Wednesday, January 5, 2005

What is podcasting? A few people have asked recently. I think it's going to be huge. Bigger than say IRC, chatrooms, probably even bigger than blogs (although it's closely related, and blogs haven't fully evolved yet). In short. The next big thing. Anyone can be their own radio DJ The podcasting phenomena has unfortunately has been given a brand name moniker. Podcasting named after the Ipod. However, it works on all the popular platforms, and can use most (if not all) mp3 players. Podcasting is essentially Tivo radio for your computer. Downloadable audio files that you can put on a mp3 player . People can "blogcast" that is broadcast their own radio, by recording and putting audio files onto the internet. Then end users, can download those files and check them out. It's a growing subculture right now, populated by some really interesting international, IT personalities, musicians, organizations et. al. Right now there are about 2000 podcasts growing at a very fast pace. That number is likely to double in no time. You can listen anytime you want, to whatever you find interesting With a portable mp3 player you can listen to podcasts almost anywhere and anytime you want. I listen to people discuss IT while doing the dishes, walking to the store, or standing on the train. Here is a list of the top podcasts and an alphabetical directory. More information here. Here is a link to software that can automatically (*warning imperfect software) download podcasts to your computer. 2:25:26 PM    comment []

Envisioning the Connected World I thought this lecture by Jerry Fiddler was really interesting. It's interesting to think about what it's going to be like to live in an "intelligent" world. When your car keys know more than the president. "In the not-too-distant future, the majority of electronic devices will be connected via the Internet or wireless protocols, bringing convenience and simplicity to daily living, but adding layers of technology and complexity to devices we use everyday. Jerry Fiddler offers a glimpse to his vision of the future: "The Connected World." He discusses how this "world system" will evolve through the convergence of multiple technologies resulting in one, giant interoperable system. You will learn how the road to the connected world is wide open, and that today marks the beginning of a new era in the embedded industry." Link here to download the mp3 audio file at IT conversations. My mother worries about not being able to operate the light switch. It's too bad she doesn't like computers because they are going to be in everything. 2:04:47 PM    comment []