There’s Something Happening Here

The New
York Times, always on the cutting edge, weighs in today on the latest
development in cyberspace – podcasting! It is actually quite
lengthy, although far from comprehensive (they leave out Dave Winer entirely,
and his landmark first podcast live from the Democratic convention, during
which the Dowbrigade scoffed at the whole idea of podcasting "It’ll never  catch
on" we predicted), and worth reading or sending to people who have no
idea what everyone is getting so excited about.

It starts out blandly enough:

Ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, podcasts are essentially
do-it-yourself recorded radio programs posted online. Anyone can download
them free, and, using special software, listeners can subscribe to favorite
shows and even have them automatically downloaded to a portable digital
music player.

However, what is cool, and clearly differentiates reading the New York
Times electronic edition, and especially the versions of the articles
that come via RSS aggregation, from reading the paper version off line
is the meat of the article; a tour of the topic, from individual great
podcasts (Mr. X, Insomnia
Radio, Catholic
Insider) to sites to find and search
podcasts (Podcast Alley and Podcasting
News) to radio stations that ‘cast (WGBH in Boston, Q107 in Toronto
and BBC Radio) and new specialized software for podcasting (Make
Propaganda and Industrial
Audio Software) and dozens more. And,
just like in this blog, in the electronic version of this article, every
podcast,
product
name
or interesting site is a live link, accessible just a click away.  Why
would anyone even read the poor paper version of an article like this
when the online version is a toolbox for exploring, and even getting
started, in the subject?

Finally, let us note once again that unlike the New
York Times web site, where the links stop working after 48 hours,
the links to the articles that arrive via aggregator LAST FOREVER, and can form a
permanent resource for exploring, demonstrating, presenting or explaining
podcasting. Lately we have been reading the New York Times in cyber-buddy
Pito Salas’ superb new Java aggregator, BlogBridge,
and after an initial period of adjustment we can report it is a superior
experience.  We
have learned to manage different streams, store articles for later reading,
tag to delicious, etc. In addition to getting the articles anywhere between
6 and 24 hours before the see the light of day in print, and for free,
we find it much easier to blog directly from the aggregator.

The other day a Times drone telemarketer called (during the dinner hour
of course) and asked if we wanted to re subscribe.  It was tough
not to laugh out loud, but we realized the poor bastard would be doing
a better job if he could find one, and just hung up. On the other hand,
we do end up buying the paper version once or twice a week. It’s hard
to read the electronic version in the barber’s chair, or waiting for
a dentist appointment, or on the train. For now, anyway.

podcasting article from today’s New
York Times