My newest addiction is netcasts. These are basically mp3 files that were previously called podcasts. These files get automatically downloaded to an mp3 player of your choice when you subscribe to them using an appropriate client.
In short think of podcasts or netcasts as “on-demand” radio shows available for free as downloadable mp3 files.
Common mis-conceptions:- You don’t need an ipod to listen to a podcast.
- You don’t even need a stand alone mp3 player to listen to a podcast
- All you need is something that plays mp3 files like your computer that you are reading this post on.
In my case, to fuel my addiction I decided to use the 40 min it takes to get me to drive to work to catch up on the things I like catching up on i.e science and technology.
I bought myself a relatively cheap mp3 player ( like any used one from ebay or an ipod shuffle which costs just $70 ).
I then use firefox and my personalized google home page as my netcast client and download the files when I see them onto my mp3 player.
I also bought myself a real cheap FM transmitter ($15). This is basically a device that converts any audio signal to an FM radio signal that you can then receive on your car stereo. Think of these as modern versions of you “tape adapter kits” but now all you need is a car equipped with an FM radio.
So every morning as I drink my tea I download that mornings podcast onto my mp3 player and then plug it into my FM transmitter device which I have fixed in my car . And before I start my commute, I just hit play. So depending on the day of the week I get to catch up on the latest in Nature magazine, Science magazine or this week in tech or the dozens of other podcasts out there.
I put together a screencast ( Not another cast! type) explaining how to use firefox and google to get at podcasts and be informed when they are updated. You can save the file by checking it out on youtube by clicking this link or hold down shift key and click this link and view the wmv file it once it is downloaded to your PC, since it is not streaming video.
I have created a screencast explaining how to use google and firefox as a netcast or podcast client. The file can be viewed after downloading it to your computer using windows media player or player that plays *.wmv files.
The screencast is available at
http://people.brandeis.edu/~hari/netcast_client.wmv
Yeah, I keep meaning to get round to this. It’d be interesting to know your opinions on the relative merits of the various science podcasts available (both those you mention and some of the ‘dozens of others’). And how does the content compare to what you’d find in written-word science sources.
There is no replacing the printed word. To me podcasts are a great way to discover content while I am doing something else..like say driving to work or cooking when it is difficlut to atually gaze at a screen or read something printed.
Also most podcasts I listen to are very good summaries of general trends and capture very well the overall flavor of the printed article they are based on. So while I may flip past an article on paleontology in say nature magazine, the podcast featuring a section on say the discovery of a giant bird fossil makes very interesting listening.
Als most podcasts are still commercial free and so are a refreshing alternative to morning and evening radio.
I am interested in viewing your screencast but unfortunately I am not able to download the file.
I am very keen on the idea of podcasting. I wanted to get to know your “presentation” hoping that it will provide me with new ideas on how to manage the time I am spending on searching for and organizing the audtions I listen to.
Could you check out, does the link work properly?
Your’s was a cool idea. Of course I dont drive but yes, I liked the part relating to google/add stuff and collecting the podcasts in one place. I am downloading the podcast now.
Thanks
swami