1/19/2006 - Like TiVo for radio, but free (and worth the price)

Part 1 of the podcasting trilogy.

I think that I have mentioned before that I often listen to podcasts as I walk. I originally considered getting XM radio, but that would have given me a mere 200 channels. Instead, I can choose from thousands of channels, with the number growing weekly.

The downside? Average quality is pretty much what you would expect. For every podcast I have listened to twice, there are 3 or 4 to which I shall never return. I will make some effort to showcase some of the better ones as I go along.

An average podcast is somewhat akin to having a chat with one's friends. They know some interesting things which you don't, but largely they just ramble and occasionally say something truly stupid. A great example would be a Supreme Court podcast that I have listened to once so far (link obscured to protect the innoncent). During the Alito hearings, the panel of podcasters mostly quoted senators and shared their emotions. As swell as that was, I would have loved for them to quote decisions, investigate the impact of those decisions, anything. But then again, nobody's paying these guys' (and 1 girl's) for their time. What did I expect?

For those that want to enter into the fine world of podcasting, but just can't bear the amateurism, I can recommend Audible. I have actually had great difficulty with the technical side of Audible, but one can't argue with the material, which includes radio shows, books on tape and probably some other stuff.

In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the company on my walk...

13,000 assimilated steps today. Cheers,