Category: audiocasts

I listen to Rush Limbaugh

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, books, government, humour, product endorsementsLeave a comment

Only in the States (feeling the “vibe“) and only in rent-a-cars. And only on white trash AM radio.

But I have to admit — the big, fat idiot makes the miles fly by.

Rush Limbaugh – Wikipedia

He is a master Republican defender. And gutsy. I even heard him spin the absolutely indefensible Mark Foley and make it sound like Bill Clinton’s fault.

Limbaugh’s an intelligent guy, obviously. I can’t imagine he believes everything he spouts. Perhaps he does. There is a consistency to his line of argument.

Those who listen only to Limbaugh, watch only Fox News, should check out the anti-Limbaugh — Al Franken.

Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot

Economist magazine losing it?

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, blogs, product complaints, product endorsementsLeave a comment

economist_logo.png

I have the greatest respect for Economist. They sell a million issues a week.

But Economist hasn’t done much lately. Have they?

No blog. Relatively poor audiocast. No improvement to their website in years.

You’d think those UK free enterprise advocates would innovate.

Sometimes criticized for being too right wing, Economist (for the record) supported Bush in 2000 but not in 2004. They supported the coalition of the willing going into Iraq — but now call for Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation.

no longer using the word “podcast”

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, videocastsLeave a comment

Apple stupidly is making claim to the word “Pod”. Legal proceedings are threatened.

I never like the term “podcasting” anyway.

Officially I switch to the much more descriptive terms “audiocast” and “videocast”.

Leo Laporte has recommended netcast as a term for both. CBS now uses netcast.

Netcast I will not use. It too is confusing.

will digital kill the radio star?

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, economics, musicLeave a comment

Fewer listeners are tuning in, including me.

Will traditional analogue radio die? Or come-up with a new business model?

radio-star.jpg

… the prospects of radio companies have dimmed significantly since the late 1990’s, when broadcast barons were tripping over themselves to buy more stations. Radio revenue growth has stagnated and the number of listeners is dropping. The amount of time people tune into radio over the course of a week has fallen by 14 percent over the last decade, according to Arbitron ratings.

Over the last three years, the stocks of the five largest publicly traded radio companies are down between 30 percent and 60 percent as investors wonder when the industry will bottom out.

Changing Its Tune – NYT

Personally I feel radio has a bright future. But it will be far different than the bland, computer scripted content forced on listeners today.

The radio infrastructure will be available cheap and — I hope — be converted to unique, very localized service. Podcasters may even pay to be broadcast over public air waves.

Competition for your ears is increasing. I expect traditional radio to be one of the many different ways it is delivered.

onion.com “Radio News” – funny

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, humourLeave a comment

images.jpgThese days I rarely bother logging in to Onion.com, the wonderful news parody site. Instead I get a chuckle every day when my computer automatically downloads their podcast called “Onion Radio News“.

This was a good one:

Donut Shop’s Mission Statement Awfully Ambitious

FREEHOLD, NJ—Patrons at Dotty’s Donuts on Cranston Avenue agree that the mission statement posted near the shop’s entrance seems overly ambitious.

“It said, ‘At Dotty’s, our goal is to reinvent the morning,'” Dotty’s patron Ken Mentilli said. “‘Dotty’s Donuts are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and a ray of light into your soul.’ That seems like a tall order for a donut shop.”

Mentilli added that Dotty’s may not be able to deliver on its promise to “change the world, one fresh-baked bear claw at a time.”

(click to hear a sample)

improving urban traffic

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, economics, good news, product complaintsLeave a comment

In the film Beverly Hills Cop, Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) asks his love interest, “Is this your car?”

She replies, “Oh, no. In Beverly Hills we just take whichever car is closest.”

I always loved that line.

Now it’s (almost) come true.

“Car Sharing Goes Upscale” by Paul Boutin, a Slate.com podcast brought me up to speed.

No longer a “save the Earth guilt trip”, car sharing is now cool.

In San Francisco you can grab a CityCarShare.com economy car just about anywhere in town and pay just $4/hr plus $.44/mile. That includes gas, insurance and parking.

citycarshare.jpg

Sweet!

As a non-car-owner I would take advantage of that often. A friend in Calgary has been doing something similar here. I will check it out.

High rollers and business travellers are paying much, much more for short-term luxury car hourly rentals. In San Francisco check ZipCar.com

It’s become a hip thing to do there.

Product complaint: I would love to link to the original Slate.com podcast archive so you could listen for yourself. But they look to be 3 weeks behind in posting them!

Instead you could search iTunes > podcasts > Slate Magazine Daily Podcast.

“Lhasa Vegas”

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, government, philosophy, travelLeave a comment

pf01.jpgXeni Jardin, the popular BoingBoing.net blogger, has a good podcast on NPR radio:

Tradition vs. Change in ‘Lhasa Vegas’

When I was in Tibet in 1997 there were already good internet cafes. It seems the more remote an area, the more important the internet becomes.

Needless to say, the Dalai Lama is jive to the technology, but with a caution:

The internet’s contribution to the diffusion and dissemination of knowledge and information is truly remarkable.

“By itself the internet cannot feed the poor, defend the oppressed, or protect those subject to natural disasters, but by keeping us informed it can allow those of us who have the opportunity to give whatever help we can.”

top 6 podcasts

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, videocastsLeave a comment

Here are the top 6 of 10 most-listened to podcasts (audio and video) in Canada:

TWIT/This Week in Technology (USA)
Ricky Gervais Show (UK)
Quirks and Quarks (CANADA)
LOST (USA)
CommandN (CANADA)
Barenaked Ladies (CANADA)

Gervais is unbelievably popular. Unbelievable because it is not that funny. I gave up on it quickly.

TWIT is perhaps my favourite right now. CommandN is loveable.

I’d best check out Barenaked Ladies.

Search for these and more podcasts on itunes (free software download).

radio – Sook-Yin Lee – DNTO

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, humour, music, product endorsementsLeave a comment

syl.jpgA lifelong CBC AM radio listener, these days I am reduced to listening almost exclusively via podcast. Radio on demand, when and where I want.

Best is downloading the podcasts to my MP3 player and listening while cycling.

My favourite show is Definitely Not the Opera, the weekly pop culture wrap-up hosted by talented Sook-Yin Lee in Winnipeg. It is consistently excellent.

Check it out on the DNTO website. You can download the podcast from iTunes, of course. It’s free.

Jon Stewart on Net Neutrality

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, bad news, humour, internet, TVLeave a comment

It seems the traditional American media near ignored the astonishing lack of understanding of Ted Stevens, chairman of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Gladly, we have one “journalist” putting this dinosaur’s feet to the fire.

I say again, the USA is in trouble because of their legislative process. Perhaps they should try democracy and free market economics.

The TWITs weigh in on their podcast.