Podcasts and Flock

Hey, Shinnfans. Welcome to Today’s Discoveries in Technology with Andrew! I want to tell you about two technologies I’ve been playing with (early adopter, ya’ know).

The first is Podcasting. No, it’s not flyfishing with beans. And no, it’s not from the movie “The Matrix,” either. The word podcasting is a play on the words broadcasting and iPod. It’s kind of like blogging for people who like to hear their own voices. Here’s how it works:

Say I decided to start a podcast. I’d sit at my computer and record an audio file (radio show) about anything I want. Let’s further assume I want to talk about life in a small town or what my belly button lint smells like. I’m sure someone out there in the podcasting blogsphere wants to hear about that. Then I’d post it to a web site or blog (like this one!) where millions of people could search for it, find it, and listen to it. Podcasts tend to be ongoing in nature. If I want to attract a following, I’d have to record a new episode each week or every day. I know what you’re thinking: that’s a lot of lint or Mayberry. But it can’t take any longer than the blog-writing I do for you (The Faithful). People find podcasts through iTunes, the free software Apple ships with every iPod. Once you subscribe to a podcast, iTunes automatically goes out and finds any updates to it on a regular basis. Then when you sync your iPod with iTunes, the podcasts automatically download for you and the ones you’ve already listened to drift away as if into the mists of the sub-ether. Sound complicated? It’s not. Want to know what I listen to? Here’s a list:

• Podtech: entrepreneurship (a weekly interview with an entrepreneur from the top ranks of the tech world)
• 2 Minute Photoshop Tricks (actually more like 6-9 minutes, but the tips are decent)
• Digital Photography Tips from the Top Floor (usually an interview with an interesting photographer)
• Media Artist Secrets with Franklin McMahon (short business/career inspirations for anyone with a creative career; created by a photographer)
• NPR: Technology (sponsored by Acura)
• Photoshop Radio (brough to you by the zany guys at the National Association of Photoshop Professionals)
• The Secrets of Harry Potter (hasn’t been updated in a long time; a fascinating look at the symbols and mythological connections in the Harry Potter stories by a Catholic Priest in the Netherlands)
• Well Radio (weekly sermons and other Bible teaching from our church, The Well. I usually listen to sermons twice each week: once on Sunday and once on my iPod. Plus if I’m away for the weekend I can follow along with the sermon series, currently a journey through Acts)

I know what you’re thinking, fair reader: “Andrew, this sounds cool. But I don’t have an iPod.” Well, fear not. You can download iTunes for free from Apple’s web site, and it even works on PCs. And you can listen to your favorite podcasts (how-to-build-a-duct-tape-wallet-empire, anyone?) from the comfort and safety of your own computer. You DO have a computer, right?

The Second new tech item is Flock. Flock is BLEEDING-EDGE new. It’s so new that people won’t even start talking about it for another 12-18 months. That’s forever in Internet Mean Time. So just remember: you heard about it here first! Again, I know what you’re thinking: (crazy how I can read your mind through the computer screen, eh?) “CUT TO THE CHASE! SO WHAT IS FLOCK, ALREADY?!” Well, I’m going to let you guess. What is Flock? Post your guesses (educated or otherwise) in the comments below. That is, if you’re still reading this. I haven’t seen any comments here in quite a while. Are you there? Shinnfans? Fair readers? The Faithful?

Am I talking to myself here?
– Andrew