Corporations go off a-podcasting - baltimoresun.com

Bridge Ratings, a California company that conducts radio-audience research, estimated last month that 4.8 million people have downloaded at least one podcast this year compared with 820,000 last year. About a fifth listen regularly.

Though many are using computers to do it, the rapidly growing portable market also expands the potential podcast reach. About 35 million households have portable music devices such as the iPod, according to JupiterResearch, which analyzes Internet and new-technology trends. That's double the number last year, and it will double again by 2010, the company predicts.">Corporations go off a-podcasting - baltimoresun.com: "Bridge Ratings, a California company that conducts radio-audience research, estimated last month that 4.8 million people have downloaded at least one podcast this year compared with 820,000 last year. About a fifth listen regularly.

Though many are using computers to do it, the rapidly growing portable market also expands the potential podcast reach. About 35 million households have portable music devices such as the iPod, according to JupiterResearch, which analyzes Internet and new-technology trends. That's double the number last year, and it will double again by 2010, the company predicts.

WiFi Takes Center Stage in Crime

In tonight's top story: Could you be arrested for having wireless networking in your home? Our crime beat team will cover this important development.

Wireless networking, like knives, guns and explosives, can be used in the commission of a crime. Therefore, wi-fi...bad.

Tech Dirt points out, "...there [are] a number of terrible things being done, and the use of open WiFi -- the least of the issues -- [gets] all the attention."

"In this first case, we had someone arrested for: (1) driving the wrong way down a one way street (2) driving without any pants on (3) using a laptop while driving (4) using that laptop to download child porn (5) which he accessed via a free WiFi connection.

"In another case, a scam was committed in Finland involving the financial firm GE Money: (1) the company's own head of data security (2) stole banking software from the company after which he (3) took confidential users passwords for its bank accounts. He then (4) stole money from GE Money's accounts by transferring it to a (5) secret account he had set up months earlier. Oh yeah, he did this last bit (6) via an open WiFi connection. In that second case, the case went to trial and the guy and three of his partners were convicted. What does the press cover? Four convicted in rare wireless fraud in Finland."

"The wireless part has almost nothing to do with the story. Even the account of the crime in the article focuses on the fact that they transferred money using WiFi and barely mentions the actual fraud."

News is a hard business, and with budget cuts, you can invision unwitting and underpaid news directors & producers now telling their equally unwitting and underpaid reporters to go get stories about how wi-fi is causing a crimewave in our cities and should be stopped -- and they do this because it seems like cutting edge reporting; consumers need to know.

That may seem goofy, but let's take it a step further anyway, because this will sound frighteningly familiar, if not bizarre.

Meanwhile, at the statehouse, a few prick politicians, who probably studied law, are being told by their advisors they "must speak out and legislate against open wi-fi hotspots, otherwise you'll be seen as soft on crime and be defeated in the upcoming elections". The new legislation will give criminal investigators new tools to snoop for -- and arrest -- hotspot owners in dramatic sting operations, which is naturally leaked to and reported by those same not-wit reporters. Those who are otherwise law abiding citizens are turned into a new class of criminal, further seperating people from their money and re-over-populating jails & prisons.

Missing Keith and the Girl

It's almost 1 AM CST, making it almost 2 in New York. So, where's my new episode of Keith and the Girl?

How disappointed was I?

I had to listen to Dawn & Drew.

Keith and the Girl

Sometimes you just have a really bad day.. - Yahoo! News

Doesn't it happen to us all once in a while?

West Wing Goes South

Two renditions of CSI and no West Wing? Two and a Half Men comes in at number 16, but Sorkin's baby not among the hot 16 TV shows in the November sweeps? Desperate Friggin Housewives, for chrissake!!?? NBC doesn't even show up in the top 12 shows!

Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings - Yahoo! News

Oprah: The Anti-hump

It made for good follies, but looks like the fun may be over. Although I'll believe it when I see it, Oprah finally finds her sense of humor and agrees to appear on Letterman.

Letterman finally gets Oprah to return - Yahoo! News

Accidental X Nearly Incites Internet Riots

Adolescence abounds Monday following the accidental airing of a cue marker during CNN's airing of VP Cheney's live speech.

Can we get more childish?

CNN explains 'X' glitch over Dick Cheney's face - Yahoo! News

Internet Ad Revenue Reaches $3.1B

Internet-related ad revenues reached an all-time high of $3.1 billion in September, 2005.
--Interactive Advertising Bureau

According to Nielsen NetRatings, in September AOL had 51.5 million users, MSN Messenger 27.3 million and Yahoo Messenger 21.9 million.

AOL Delivers Next-Generation AIM - Yahoo! News

Smells Like Lindows

Okay, here's your chance: get a $300 PC with Linspire, a Linus OS, and kiss Bill goodbye.

Makes you nervous, doesn't it? The fact that Linux now has 2.5% of the OS marketshare makes Microsoft nervous too. Judging from Apple's relative success and Windows' more than 20-year-lead time, I think Linux is doing quite well. It's almost ready-for-prime-time!
Linux Gets Some Retail Respect - Yahoo! News

TiVo Connects with IPod, PSP - Yahoo! News

Have I not said that the perfect IPTV move would be to marry TiVo with the iPod?

On the downside, I fully expect the process to be too-clunky-for-mom and too expensive for mass adoption.

TiVo Connects with IPod, PSP - Yahoo! News

The Sheeple Byte on 360

Diving smack dab into Bill Gates' sleezy grips, tens of thousands of idiots camped out at big box stores to perpetuate a fake perception that the new Xbox 360 deserves any hype at all.

Negotiating 101: Don't let know you want it.

Congrats, you've made Bill's hopes and dreams come true and I can't think of a more worthy person.

Xbox 360 Buyers Resell Product on EBay - Yahoo! News

Show Me the Victim!

Ex-Florida school teacher Debra LaFave has Hollywood good looks and blessed a guy whose ten years her junior with what had to be great sex! Most guys never have a chick so hot even once, but he got her three times! So how does he thank her? He completely and utterly ruins her life, that's how. She'll be under house arrest for three yers and on probation for seven more, but that's not the bad news. She'll also have to enter the sex abuse registry in Florida and forever be treated as a criminal. And that punishment, I think, is criminal in and of itself.

Fla. Teacher Pleads Guilty in Sex Case - Yahoo! News

Dinner & photo op: $4,200; spit in the eye: priceless

I think there aren't nearly enough of these kinds of these fundraisers.

Dick Cheney is throwing his wild popularity around indicted Congressman Tom DeLay by giving photo ops for cash. I know this is bad for someone, but I'm not sure which of the evil princes will lose on this deal.

Cheney to Headline DeLay GOP Fundraiser - Yahoo! News

Obama Calls for Troop Reduction in Iraq - Yahoo! News

Sen. Barack Obama says he still believes that a military approach is still the answer, but called for a limited troop reduction. I'm pretty sure no one has suggested that the last soldier ought to be out of Iraq by the end of the week. Two things do need to happen right away that would get more respect for the President: 1) explicitly define a realitic success to our efforts in Iraq; and 2) begin the process of a military exit.

It may not happen on Bush's watch, but a US President needs to bolster our intelligence machine and develop tachtics and technologies that provide plenty of alternatives to aggression on the ground.
Obama Calls for Troop Reduction in Iraq - Yahoo! News: "Sen. Barack Obama "

Not so fast! Judge Delays Delay's Ruling

Hey Judge, can you drop the charges so I can be House Majority Leader again? Please? "Oh, sorry, you forgot to phrase your response in a form that loosely resembled an intelligent question". C'mon, the guy wheels & deal to get 190 large out of corporate America to fund his Texas GOP cronies' campaigns. He's not only accused, as his attorney would have you believe, he's indicted. For the uninclined, that means a judge found enough actual evidence against you to stand trial. So, what do you say we have an up or down vote on it in an actual trial?

Promote locally owned

Whenever business owners manage businesses or units or subsidiaries outside their hometown, those businesses should be aggressively regulated and taxed.

I Vant to Drink Your Vatts - New York Times

Back in the old days, when you turned off an appliance, it was really off and it drew no power. The emergence of our hi-tech society and the development of microchip technology, Congress had a meeting this week to address new consumption (and labeling) standards for these energy suckers, not the least of which is that small black box that hangs on an electrical outlet, often called "wall warts".
I Vant to Drink Your Vatts - New York Times

Bill Writes a Memo

AJAX is asynchronous Javascript and XML, which enables web based applications such as web based email and word processing via the web, a technology often referred to as "Web 2.0". It was developed in 1998 by Microsoft and largely not exploited -- until now. Hence Bill's Memo. Almost a decade after it's development, Microsoft is a late adopter of its own technology, they call "Microsoft Live", as NetSuite and Salesforce.com emerge with their "software as a service" models.

RAB CEO Battle Cry: ROI over CPM; Use New Media More

My day job is coodinating new media products for listeners of seven midwest radio stations, then developing marketing partnerships to support those products.

As a matter of necessity, I pay close attention to industry analysts, listeners, web visitors and my customers.

When Gary Fries, the president/CEO of our industry's trade organization, says we need to move faster toward digital advancements, he does so after a quarter century of pressure by all segments to get with the ages.

Electronic invoicing and audience measuring tools are desperately needed, and all of the individual elements need to speak the same language. Gone, or soon to be, are some of the most antiquated systems for quantifying the value of broadcast and new media to advertisers and their agencies. Instead of simply showing how many people are being reached, we need to demonstrate with a good level of accuracy a genuine return on marketing investments.

I have always believed my industry has been 15 to 20 years behind the digital curve. While it's getting better in the midst of consolidation, much of the local leadership needs to be open for more rapid change.

We are leaving behind a century of blind arrogance and our sites are set on digital agility & accountability. Who's staying & who's coming with us?

Radio Sales Today

TiVo loyalty evaporates

Now requiring a 1-year service contract, TiVo is gradually pricing themselves out of business, and it's more than a money issue for users. When it becomes too costly in terms of convenience and freedom, subscription growth will slow, and hardened TiVo nuts like me will stop using their settop boxes in lieu of MythTV and other Open Source platforms.

The first big news out of the TiVo camp in a long time was their decision to allow networks to "red flag" shows, which can limit when a program can be watched, how long it can be saved to the hard drive and whether it can be copied using the TiVo-To-Go feature.

TiVo has been extremely easy to use, and that has been its major selling point all along; no one who tried it didn't love TiVo. But the limitations just got to be too great for this to be a viable product in my home. One example is its proprietary file format. I want standard MPEG files that you can import/export/edit and save as long as I damn-well feel like it.

My loyalty for TiVo is gone. I predict that I will be using MythTV in 2006.

BetaNews | TiVo Institutes 1 Year Service Contracts

More than just "early adopters" Podcasting

This is clearly not a small thing. Podcasting has unquestionably hit the maintream -- repeatedly.

And they're not just 2-5 minute 'casts; I frequently see mainstream media producing 20 to 60-minute shows, some longer.

Podcasts are largely free, although some big names, like Rush Limbaugh, have managed to collect a fee from their fanbase in exchange for their exclusive content.

For those that stumbled across this post accidentally, Podcasting is an audio (and video, in some cases) form of "blogging", using a communications protocol known as RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, which enables anyone to automatically receive feeds to which they subscribe, similar to email.

Wired News: Tracking Rita: Interactive

Management defined...

Read carefully this story. It says, in essence, that the President cannot manage, for its definition is "getting things done through other people". This imbecile couldn't lead a dog catcher.

Health Emergency Declared for Texas, La. - Yahoo! News

Gvote

My advice to the right-wingers in American politics is this: beware! The open source community is mobilizing to shut you down.

I don't know from where, but the 'libs' are going to hunt you down and take away your 'G' membership cards.

Just giving you fair warning.

Peace out.

Republicans hate Democrats

Despite clear and documented evidence to the contrary, US Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist maintains ignorance to his own assets. Frist's sale of the "blind trust" fetched an undisclosed amount, but his earlier statements indicate values in the range of $7 to $35 million.

Okay. We don't know if this particular transaction was illegal or not, but we damn-well know now that the Frist family are the epitomy of the bloated & greedy healthcare industry -- being the largets for-profit hospital company in America. One quesiton certainly looms: do you trust Senator Frist to be the next leader of the free world?

Just asking.

Prosecutors, SEC Probe Frist Stock Sale - Yahoo! News

Pink promotes Homophobia

New University of Iowa law professor (and former Bostonian) Erin Buzuvis apparently came to Hawkeye country to make trouble. She says Coach Hayden Fry promoted homophobia by having the visitor locker room at Kinnick Stadium painted pink and plans to change her new home.

Doggonit! I knew that should have been a screening question in the hiring process.

Funny. "Buz" sounds a bit like a "Butch".

TheIowaChannel.com - Sports - Professor Says Pink Locker Room Promotes Sexism, Homophobia: "Homophobia"

I came up with this neat idea...

I'm not sure where I came up with the idea, but I thought of a big national coffee house that seems to be the epitomy of the undermining of American values and culture and wanted to do something that people would want to support.

If I start a coffee chain, it will be a locally owned franchise in each location and have only a few restrictive guidelines. The first rule: wi-fi is free. Beyond a few basic rules, let them serve Folgers in plastic cups for all I care, so long as the spirit of open source is felt.

Oddly, when I Googled "open source cafe", which I made up, seems someone else made it up first:
The open source cafe - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Ideas - News

Rats!

Gov't vs Family: A Conflict of Values

The Des Moines Register is telling us that kids are upset about a ban on soft-drinks on campus. In its next breath, the reporter writes that students now go off-campus to get their sugar fix. Well, I've made a couple fundamental observations:

1) Cash-draining, electricity hungry, health compromising vending machines have no place in public schools -- and I don't care what they put in them.

2) I'm expected, by law, to leave my kids in the care of the public school system, purportedly so they might get a proper education. I submit that when the schools release students to run around town during lunch, health and education are both undermined.

When I went to public school, we had a lunch ticket. One punch meant you got a plate of food handed to you and you could add bread & butter and milk, or drink water. It was a certified diet and parents could trust it. There were no vending machines, and no, students were not permitted to leave campus. It worked. Parents had trust. Don't dare tell me the budget made you poison my son.

Admit it. Fast food is now part of our school culture because administrators have no backbone and I think that's a sad commentary.

Family "A" gives their kid cash to go to Quizno's for lunch every day. Family "B: wants their kids to eat school lunch for nutritional reasons. For whatever reason, perhaps out of a sense of peer pressure or for social reasons, kid from family "B" wants to go to Quizno's too. Dad "B" says, "No son, I'm against your eating fast food more than once a week". Dad "B" subsequently has a fight on his hands.

This is part of a larger conflict. Cash strapped schools are compromising health out of greed of their administration. Soft drink bottlers and vending companies would like to see more of the market share. I have no problem with most of the creative ways they find to increase market share -- until they begin to enlist public schools to bid for their profits.

Parents feel that soft drink bottlers and schools make bad bed fellows. But it appears, once again, greed wins.

Researchers have found that rats, when given a choice, will consistently turn down healthy food in favor of sugary treats and cocaine, to the point of self-detriment and even their own demise. Unfortunately, it looks like our kids are more like rats than we want to think. So a level sense of guidance by parents and responsible adults is something society should value.

So what's the deal? Have parents become less concerned about the well-being of their kids? Are they complacent? Or has right-wing capitalistic greed gotten in the way of common sense? We report; you screw up the world.

Put down the talking points and rub the make-up off your seedy little face, Mr. Witherspoon, and see how you're poisoning society at its very base. We see through the phony spin. The fact that you still wanted to be superintendent, even after finding out that you'd have to sell our kids into virtual slavery, should give the city pause. Stop throwing money and spin at the problems you've helped to create. And start doing your job. Educate our kids. Stop feeding students -- and everyone else -- crap.

DesMoinesRegister.com

Elevator to space?

Although I haven't seen any official confirmation, Space.com reports that the FAA has given go-ahead for use of airspace to test a space elevator.

Now, you might be picturing a very tall and perhaps cartoonesque square shaft that is mounted to the ground and extending to the heavens. Close, but not quite.

Actually, the concept is to string a ribbon or tether, anchored to the ground and extended to a point in space that is beyond geosynchronous orbit (more than 22,500 miles above Earth's surface) with a counter-weight at the top, effectively pulling it tight.

The sheer tensile strength required to accomplish such a feat would be astounding, however, once in place, the space elevator would reduce the cost of space travel enormously. For instance, you could then build a car or 'climber' that is completely solar powered, eliminating the need for onboard fuel. Another concept is to create a pulley system that could be powered on the space end of the ribbon, which, as we know, could be nearly or fully friction-free -- and again, powered by the sun.

And yes, just in case you were wondering, this is not a pipe dream, but a completely feasible venture, begun by the LiftPort Group, a private company based in Bremerton, Washington.

I'm so paranoid, I'm convinced the elevator in our 4-story office building will break while I'm aboard. Can you imagine riding with me on the space elevator to orbit?

Read more about the space elevator at WikiPedia:
Space elevator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Innovation kills profits

Every time I turn around, I'm hearing about built-in limitations; products that won't perform fundamental tasks only because such enhancements might threaten a company's ability to further deepen its pockets at your expense.

The Rokr iPhone from our friends at Motorola and Apple is another example. The crumby thing can't even download an iTunes song or play an MP3 as a ringtone, features that would have made sense.

Deliberate disabilities like these will bite these non-innovators squarely in the posterior.

The Observer | Business | John Naughton: Why the iPhone won't rock your world

500 Internal Server Error

The supposed new plugin for MSIE -- the one that adds security and tabbed browsing like Firefox does -- is apparently the victim of that darn 500 Server error.

500 Internal Server Error: "Internal Server Error
The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.
Please contact the server administrator and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error."

Software Best Practices -- or Pipe Dream Novelties

I make no apologies for asking people to unplug their computers, stack them in their basements or garages and leave them alone. Because there's way too much junk tech making it to market.

I know there have been a lot of tremendously innovative and pivotal technologies developed in the last fifteen years...and there's been a lot of money wasted on junk programming too.

Before any feature goes into any application, it ought to be well-written, bullet proof, sound, secure, as lean as possible and agile enough for gradual amendments and improvements. In fact, until you adopt that concept, I’ll keep my money.

The reasons features are released so fast & furious -- before a rock-solid proof of performance is demonstrated -- I'll never understand. It's bad business because it makes people not like your products. Write programs one module at a time, then invite anyone to try their damndest to break them. Write applications that break them.

Here are two dirty little secrets:

1) Decision-makers know that well-written software doesn't need to be upgraded or reversioned every year.
2) The Cardinal Sin is letting any technology, computer program or operating system leave the warehouse with bloating or security or functional flaws.

I’ve just outlined why we need the Open Source community and the products developed by it: flaws are exposed, discussed, shared and fixed. Now, if more developers would learn to operate in this transparent environment, they will have happier customers willing to spend more money with them.

Where was Linus when we needed him?

I don't know Linux creator Linus Torvalds, but I like him. I wish he'd been there when IBM was hunting for an operating system for their PCs. The world would have been a better place because I really believe computers wouldn't suck so much today.

I think television would've been better off if, when color technology was developed, it had been done from scratch, like HDTV. FM would have been better too, if stereo broadcasts didn't have to play to mono sets. Beta was better than VHS, cassette was better than 8-track and grandpa was a lot nicer than dad, but people sometimes tend toward choices that benefit them in the short term.

But I also think people can make new choices if they believe they can make a difference. If we vote with our feet, stop buying products from a bloated company with a bloated bottom line through bloated code -- for a while at least -- maybe the big guys will start looking at our needs as a way to a fair profit.

I'm not for a boycotts, but would it hurt to buy something Open Source this week or this month?

War driving for Skype

You may have noticed that I like VoIP. Probably because I like the idea of paying nothing to call around the world more than I like paying 30 cents or more per minute. In fact, I think I'll be carrying a wifi VoIP handset soon, and you may see me driving around the neighborhood looking for a hotspot during a Qwest DSL outage (and judging from the last month, that'll probably be tonight).

But the minute you introduce the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network largely via old copper), you start paying real cash, especially if you're in business. Telecom costs add up fast.

No loyalty for ma bell
If small businesses understand the importance of having broadband and have the willingness to use programs like Skype -- and trust me, they do -- then the telecom trend will move that way even for larger organizations and individuals alike. The phone was a novelty in 1920, as was the fax machine in 1980, and they're both essential to business today. VoIP will be too, but the learning curve is getting a lot sharper.

By the way, I won't be a bit surprised if I'm getting WLAN from Google in the next five years, to enable my VoIP addiction. Perhaps I'll have a Gphone account then too!

Taxing VoIP?

Your friends in the government are suggesting you pay twice into the Universal Access Fund -- the pot that subsidizes rural telecommunications -- by forcing companies like Vonage to pay into the fund, despite the fact that they're already paying those fees to their telco providers.

Look, I get it. I understand that there needs to be reasonable access to telecommunication services in sparsely populated areas, but not on the backs of taxpayers tens states away; ultimately, people choose where they live.

With companies like ExtremeSat, a community, a county or a coop group can provide universal access to broadband and telecommunications services. It may cost a bit more, but isn't that to be expected if you live in the boonies?

Here's an easy answer to the tax: if the FCC wants to tax net phone calls for anyone with a telephone number, then don't have a telephone number. There are plenty of free examples of free VoIP applications that only require both ends to have broadband and a user ID.

Ultimately, I think the free market should be the decider in such cases, not pseudo-authorities like the FCC.

New taxes could slam Net phone users | CNET News.com

Pizza exec denied parole...for now

(Some of this information comes from a copywrited Associated Press story.)

Lawrence Vander Esch was:
- Founder and co-owner of the Pizza Ranch restaurant chain in Iowa
- Sioux County Republican Party chairman
- County treasurer.

During the summer of 2001, Vander Esch was convicted on several counts of third degree sexual abuse and sentenced to ten years.

In the late 90s, Vander Esch claimed he was authorized by UNI, ISU and the Sioux County Public Health Nurse to collect semen samples for use in "postate" cancer research.

He asked a couple of his male Pizza Ranch employees to donate their semen for fifty bucks a pop. And they took him up on it. Vander Esch would put the stuff on ice, saying he'd send it to the lab for testing. Then he'd claim the sperm count was too low and wouldn't pay the money.

The victims say they wouldn't have participated if they'd known the truth. Now they're begging the parole board not to release the predator. The board agreed and denied his parole.

It's all for naught though; the fifty-eight-year-old Vander Esch will get out of the Mount Pleasant correctional facility in six months despite the board's decision; the date's set for March of next year.

Vinyl 2 MP3

I love seeing what new gadget come out of Broadcast Supply Worldwide. This $99 box appears to be the answer to getting vinyl into your computer in one step. Say you have a turntable with magnetic outputs. This unit will accept that unusual line level, plus filter out the rumble associated with phono components. It will also accept regular line level, so hook up virtually any stereo component or portable audio to your computer for a cleaner sound. It's being sold to broadcasters, so it ought to work for you too.

"Reliable service from a company you can trust"

Or words to that effect.

A few weeks ago, I ordered Qwest DSL because I heard that the service recently came to my neighborhood. I'd used it in the past, but because I moved to a DSL-free zone, I had to use the cable company. If I'd been at all impressed with the service provided by the cable company's high-speed Internet, the thought would not have crossed my mind. But I wasn't. So, on with my Qwest tale.

For most of the time I've been using Qwest DSL, Qwest DSL has been experience outages on my DSLAM, the point that marries the phone company with the neighborhood's digital lines. Not two or three outages either, and not over a period of days. No. Dozens over several weeks.

Like many consumers, I've become complacent about poor customer service. It seems my objections fall on deaf ears anyway, so why bother. I'll take what I can get at this point because most companies suck anyway.

But today I was presented a banner ad for one of Qwest's offerings. Rather out of a sense of indignance, I clicked the banner, which lead me to a promo page touting what the subect line of my post reads: "Reliable service from a company you can trust".

Right on! Believe it!

I wouldn't be writing this right now if I'd not given the phone company a chance to hear my gripe, so I sent off a contact form. But because ma & pa don't work at ma bell anymore, I don't expect one of their flunkies will care enough to return the love.

Podcasting; "the new broadcaster" – or "an open letter to the media"

A Podcast, simply put, is an audio file which is automatically downloaded onto the listeners computer and automatically pushed (or synchronized) to his or her iPod (or some other Podcast-supported MP3 player).

Podcasting is a subscription-based medium, and, so far, largely free to listen. But that's only part of the news. It doesn't have to cost a dime to produce a Podcast, so literally anyone with a mic, a computer and a connection to the Internet can become a new broadcaster.

That's the primary reason I've suggested for some time that radio get involved in this fast-moving technology right away, before the industry's left in the dust. Be sure that what I mean by "left in the dust" is that its clientele are going to Podcasting as a means to market their products without radio, so if radio wants to stay in that revenue loop, it better at least be offering Podcasting solutions for its partners.

Podcast nuts & bolts

Format
The audio file in question obviously has to be recorded and saved to a format that is common, almost exclusively MP3 today. Apple's iTunes service does use their proprietary AAS format and there may be a handful of Real-flavored shows (as in RAM or RM format), but MP3 has become the de facto standard for Internet audio, which is the reason we call the portable digital audio players "MP3 Players".

Process
Once a file is stored on some server some where, the publisher must then tell one or more of the many Podcast directories where to find it. This is where the Blogging technology comes in, so if you're not yet familiar with how Blogging works, I'll ask you to leave the room now (or search for "Blogging" at wikipedia.org and come back here).

Once the publisher is all done publishing, the audio file is "out there" and an RSS feed has been published (using a Podcast-supported blog engine), then a person can, with the use of an RSS news aggregator application (I could spend weeks explaining all these terms to you), subscribe to the Podcast and choose to keep it on their computer or, even better yet, sync it with his or her iPod (or some other MP3 Player) and take the show on the road, so to speak.

Google and Wikipedia.org are instrumental in your Podcasting research, so get on the net to learn more.

More about why radio ought to be embracing this technology. The fact is, most Podcasts are of a low quality and most Podcasters, as they're called, are not very polished. That may or may not be regarded as "part of the charm", but I do believe people get better with age and experience. Some of today's amateurs are tomorrow's Howard Sterns and Rush Limbaughs.

____________________________________________________________
Danny Bishop was host & producer of the WHO Radio Wiseguys. He and his former co-host Corey Allen now publish a Podcast across two cities (New York and Des Moines) called "The Allen Bishop Show".

How to keep radio's birds in the air

Mega broadcaster Clear Channel already has some interests in one of its biggest potential competitors: satellite radio. But that ownership might not be enough to insulate the media giant from catastrophe if the newer medium eats away at terrestrial radio's market share -- particularly if startups join XM and Sirrius in the emerging battle for aural ad revenues. The thing that could make a difference for old time radio is getting more local programming off the ground, in new communications initiatives. And the most viable way to do that is by embracing the new wave of smaller, more efficient aerospace developers, like tSpace and Scaled Composites, to launch them.

Look, there's not so much complicated technology in satellites that a few motivated broadcasters can't achieve some fruitful R&D. The largest expense in the venture has always been getting the little buggers into orbit. That's where a strong partnership would really come in handy.

Confessed BTK serial killer Dennis Rader

WICHITA, Kansas -- Can the the totality of a man or woman be derived from the worst or best act they have committed? Is forgiveness a function of condoning an offenders' act?

It may be simply choosing not to carry a poisonous resentment.

Judgment in these cases is not for a layman to impose. At most, it is for the creator, and at least for the morally studied. I am neither. I have merely a passing acquaintence with morality.

At the same time, I have not been convinced that a death sentence can be justified. It seems too easy an answer to me and I would rather see crimes against poeple be answered by the generation of electricity by themselves, through treadmills and squirrel cage inductance.

Mickelson, Friday, August 13

John Hanson from the Iowa Concrete Association talks about energy savings of concrete construction. Newt Gingrich on "Winning the Future". More nonsense with Suzy.

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/fridaylo.mp3

Novak swears, walks off CNN set

Wholly bullshit, Batman! James Carville and Bob Novak got into a bit of a tif Thursday while contributing to CNN's Inside Politics alongside host Ed Henry.

The conversation turned to US Senate hopeful Katherine Harris and how newspapers retouched photos of her, to which Novak claimed he'd be defamed in just such a way. Carville couldn't wait to pounce, asking, "which paper"? Enter the CNN transcript:

HENRY: And the "Strategy Session" continues on INSIDE POLITICS. Still here: James Carville and Robert Novak.

Katherine Harris made a name for her self during the Florida recount in the 2000 presidential race. She was then Florida's secretary of state. She went on to the House of Representatives.

Now she wants to move over to the United States Senate. Today she got the news that the speaker of the Florida House won't challenge her for the Republican nomination. In the meantime, Harris is blaming unnamed newspapers for tarnishing her image by doctoring her makeup with Photoshop. -- that computer program. Bob Novak, have you been investigating this make-up story?

NOVAK: No, but I've had the same experience that she did. A lot of my trouble in the world is that they've doctored my make-up and colorized me in a lot of newspapers on my picture. So, I sympathize with her.

HENRY: This is breaking news. I've haven't heard this.

CARVILLE: Breaking news. Who did it? What paper?

NOVAK: Well, I don't. I can't tell you.

CARVILLE: Yes. You know the two happiest people in America today about this decision, is Bill Nelson and Jay Leno. I mean --

HENRY: Bill Nelson the Democratic Senator.

CARVILLE: The Democratic Senator and Jay Leno. That -- I mean, they're going to go nuts over this. They're messing with my make-up, but you really don't know who it is. I mean, let's say this: She's going to be good for the humor circuit. She's going to be good for the speech circuit and she's good for a lot. And I think that Nelson -- I think, it's probably no secret that the White House wanted the speaker to run and I suspect that the Nelson people are, you know, feeling pretty good here today.

NOVAK: A couple of points here: The first place, don't be too sure she's going to lose. All the establishment's against her and I've seen these Republican -- anti-establishment candidates who do pretty well. Ronald Reagan, I guarantee you that the establishment wasn't for him. We just elected a senator from Oklahoma, Senator Tom Coburn, everybody in the establishment was against him. She might get elected -- So, wait. Just let me finish what I'm going to say, James. Please, I know you hate to hear me, but you have...

CARVILLE: He's got to show these right wingers that he's got backbone, you know. It's why The Wall Street Journal editorial page is watching you. Show 'em you're tough.

NOVAK: Well, I think that's bullshit. And I hate that. Just let it go.

(Novak leaves set.)

Read the transcript. (Look near the bottom of the page)

Mickelson Wednesday 8/3

Newsradio 1040 WHO Des Moines: "What to do about Iowa panhandlers? What a terrible job. Hard Currency salesman Craig Smith says we are awash in debt...a bad sign. The President thinks it's time to permit intelligent design to be taught along side Darwinism. Jay Richards from the Discovery Institute agrees."

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/wednesdaylo.mp3

Mickelson Tuesday 8/2

Local artistry? Or local graffitti? Huh? Then a local immigration activist, Christian Ucles, with a plea for the middle ground.

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/tuesdaylo.mp3

Mickelson Monday 8/1

Are Iowans honest enough to support the Constitution? Then, from Tama County Assistant Attorney, Richard Vander Mey, challenges the "sovereign" nation status of the Meskwakies.

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/mondaylo.mp3

Sound-byte World

Kind of a cool thing for the layman of the world:
Sound-byte World

Mickelson Friday

Jonathan Narcisse is thinking about running for school board. His 10 point plan to fix the mess. Then, one of the screen writers for Spielberg's, War of the Worlds" says he meant the Martian attackers to symbolize the American military in Iraq. Really.

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/fridaylo.mp3

Mickelson Thursday

Yup..former felons are being mined for upcoming elections...just like we thought. More Islamic violence in England. Both Judge Roberts and Senator Harkin think Roe is the law of the land....gulp. And the fella asks why people of faith serve Harry Potter to their kids.... listeners lob the hand grenade right back. Good stuff.

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/thursdaylo.mp3

Mickelson Wednesday

"Countdown to Terror" Congressman Curt Weldon talks about the intelligence vulnerabilities of the U.S. Then, the battle over SCOTUS nominee John G. Roberts has begun. If words have meaning, why are pro-lifers happy with his nomination?

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/wednesdaylo.mp3

Mickelson Tuesday

Huh oh... no audio today... Squirrel died. Sorry... no next of kin. Dana Mecum car auction. Sheet metal lust. Then, more openline on the ethanol debate.

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/tuesdaylo.mp3

Mickelson Monday

Back from vacation. A description of my Peru mission trek. (I will put up some mission pictures and perhaps some video later) Daniel Coyle writes about "Lance Armstrong's War". A great biography of America's Tour de France champion. Then, whoops. More anti-ethanol propaganda. What to do?


Peru Pictures? The Wheat Team...Trekkies... Burned Bridge ... ... Camp Site... Camp Where?...Pastor Phil and son Phillip... Gotta Go Where?...Inca Cola Toast... Lunch... Oh My Gosh... Ok, I'm Purdy... Why We Came... Threshing Wheat...Huascaran close... Huascaran far...

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/mondaylo.mp3

Jailing journalist undermines good government

Freedom of the press is intended to keep the government honest. The basic premise being that the government should not be trusted, as outlined in the many writings by our founding fathers -- and as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

One of the most fundamental tools of freedom of the press is the reporter's ability to provide source anonymity (albeit sometimes at the expense of credibility).

We shouldn't let the government prevent anonymity or we cannot maintain the free press as a watch dog institution. As Dr. Phil says, "Monsters live in the dark".

"Government whistle blowers face a brave new world. It is a world where champions of good government are silenced and reporters who speak truth to power are jailed." -- Joe Scarborough

Jailing journalist undermines good government - Scarborough Country - MSNBC.com

Google Earth is Life Changing

I was almost ready to tell you about Doug Cox's USA Photo Maps, a pretty cool mapping program that marries your GPS with Terr's aerial maps and USGS' topographic maps.

But I found something cooler (but not as mobile).

Google's Earth (a free download) lets us visually step through a trip on an unknown route. I can take a virtual flying tour of several locations, some preprogrammed into the stand-alone application.

High cool factor!

Google Earth - Home

G8 Summit Rocks

"Secret Organization group of al Qaeda Organization in Europe," claim responsibility in a Web site posting for detonating seven bombs in London's tube, resulting in at least 33 deaths and scores of injuries.

CNN.com - London�bombs kill at least 33 - Jul 7, 2005

Francis Fukuyama on Charlie Rose

The End of History. Francis Fukuyama (1992)

Levitt & Dubner on Charlie Rose

Authors Steven D. Levitt, Economist and Stephen J. Dubner, Journlist discussed Freakonomics; make references to Larry Somers, Gary Becker, Roland Fryer (Harvard).

Fryer is brought up to demonstrate racial observations with respect to econimics. He is Junior Fellow, Harvard Society of Fellows, Department of Economics, Harvard University. Ph 617-495-9592, rfryer@fas.harvard.edu.

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner - William Morrow, 2005

Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times "Foreign Affairs" columnist and author of "The World Is Flat

Tom Friedman was a guest on Charlie Rose in April ('05) discussing a book he had begun in 1995.

He referred to Global Supply Chains and Geopolitics, explaining when a supply chin is disrupted by war, et. al., it's like puring cement down your oil well. Says Michael Dell can visualize his entire supply chain and he will adjust it as needed -- and not return to you for long time.

When you cn visualize your supply chain, it allows for demand shaping, when you see you're running low on 20 GB hard drives so you tell customer's "this is your lucky day, if you buy a 40 gb hdd, we'll throw in a printer or digital camera free".
Also suggested GWB read the book; needs an energy policy and we can't waste time.

Friedman refers to pivotal events, such as 11/9, when the Berlin Wall came down and Windows (MS) went up; 8/9/1999, when Netscape went public, fueling the "dot com" rush, fiber backbones were built.

Collaberative pivotal events, such as people beginning to connect with people; then pplications begin to connect with applications; outsourcing, off-shoring, open-sourcing; In-sourcing (UPS providing more than package delivery); Google; WiFi & VoIP. convergence: a) world became flat, b) adapted to flat world, c) 3 Billion new people now on the playing field.

Think in terms of the new global, horizontal process, where a dock builder in India is now on the same footing with IBM, subsequent to the above pivotal events.

Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times "Foreign Affairs" columnist and author of "The World Is Flat

Supposed breaking news is not necessarily

How's this for a tease? "We are following the breaking news out of Charles City. We have confirmed late tonight...Police blocking off a road near a river in Charles City and they say this is linked to missing Floyd County five-year-old Evelyn Miller."

Perhaps this sort of plastic drama reveals to the rest of us why Channel 13 is consistently a bridesmaid.

WHO TV - Des Moines: Home

A closer look at file sharing lawsuit

The Grokster case shed much needed light on the Betamax case, in which VCR makers were shielded from liability when users broke the law.

Grokster only lost that protection because there was compelling evidence that the software maker actually encouraged illegal sharing of protected materials. Authors of file sharing programs who practice a minimal amount of prudence appear to be unaffected by the ruling.

Betmax -- like the phone company before it -- claimed they could not be held responsible for content because it was up to the end users to obey intillectual property laws; or not, as the case may be. The government agrees.

USATODAY.com - Despite reports, Grokster decision is a win for file sharing

RSS / Podcast / Blog / Pings - Infrastructure Founder/CEO

The traditional broadcaster ought to be getting nervous, unless he or she has been living under a rock in the last two years.

As a veteral radio broadcaster for the past 22 years, I've always had a spcial passion for the business. At the same time, I've always been in touch with the technology of the future, and continue to envision "what will be" in the future of commercial radio. That notion is partly bourne out of laziness and partly of my innovative senses.

I've been Podcasting since 1995, but we called it something different back then (I say as if 1995 was a half century ago). We simply stuck an MP3 file out there and told people on the radio to go get it and listen to it. We even sold a small sponsorship for it and made it worth our efforts (for a while). Every broadcaster should be podcasting today because they're the ones best suited to produce the talent at the quality level needed to lure fans. No one enjoys listening to the muddy voice of Corey in Alta, Iowa ramble about his Anime DVD collection using his PC mic. People do, however, want a highly produced, commute-lengthed track of something entertaining or informative -- by professionals.

Yes, broadcasters have the tools and talent to produce Podcasts and the ability to sell their it to their audience, except for one small byte of information: they don't have a clue what Podcasting is. So we, the innovators, need to produce the tools they need to publish their poscasts.

How do we do it?

We begin by offering to take a radio station's current offerings (and a few podcast exclusives), edit them down to byte-sized chunks, and offer the 'casts to their listeners. That way they stay relevent and don't lose out to the indies vying for their marketshare.

Commercial announcements should be well place and imbedded into the content as a billboard and not a full-lengthed commercial no one will hear.

RSS / Podcast / Blog / Pings - Infrastructure Founder/CEO

Danny Bishop can be reached at Danny (the at symbol) Danny Bishop Media (dot) com or by calling five one five - seven oh seven - sixty-one fifteen.

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Immigrants want driver's licenses too

I think an immigrant in good standing should be able to obtain an Iowa driver's license, as long as the same standards I have to follow apply to them. For instance, I have to have insurance. So should they. I have to pay taxes. So should they. You get my drift. Illegal immigrants, on the other hand, are separate issue. They should not only be barred from driving in Iowa, but should be arrested and deported post haste. If the standards for immigration into the US are unreasonable, then the we should fix the standards. Breaking the law needs to be punished, not rewarded.

DesMoinesRegister.com