Learning what Podcasts are out there and how to download and listen to them.
In a short period of several years, podcasts have become a serious challenge to radio listening. Music, politics, advice, it's all there. MacTribe gives you an easy route to get started and a few podcasts we recommend you check out.
Getting Started
One of the leading programs to download and move Podcasts to your iPod is Juice (formerly known as iPodder) . Juice runs on Macintosh and Windows (a Linux version is also available). Once you download and install the program, you can either use the built-in Podcast directory to find shows or you can manually enter the location of a Podcast feed. You can quickly add Podcasts from many of your favorite bloggers, and Juice quickly retrieves the Podcasts and moves them into iTunes for transfer to your iPod.
Podcast Alley
Podcast directories are springing up regularly, making it easy to find quality content for your iPod. Podcast Central is a directory of Podcasts, and includes the most recent 100 Podcasts. Podcast Alley is a great source to use to find new shows.
www.podcastalley.com/
Podcasts to Check Out
Plan Nine Rock Show
If your idea of cool is being able to name-drop lots of indie rock bands your friends have never heard of, this podcast is pure gold. If you just want to hear some good new music, that works too. Updated weekly at plannineprint.com/podcast.html
Rookie Designer
Graphic designer Adam Hay shows listeners how to succeed in the design industry, with lessons in good design practice, software tricks, and advice for handling the business side of your career. Also check out his Quicktips for Designers video podcast. Updated weekly at rookiedesigner.com
Savage Lovecast
In this companion to his weekly sex advice column Savage Love, host Dan Savage takes calls from listeners on more subjects than you probably want to imagine. Definitely not for the prudish, it’s like Loveline but kinkier, and pleasantly free of Adam Carrolla. Updated weekly at podcasts.thestranger.com/savagelove/
Slate Magazine Daily Podcast
The online magazine features the best of its most recent articles, along with the highly-recommended Weekly Gabfest political roundtable. Also great is the podcast of its daily “Explainer” column, which answers such compelling questions as how to fight off a monkey attack and whether steroids can make your head grow. Updated daily at slate.com/id/2119317/
This American Life
Often funny, sometimes heartbreaking and always engaging, this is indisputably the hippest show on public radio (and not in a “skinniest kid at fat camp” kind of way). Host Ira Glass presents a medley of stories each week on a specific theme, with contributors including David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell and David Rakoff. Updated weekly at thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Podcast.phpx
Lonely Planet Travelcast
Writers for the renowned guidebook series report in from their travels around the globe. Featured destinations include many places where you don’t have the time, money or cajones to go yourself. Updated every week or two at
lonelyplanet.com/travelstories/podcast/
Photos by Mark Hunt
More Apple
More News
iPad Costs
iSuppli Corp., which generally waits until it can actually get the new Apple product to estimate its production cost, has decided to forgo hands on examination in the case of the iPad. They have--from just looking at it, it's amazing--decided the base model only costs $219.35 for Apple to produce. According to AppleInsider the base model won't make Apple anywhere near as much profit as the 32 GB model with 3G wireless priced at $729...that one reportedly costs only $287.15 to produce.
That's some profit! No wonder Apple execs have said they'd stay nimble on pricing! With demand for the iPad under scrutiny and this week's news that the "Take Picture" hint was removed from the Address Book app in the iPad simulator even we are starting to wonder if it's not worth waiting for the 2nd generation.
Trust us, it's painful to say.
Google Challenges the Internet
"Think Big" indeed. This time, Google is setting its sights on the very way we transmit information and asking people from around the country to nominate their city or state to be included in an ultra-high speed open internet network of Google's building. Set to include anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000 people, this network will boast 1GB per second fiber optic connections that Google reps are hoping will bolster developer creativity, test new ways to build the infrastructure and challenge internet service providers to band together to create a better internet instead of shunning change to maintain their bottom lines.
This is huge news, and we hope our city is on the receiving end of the new interwebs...here's the official Google Blog if you want to read it all in detail or submit your community.
Dogs on Twitter
From the country that's given us karate and karaoke comes the newest iPhone app: that's right, Japan's Index Corp. has announced the release of "Bowlingual," the dog emotion translator. Latest in a long line of technological advances, this app (to be released this summer) analyzes Fido's bark and puts it into one of six categories, like "needy." Or "happy." Then it adds a caption based on the emotion and allows you to snap a photo of your pooch in its current mood; as if that weren't enough it can modify that photo to enlarge your pet's eyes...oh...so cute.
Seriously, the app is set to sell for $5 and will post your pet's barks to Twitter. Silly? Yes. Fun? Probably!!
Will you let your dog speak his mind? Tell us here.
