Odeo - Podcasting
In the last 9 months or so, podcasting has rapidly gone from being an interesting technology being investigated by a few, to a full blown meme, and now the money is stepping in. There are several upcoming players, not the least of which are Apple , ODEO and Sirius.
Sirius is a satellite radio broadcaster in the US, who have launched a Podcasting Channel, that is being edited/run by Adam Curry (host of The Daily Source Code, one of the original Podcasts that set the ball rolling.
Apple have announced that they are going to integrate podcasts into iTunes 4.9 when it is released in the upcoming weeks. From what I can gather, this is not really going to be anything more than a simple directory of podcasts, the contents of which are controlled by Apple. They have got the ubiquitous Adam Curry on board, so it’s unlikely that it will be totally corporate. I do, however, stand to be corrected once the application is actually released.
Yesterday, I received an invite to create an account with ODEO, which is an online podcast directory, synchronising agent and a tool that allows you to create your own podcast.
First impressions of ODEO are fantastic. Great design, clear and simple user interface, easy navigation. Everything speaks of thought being put into the product. The site simplifies the discovery and downloading of podcasts. I’ve listened to more casts in the last 24 hours than in the last month or so. Absolutely fantastic!
DittyBot: DJ to your phone
Such a cool use of technology, combining AppleScript, Automator and Skype
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000420047100/
Basically, you can email yourself the name of a song, and your computer will mail it back to you! So damn cool.
Batman Begins
A quick trip to the cinema tonight for some Hans Cafe goodness (mmm, Squid Pepper Rice, my old friend) and Batman Begins. Rather good I must say.
Not that I was worried, but it was good to see that the approach of the last 2 Batman films, directed by (shudder) Joel Schumacher, hadn’t been continued, and the story was actually treated with some respect.
While obviously set in a different reality, there was a concerted effort to explain
- *a)* why there is a guy flying around in a batsuit fighting crime, and
- *b)* how he manages to do what he does. One problem with the earlier films is that there was no real explanation of how this guy got to the mental state that he is in (except _"Oh, his parents died, and he fell into a well with some bats in"_).
Second to Unbreakable, probably the best origin story of a cartoon/superhero character I’ve seen.
Tardiness
One thing that I can’t stand is being late, and I start to get all OCD about things when I am running late. Tonight, I was supposed to meet up with Habu-san and Kobayashi-san at the Brass Monkey, but due to missed phone calls, I ended up being an hour late. Totally my own fault, and I felt terrible about it.
Nonetheless, when I finally got there, they were really gracious about everything, and then we wandered off to dinner. I had originally planned to go to the Viet Hoa, but we ended up at the Dusit Thai. I hadn’t been there for years (Jen, James and I found ourselves there one night after some solid after work drinking). The food was pretty good, nothing too spectacular. Slightly overpriced … it probably would have been better to get to the Viet Hoa.
It was good to see Habu again, and to hear a little about Koba-san’s two boys (who seem to be little bundles of energy), through the translation of Habu. A very stilted conversation. Makes me want to get back to Tokyo as soon as I can.
50 Things a foodie must do
From the Observer, 50 Things a Foodie Must Do
Particularly keen on peeing against a glass wall in Hong Kong, and the one on the steak. Oh, and whizzing my hot parcel off to the beach.