More about Podcasting
Some of you have asked about the link to Coverville o'er yonder in the sidebar. Well, see, there's this new thing called "Podcasting." Basically, it's broadcasting to yer iPod or other portable music player. Like TiVo for radio, or an audio blog. Today's New York Times has a front-page article about it.
...a podcast, a kind of recording that, thanks to a technology barely six months old, anyone can make on a computer and then post to a Web site, where it can be downloaded to an iPod or any MP3 player to be played at the listener's leisure. ...
Here's the bit about Coverville:
Brian Ibbott had always loved making mixed tapes and CD's. His podcast, "Coverville," has become one of Podcastalley's most popular, and in many ways it is like a real radio show, without the advertising. Sunday is all-request day, and listeners can call in their requests. Mr. Ibbott, 35, plays back their recorded requests before the songs.
"I don't know that I'm doing it so much as a protest against radio as I am to develop the radio show I always wanted to hear," said Mr. Ibbott, who lives in Colorado. The last great radio station nearby, he said, was bought out by Clear Channel. "And they got the same playlist everyone else did."
I've found something to like about nearly ever show he puts out, and the technology makes it such that it takes virtually no work on my part to keep my iPod updated with new shows. The guy is super-nice, has always emailed me back, and plays my requests when he can.
That said, you don't need an iPod, or really any portable music player to listen to podcasts. They're all in MP3 format, so you can listen to them right at your computer. Check out Podcastalley for lots more shows.