KickStartNews November Issue is up!

KickStartNews for November is up everybody with a bunch of reviews of PC and PDA software. The newsletter is also out with my HotLinks article, and once again, my wonderful editor has given me the OK to post it up here too. I chose a little different route this time out with a piece on podcasting. Check out the article and email me (or place a comment at the end of this post) if you have any questions or podcast suggestions.

Podcasting

We are going to take a bit of a different turn in this Hot Links issue and speak not of theme related web sites but of a new media delivery system called podcasting.

Podcasting is the natural progression of a web log (blog) or personal internet diary for those of you are really new to this topic. From the written word in a blog we have been seeing a lot of audio blogs, or embedded MP3s of the writer voicing his thoughts in accompaniment to his or her written words.

Adam Curry, a very popular internet personality asked himself if it was not possible to include his audio blog as a part of his RSS feed –that being web code that allows readers to be notified of site updates. Mr. Curry wanted his readers to be able to download his audio blog, transfer it to their MP3 player and listen to it whenever they wanted. It seemed easy enough and about two months ago, became a reality. The ability to record an audio blog, and make it available to users for later listening is now referred to as podcasting. If my explanation is not sufficient, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting for clarification.

So the question now is who is out there to listen to, and what are they saying? Well, with no governing body overseeing things, just about anyone, and just about anything. There are more and more people podcasting as each day goes by and just like regular broadcasting you have to listen before you really know if a particular podcast is right for you. Here are some of the more popular podcasts, and sites where you can get the software needed join in the phenomena.

http://ipodder.org/

For now, and for the foreseeable future, this is the only site you are going to need to get all your podcast news and feeds that you can subscribe to. I strongly suggest that you visit this site first and drink it in. Download the iPodder software, you will need it to easily subscribe to your favourite podcasts, and then read the related pages on how the software works. Adam Curry is the chief cook and bottle washer here, so you know you are going to get the latest information available.

http://radio.weblogs.com/0001014/categories/DailySourceCode/rss.xml

Now, if you want Adam Curry to tell you everything himself, this is the url that will get you his daily podcast; The daily Source Code. Mr. Curry is a true professional in both his material and delivery. This Podcast is his personal view on world politics, the state of the world around him and everything podcast.

http://ericrice.com/podcast/index.xml

Eric Rice is another internet personality and founder of audioblog.com (the technology that got audio blogging started) and pioneer podcaster. Eric is, in his own words, cynical, snarky and a smart ass, and that makes for some very entertaining listening.

http://www.evilgeniuschronicles.org/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi/index.rss20

Dave Slusher is a professional broadcaster and interviewer and his Evil Genius Chronicles is the audio incarnation of his blog. Another podcasting pioneer, Slusher takes from his past experience in radio and brings a very professional podcast full of opinion and the occasional RIAA free song.

http://www.engadget.com/common/videos/pt/rss.xml

If you know engadget the web site www.engadget.com, then you should love engadget the podcast; news and reviews of all the latest tech toys. This is currently a weekly podcast and a great compliment to the web site offering detailed information and opinion on all that is new in technology.

http://mwgblog.com/wp-rss2.php

Reel Reviews -– Films Worth Watching. Now this podcast may give you an idea of what podcasting can be. Michael W. Geoghegan gives his opinion on new and old films. Now you may not know Mr. Geoghegan and you may not care what he thinks about your favorite movie but then again, you just might. If nothing else, Michael shows us one of the many possibilities of podcasting.

http://www.dawnanddrew.com/rss2.xml

Now our podcast guru Adam Curry loves these guys, he thinks they are hilarious. Dawn and Drew are a young couple and their podcast consists of them sitting at their kitchen table, usually sometime after midnight –- and we all think we are funny at that hour. My feelings are that Dawn and Drew represent all that is awful about blogs, and all that is awful about podcasting. I will never want to hear a couple's goofy talk about their body parts or bodily functions. The last podcast I bothered with chronicles Drew'’s adventures cleaning out their septic tank. Just goes to show you, like all other media delivery methods, podcasting can offer something for everyone.

http://www.ipodder.org/directory/4/podcasts/categories/music/independentMusic

Ok, now this is one heck of a URL but it will bring you to the ipodder page that lists available podcasts for independent music. So, now you are really starting to understand this podcast thing and it’s immeasurable potential. It makes sense doesn’'t it. Blues, Folk, Hip Hop, Latin, Electronica. Whatever your favorite there is a podcast for you. What a great way for bands to showcase their music and what a great way for the general public to send a strong message to the powers that be in the music industry.

http://slashdotreview.com/wp-rss2.php

Here is the URL for the feed for slashdot’'s podcast. Now you don’t have to read all the latest geek news online, you can listen to all that is Slashdot on your way to work.

http://www.enduranceradio.com/enduranceradio.rss

For all you sports fanatics, endurance radio interviews athletes and coaches. Posted daily, these podcasters talk with marathoners, cyclists, club officers and race directors, Ironman champions and triathletes. There has to be some inspiration for a couch potato in there somewhere.

http://www.acmenoise.com/temp/250millionradio.xml

The 250 Million Dollar Radio Show podcasts music that has been cleared by the authors. The name of the show is reminiscent of the lawsuit the US government brought against a file sharing site that allowed its users to break the copy write infringement laws.

http://leoville.tv/airchecks/rss.xml

Now this is one of my favorites. Leo Laporte is an all around Tech Guru and among other things, hosts a live radio show on KFI AM 640 in California. For three hours every Saturday and Sunday, Leo takes calls from listeners with computer problems. Leo podcasts all six hours, less the commercials, weather and traffic breaks, allowing those not able to listen live to get all the information at their leisure.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/5843952395227141/ for the Apple

http://www.engadget.com/entry/8895804146957771/ For the PC

If you are interested in making your own podcast these pages put together for you by the folks at engadget give you a pretty good step by step guide so you too can share your thoughts with the rest of the world.

Now just to give you an idea of how fast this is growing, when I first heard about podcasts, about a month ago, there were 35 available. Now there are well over 150 so you are sure to find something that suites your interests. If you find a podcast that you particularly like, do tell. I would love to revisit this issue in future Hot Links articles and showcase either your favorite podcast, or the podcast you created for the rest of us.

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