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Tune in. Geek out.

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Geek like meNeed something to listen to?

I am becoming a big fan of podcasts.  No.. I don’t own an iPod or have iTunes installed.  I have an iRiver for when I workout.  I use IE 7’s ability to manage my feeds (with enclosure downloads). And I also have a really cool phone (Windows Mobile 5 rocks!) that also holds lots of music. 

I also spend a lot of time driving to and from events, or time on or waiting for planes, so it’s nice to be able to listen to something good.  And there’s a lot of good stuff out there.  Not just music.  I’m talking about the technical podcasts with good information.  Stuff that geeks like me like to listen to and learn from.

“Kevin.. I can just read this stuff. I don’t need these guys talking in my ear.”

Sure.. but are you going to read it while you’re driving to work?  Or sweating on the stairmachine or treadmill?  Probably not.  Yes, technical articles online or printed are great learning resources (or sleep aids), and blogcasts/screencasts are wonderful vehicles for “show me how it really works” demo recordings.  But when your hands and/or eyes are otherwise occupied, nothing beats a podcast.

“Okay Kevin – I’m convinced. Where do I find these things?”

There are many of them out there, and many services that make them easy to find.  One that I highly recommend you check out is the TechNet Radio site.  The Architect community might like the ARCast with Ron Jacobs. 

“What about video? Can I subscribe to video feeds also?”

Absolutely.  Here’s a really good one to start with: The 10 Show (daily)

“How do I download the files? What do you use?”

For automatic downloads of the media, I recommend that you use any RSS reader that supports automatic enclosure downloads.  And as I mentioned, I’m using IE 7.0 (beta), which does that for me.  And then I use Windows Media Player to play them, or to handle the sync to my music player and phone.

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I’m currently listening to Mike Ward’s recordings from TechEd 2006.  Good stuff! 

Actually.. Mike said he might send me some recording equipment, too.  I might just aspire to become another Michael J. Muphy.

So… Should I do a podcast? What kinds of things would you like to hear? I was thinking of starting a “Full of I.T.” podcast; interviewing IT Pros or other industry folks. Do you think I should?

Comments

  • Anonymous
    June 22, 2006
    Love your column. I think you absolutely should do the full of i.t. podcast!
  • Anonymous
    June 22, 2006
    The comment has been removed
  • Anonymous
    June 22, 2006
    Indeed, that IS the question.

    For me - I really like Michael J. Murphy's approach, because I love hearing from people who are doing the work, and have insights that will help me do what I am doing, better.  But I also liked the stuff you did from TechEd, because it's news and new, cool stuff about the products and technologies that I might be interested in knowing more about.  

    So... yeah.. what do YOU want to hear?