The Palm Beach Macintosh User Group

[Updated July 5, 2008]

First, the big question of the day is "what is a podcast". The short answer is that a podcast is a broadcast that is played back at a time and date more convenient to the listener. It's kind of like recording a radio show off the air so you can listen to it later, but with more organization, and many, many more channels (and radio programs) to listen to. These podcasts can be on any topic you can (or maybe can't) imagine, from politics, to technology, to sports, to music, and even... yes... even to sex (put your iPod in a plain brown wrapper...).

I wanted to include illustrations within the text of this blog, but apparently that feature either isn't available or that feature isn't turned on... They are available as attachments at the bottom of this blog.

The mechanism for creating your own podcast is fairly complicated and out of the scope of this blog. It's also something the vast majority of PBMUG members would probably never do on their own. For that reason, I'm going to stick to how to find, subscribe to, listen to, and synchronize (more on this later) your iPod to listen to, podcasts. Oh, and whenever I mention iPods, I also mean iPhones.

At its most basic, a podcast is a digital audio file stored in the popular MP3 format. Several enhancements are available but also out of the scope of this blog. Once an MP3 file has been created, it is stored on a server which, in turn, links to larger aggregators of podcasting files (aggregating the links to them in one place makes it easier to index and search for the content you want). One of the biggest aggregators of podcasts is the iTunes Store, run by Apple. Apple was one of the earliest promoters of podcasting, because it helped sell more iPods, and because of the tight integration between the iPod Store and iTunes, the process of subscribing, downloading, and synchronizing to podcast content is extremely easy for users of nearly any skill level. Oh, before I forget, please note that you don't need an iPod to listen to podcasts. You can listen to them on your computer via the iTunes application (this means both Windows and Mac users can listen to podcasts in iTunes or on their iPods).

Your requirements are pretty minimal: a recent computer, either Windows (Windows 2000 or newer) or a Mac (something that can run MacOS X 10.3.9 or newer), free iTunes software, a USB to iPod Dock connector (you only need this if you are copying the podcasts to an iPod), and (preferably) a high-speed internet connection. You can do download podcasts if you only have dial-up service, but the downloads will take a lot longer to copy to your computer.

Okay, how do I locate and obtain podcasts for myself? Easier than you can imagine... Launch the iTunes program. Once it is running, click the link to the iTunes Store at the left of the iTunes window. If you don't have an account on iTunes, that's OK. You can quickly establish an account with just an email address and a few non-invasive questions, and no money changes hands. So, now that you have launched iTunes and have successfully entered the iTunes Store, there are several ways you can look for podcasts. The easiest way is to go to the iTunes Store search field at the upper right-hand corner of the iTunes program window, and type in a subject, like sports, music, politics, comedy, or whatever you want. A list of podcasts and related music and video files will be displayed. Nearly every podcast is free. To make it easier to go through the free content, click the column header that says "Price". This will sort the contents of that window from lowest price (free) to highest price (somewhere at the bottom of the list--you can ignore those). For you folks out there whose computers and iPods are shared by other members of the family, it's good to note that some podcast content is decidedly not family-friendly. The good news is that there is an "explicit" tag that "explicit" podcasts are required to display, so you'll know ahead of time. You can also set iTunes to reject anything tagged as explicit, and then password-protect that setting.

Scroll through the list of subjects. Click on the name of the podcast and a new window pops up, giving you a brief description of the podcast content, as well as a "subscribe" button. That same subscribe button can be found in the podcast list from the previous paragraph. When you subscribe to a podcast, several things automatically occur, ultimately resulting in one or more podcast listings showing up in your Podcast subject area in iTunes. Once you have subscribed to a podcast, new podcasts automatically download to iTunes. If more than one podcast is available from that site, you can click the "get" button to get individual ones, too. Thereafter, every time you launch iTunes, it will go out and check for all the podcasts to which you have subscribed. If new ones have been posted, they will be automatically downloaded.

This is just if you want to listen to podcasts on your computer. If you have an iPod (either a Shuttle, Nano, Classic, or Touch), the default condition is that whenever you plug the special docking cable between your iPod and any USB port on your computer (preferably a USB 2.0 connection, as they are much faster), and if the iTunes application is running, any podcasts that haven't been listened to (a blue "dot" is displayed next to unlistened-to podcasts in iTunes) will be automatically uploaded to your iPod. You can then configure iTunes so that once you have listened to the podcast on your iPod, the next time you plug the iPod into your computer (with iTunes running), the listened-to files will be purged, freeing up space for new content. This process is known as synchronizing (told you I'd be getting back to this!). In other words, the iTunes application attempts to ensure that the content in your iPod is the same as the content in your iTunes application. Some of these settings, like removing podcasts you have listened to, have to be made in the iTunes Preferences menu (under the iTunes menu item). Also, when you delete a podcast (or a song, for that matter) from your iTunes application, the next time you synchronize your iPod, that same podcast (or song) will be deleted from your iPod.

Sometimes, there are podcasts that aren't available via subscription on the iTunes.com site. One of my favorites is Radio Deluxe. Hosted by jazz guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli and his wife, Broadway and cabaret singer Jessica Molaskey, this is a delightful 100 minute weekly show that is also offered for syndication to radio stations. The premise is that this show originates in the Pizzarelli's apartment in Manhattan, high above Lexington Avenue. In reality, it's produced in a studio in New York City. John and Jessica host singers and performers that are involved in the music from the Great American Songbook. They play records from the era, interview performers, songwriters, etc., and sometimes perform themselves, often aided by John's father, famed studio and jazz guitarist (and frequent Palm Beach visitor) Bucky Pizzarelli. To load these songs into your iPod, just download from the link above, open the iTunes application, and drag the mp3 file onto the "Music" text just below LIBRARY on the main iTunes screen. If you have a lot of content stored on your iPod, it may be a good idea to create your own playlist, call it "other podcasts" or some other name of your choice, and drag the just-installed podcast onto the "other podcasts" text, so you can more easily find it.

You can also download video podcasts. You can view these on your computer or on a video-capable iPod (nano, Classic, Touch). This is a growing segment with professionally (and otherwise) produced content that brings the added dimension of video to the whole scene, though the download times are much longer.

Believe me, it's easier than what you have just read here. With the state of radio here in S. Florida, and with a daily 45 minute commute, I'd be in a bad way without my iPod and podcasts to keep me company. Below is a sampling of some of the podcasts I listen to regularly, and that you too might enjoy. Some of these (as noted) are also available as video podcasts. All are family friendly unless otherwise noted.

• MyMac Magazine Podcast - Hosted by Tim Robertson, David Cohen, and my brother Guy Serle, this is an informative weekly podcast about all things Mac, iPhone, and more. The MyMac Magazine website is also where I have posted a number of blogs and product reviews on any subject imagineable (or otherwise).
• AFM: A Prairie Home Companion's News From Lake Wobegon - just Garrison Keillor's News from Lake Wobegon segment from PHC.
• Cranky Geeks - Hosted by John C. Dvorak, this show is hosted by "more mature" computer pundits and journalists who often have a contrarian view of things just because they want to. Video podcast available.
• Diggnation - Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht's boozy review of the week's most popular web pages as measured on digg.com. Definitely NOT family friendly. Video podcast available.
• GeekFit Podcast - A podcast focused on health and fitness for geeks and others.
• HDTV and Home Theater Podcast - A twice-weekly review of news and views from the HDTV and home theater front.
• Jazz Inspired - Stride pianist Judy Carmichael's periodic podcast, where she interviews many of the greats of jazz.
• Mac OS Ken - Hosted by Ken Ray, this is one of the most delightfully snarky podcasts out there. Ken does a 5 day a week, 15 minute podcast about the Mac news of the day with his own special brand of humor.
• MacBreak Weekly - Hosted by computer journalist Leo Laporte, this is a weekly 60-90 minute gathering of top journalists and movers and shakers in the Mac sphere. Occasionally pushes the envelope as to family friendliness. Check for "Explicit" tag before downloading.
• net@night - Hosted by Leo Laporte and Amber MacArthur, this is a weekly 60 minute podcast all about what's new and hip on the net.
• No Idle Frets - Hosted by Nick Carver, this is a weekly 30 minute podcast of the best of the current crop of jazz and related genre guitar music. All the music is "podsafe", and podcast by permission of the artists, so no fees are paid to the artists or composers.
• PC Mag Radio - A weekly freewheeling 30 minute podcast hosted by some of the top writers and editors from the premiere computing publication, PC Magazine. Video podcast available.
• Security Now - A weekly 60 minute podcast hosted by Leo Laporte with computer security expert Steve Gibson. Very technical.
• The Brass Figlagee - A podcast consisting entirely of airchecks of 1960s and 1970s WOR New York radio broadcasts by the late Jean Shepherd, comedian, radio commentator, author, television producer, mostly around 45 minutes in length.
• This Old Car Radio - A weekly podcast all about the old car hobby.
• This Week in Tech (TWIT) - A weekly 90 minute podcast hosted by Leo Laporte, who is joined by top technology professionals, writers, pundits, and more for a loose (but usually family-friendly) discussion of what's going on in the high-tech industry this week.
• You Look Nice Today - I think the best description of this show I've heard is "toilet humor, elevated for a more sophisticated listener". Decidedly NOT family-friendly, but hysterically funny at the same time. Hosted by web pioneer Merlin Mann and several others. It's a rambling 30-45 minute free for all, that has the appearance of being completely unscripted.