at 11:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack iPodderX Distorting Podcast Download Stats
The Roadhouse podcast reports that their site has been hit with hundreds of repeated requests from individual copies iPodderX for a single podcast file. According to The Roadhouse site, "iPodderX, Build 148, is ignoring the status codes it receives from a server. The server sends a 'file unchanged' code, yet iPodderX requests the file, regardless. Over and over and over." As a result of this problem, some sites have been hit with excess bandwidth charges for the redundant downloads. Liberated Syndication has received so many redundant requests that it is considering ignoring iPodderX requests for the purposes of its download statistics. According to Liberated Syndication: There is currently a HUGE discrepancy between unique and total IP hits in the tables. If we were to wipe all iPodderX hits from the stats- everyone will notice their numbers going down for this month. Keeping unique is one option- but if we just wiped them all, we're talking about 10,000 unique hits being erased. 10,000 vs 2,000,000 is it worth trying to salvage them? That's what I'm asking for input on. Thus far, there's no official word on a fix from the iPodderX team. The Roadhouse's Tony Steidler-Dennison asks "How long will it take to resolve the issue? Too long already, given the $1100 metered bandwidth bill I incurred in May." Interim Solution Some podcasters are taking the precaution of blocking all requests from the iPodderX client. At the iPodderX forum, dorktones posted this workaround:
Posted by jlewin at 04:17 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack Major Label Copy-Protection Making CDs Incompatible with iPods
CDs with the protective technology prevent users from posting them on the Internet and allow users to burn only three copies onto other discs, which themselves can't be copied again. Sony BMG is already selling about half its discs with the technology, while EMI releases its first this summer. By launching the copy-protected CDs without iPod compatibility, the labels are raising the stakes in an ongoing conflict between Apple and the rest of the music business, which wants the tech company to open its proprietary iPod and let others sell antipiracy-protected songs that work on the device. Apple has refused, instead relying on the strategy of forcing users to buy music from its iTunes Music Store. Music Labels Look To Corral iPod Posted by jlewin at 04:04 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack Pennsylvania Republicans Announce Weekly PodcastPennsylvania State Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill announced today that the Senate Republican Caucus has begun offering a weekly podcast on its website to expand its coverage of news affecting the lives of Pennsylvanians. The first program features Sen. Rob Wonderling, chairman of the Senate Communications and Technology Committee, discussing his legislation to repeal the gross receipts tax on wireless phone service. "Podcasting is a great new technology, and our caucus will use it to help keep constituents informed," said Sen. Brightbill's chief of staff, Erik Arneson. "Many news organizations, blogs, and other web sites are now using RSS feeds, making it more convenient than ever for people to stay up-to-date on topics that are important to them," Arneson said. "It's revolutionizing the way information is disseminated, and we want our members to be at the front-end of that." Posted by jlewin at 03:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Free Plug-In Adds Podcast Support to iTunes Before Apple
BadApple adds a Podcasts link to iTunes. This can be used to browse through categories to find podcasts. Double-clicking on the podcast will loads it into the iTunes library. BadApple is free software. There is no charge to download the software or use the software. Per the BadFruit site: BadApple is NOT from the Beatles. It's also not from Apple Computer Inc. It's definitely not endorsed or approved by Apple. In fact, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want you to use BadApple. Posted by jlewin at 03:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack Audible to be a Sponsor of Portable Media ExpoPortable Media Expo, a tradeshow focusing on portable digital audio and video and podcasting, has announced that Audible has agreed to be the Platinum Sponsor of the event taking place November 11-12, 2005 outside Los Angeles at the Ontario Convention Center. "Audible is one of the few companies that understands the potential of podcasting, having grasped the power of digitally downloadable spoken audio early on. It makes perfect sense for them to be a top sponsor of the Portable Media Expo," said Tim Bourquin, President of TNC New Media, Inc., the organizer of Portable Media Expo. "Audible is happy to support the first industry tradeshow specifically geared to portable media and podcasting," said Guy Story, Chief Scientist of Audible, Inc. "We plan to roll out some powerful tools this year that will make podcasting easier and more enjoyable for listeners and publishers alike. The Portable Media Expo in November will provide the perfect venue for us to update the podcasting community on our latest products and plans." Portable Media Expo will also offer two days of educational sessions. The conference program, divided into two tracks, The Portable Content Summit and The Podcaster Conference, will feature tutorials on business models, content creation, promotion, licensing, syndication, distribution and digital rights management. The exhibit hall at Portable Media Expo will showcase the latest in software tools, audio and video hardware, digital players and devices, and other valuable resources for independent podcasters and digital media companies looking to partner with content creators and distributors. Posted by jlewin at 03:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Article Explores Educational Potential of PodcastsRussell Educational Consultancy and Productions (RECAP) has published an article that explores the educational potential of podcasts. The article is written for teachers and leadership teams in schools. It provides a brief overview of podcasting and how to create and listen to podcasts available on the Internet. The main section is devoted to exploring the potential of podcasting activities and scenarios for pupils and young people in schools, with reference to the National Curriculum for ICT. The use of podcasting as an alternative teaching approach and for personalised learning is also discussed. Posted by jlewin at 02:36 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack Detroit Band Using Podcasts for Promotion
The Transfer's association with Podcasting started when suspense author Scott Sigler used Down With Everything as the intro music for his podcast novel Earthcore. "He used Down in his podcast, and we started getting all kinds of traffic on our site," said band manager Mike Warden. "We found out Earthcore has 6,000 people listening to it every week, so that's a lot of exposure." "We've been amazed by how many people have added 'Down,'" said lead singer Steve Tutor. "We're very excited that so many people want to play our music." Down With Everything is available as a free download. Posted by jlewin at 01:38 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack New Podcast Client Records Internet RadioApplian has introduced a new version of Replay Radio 6.0 that is both a podcast client and Internet radio recorder. With one click, users can subscribe to a podcast, download an individual episode, or schedule recording of a radio show. Replay Radio 6.0 Podcast edition is a free download, available from replay-radio.com.
Included in the release is the Replay Media Guide. This guide makes it easy to find podcasts, radio shows and Internet TV based upon the recommendations of others. It also includes advanced search tools such as searching show notes of individual podcast episodes, or the full text of transcribed audio. Posted by jlewin at 01:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack June 18, 2005Podcast Quicky: Podcast411Podcast411 has reached its 50th podcast. The site features an extensive collection of interviews with podcasters, including Soccergirl, Rick Klau of FeedBurner, Wichita Rutherford, Senator John Edwards, Todd Cochrane from Geek News Central, Nate and DI, Adam Curry, Gary Leland from Podcast Pickle and many more. The latest episode is an interview with Chris Rockwell from The Daily Download Podcast. Posted by jlewin at 09:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack David Coursey: Podcasting a Fad and a LoserPodcasting may be the hottest technology on the Internet right now, but not everyone is impressed by it. Call Ziff Davis' David Coursey a skeptic, but he thinks that "Personal Podcasting, like personal blogs, is a fad and will fade." "People experiment because content creation can be fun, sort of like finger-painting was back in preschool, but people also run out of creative energy, and the maintenance of a site, blog or Podcast becomes a chore," adds Coursey. "And the content gets boring, and the audience goes away." In a recent Publish article, Coursey says that the independent voices of podcasting will soon fade away, and states that "it is hard to be original and interesting over time, and major media outlets will be the big fish in this small pond." Not only is Coursey skeptical about the longetivity of podcaster's interest, but he thinks that there won't be an audience for podcasts. "Podcasting will never catch on with the masses," writes Coursey. "I've been in the media all my professional life and have spent years trying to understand audience behavior. I can't always tell what the masses will like, but I am pretty good at calling losers. And as a mass medium, Podcasting will be one of them." Posted by jlewin at 08:37 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack Steve Jobs on Podcasting
We recently announced something new for iTunes and iPod and it's called podcasting. As you know, the podcasting phenomenon is exploding right now. Podcasting of course is a concatenation of iPod and broadcasting. And what is podcasting? It's been described a lot of different ways. One way has been a TiVo for radio--you can download radio shows and listen to them on your computer or put them on your iPod anytime you want. So it's just like television programs on TiVo, and that's true. Another way has been described as Wayne's World for radio, which means that anyone without much capital investment can make a podcast, put it on a server and get a worldwide audience for their radio show, and that's true too. The Hottest Thing Going in Radio We see it as the hottest thing going in radio, hotter than anything else in radio. And as you know, what podcasting is is that you can not only download radio shows and listen to them, you can subscribe to them, so that every time there's a new episode it automatically gets downloaded to your computer. You can listen to it there or it automatically gets synced to your iPod the next time you doc your iPod. So it's very, very exciting. And there are over 8,000 podcasts now and this is growing really, really fast. So that's pretty exciting. Now it's not just amateurs doing these things, though. These 8,000 are not all amateurs, but the pros have realized that this is huge and here's just a list of some of the companies doing podcasts now: all the major radio broadcasters, the network broadcasters, major magazines, major newspapers, even major companies like Disney and Procter & Gamble and Ford and General Motors, so it's pretty exciting. We're Going to Make it Even Easier And so what we're doing is, we're going to make it even easier because you're not going to have to download other applications and get all sorts of stuff together to make this happen. We're going to build it right into iTunes and iPods. So you can subscribe to any podcast and we're going to make it really easy and so right into iTunes, very simple. But one of the most important things is, how do you find these podcasts? Do you want people typing URLs into iTunes? Well, they can do that, but we're also going to build right into the iTunes music store a podcast directory, so that we're going to list thousands of podcasts and you'll be able to click on them, download them for free and subscribe to them right in iTunes, so I'd just like to give you a quick peek of what this is going to look like. Let me bring up iTunes here. And I'm going to the podcast home page, and this is the podcast directory, and we're going to list, again, thousands of podcasts. Let's just go ahead and listen to one. We can go to one here. This is Adam Curry, he's one of the inventors of podcasting and you could listen to his…so you could listen to an episode here. But it's much more interesting to subscribe to the podcast and we've now subscribed to Adam Curry's podcast, it's flipped us up to this podcast thing right in the source of list. It's downloaded the most recent one. If I want to download another one I can just push a button and go download one of the older episodes and I can listen to an episode. OK. So let me give you another one. Adam's great. This is KCRW. This is a show called "The Treatment." They're a public radio station in L.A., so let me go ahead and subscribe to "The Treatment." And here's another one. I can close this one if I want to, and let's go listen to "The Treatment." So you get the idea. These are really cool. Some are amateur and some are pro. One more I want to just highlight. We're going to do one ourselves because we have new-music Tuesdays and we put new music on the iTunes music stores, so we decided to do a podcast. This is just a test, but you can subscribe to that…and the nice thing about this one is, as we scrub along you see the artwork changes too, right? And you can go to different chapters in this thing. You can go right to different chapters. So, very, very simple, and we think it's going to basically take the podcasting mainstream to where anyone can do it. Really easy to find these podcasts, really easy to listen to them. So we're very excited about this and there's going to be one more way in which iPod and the iTunes digital-music community are really at the forefront of this stuff, bringing the innovation into the marketplace. Posted by jlewin at 08:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Podcasts Get QueerBravo has delivered a double-shot of podcasts for people that just can't get enough of those Queer Eye guys. The Queer Eye Hip Tips podcast features two tips from each member of the Fab 5. Topics range from how not to arrive underdressed for a formal affair, to the day never to buy fish.
The Queer Eye Episodic Podcast provides a behind-the-scenes look at each episode. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is a one-hour guide to "building a better straight man". With the expertise and support of "The Fab 5" — Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas, Thom Felicia, Carson Kressley and Jai Rodriguez — the makeover unfolds with a deconstruction of the subject's current lifestyle, and continues as a funny showcase for styles and trends in fashion, home design, grooming, food and wine, and culture. Posted by jlewin at 07:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Ignitek Releases iPod Sound Systems
iCarrier
iCruiser
iCheer
Posted by jlewin at 07:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack China Needs PodcastsThe market in China for digital audio players is exploding, according to a new research report. Revenue from MP3 sales of Mp3 players will reach over US $300 million in 2005. Study Highlights:
Source: China MP3 market in 2005 Posted by jlewin at 07:28 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack NY Public Library Offers Digital Audio Books for MP3 players and ComputersThe New York Public Library has introduced a digital audio book collection allowing cardholders to download audio books from the Internet, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Users can listen to a wide range of fiction and nonfiction books on portable devices, CD players, or via their PCs and laptops. "We are delighted to announce the availability of downloadable audio books as part of our circulating collection," said Susan Kent, Director and Chief Executive of The Branch Libraries. "Library users today are much more technologically sophisticated than ever; our aim is to continue to provide our users with free access to materials in whichever format they prefer." Available titles range from recent bestsellers such as The 9/11 Commission Report and The Jane Austen Book Club to classics such as Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Users may listen to digital audio books via computer or laptop; burn to CD for playing in the car or on stereo; or transfer to many portable devices, including Windows Media-compatible MP3 players. Digital audio books circulate for 21 days and are available for free Internet downloading 24-hours a day through the Library's website, ebooks.nypl.org. Posted by jlewin at 07:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Folio First Combines Knowledge Base with PodcastingH3K Technology has released a public beta of Folio First, a knowledge-based application that includes RSS and podcast support. "The software is really a knowledge base type software that can be integrated with various other services to store the information that is commonly needed or used," notes developer Craig van Nieuwkerk. "For example it has RSS and Podcasting services, as well as integration with Outlook Contacts, IE favorities etc. It can also be used just as easily for general information such as a recipe book or document sharing software." The software is currently in beta phase and with a release planned for the second half of this year. It is currently an open beta, so anyone can download the prerelease and use it. There will be several versions of the software:
Posted by jlewin at 06:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack EasyPodcast Intros Open-Source Podcasting App
EasyPodcast is designed to publish podcasts in three steps:
Easypodcast is built with wxPython, and has been tested on Windows and Linux (kde). Posted by jlewin at 05:54 AM | Comments (0) Microsoft Censoring Free Speech in China
When a Chinese blogger attempts to post a message to MSN spaces containing terms such as "democracy", "Dalai Lama", "Falungong", "4 June" (the date of the Tiananmen Square massacre), "China + corruption", or "human rights", a warning message is displayed: "This message contains a banned expression, please delete this expression." "Following Yahoo!, here is a second American Internet giant giving way to the Chinese authorities and agreeing to self-censorship", the worldwide press freedom organisation said. "The lack of ethics on the part of these companies is extremely worrying. Their management frequently justifies collaboration with Chinese censorship by saying that all they are doing is obeying local legislation." The Chinese version of the MSN portal, along with the blog tool, were launched as a joint venture with a local state-controlled company, Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd (SAIL). via Reporters Without Borders: Microsoft censors its blog tool Posted by jlewin at 05:34 AM | Comments (2) Torcasting Lets Podcasters Speak Their Minds AnonymouslyUndergroundMedia.org has published an introduction to Torcasting Article, a method for publishing content to the web anonymously. Recent events, including a podcaster losing his job over his show, Microsoft's censoring of messages in China and the revealing of the identity of Deep Throat, highlight the fact that freedom of speech sometimes requires the freedom to speak. UndergroundMedia is an outlet for media information to help empower the average person to take an active role in media. "In order to have a true voice, one has to also have the ability to be anonymous," notes UndergroundMedia. "Privacy is a key component of freedom of press and expression. This is where Tor comes in." By combining Torcasting with anonymizing voice effects, podcasters can speak their minds while preserving their anonymity. About Tor & Torcasting Tor is an “onion routing” project. An onion router is a way of creating tunnels among a group of servers that encrypt traffic and create multiple layers of security, and in turn privacy, for those connecting to the network. When you use Tor, you can set up hidden services, including a web server that is only available to other Tor users. This means that the server you are running and the services it offers are anonymous. By setting up a hidden Tor server, you can distribute MP3 files, while obscuring your location and identity. Posted by jlewin at 05:05 AM | Comments (0) June 17, 2005Odeo Beta Generates Controversy
The site was serving custom Odeo feeds for all the podcasts in its directory, instead of the podcast owner's feeds. The discrepency was publicized on Todd Cochrane's Geek News Central site. In a post on the subject, Cochrane said that "they have Hijacked my feed without permission". Odeo responded quickly to the controversy by updating their site to use podcast owner's original feeds. Via the Anarchogeek blog, they noted, "We were reproducing the podcast feeds and linking to our version. Now I'm not sure if that's hijacking or not, but we aren't adding value to the feed so we've moved things over to providing a direct link to the original feed." Cochrane expanded on the reasons podcasters were upset by Odeo's move: "Odeo is going to have to learn to play nice in a hurry, if this is indicative of what they are going to be doing, there are going to be a bunch of very pissed off people. Cochrane had some final advice for all sites that reproduce or aggregate podcast information. "Be a good citizen and point to everyone's original feeds!" Posted by jlewin at 01:11 PM | Comments (0) Batman Begins Featured in Debut Podcast
Director Christopher Nolan's new take on the Batman story explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham. Cinematical.com's Peter Sciretta sits down in the studio with Jon Christensen and Zach Lawrence to provide in-depth review of Batman's return to the big screen. In the wake of his parents' murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city. Posted by jlewin at 01:02 PM | Comments (1) Queen Elizabeth II Ready for PodcastsQueen Elisabeth II is ready for podcasts. Britain's The Sun daily reports that the 79-year old sovereign is now the owner of a 6-gb Silver iPod. Queen Elizabeth's second son, Prince Andrew, is said to be behind the move. The Queen loves music and was impressed by how small and handy the iPod is," a royal insider told The Sun. "Obviously it is quite complicated to download songs, but I'm sure one of the courtiers will do it for her. Now that the Queen is podcast-ready, the question remains: what podcasts are fit for a Queen? (And Yeast Radio doesn't count!) Posted by jlewin at 12:49 PM | Comments (0) Pentagon Planning Mind-Control Podcast For Iraq?The Washington Olympian is reporting that the Pentagon has awarded three contracts worth up to $300 million over five years, to companies that it hopes will inject more creativity into its psychological operations to improve foreign public opinion about the US, particularly the military. As part of the contract, SyColeman Inc. of Arlington, VA, Lincoln Group of Washington, D.C., and Science Aplications International Corp. will develop ideas and prototypes for radio and television spots, documentaries, billboards, novelty items and podcasts. Col. Sam Taylor, a spokesman for the Special Operations Command, which runs the Army's Special Forces, Navy SEALs and other elite combat units, said the contractors might help the military develop commercials in Iraq, for example, illustrating how roadside bombs meant for soldiers also harm children and other innocent civilians. Pentagon doles out up to $300 million for 'psyops' Posted by jlewin at 08:37 AM | Comments (0) Altec inMotion iM7 Promises to Kick Out Podcasts
The iM7 is designed to move from the home, to the office, to the backyard or even the beach. The portable iPod dock features long lasting battery life, but can also plug into a nearby outlet for AC power. The iPod recharges while the iM7 plays. Features:
Posted by jlewin at 08:26 AM | Comments (0) RSS Bazaar Intros New Payment Options for PodcastersRSS Bazaar has introduced two new options that podcasters can use to generate revenue from subscribers: donation and membership. Providers of free RSS feeds can register them at RSS Bazaar, and in addition to the benefits of having their content in front of users, they can also receive user donations. Users are given the opportunity to make a one-time donation for an individual RSS feed or to become supporting members of the feed. RSS Bazaar takes care of donation processing (including credit card billing) and, after subtracting a small service fee, sends accumulated donations to the feed owner. Posted by jlewin at 08:21 AM | Comments (2) June 16, 2005PodShack Opens Studio for PodcastersPodshack.com has announced a Frisco, Texas audio facility dedicated to podcasting for the individual, band or corporation. Services offered include creative servives, professional audio production, content coaching and creation and promo creation. Mike Gould is the Pod Shack's executive producer. A 16-year veteran of the radio broadcast industry, Gould's work and talent has been showcased on some of the South's largest radio stations including Houston's KLOL, Dallas' Mix 102.9, 99.5 the Wolf, and 93.3 The Bone. In addition, Gould was the executive producer for two of the highest rated radio shows in Dallas for nearly six years. More information is available at the Podshack.com site. Posted by jlewin at 08:03 AM | Comments (3) MirPod Podcast Client Uses Virtual iPod Interface
MirPod is a feed player or aggregator tuner that can play RSS feeds or XSPF files (playlist feeds). MirPod's interface will be familiar to most listeners, because it's modelled after popular hardware mp3 players. MirPod plays podcasts from its own directory, though you can enter in a URL to listen, too. A form is provided for submitting podcasts. Posted by jlewin at 07:47 AM | Comments (0) June 15, 2005iTunes 4.9 Already in ActionMake magazine's Phillip Torrone is reporting sightings of Apple's iTunes 4.9 in the wild. According to Torrone, "The next version of iTunes, 4.9 is out grabbing podcasts from site around the web, likely from testers at Apple." At the recent Apple World Wide Developer Conference, Steve Jobs demo'd the new version of iTunes, which features built-in support for podcasts. Torrone reports that a new user agent, "Agent: iTunes/4.9 (Macintosh; N; PPC)", will be found in site logs if the application has been used to download a podcast. Posted by jlewin at 06:45 PM | Comments (1) Apple to Feature Exclusive Podcasts from SundanceAdAge is reporting that Apple and the Sundance Channel have signed a deal that will make content from the cable network exclusively available as podcast downloads from the Apple iTunes Web site. The partnership gives iTunes one of its first exclusive podcast partners and moves Apple's iTunes operations, originally One of the first iTunes podcast features scheduled from the Sundance Channel will be The Al Franken Show, featuring the Air America talk show host. A collection of video clips from the show will also be available for streaming from the Apple site. Posted by jlewin at 06:33 PM | Comments (0) Podcast Awards Site Looking for Nominations, SponsorsPodcastAwards.com has announced that it is taking nominations for the first annual People's Choice Podcast Awards. Categories for the awards include, People's Choice, Best Produced, Top Rated, Sound Seeing, Business, Comedy, Religion/Inspiration and others. Nominations will be accepted through June 30, 2005. The site is also looking for sponsors for the site and ceremony. Several sponsorship levels are available, ranging from Silver ($500) to Platinum ($2,000). The Awards is a project of Podcast Connect. The Awards ceremony will be held at Podcast Expo in Ontario California November 11-12, 2005. Posted by jlewin at 07:48 AM | Comments (0) June 14, 2005Apple Tops Victoria's Secret, StarbucksForbes recently ranked Apple above Google, Starbucks Victoria's Secret and other top brands as a Next Generation Growth Brand. Vivaldi Partners conducted the research behind its "2005 Next Generation Growth Brands" ranking for Forbes. The story is part of Forbes ongoing "Beyond the Balance Sheet" series and appears in the June 20 issue. "These leading marketers have built substantial growth through broader thinking about consumers and the role their products plays in their lives," said Erich Joachimsthaler, CEO and founder of Vivaldi Partners. "The success of these individual brand stories and their holistic view on marketing should not be understated." "Compared to the thousands of brands in the marketplace, these growth rate levels and the quality behind them are rare," said Jeffrey Parkhurst, managing director of valuation and analytics for Vivaldi Partners. "As a portfolio, the companies of these brands doubled their average stock value from 2001 to 2005, far outperforming the S&P and DJIA." Forbes 2005 Next Generation Growth Brands: Source: Vivaldi Partners Posted by jlewin at 09:04 PM | Comments (0) New Application Automates Podcasting of University Lectures
Podcast-ready MP3 Support: Colleges and universities can meet the needs of students on-the-go by automatically creating MP3 downloadable versions of lectures; Flash Video Support: Now Macintosh and other non-Windows computer users can play back Apreso Classroom video presentations. Flash joins existing Real and Windows Media support, making Apreso Classroom presentations viewable by students on any operating system. "By letting us capture lectures as dynamic presentation content, Apreso Classroom recreates the original lecture experience on the user's desktop as closely as possible in the universally viewable Flash format," said Mike Kubit, Manager of MediaVision and Classroom Technology, Case Western Reserve University. "This, combined with the software's automation and scalability, supported our decision to integrate Apreso Classroom into our Technology Enhanced Classroom infrastructure and deliver presentations as part of our MediaVision Courseware," Kubit said. Anystream also announced a number of new clients for their software, including The Wharton School of Business, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Case Western Reserve University, Brandeis University, University of Massachusetts - Lowell, and Temple University's School of Podiatric Medicine. Posted by elisabeth at 09:03 PM | Comments (0) New Site Targets Podcasting Radio StationsSuccess Media Group has announced a news and information website about podcasting that targets radio stations, syndicated and local programs and content producers. RadioPodcastingBiz.Com provides information to assist radio station managers in understanding and maximizing all the developing opportunities for radio around podcasting. "A massive shift is taking place in the way radio audiences access their favorite talk content," Allan Hunkin, President of Success Media Group said. “Podcasting offers radio stations and content producers with an unprecedented opportunity to convert radio content into new revenue streams." Posted by jlewin at 08:14 PM | Comments (0) Podcast Value Chain Report Examines Business of PodcastingDigital Podcast, a podcast directory, has released The Podcast Value Chain Report, a breakdown of the podcast value chain into nine steps. The report examines the current state of these steps, projects market sizes and discusses implications for new business and technology requirements. Among the studies major findings:
Digital Podcast has catalogued a sample of over 1,800 podcasts as part of this project. The genres of music, science & technology and comedy & humor have the highest share of publicly available podcasts representing over 40% of available podcasts. Erotica, music and books are the most viewed categories representing a combined 26.9% share of category views. The supply of erotica and books based podcasts is not yet meeting market interest. Erotica is the most viewed category with an 11.3% share of category visits, yet represents less than 1% of the available podcasts. Digital Podcast estimates the market size for podcasting tools and equipment to be around $1-2 million, with explosive growth to $300 to $400 million in the near future. The complete summary report is issued under creative commons license. Posted by jlewin at 08:01 PM | Comments (0) Mac Observer Intros Podcast
The podcast will be included in TMO's main RSS feed, and also in its own feed. TMO plans weekly podcasts. The inaugural podcast features two long-time TMO staffers, Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun, talking about all things Mac. Dave is TMO's President, and John F. Braun is TMO's featured columnist for Monday's Mac Gadget. TMO to Go - The Mac Geek Gab Podcast Details Posted by jlewin at 07:50 PM | Comments (0) New Sony W600 Walkman Phone Unveiled
"The W600 demonstrates the vision when we combined Sony and Ericsson," said Miles Flint, president of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications."Now consumers can use their mobile phone to easily access their favourite music any where any time." The W600 is the second in a series of Walkman phones that deliver an open-standard-based digital music player for the mass market. Features:
The W600 can store up to ten full length CDs or between 80 and 120 songs depending on bit rate. The Walkman phone also has a unique music / flight mode setting that turns off the mobile phone transmitter, so that users can listen to music anywhere at anytime. The W600 will play music for up to 15 hours with the phone on, or 30 hours with the phone in music mode The W600 supports Bluetooth wireless functionality to connect other Bluetooth enabled devices such as photo printers and headsets or for peer-to-peer gaming. USB plug and play allows consumers to move images, music, and video between a PC and the W600. The W600 will be available in the American Market at beginning of the fourth quarter 2005. Posted by elisabeth at 12:53 PM | Comments (6) Free Smartphone Podcast Client Ported to Pocket PC
Smartfeed purports to be the first podcast receiver, or "podcatcher", to bring podcasting to both the Smart Phone and PocketPC, leveraging the same underlying .NET Compact Framework managed assembly. Smartfeed automatically fetches Podcasts at a time that the user specifies. When downloading new podcasts, a progress bar provides feedback. Smart Feed also supports resumable downloading, should the user's internet connection fail or be iterrupted during podcast downloads. Smartfeed was created by Kevin Cawley and is maintained by Kevin and Matthias Eder. Smartfeed is the result of Kevin's quest to write a podcast client for his for his Audiovox SMT 5600 MS Smartphone. Since its intial release Smartfeed continues to evolve and has been ported to the Pocket PC platform. Smartfeed uses mobile devices' existing wireless or Bluetooth capabilities to find and download podcasts at the user's convenience. Smartfeed offers these features: The current release of Smartfeed is considered beta software. It is fully functional, but the developers are looking to podcast enthusiasts for feedback to "help the application mature." Posted by elisabeth at 11:45 AM | Comments (0) Indie Music Label Adds Podcasting Division226 Music Group, an indie label and entertainment company, has announced that it plans to create a special podcasting division. 226 intends to use podcasting as a new way to promote releases of its artists, by selling the initial release via a podcast subscription. Subscribers will receive the artist's album prior to the scheduled release and also have access to information on an ongoing basis including interviews, tour updates, road diaries, and other bonus content. "When you buy an album via podcasting, you are not just buying music, but an ongoing relationship with the artist," states Paul Bassman, CEO of 226 Music Group. 226 believes this value added approach to music sales coupled with the current popularity of digital music players will allow them to aggressively carve out a new and innovated niche to launch their artist roster. "It would be foolish to ignore this booming trend in music delivery," says Bassman. "We will continue to seek new and innovative ways to cater to this market sector." Posted by jlewin at 07:45 AM | Comments (0) Medical Journal Editor Delivers Final Editorial as PodcastAfter 21 years as Founder and Editor of The Journal of Medical Practice Management, Marcel Frenkel, MD, MBA delivers his final Journal editorial on the current healthcare environment as a podcast. Dr. Frenkel offers an overview of US healthcare and suggestions for the future in his piece called A Hope and A Prayer. In the editorial, Dr. Frenkel discusses the weaknesses in US healthcare today and offers his suggestions for corrective action. Dr. Frenkel was one of the first physicians in the US to hold both an MD and an MBA degree. After 21 years of editing The Journal of Medical Practice Management, he uniquely qualified to discuss the topic. The Journal focuses on delivering "how-to" advice for delivering high quality care, increasing patients' satisfaction and improving medical practices' profitability. By providing the editorial as a podcast, Greenbranch Publishing believes that this message will spread much more rapidly and reach those in government and healthcare who need to hear Dr. Frenkel's words. Podcast URL: http://www.soundpractice.net/custom.cfm?name=podcast.cfm&id=7897B78D-D068-4826-96B88E9296B82F74 Posted by jlewin at 07:19 AM | Comments (0) June 13, 2005New EFF Guide - Required Reading for Podcasters?
Bloggers, podcasters and video podcasters frequently publish information that other people don't want published. They also may talk about subject matter that may offend some people. This has exposed several bloggers and podcasters to litigation and dismissals. Apple recently took bloggers to court to stem the flow of leaked proprietary information. Delta Airlines recently fired an airline attendant for putting what they considered inappropriate images in her blog. In May, a podcaster was fired from his job, because it was apparently too naughty for South Carolina. "Freedom of speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Internet bullies shouldn't use the law to stifle legitimate free expression," notes the EFF site. "That's why EFF created this guide, compiling a number of FAQs designed to help you understand your rights and, if necessary, defend your freedom." Posted by jlewin at 06:05 PM | Comments (0) TVGuide.com Launches Exclusive Weekly Podcast
"TV Guide Online is very excited to add podcasting to our online editorial coverage," says Dave Bovenschulte, vice president, TVGuide.com. "TV Guide Talk is a great way for our customers to get up close and personal with our writers in a brand new way." The initial lineup of content for each podcast includes: Entertainment News: Breaking news and inside scoop from the world of entertainment reported with flair by Michael Ausiello, TVGuide.com news director and TV Guide magazine columnist. Watercooler: A fun, insightful, candid discussion about the week's most buzz-worthy television shows by editors and writers from TVGuide.com. Ask Ausiello: Answers to TVGuide.com readers' burning questions about TV shows and stars, answered by Michael Ausiello - an audio version of one of the website's most popular columns. FlickChick: Reviews of upcoming movies and answers to reader questions about films past and present by Maitland McDonagh, TVGuide.com senior editor and film critic. The Week Ahead: Recommendations for what listeners should watch on TV, on DVD or in theaters, along with exclusive previews of upcoming content from TVGuide.com, TV Guide magazine and the TV Guide Channel. Other features in the works for TV GUIDE TALK include exclusive celebrity interviews, listener voice mail and unique audio games. Posted by elisabeth at 03:28 PM | Comments (0) PodBlaze Launches Online Podcast Service
According to Rodney Rumford, founder of Podblaze, "We wanted to make podcasting so easy that any business or individual that wanted to create a podcast could do so in 3 easy steps in under 5 minutes." The site lets you create and host a podcast with web-based tools. PodBlaze Features:
Posted by jlewin at 08:51 AM | Comments (0) AmiPodder Brings Podcasts to the Amiga
AmiPodder lets you to download podcasts to your Amiga. Once a podcast has been downloaded, AmiPodder can play it using MP3 software on your Amiga and and can also copy it onto a portable MP3 player for listening anywhere. AmiPodder is not a way to connect an Apple iPod music player to an Amiga, though. Williams notes that AmiPodder's sync function only works with music players that can play music copied on to their internal storage using Workbench. Features:
Requirements:
Full istallation and usage instructions can be found in the HTML documentation included in the AmiPodder archive. Posted by jlewin at 08:16 AM | Comments (0) June 10, 2005Podcast Celebrates All Things Duct Tape
To spread the word of the second annual Avon Heritage Duct Tape Festival, which takes place Father's Day weekend in Avon, Ohio, Henkel has created the first podcast dedicated to duct tape. Tape Talk hosts, Angela Foradori, Jennifer Kramer and Justin Sikora, hold a four-part discussion featuring a series of guests from the world of duct tape, including Avon Heritage Duct Tape Festival committee member, Heather Sefcik; world-renowned authors and comedians, Jim and Tim, The Duct Tape Guys; professional duct tape artist, Todd Scott; and Cleveland Institute of Art sculpture student and co-creator of a 15-foot-tall duct tape dragon, Zachary Shocklee. The conversations explore the fascination people have with duct tape, the underground world of duct tape arts and crafts, music celebrating the sticky stuff's many uses, and what makes Avon the "Duct Tape Capital" of the world and perfect host for the only festival devoted to duct tape. The 10 to 15 minutes of recorded music, banter and duct tape humor will be posted on the Avon Duct Tape Festival site throughout the week prior to the festival, beginning on Monday, June 13, and concluding with the final podcast on Thursday, June 16 - posting one new podcast each day. Posted by jlewin at 02:46 PM | Comments (0) Jobs WWDC Keynote Available - Features Apple iPod & Podcast NewsApple has posted a QuickTime streaming video of CEO Steve Job's keynote address at the WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference). The event is Apple’s most important annual event for hardware and software developers. Highlights of the keynote include a discussion of iTunes & iPod market share, podcasting and the switch to Intel cpu's. Regarding podcasting, Jobs declared that "We're going to make this even easier, because you're not going to have to go download other applications and get all sorts of stuff together to make this happen. We're going to build it right into iTunes and iPod." Jobs announced plans to build a podcast directory into the iTunes music store. In the keynote, Job's demonstrated 1-click subscribing within iTunes. He also announced an Apple podcast. Jobs summed it up by saying that Apple was "going to take podcasting mainstream so that anyone can do it." 16 Million iPods Sold, 76% Market Share
iTunes Music Store The music store has had 430 Million Downloads, and has 82% market share.
Podcasting Jobs also gives a good introduction to podcasting.
Posted by jlewin at 04:47 AM | Comments (1) FeedBurner Says Podcasting on the RiseFeedBurner can't be accused of hyperbole. They've updated their chart of the growing number of FeedBurner-managed podcasts, and given it the subdued title "Podcasting on the Rise". FeedBurner manages approximately 60,000 feeds, just over 6,000 of which are podcasts. The chart details the growth in FeedBurner podcast feeds since they launched their SmartCast service at the end of last year.
According to Burning Questions, the official FeedBurner weblog, "It took us nine weeks to manage our first thousand podcasts, and we added our most recent thousand podcasts in under a month." Notable is the number of podcast enclosures that are being created. FeedBurner podcasts have referenced over 49,700 enclosures, or about 8 per podcast. They also note that the average number of subscribers per podcast is 65, discounting podcasts with less than 5 subscribers. Posted by jlewin at 02:48 AM | Comments (0) June 09, 20055 Myths of Podcasting: Myth 3 - Odeo/Apple/Paris Hilton (Insert Famous Company or Person Here) Will Make Podcasting LegitCommentary: Elle Webb One of the most popular angles in mainstream media reports on podcasting is that some famous person or company has announced a podcast which is going to make podcasting legitimate or mainstream. One day the company is Odeo, the next it's Apple. One day the celebrity is Paris Hilton, the next it's Rush "I am the hottest thing in podcasting" Limbaugh. This focus on the famous and the status quo promotes the view that there is some threshold of either quality or exposure that will make podcasting a legitimate technology. Podcasters don't need somebody trying to make money off of them to be legit. They don't need to have audiences of thousands of listeners to legitimize what they do. Podcasting is already legit. Try to tell Dawn and Drew, or NASA, or the BBC or the Catholic Insider, or any of the dozens of churches that use podcasting to distribute religious messages, that they aren't legit. Try to tell Eric Rice, or the people at RocketBoom, or John Edwards podcasting from his kitchen that what they are doing isn't exciting, important or innovative. Try to get the fans of the hundreds of music podcasts that are available excited about a corporate podcast offering. There will be hugely popular podcasts, with audiences that dwarf others. There will also be corporate podcasts that make big splashes, and generate a lot of excitement. The real story of podcasting, though, is that it eliminates barriers to entry, drives down costs to almost nothing, and makes small, focused shows feasible. These shows may appeal to niche audiences, but together are likely to receive much of the attention of listeners. People that are waiting for hugely popular podcasts to emerge are missing an important point: podcasting will soon offer listeners tens of thousands of options. The wealth of options will dwarf what's available via terrestial radio or satellite. Most podcasts will have a relatively small number of listeners, but these listeners will be dedicated and passionate. Podcasts about topics of limited interest will be able to find devoted audiences of people from around the world. Commercial opportunities for niche programming will grow with the audiences. Big companies and famous names are excited about podcasting, because they know it's the "next big thing". This is the same hype that surrounded blogging a year or so ago. But how much of an impression have big companies made in the world of blogging? Sure, there are big company web blogs, blogs by famous people and blogs tied to commercial events. What's interesting about blogging, though, is how little control or influence big companies and famous people have had. What's interesting is the diversity of views and opinions and approaches that are offered. What's interesting is that new voices have emerged that weren't being heard prior to the rise of blogging. The same thing is happening in the world of podcasting. There may already be a podcast sponsored by a car maker, a beer manufacturer, a record company, a newspaper and a movie. And there are famous people podcasting, too. But these podcasts haven't captured the interest of listeners like the podcasts of NASA, of a Catholic priest, or of even a couple in a barn in Wisconsin. Podcasters aren't waiting to go legit. They are waiting for the media to realize just how legit they already are. Myth 2 - Podcasters are Wacky and Unprofessional Posted by jlewin at 07:51 AM | Comments (3) June 08, 2005NY Hotel Features Ultimate Suite for Podcasters
Here are the room specs:
Pricing: The staff at Tribeca Grand is receiving special training and there will be a help line that feeds right into New York's Apple Store in Soho. Tribeca Grand will also offer guests portable Apple technology with the Posted by jlewin at 01:51 PM | Comments (1) SNP Communications Intros Corporate Podcasting ServiceSNP Communications has announced that it is offering corporate podcast services to let executives deliver breaking news to internal audiences. SNP can handle all aspects of corporate podcast creation, from full content development to password-protected RSS feed management. "We've spent ten years helping corporations produce audio programs with targeted, audience-relevant content," said Maureen Taylor, SNP President. "Our programs are delivered to audiences like sales forces, partners, or even entire corporations. We deliver these programs on CD and as MP3s, so podcasting provides us another delivery method for what we already do." SNP regularly produces interview-driven audio programs for Oracle, Cisco, Juniper, Sun Microsystems, Network Appliance and other corporations. "We take advantage of any delivery method available to disseminate our clients' information," said Joe Mullen, VP of sales for SNP Communications. "But the delivery is really secondary to quality content. Our focus is developing content and messaging that maximizes a business leader's impact." Posted by jlewin at 07:56 AM | Comments (0) Rush Limbaugh Declares "I am the hottest thing in podcasting"After just three days of making his show available to subscribers, Rush Limbaugh has declared that "I am the hottest thing in podcasting". Limbaugh added in a transcript on his Rush 24/7 site: Jobs did a little bit on podcasting to 3,000 people out there in some hotel in San Francisco. He talked about podcasting and how everybody is doing it. He said, "Even the professionals are doing it." Even the professionals. A big list of professionals went up there on the screen behind him on the stage, giant, giant projection screen, and there was one name of one individual involved in podcasting, and it was mine. Jobs made one mistake. He made one mistake. "Podcasting is the hottest thing in radio." That's not the way to put this. I am the hottest thing in podcasting. This program is the hottest thing in podcasting. Podcasting is not the hottest thing in radio. This is the hottest thing in radio and this is the hottest thing in podcasting, but people that are not in this business and still learning about it, will eventually have the truth come their way." Posted by jlewin at 06:57 AM | Comments (14) June 07, 2005NPR Wants Your Ideas About Podcasts
Some NPR member stations are podcasting some of their more popular locally-produced programs, including Overbooked from KCRW in Santa Monica, California; and On The Media from WNYC in New York. One NPR staple, Talk of the Nation Science Friday is already offered in podcast format. If you'd like to see more NPR program offerings made available in this format, this might be a great way to let their program directors know. Posted by elisabeth at 03:20 PM | Comments (11) Poker Expert Phil Gordon Bets on PodcastingPoker expert, Phil Gordon, is making a daily journal-style podcast from Las Vegas, where, this week, the 2005 World Series of Poker is taking place. Gordon, a professional poker player and co-host of TV's "Celebrity Poker Showdown, will provide fans with a table-eye view of the action on the playing floor. He will explain the thought process, strategy, and twists and turns as they unfold in poker's premiere event. The grand prize in this card tournament is an estimated $10 million in cash and the title of World Series of Poker Champion. Gordon's podcast is scheduled to be transmitted daily throughout the tournament through the Final Table on July 15th. Mixed into Phil's early commentary are his interviews with world-class poker pros and celebrities such as Daniel Negreanu, Layne Flack, Erick Lindgren, Annie Duke, and James Woods. Posted by elisabeth at 12:14 PM | Comments (0) California Governor Schwarzenegger - Podcastinator?
According to the Governor's website, the podcast project aims to bring "the people of California closer in touch with their Governor." Posted by elisabeth at 11:26 AM | Comments (4) 5 Myths of Podcasting: Myth 2 - Podcasters are Wacky and UnprofessionalCommentary: Elle Webb It seems like every mainstream discussion of podcasting has to start with a mention of how unprofessional some shows sound, how somebody records their show while they bike or drive to work, how people are podcasting in their pajamas or how some podcasters ramble on about nothing. There's an element of truth to all this - there are thousands of podcasts, and most of them are put together by amateurs. Many of these are poorly produced, or self-indulgent. These podcasts, though, are in no way representative of podcasting as a whole. They are representative of the idea that 90% of just about anything is garbage. In reality, most popular podcasts are fairly well-produced. Top podcasts, like Adam Curry's, Weekend America, or NASA's, have similar production values to traditional radio shows. Some of the earliest "breakout" podcasts feature personalities that spew colorful language and views. The poster child for this has been Dawn Miceli, whose wit and irreverent views have helped make the Dawn and Drew Show an early podcasting hit. While some may view podcasters discussing controversial topics or speaking with obscenities as wacky or unprofessional, is it any different than Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh playing fast and loose with facts, or Howard Stern "sexing up" his show with salacious talk? One of the defining features of podcasting is that it's a world free of many of the rules of traditional broadcasting. This means the language may be coarser and the subject matter rawer than what you'll hear on traditional radio. None of this is particularly shocking to Net-saavy listeners, though it may surprise those unfamiliar with the freedoms available on the Internet. Another defining feature of podcasting is that technology has driven the cost of producing an Internet audio show down to the point of being insignificant. Anybody with a computer, a mic, an Internet connection, and an idea can make a podcast. If many of the ideas expressed are mundane, it doesn't invalidate the technology or the importance to podcasters of being able to express their ideas. So, don't dismiss podcasters as wacky and unprofessional. The bottom line is, producing a daily or weekly show that is interesting and sounds decent is a lot of work. If you listen to any of the top podcasts, you'll find that they are competently produced, interesting, and feature creative work that might not find a home on traditional radio. And that's not so wacky, after all! Myth 1 - Podcasting is Tivo for Radio Posted by jlewin at 12:26 AM | Comments (4) Sub Pop Records Says Podcast Our Music, Before We Change Our Mind
The label has added a podcast of their free music. According to Sub Pop's Dean Hudson, "We've basically set up our MP3 downloads (which we were offering as promotional freebees already) as an RSS 2.0 feed, so folks can suck them into their iPods ala iPodder and the like." Their FAQ elaborates on their somewhat tentative approach to podcasting: "You may incorporate any of the songs that are freely available as MP3s in the multimedia section of this website into your podcasts. HOWEVER, we do reserve the right to change our mind about the availability of any song for any reason at any time. Fickle, no?" Posted by jlewin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2) June 06, 2005One America Committee Intros John Edwards Video Podcast
According to the site, "The One America Videoblog was created as a forum to engage in a visual conversation." The initial podcasts feature viewer questions that are answered by Edwards, along with several short interviews, conducted by RocketBoom's Amanda Congdon. Regarding the role of the Internet in politics, Edwards notes "Communication over the Internet is becoming increasingly important." Edwards became the first major political figure to podcast with his One America Committee podcast. The site now features an online book club, podcast, video podcast and blog. In his first video podcasts, John Edwards discusses how the Internet has affected political campaigns and public discourse. According to Congdon, "When I learned that the Senator was interested in this medium I thought: what better a way for him to deliver his political message and communicate with people around the world. So, on the patio of his lovely home in Georgetown, John Edwards and I had a conversation. What an experience. I am very pleased to share our conversation with you." The video podcast is available in both Windows Media Format and Apple Quicktime. One America Committee Video Podcast (Quicktime) Posted by jlewin at 11:07 PM | Comments (1) Apple's Jobs Calls Podcasting "hottest thing going in radio"At Apple Computer's annual Worldwide Developer Conference, which runs June 6-10, Apple CEO Steve Jobs highlighted podcasting. According to a report at Cnet, Jobs previewed new features within iTunes for working with podcasts. "We see it as the hottest thing going in radio," he noted, mentioning the numerous podcasts, both amateur and professional, that are being produced. Posted by jlewin at 02:12 PM | Comments (2) 5 Myths of Podcasting: Myth 1 - Podcasting is Tivo for RadioCommentary: Elle Webb Over and over, when writers try to describe what podcasting is, they use the same worn-out metaphor: Podcasting is like Tivo for Radio. On first read, the comparison doesn't seem so bad. Both Tivo and podcasting do let you watch or listen to programming on-demand. They are both cool. They both let you avoid commercials. What's different about them? Just about everything else!
Comparing podcasting to Tivo is bit like dancing about architecture. Podcasting is not like Tivo for radio. Podcasting is using newsfeeds to distribute information about audio files. It's a way that you can use your computer to automatically download an amazing variety of shows, so you can listen to them (or watch them) at your convenience. It's not controlled by any company, so any one with a computer and an Internet connection can make a podcast. Tivo is a little like podcasting.....except that Tivo locks you into one vendor, Tivo only lets you watch the same junk that you already watch, Tivo's adoption rate is pretty slow, you have to buy Tivo, and Tivo does nothing for content producers. Myth 2 - Podcasters are Wacky and Unprofessional Posted by jlewin at 01:42 PM | Comments (3) Apple: Two Million Copies of OS X Tiger Shipped
Developer support for Tiger is also setting new records with hundreds of developers including Microsoft and Adobe announcing support for Tiger. To date third party developers have released more than 400 Dashboard widgets, 550 Automator actions and 40 Spotlight plug-ins for Tiger. “The response to Tiger is off the charts,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Critics are raving, customers are delighted and developers are creating hundreds of widgets and applications that take advantage of Tiger’s incredible innovations like Spotlight, Dashboard and Automator.” “With the new technologies in Tiger, we worked closely with Apple to ensure that Office 2004 customers would benefit by making it even easier to search, share and manage information,” said Roz Ho, general manager of the Macintosh Business Unit, Microsoft Corporation. “Whether searching for an Office 2004 document using Spotlight or synchronizing data in Entourage to another supported device, the innovation in Tiger means Office for Mac users will be more productive now and in the future.” “Tiger is an excellent release and will be relied on by millions of Adobe customers who, as creative professionals, change the way the world looks every day,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief operating officer at Adobe. “The combination of Adobe Creative Suite 2 and Tiger delivers a powerful design and publishing platform that will accelerate creative workflows worldwide.” Tiger delivers more than 200 new features and innovations including Spotlight, a revolutionary desktop search technology that lets users instantly find anything stored on their Mac, including documents, emails, contacts and images; and Dashboard, a new way to instantly access important information like weather forecasts and stock quotes, using a dazzling new class of applications called widgets. Posted by jlewin at 01:18 PM | Comments (0) Apple Announces Mac OS X Moving to Intel in 2006
Apple previewed a version of Mac OS X Tiger, running on an Intel-based Mac, to the over 3,800 developers attending CEO Steve Jobs’ keynote address. Apple also announced the availability of a Developer Transition Kit, consisting of an Intel-based Mac development system along with preview versions of Apple’s software, which will allow developers to prepare versions of their applications which will run on both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs. “Our goal is to provide our customers with the best personal computers in the world, and looking ahead Intel has the strongest processor roadmap by far,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “It’s been ten years since our transition to the PowerPC, and we think Intel’s technology will help us create the best personal computers for the next ten years.” “We are thrilled to have the world’s most innovative personal computer company as a customer,” said Paul Otellini, president and CEO of Intel. “Apple helped found the PC industry and throughout the years has been known for fresh ideas and new approaches. We look forward to providing advanced chip technologies, and to collaborating on new initiatives, to help Apple continue to deliver innovative products for years to come.” “We plan to create future versions of Microsoft Office for the Mac that support both PowerPC and Intel processors,” said Roz Ho, general manager of Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit. “We have a strong relationship with Apple and will work closely with them to continue our long tradition of making great applications for a great platform.” “We think this is a really smart move on Apple’s part and plan to create future versions of our Creative Suite for Macintosh that support both PowerPC and Intel processors,” said Bruce Chizen, CEO of Adobe. The Developer Transition Kit is available starting today for $999 to all Apple Developer Connection Select and Premier members. Further information for Apple Developer Connection members is available at developer.apple.com. Intel plans to provide industry leading development tools support for Apple later this year, including the Intel C/C++ Compiler for Apple, Intel Fortran Compiler for Apple, Intel Math Kernel Libraries for Apple and Intel Integrated Performance Primitives for Apple. Posted by jlewin at 01:08 PM | Comments (0) June 05, 2005Voice of America Announces PodcastsVoice of America (VOA), an international broadcasting service funded by the US government, has added Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds to its website, so you can select the specific categories of news you are interested in and have them fed directly into your RSS reader. To use an RSS feed, copy the URL and paste it into your RSS News Reader, or click on the XML link next to the topic and follow the instructions for your Reader. VOA is also making it easier to download MP3 audio files of programs for later listening. From their podcasts page, you can hear news analysis and talk programs like Encounter and Press Conference USA, the science and technology program Our World, and Special English, a program for learning American English. You can also download Border Crossings, the all-request music show from VOA Music Mix. According to their site, "Podcasts are coming soon to VOA, so you will be able to receive automatic updates whenever a new audio file is available of your favorite programs. Until then, you may download MP3s of a number of our shows here, for later listening at your leisure." Posted by jlewin at 11:56 PM | Comments (1) Wisconsin Radio Station Featuring Band's Podcast
The Sunspot Road Mania podcast is a collection of rock and roll stories, local and independent music, discussion, soundseeing tours, and other fun that the band records as they travel from gig to gig. Sunspot was awarded the 2005 Wisconsin Area Music Industry award for Group of the Year, and their last album, Loser of the Year, won the 2004 Madison Area Music Award for Best Rock Album. WNRB, 93.3 FM, is a community-oriented station that serves listeners throughout the central part of the Wisconsin. Sunspot Road Mania Podcast Details Posted by jlewin at 11:21 AM | Comments (0) June 03, 2005HP Adds Branded iPod MiniHP has added the Apple iPod mini to its line of digital music players. The Apple iPod mini from HP is available in two models: the 4 gigabyte (GB) version holding up to 1,000 songs and the 6 GB version holding up to 1,500 songs. Both versions feature a touch-sensitive click wheel for easy, one-handed navigation, battery life of up to 18 hours, USB charging and an ultra-portable, lightweight design. The music players also include earbud headphones, a belt clip and a USB 2.0 cable. HP also unveiled its new HP Printable Tattoos for the Apple iPod mini from HP, which allow consumers to personalize their digital accessories with artwork, designs and photography. During the next six months, HP will roll out more than 300 new images, including album art from the hottest bands and recording artists, as well as unique artwork. The new Tattoo gallery features sports, nature, lifestyle and art sections in addition to many other categories. Consumers can explore the full gallery of Tattoo designs at www.hp.com/music. These ultra-thin HP Printable Tattoos are easy to apply and remove from the iPod mini's exterior. Durable and water-resistant, the Tattoos help to protect the iPod mini from scratches while adding a touch of personal style. Consumers can print their mini Tattoos from an HP Photosmart 375 Compact Photo Printer. The printer uses HP Vivera Inks to deliver amazing color, which gives the Tattoos a rich and vibrant look that enhances any design consumers choose. HP Printable Tattoos are sold in packs of five printable glossy paper sheets that are pre-cut to fit the Apple iPod mini from HP. The retail price for HP Printable Tattoos for the iPod mini is $9.99.(2) Consumers can also personalize their listening experience through iTunes, software that is preinstalled on all HP PCs, enabling consumers to download music and manage it in a variety of ways to match their tastes and styles. The iPod mini's USB 2.0 cable connects to a PC and enables consumers to easily sync up their music and playlists. Both models of the iPod mini as well as the Apple iPod from HP 20 GB, 30 GB and 60 GB, are backed by HP's Tal Care customer support. This includes one year of phone support and a one-year limited warranty. The Apple iPod mini from HP as well as HP Printable Tattoos and accessories are available to consumers in the United States and Canada online at hpshopping.com starting June 5, and shortly thereafter at major retailers, including Radio Shack, Sears and Wal-Mart. Posted by jlewin at 02:55 PM | Comments (0) IAS Intros iPodcast Creator
The newest addition to their product line, iPodcast Creator is developed by the same design and engineering team that created iPodcast Producer. Recently, The New York Times referred to iPodcast Producer as “a noteworthy example…of a new class of software.” The idea behind the two products is the same. A single, easy-to-use interface removes the need to go from program to program in order to record, edit, create an RSS feed, and upload a podcast. An online tutorial guides users step by step through the process. According to IAS CEO Tom Jeffries, “iPodcast Creator lets everybody with the desire to start podcasting do so quickly and easily with a complete set of tools." Posted by jlewin at 02:23 PM | Comments (0) Apple Announces Free iPod Recycling ProgramApple has announced a free recycling program for iPods. Apple had come under fire from environmentalists for making products that were difficult or impossible to recycle. The Computer Take Back campaign urged Apple to "live up to its ethical reputation and take leadership to stop the growing mountain of toxic electronic waste from poisoning our families and communities. It should develop the best recycling system for its used machines and build cleaner and safer electronic products."
Customers can bring iPods they no longer want to any of Apple’s 100 retail stores in the US for free environmentally friendly disposal, and those who drop off an iPod, iPod mini or iPod photo will receive a 10 percent discount on the purchase of a new iPod that day. iPods received for recycling in the US are processed domestically and no hazardous material is shipped overseas. More details of Apple’s worldwide recycling programs are available at apple.com/environment. Posted by jlewin at 02:08 PM | Comments (1) Kiptronic Launches Podcast Promotion Exchange NetworkKiptronic has announced the launch of its podcast promotion exchange network. Podcasters participating in Kiptronic's promo exchange can select and play one another's promos without manually modifying their original mp3 files. Built on an open-source webserver plugin developed by Apache veteran Ryan Bloom, Kiptronic's open architecture allows podcasters to keep control over their podcasts as they participate in the promotion exchange. Podcasting News recently asked Jonathan Cobb, one of the founders of Kiptronic, about this new venture. How does your podcast promotion exchange network work? J.Cobb: We give complete control to the podcaster. They don't need to use any proprietary tools, or even host their podcast with us. Podcasters install Kiptronic's small open-source webserver plugin into their Apache webserver. When listeners request their podcast, the plugin talks to the Kiptronic server and inserts the promos on-the-fly, based on which promo-exchange agreements the podcaster has entered into (via the Kiptronic website). Alternatively, Kiptronic can also mirror any podcast. In this case the podcaster would give their listeners an URL like http://feeds.kiptronic.com/MyPodcast and Kiptronic would perform the promo insertions instead of using our webserver module. Is there a charge for using the network? J.Cobb: No, it is totally free. Later this summer we plan to deliver ads through our network. Podcasters will never be required to carry ads. If they do decide to carry ads, they will pick which ones they'll play, and get paid for how many listeners hear the ads. The way that Kiptronic dynamically mixes podcast content with 3rd-party content at request-time might remind you a little of Google AdSense. Roughly speaking, that's where we're going with this.
J.Cobb: First they should search our promo exchange and find a podcaster they'd like to swap promos with. Then they could register at: http://kiptronic.com/podcaster/signup2.do , upload their promos, and start swapping.
J.Cobb: Ryan Bloom and I built the service together. Ryan did the Apache-module piece (which handles the actual promo-insertions on-the-fly), and I did the website and promo-exchange piece, which is the management infrastructure that ties it all together. Ryan is a good friend of mine whom I've worked with in the past. You can read more about his Apache work at: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/au/167
J.Cobb: We're a small team right now. I'm heading the company as CEO and lead developer. We have 2 other developers, one graphic designer, and a product manager. We're expecting to grow considerably in the next 6-9 months. Are you podcasters, too? J. Cobb: I used to host an online radio show in the pre-podcasting days, but I haven't yet setup my own podcast. I've been meaning to get to that, but I've been too busy building Kiptronic :).
J.Cobb: I enjoy many of the IT conversations podcasts. I also like some fiction podcasts like Paul Story's Tom Corven. Thanks for answering our questions about Kiptronic. If podcasters have additional interest or quetions, how can they reach you? J.Cobb: Our site is at http://kiptronic.com/. Podcasters can join our promo exchange network today, by signing up at kiptronic.com. If podcasters are looking to get in touch with me personally, they can reach me at Jonathan at Kiptronic dot com. Posted by elisabeth at 02:00 PM | Comments (0) NPR: Papers Turn to PodcastingNPR is reporting that newspapers are "desperate to reach a more mobile audience", and that they are turning to podcasting. A growing number now offer Internet radio programs, sending stories from their pages to iPods and other players. In the story, available via streaming media, Frank Langfitt discusses podcasting at the Philadelphia Daily and the Denver Post. NPR: Papers Turn to Podcasting, the Newest of Media News and Media Podcast Directory Posted by jlewin at 08:40 AM | Comments (0) June 02, 2005CBC Developing Weekly Show About Blogging and PodcastingPodcaster and technology columnist Tod Maffin, host of the /Nerd podcast, has announced plans for a CBC Radio weekly on-air program about the blogosphere and podcast community, using the voices of audio bloggers and podcasters. CBC Radio, Canada's public broadcaster, has commissioned Maffin to host and produce the show. Should the pilot get approved, the program will likely be called The Feed. Maffin has posted some FAQ's for interested podcasters: WHEN WILL THIS SHOW AIR? Eeeeeasy there pardner, it’s not quite a show yet. It’s a pilot for now, which means that I’m producing a single “sample” episode for the powers that be. If they like that pilot, then it will get a time slot. So we’re still really just pitching it. DO YOU THINK IT’LL GET ON THE AIR? I sure hope so! But I need your help! Point me to your best moments on your podcasts. Posted by jlewin at 09:18 PM | Comments (0) Thunderbird Update to Feature Podcast Support
According to Mozilla's Thunderbird 2.0 Roadmap, podcast support is to be added in the 1.1 release, scheduled for late June 2005. 1.1 Goals Posted by jlewin at 08:57 PM | Comments (0) Psychiatrist Announces Podcast: How Does This Make You Feel?Psychiatrist Dr. John Burrows has introduced the first podcast about psychiatry, Thoughts on Psychiatry. The podcast presents an inside view of what psychiatry is and how it works. "People have a natural curiosity about psychiatry," notes Burrows. "My podcast is a great way for them to find out from a doctor's perspective what it's all about." Previous show topics include a discussion on 16 red flags new patients present to doctors and the goal of medication in treating psychological disorders. The most recent episode describes the unique challenges that borderline patients present to doctors. "I love technology, and thought that podcasting was a great new way to reach people," explained Dr. Burrows. "I'm proud to be the first psychiatrist to join the podcast world." Thoughts on Psychiatry Podcast Details Posted by jlewin at 08:50 PM | Comments (0) Go Daddy Sponsors Geek News Podcast
Go Daddy is a web hosting service provider that gained notoriety for its superbowl commercials featuring a wardrobe-impaired Candice Michelle. Geek News Central is technical weblog for Geeks edited by Todd Cochrane. Cochrane hosts the Geek News Central podcast, and is also the author of the first book on podcasting, Podcasting: The Do It Yourself Guide. Readers of the Geek News Central website and listeners of the Geek News Central podcast will be offered special pricing on Go Daddy products. "This is one of the first long-term sponsorship deals to hit the Podcasting Channel," says Todd Cochrane. "I have used Go Daddy products for a long time, and their product line is one I endorse and stand behind." Geek News Central Podcast Details Posted by jlewin at 08:02 PM | Comments (0) Clear Channel, Infinity, Rush to PodcastBillboard is reporting that both Clear Channel Radio and Infinity are rushing to bring existing content to the podcasting world. Clear Channel plans to offer podcasts on a subscription basis for its "premium content", such as the Rush Limbaugh show and Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Starting Monday, it will be podcasting selections from WHTZ (Z100) New York morning show. Infinity plans to offer free daily podcasts from its nine news stations. WINS (1010 WINS) New York will be the first, starting in July. The podcasts will feature news, entertainment, sports & business coverage. Infinity’s news stations include WINS, WCBS-AM New York, KFWB and KNX Los Angeles, WBBM-AM Chicago, KCBS San Francisco, KYW Philadelphia, WBZ Boston and WWJ Detroit. Posted by jlewin at 07:38 PM | Comments (0) New Freeware Podcasting App in BetaDeveloper Alfredo Romo has introduced PodProducer, a new freeware podcasting application. Romo is electronics systems engineer in Guadalajara, México. He has been making software for radio stations for the past 15 years. "The idea behind PodProducer is to make it a little easier for everyone that wants to produce it's own podcast," notes Romo. The application is now in beta and is available as a free download. Features: * 3 Main playing decks, each with individual in and out cue, level and position controls. Romo says that he plans to keep PodProducer freeware. Posted by jlewin at 07:00 AM | Comments (4) June 01, 2005Great Bolshy Yarblockos! Will Beethoven Get a Podcast?
BBC Radio 3 will clear its schedule to broadcast The Beethoven Experience – the complete works of Beethoven in one week – and BBC Television will mount its biggest retrospective devoted to the works of one composer, taking viewers on a journey through Beethoven's dramatic life and greatest music. "Radio 3 is delighted to offer innovative ways of experiencing classical music," said Roger Wright, Controller, Radio 3. "We hope this experiment brings more people into contact with Beethoven's work and encourages them to explore it further themselves." While the BBC has announced plans for the free downloads, it's unclear whether a podcast feed will be available. All Beethoven symphonies, performed by the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester and conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, will be broadcast during the BBC's Beethoven season and then made available as mp3 files at bbc.co.uk/radio3. The one-off project aims to gauge audiences' appetite for music downloads and their preferred content, and will inform the development of the BBC strategy for audio downloads and on demand content. Simon Nelson, Controller of BBC Radio and Music Interactive, explained: "Downloading technologies can transform the value we deliver to listeners and make our programmes more accessible for both new and existing audiences." The downloads will be available for one week after broadcast, with dates as follows: Symphonies 1 to 5 (broadcast in Afternoon Performance, 2.00-3.40pm): Nos. 1 and 3 on Monday 6 June and nos. 2, 4 and 5 on Tuesday 7 June; Then symphonies 6 to 9: no.6 on Monday 27 June, no. 7 on Tuesday 28 June, no. 8 on Wednesday 29 June and no. 9 on Thursday 30 June. Posted by jlewin at 12:25 PM | Comments (2) First Podcast About Snoring IntroducedAuthor Rob Simon has created the world's first snoring podcast. "A dubious achievement at best!" notes Simon. Based on his book, Snore No More, the podcast features humor, useful information and the world's first snoring sypmpony. Listeners can play guess the famous snorer, learn snoring facts and find out how to say "snoring" in many languages. Posted by jlewin at 12:32 AM | Comments (3) PodBlaster.net Features French PodcastsFrench podcasts have a new home on the the Web, Per the site: PodBlaster.net est le premier site en français dédié au podcasting. Nous souhaitons faire la promotion du podcasting francophone et ce site est un espace de contact entre les podcasteurs et leurs auditeurs. Nous proposons une première version préliminaire de notre annuaire, les podcasteurs francophones sont encore peu nombreux. The site features dozens of podcasts in 17 categories. Posted by jlewin at 12:18 AM | Comments (3) |
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Copyright 2004-5 Podcasting News
Apple has announced that, after just two days, iTunes customers have subscribed to more than one million podcasts through the iTunes Podcast Directory.
Friday Reception
Podcasting appears to be taking over the world! Kristoffer Friis sends word from Denmark that Danmarks Radio has started podcasting.
Odeo, a podcast site that features tools for finding, listening to, and publishing podcasts has launched to a limited group of users. 
blinkx has introduced Podcast and Video Blog channels to 
Webcast in a Box has released an open source software library that enables web developers to rapidly create podcast publishing systems.
Purina has launched its first podcasting and mobile marketing campaign. 
Podcasting News is offering podcasters a unique opportunity to win the first book on podcasting published, Podcasting: The Do It Yourself Guide.
Podcaster Greg Cangialosi recently produced a 
Fans of old-time country and bluegrass music will want to check out the 
At Gnomedex 5, being held June 23-25th in Seattle, Washington, Microsoft gave its first public preview of Internet Explorer 7. The latest version of IE7 adds RSS support. 
iPodderX has been updated to resolve problems that some podcasters were seeing with multiple downloads of the same file. Podcasters had reported that the iPodderX podcast client was 
The iPodder team has released version 2.1 of the popular free podcast client. 
Detroit Band The Transfer is using podcasting to promote their latest release, Romantics & Addicts. Their single, 
A transcript of Steve Jobs' podcasting comments at the recent Apple World Wide Developers Conference:
Reporters Without Borders, an international association that promotes freedom of the press, has expressed disgust at the way Microsoft is censoring the Chinese version of its blog tool, MSN Spaces.
Jordi Mir has introduced a new online podcast client that uses a virtual iPod-like interface, MirPod. 
Sony Ericsson announced its latest Walkman mobile phone, the Sony Ericsson W600, in New York on Monday. A unique all-in-one compact device, the W600 can handle phone calls while listening to digital music (or podcasts), capture great quality mega pixel images and video, experience 3D game play as well as access the Internet and e-mail.
Smartfeed, a free podcast aggregator, has recently announced its portability to the Pocket PC device. SmartFeed is a free podcast client which lets users browse their feed list, select and update feeds, and download new podcasts.
The Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF) has published Legal Guide for Bloggers, "a basic roadmap to the legal issues you may confront as a blogger, to let you know you have rights, and to encourage you to blog freely with the knowledge that your legitimate speech is protected."
TVGuide.com, the online version of the magazine covering television and entertainment news and information, has launched 
A new site, Podblaze.com, has announced a service that they claim makes "Podcasting so easy that your mom could do it.".
A new podcast promises to be the perfect soundtrack for your next home-improvement project. Henkel Consumer Adhesives has come out with a podcast celebrating the many uses of duct tape. 
Podcasters and video podcasters looking for the ultimate place to stay in New York need look no further. The Tribeca Grand Hotel has announced their new iStudio - a premium room outfitted with the digital pioneer Apple's latest multimedia technology.
One America, John Edwards' cutting-edge political site, has taken the leap from audio podcasting to video podcasting. The site has added a videoblog that features Edwards' views on a variety of political issues. 
Apple has announced that it expects to deliver over two million copies of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger by the end of this week, including copies sold at retail, copies delivered under maintenance agreements and copies bundled with Mac systems shipped, making Tiger Apple’s fastest selling OS release ever.
At its Worldwide Developer Conference today, Apple announced plans to deliver models of its Macintosh computers using Intel microprocessors by this time next year, ending months of speculation. Apple plans to transition all of its Macs to using Intel microprocessors by the end of 2007.
WNRB, a Central Wisconsin community radio station, has joined the list of terrestrial radio stations that are adapting to the new world of podcasting. They playing the Sunspot Road Mania podcast, recorded in the touring van of the Madison, Wisconsin rock band, Sunspot.
Podcasting support is in the works for Thunderbird, Mozilla's open-source email client. 
PodBlaster.net.