Dave Winer notes the introduction of podcasting by NPR’s On the Media, and cites the press release claiming this is the first NPR program to do so. I don’t know how long Future Tense has been podcasting, but it certainly didn’t start today. Future Tense is from American Public Media, which most of us here in the United States would hear on an NPR radio station… but maybe it’s not literally an NPR program. Details, details.
I’ve listened to a few podcasts, but so far it’s not for me. First, I read faster than people talk. Second, I don’t have a good time or place for listening. I can’t listen and read/type at the same time with any effectiveness, and my commute is by bicycle, foot, or bus… and I’d rather read when I’m on the bus. If I had to drive anywhere, I’d probably get interested, and get an iPod, and the whole nine yards. (Tangent: when typing “the whole nine yards,” I wondered why isn’t it ten yards? Where does that phrase come from? For once, the internet lets me down. The Google results I scanned throw out various ideas, but come down on the side of uncertainty.)
Anyway, I’ll let this blogging trend run without me, even if I chase the hype in other ways.