http://audio.weblogs.com/ are the "freshest podcasts in the known universe".

Here are some feeds that are currently floating around. Engadget PodCast feed (our beta) http://www.engadget.com/common/videos/pt/rss.xml Adam Curry�s Daily Source Code http://radio.weblogs.com/0001014/categories/dailySourceCode/rss.xml Dave Slusher�s Evil Genius Chronicles http://www.evilgeniuschronicles.org/audio/bittorrent.rss (Torrent Feed) http://www.evilgeniuschronicles.org/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi/index.rss20 (MP3 Feed) Dave Winer�s The Scripting News http://www.scripting.com/rss.xml Legal Torrents http://www.legaltorrents.com/musicrss.xml

http://podcasting.meetup.com is the Austin Podcasting Network. Stephen Dulaney is the organizer.

Hey Terry Is it still ok for me to do a blog here after being a bit hard core about podcasting in the radio section? 73 de Mike r-c-i

Of course, we thrive on controversy, disagreements, and turmoil. Ya' wanna fight? I'll be more than happy to help you set up a blog which you can have as a podcast free zone!

Hey Terry I was probably in my rant mode during that post - although a bit of controversy is always fun - actually I have been thinking about a portable 'pirate' station would best be served by an ipod or similar bulk mp3 system as this provides the best way to carry lots of CD's along with a wireless fm transmitter to broadcast into a 'temporary autonomous zone'. Mike

Bob has found a great source for a new fm transmitter. From Bob's email: Check out the KILLER fm transmitters I got from: www.fmkit.com The 4 watter...built by a russian engineer in Oregon./ Totally commecial quality. Putting them in enclosures..a primary and backup. Going to wireless the signal from "norm" (cheers fat guy - our parade host) to 3 sets of amplifiers and speakers on the route. Using 2 element quads. So that's http://www.fmkit.com But don't expect to communicate easily with him or get return phone calls. Frequency Tuning Step RF Power Output Spurious Emissions Frequency Stability SWR Ruggedness RF Output Connector AGC Range Signal To Noise Ratio Frequency Response Stereo Separation Pre-emphasis Audio Distortion Audio Input Connectors Power Input PCB Dimensions 87-108MHz 10kHz from 30mW to 4.0Watt Better than -40 dB ref to carrier PLL Typ +/-1KHz Withstands complete mismatch BNC or "F" type 0.8V to 4V p-p for +/- 75 KHz 60 dBu Flat from 20 Hz to 15 KHz >35 dB 75uS or 50uS if shipped to Europe Better than 0.2 % THD Phono/ RCA 12 or 13.8Vdc 1A filtered power supply 4" x 2" Frequency, RF Power, AGC, Mono/Strereo and other parameters are set using two buttons and LCD. . Filtered MPX. Filtered audio.Filtered RF.Continues tuning across entire FM band. 4 pre-set frequencies - push right button to activate next preset Unlocked PLL RF shut-down.

Umm, that table didn't exactly copy and paste very well. Frequency 87-108MHz Tuning Step 10kHz RF Power Output from 30mW to 4.0Watt Spurious Emissions Better than -40 dB ref to carrier Frequency Stability PLL Typ +/-1KHz SWR Ruggedness Withstands complete mismatch RF Output Connector BNC or "F" type AGC Range 0.8V to 4V p-p for +/- 75 KHz Signal To Noise Ratio 60 dBu Frequency Response Flat from 20 Hz to 15 KHz Stereo Separation >35 dB Pre-emphasis 75uS or 50uS if shipped to Europe Audio Distortion Better than 0.2 % THD Audio Input Connectors Phono/ RCA Power Input 12 or 13.8Vdc 1A filtered power supply PCB Dimensions 4" x 2" Better, yes?

Anyway, let's get back to our regularly scheduled program. Today I'll have a new podcast out and it will be at http://austinblogger.com/wordpress

I'm ftping it up to the site right now. Mike are you back in Austin?

Marilyn, she was blonde, she was beautiful. Melinda Mason is doing a biweekly podcast called "My Marilyn": marilynmonroe.ca/podcast. Cool 50s sounds.

PW Fenton's Digital Flotsam. http://digitalflotsam.org ... Cool old music, in the latest one he talks about his wife. "Adam Curry, the podfather, says you should listen to your wife, they're always right." The Wife Episode, great songs and vintage comedy cuts. He also talks about how he does his podcast. Sound scene tour called "On the Wing" which is about birding. http://onthewing.libsyn.com Over 4800 podcasts in the directory with a large set of categories.

Howdy Naw, not in Austin but this is the right time of the year to be there. Did alot of work between Austin and Waco in the last two months and spent alot of road time listening to the radio - some nights were in Austin where I got to hear KAOS in action. Anyway, will check out the podcast sites - possibly can post a 'Chicago Stories' show on the Austin site (a bit ironic...). Anyway, will check out your upload - will have to set up so I get RSS feeds of all this. 73 de Mike r-c-i

I heard a great podcast last night on my little iriver 799. It was Tod Maffin who is a regular radio guy (national broadcaster on CBC) and a podcaster as well. So he comes from the radio and podcast perspectives. His website is http://todmaffin.com http://radio.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2004/10/5/155523.html is about how podcasting will save radio. And his podcasts are at http://radio.blogware.com/blog/Podcasting You can download IPodder windoze or mac from this page on iloveradio.org. You'll crack up when you see some of his podcast topics ("how to wash your face properly") The particular podcast that's in my iriver right now is from the Northern Voice Canadian blogging/podcasting conference. http://www.northernvoice.ca/ is their general site and here are Tod's notes: http://www.northernvoice.ca/node/132 Good stuff! Some quick quotes from his notes: Note: feel free to add to these notes, tidy up, etc. Problem is with bandwidth. kHz: Sample Rate - Number of samples per second - 44,100 khz is standard mp3 - 48,000 or even 96,ooo used professionally - Phone lines: 8kHz (on a good day) - Remote broadcasts: 15 Khz cuts off the top and the bottom and sounds a bit muddy So if you're podcasting on the phone then you don't need to sample at 44,1000, because you're only producing 8 khz Plays some samples to illustrate the difference between sampling rates. When you encode MP3 files, experiment, don't go with the standard because it's too generous. The Process Starts with you, creating the content, recording, posting, promoting, feedback. Content Just like a blog - what are you passionate about. What interests you? What's your passion? have a clear show topic/focus. At the beginning podcasts were about podcasts, now they should be about fishing or whatever. Don't have a show about nothing - it worked for Seinfeld but they had NBC behind them. Adam Curry is one of the first podcasters, and it's a technology show about podcasting (fair enough he invented it). One thing that was interesting and helped him gain audience share is that he moved from the Netherlands to England and he talked about the problems he had getting high speed internet access. Radio is a powerful medium for that. Radio is the most visual medium out there because there is no limits to what you see in your head. let us know about your life, if you're having problems moving house, say, then say so. There are far too many DJs (puts on DJ voice), but you don't know anything about who they are. The most interesting people are the ones that let you into their personality and life. There is no 'everybody' in radio. People say 'hey everybody' but there isn't an everybody, there is one person who is listening to you. You are speaking to one person, so talk in terms of that, and have that in your mindset. People say in public speaking 'imagine everyone in their underwear'. Don't! Imagine someone out jogging, one person. He wants to get into people's daily jogging playlist or commute to work. there is a finite amount of time so make sure your show is really good and really targetted. Mix it up a bit - don't just drone on for 45 mins. In professional radio there are 'audio on-ramps' - moments that allow you to tune back into the show if your mind wanders. Most podcasters don't doo that - it's a big stream of consciousness. Use music stings, or verbally pause and say 'here's a new topic' or something. They are 'audio headers'. You can produce your own 'sweepers' - little sounds to catch people's attention. community site - radiodaddy.com, for finding sweepers etc. Be brief - an 8 to 10 minute show. Peopel tend to ramble. Try not to. Mike's manic minute - removes all deadair, even between words. Microphones - meant to be near mouths! yes, you can increase the volume of low talking but you make every bit of ambient noise (room tone) louder too. So, two inches away, at an angle. Straight ahead gives you pops and it's too intense. Sounds like crap. The splosive is going right into the diaphragm. Myths The fuzzy bit on a mic is not a pop-screen, it's a wind screen, it will not prevent pops. A pop screen is a sort of like a screen - embroidery hoop with nylon tights stretched over it. Mic pattern is important but not really for podcasting. Omnidirectional, shotgun, toroidal, parabolic. If you can get one that is slightly directional, but omnidirectional is fine. headsets are not so good - a lot have USB mics which sometimes have latency issues. Plugging it into the USB it has to go through processing before it gets to where it needs to go. Line-In is best, or mic-in is best. One way to get over the problem with laptops of not having the right in is to use a small mixing desk. Avoid verbal listening. There are lots of clues we can pick up off Tv, such as people nodding their head, but on radio, 'ahuh, ahah, oh, right'... is very distracting. Don't do it. It feels perfectly natural in conversation but when you play it back it's really hard to listen to. Radio secret - double ender. If you want good quality, you're not going to do it over the phone because it sounds like crap. So use the phone, and both record on minidisc or computer, and then cut the two together in an audio mixer. So you have the conversation on the phone but you're not recording the phone convo. TV does this all the time. Voip is not good, Skype is better than Vonage, for e.g. but it's hard to record. On the mac, audio hijack pro - whatever it hears on the soundcard it records. Mac only records one channel. Wiretap. Audience member says that he can't find anything that works. Line-In? Room tone. Ambient noise. If you want to move stuff around, if you don't have audio of what was underneath you, you will hear the cut. So wherever you are, record 30 seconds of recording room tone and collect whatever the sound of the room is. Even if you think you are in a completely silent room, you are not. You can get away with cheap equipment - mics, you get what you pay for. Mics on laptops are fine - Mac ones are better than PC ones. Don't worry about mics, worry about the sounds around you. Get as close to the mic as poss, if you can find an upholstered area with carpeting then that's great. iloveradio.org. Tod uses his bedroom closet, because the clothing mops up stray sound. Legal issues - In Canada, it is legal to record a phone conversation without asking permission, so long as one person knows that it is recorded. but you might not be allowed to broadcast it, so ask permission from your interviewee. Get a verbal release - is it ok to record this and use this on air. Capture tools - audacity - samplitude Posting - any blog software - ID3 tags so that people can get info about it. - show notes that show what the times are of individual bits - Feedburner automatically encloses MP3s. Gives you stats too. Problem w. the fact that they are hosting your stuff in case they go offline or whatever. - don't need to have RSS, but frankly that's too manual Promote - regular schedule - put in sig Feedback - ask! - blog coments - free voicemail to email (k7.net) Myths about music - if i lay a bit it's legal - not true - if i talk over the intro it's legal - not true - if i own the CD it's legal - not true - if the artist agrees, it's legal - not always true, not usually true, artist may not have own rights. Licencing - you can get a licence - easy if independent band - ASCAP.com - weblicence, but are not allowed to have show notes listing song titles, no ability for listeners to chose songs online - some artists are in BMI, or SOCAN so need to make sure you have the right licence Recommendations Daily Source Code Doug's Applescript There ya' have it, cos'

Howdy Terry and podfolks (almost said geoites...) O'Reilly is publishing a really cool quarterly called 'Make' which is all kinds of technical hacking and stuff. This quarter also included a how to on setting up a pod cast. Anyway, probably old hat but worth mentioning. Also, there are some good .mp3 downloads of Radio NewYork International and a bunch of other broadcasters off WBCQ - a very fun listen. URL: www.11l-rni.com 73 de Mike

Going on now a major podcasting event in Austin sponsored by Trek Sports Drink. Details at http://touroftexas.com

Howdy all O'Reilly has come out with a good starter book - Podcasting Hacks. Also, going to start working on my 'studio' - first on the list is a nice portable minidisk recorder - more toys! 73 de Mike r-c-i

Which model?

Howdy Terry Was looking at the portable Sony MZ-M10 Minidisc - right now I can record with my Samsung MP3 player but it is 'low fidelity' sampling. I have seen in O'Reilly's 'Make' magazine that there are folks who have come up with various hacks for the iPod to make it record at a 96KHz sampling rate. The idea is for a briefcase portable studio - small mixer board, two cheap cd players, recorder and possibly an additional MP3 player source plus two microphones. All powered by a cam corder battery or something similar (gel cells?). Have not worked that out yet. Then comes the fun part of coming up with show topics so I not just yammering on and set up the laptop to do the production and uploads. 73 de Mike

Check out the Iriver 799t, that's what I use. That and the PocketStudio 5. I use a Griffing $14 mike with the iriver and an ElectroVoice interview mike with the Pocketstudio. That's my low and high end mobile setup.

Howdy Terry Very Cool! Ok, will take a look at those - plus thanks for the microphone suggestion and pocket studio info. I was planning to check out the portable mixer boards at one of the local music stores. I have seen cd players (portable) for around $20. So, I should be able to put something together and still keep this on the cheap. 73 de Mike AA9IL

Griffing should read Griffin. It's white. It sells for 14.95 at Circuit City. It's a remarkable stereo mike for the money. Look on ebay for Tascam and Iriver.

Bob jumped in to podcasting today. http://bobnagy.com

The Griffin is great!

http://2006.sxsw.com/coverage/podcasts/ is the site for SXSW podcasts. http://server1.sxsw.com/2006/coverage/SXSW06.INT.20060312.CreativeSubplot.mp3 Creative Subplot: The Viral Edition - Monday, March 13th A look into the process and thinking behind some of today's most creative agencies. A personal approach to creativity and inspiration as told by the designers, producers, and creative directors of todays most talked about viral campaigns. Moderator: Tim Nolan Online Creative Dir, Night Agency Stacey Duda Sr Producer, The Barbarian Group Nessim Higson Principal, Iamalwayshungry Richard Webb COO, Barbarian Group Tim Nolan Online Creative Dir, Night Agency http://server1.sxsw.com/2006/coverage/SXSW06.INT.2006.0313.Bootstrapping.mp3 Bootstrapping Your Digital Convergence Business - Monday, March 13th Bootstrap your venture with little to no startup capital like Michael Dell! Learn the rules of bootstrapping from successful bootstrappers in publishing, software and art. Moderator: Bijoy Goswami CEO, Aviri Neelan Choksi Sr Dir Prod Mktg, BEA Systems Dave Wolpert Tina Schweiger Owner Pres, Yellow Fin Inc Erebelle LLC Bijoy Goswami CEO, Aviri http://server1.sxsw.com/2006/coverage/SXSW06.INT.20060314.NextGenerationofWebApps.mp3 Designing the Next Generation of Web Apps - Tuesday, March 14th With hype around "Web 2.0" reaching an almost unbearable level, it can be tempting to dismiss it all. That would be a shame. For all the breathless marketing and ill-funded startups, there's some absolutely amazing design being done out there. We'll talk to those behind some of the most successful applications on the web and find out what the process was behind them, how they bring users into their designs, and what it's like to stay on the cutting edge of web tech without succumbing to it. Moderator: Jeffrey Veen , Measure Map George Oates Producer, Ludicorp Mena Trott Partner, Six Apart Evan Williams CEO, Odeo, Inc. Jeffrey Veen Measure Map Eric Rodenbeck Dir, Stamen Design and more at http://2006.sxsw.com/coverage/podcasts/

see also http://austincast.com/blog/ for more sxsw podcasts

http://hearthis.com Brian Massey's effort. Brian's wondering the same thing I am, what ever happened to Stephen and the Austin Podcasting Network. They've sure gone quiet. No meeting notices. Nada.

The above mentioned fmkit site is out of biz so I made a copy at http://spring.net/radio/fmkit it has the instructions for the fmkit Sad, that this company is no longer in business.