The Third Reich and microphones

I live in Germany and am shopping for a speech microphone for my Podcast at DorfRadio.com. While researching which one to get (Neumann are the best for what I try to do, but they are also the most expensive) I came across this really interesting NPR piece on a couple who’s building cheap microphones based on famous, usually expensive, microphones.

Almost in passing they explain how the Third Reich used newly created microphones to give guys like Hitler and Göring the ability to broadcast better sounding speeches than had been heard on radio before. Everything the couple knows they learned from the guy who built them.

The technology was then adapted and used by Frank Sinatra and the Beatles. Funny how that sometimes works.

If you want to listen to it, you can find it here: link

video podcasts - Democracy Now!

Recently I noticed how video podcasts were appearing in the iTunes Music Store podcast directory. Apparently the Wall Street Journal also noticed, as they wrote a story about it in today’s paper.

This is definitely great news for consumers and broadcasters of independent productions. You can now subscribe to Democracy Now! not only in form of a “good old fashioned” audio podcast (one year after the standard first appeared it is already considered mainstream) here or the video version here. If you have iTunes click on this link to subscribe to the audio version or this link for the video version.

It is notable that the video is encoded in MP4, an open standard Apple is pushing for. Now we need is a video capable iPod. Steve?

Podcast #5: Space Shuttle and Florida thunderstorm

In this podcast I give a brief update about the Space Shuttle launch that was scheduled for today before I go outside and show you just how surprising Florida thunderstorm can be.

If you want to hear me sprint to safety, you can subscribe to my podcasts here with any podcast app, or here using iTunes 4.9. If you don’t have iTunes 4.9, it’s available here.

A direct link to the piece is here.

More information and links concerning the show after the jump.
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Podcast #4: Terrorist attacks on London

The terrorist attacks on London are deplorable, no question about it. But what troubles me as much as seeing the horrible images on television and various web sites — if that is even possible — is the first reactions this is causing here in the United States.

I recorded a short podcast to speak my mind on the subject. It’s unedited and I appear quite shaken by the last few hours. But I decided to upload it nonetheless.

As always, you can subscribe to my podcasts here with any podcast app, or here using iTunes 4.9. If you don’t have iTunes 4.9, it’s available here.

A direct link to the piece is here.

Podcast #3: War of the Worlds!

I just uploaded a new podcast episode. This time I include the entire Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” radio drama that aired in 1938 and caused many listener to panic as they thought they were listening to a “news” show.

You can subscribe to it here with any podcast app, or here using iTunes 4.9. If you don’t have iTunes 4.9, it’s available here.

SebiMeyer podcast listed on iTunes 4.9

Not only did iTunes 4.9 come out today with support for podcasts, it also lists my show!

To subscribe with iTunes 4.9 and use this link.

iTunes 4.9 out - sporting support for Podcasts

It’s here and it’s free. Podcasts have also been added to the music store.

BBC offers foreign affairs podcast

The BBC is now offering more podcasts. Aside from their podcast of the philosophy/history show In Our Time (podcast feed here), which by the way is excellent, they now offer a feed for all shows of the “Our Correspondent” series.

The series features on-site audio from the BBC correspondents throughout the world. The site for the series can be found here and the podcast feed is here.

iTunes 4.9 to feature podcasting, iPod to feature recording

Here’s a thing that really made my day: Speaking at a conference in San Diego, Steve Jobs showed off iTunes 4.9 which will feature built in podcasting support.

On top of that Adam Curry had a meeting with Steve (I love how Adam casually mentions he met with Steve for one and a half hours in this podcast at min 10:00). One thing Adam is guaranteeing is that the iPod will be able to record in the very immediate future.

U.S. politicians embrace podcasts

According to the BBC, U.S. politicians are already using podcasts to gear up for the midterm election in 2006 (link).

podcast: Torie Clarke interview

The interview with former Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke I did last week is now available: sebimeyer2004-11-19.mp3

To subscribe to this podcast please use this feed and not the site’s general RSS.

A biography of Torie Clarke, via her booking agent, can be found here: Torie Clarke.

The editorial I wrote the night I interviewed Clarke is here: Transparency necessary for citizens to evaluate government

Fuck podcasting

There is now a feed that delivers one insult a day, in a new language every day. So what are you fucking waiting for? link

digital obesity

I was thinking about this just the other day: How many things would I tote around every day if I had a physical copy of every CD, book, etc with me instead of the digital copy I carry around on my iPod, PowerBook and mobile phone. Apparently someone did a study in Britain:

Gadget lovers are so hungry for digital data many are carrying the equivalent of 10 trucks full of paper in “weight”.

Music, images, e-mails, and texts are being hoarded on mobiles, cameras laptops and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), a Toshiba study found.

It found that more than 60% kept 1,000 to 2,000 music files on their devices, making the UK “digitally fat”.

“Virtual weight” measurements are based on research by California Institute of Technology professor Roy Williams.

He calculated physical comparisons for digital data in the mid-1990s.

He worked out that one gigabyte (1,073,741,824 bytes) was the equivalent of a pick-up truck filled with paper.
BBC

As an example: Including audio books, podcasts as well as music, I currently have two months worth of audio content on my iPod. That’s not even including the first 8 episodes of Battlestar Galactica that’s residing on the HD part of it and the 3720 photos I can display on it.

I do not like the term “obesity” though. That would imply it’s something unhealthy. I love having all this choice with me at all times though. If I want to listen to the Beatles, I have all their albums with me at all times.

If I felt like I had to listen to everything it would be a burden. But since I find it refreshing to have the ability of switching from John Lennon to Trent Reznor with three flicks of my hand I find it gives me freedom rather than trying me down.

Is this the interactive TV we were promised in the ’90s?

My brother and I were talking about this the other day. He currently doesn’t even have a working TV in his flat. The only shows I watch are The Daily Show, Meet the Press, Enterprise and The West Wing. And even those I do not watch live because watching them on my ReplayTV unit (It’s like Tivo, just a different vendor) is much more convenient. I also watch the Battlestar Galactica remake every Tuesday morning. Since it is airing in the UK on Monday night I’ll let you guess how I get to watch it on the other side of the atlantic the next day. Let’s just say the Web is a nice tool sometimes.

There is definitely a change in media and entertainment consumption habits taking place. The way I listen to podcasts on my iPod and watch TV on my ReplayTV unit is probably the way of the future. This post on the BBC World Web site (again, the Web) gives me reason to believe I am not alone:

Just over 54 million people are hooked up to the net via broadband, up from 34 million a year ago, according to market analysts Nielsen/NetRatings.

The total number of people online in Europe has broken the 100 million mark.

The popularity of the net has meant that many are turning away from TV, say analysts Jupiter Research.

It found that a quarter of web users said they spent less time watching TV in favour of the net. BBC

The interesting thing is that the BBC in particular seems to be very aware of this trend and it attempting to roll with it. BBC 4 is already offering a podcast of one of their radio shows and BBC digital television offers content such as interviews and background information about the programs.

What I was thinking about the other day when I was sitting somewhere on campus listening to a podcast Adam Curry had recorded in his car in the UK is that while the nature of how we exchange such programming and carry them around with us is different from our TV boxes that remain fixed in one place, it is remarkably close to the interactive TV revolution that we were promised in the ’90s. The ironic part is that TV appears to be the last medium in which this revolution is taking place.

Yet there are things about this that we could not have anticipated 10 years ago. Where we’ll be in another 10 years is anybody’s guess.

first podcast

My first podcast is now available: sebimeyer2004-11-19.mp3

Links and liner notes inside.

Update: I guess I spoke too soon. There are problems with WP’s RSS feed. To subscribe to this podcast please use this feed and not the site’s general RSS.
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Nader tells press, “don’t waste time on me, the system is rigged”

I’ve been following Ralph Nader’s campaign very closely. I’ve spoken to him twice in the last month, once on the phone and once when he came to Tampa as part of his Florida tour the night before the first presidential debate.

I’ve been hoping he would give voters a clear sign that he would prefer them to vote for Kerry rather than Bush as he seemed to hint at that during an interview session in Tampa. Even though he acts cynical about Democrats almost as much as Republicans he is clearly a very intelligent man and must understand that Kerry would be a better choice than Bush, as far as all his personal beliefs are concerned.

I listened to the clip I recorded when he came to Tampa several times and I think my original assessment was correct. Back then I had the feeling he was essentially telling the press “I just discussed the issues with you and they are very important to me. But we all know the system is rigged, so don’t vote for me, I am just here to raise the issues.” Especially since he knew the cameras and recorders were still running it seemed like he was making a well calculated statement.

But decide for yourself. The clip is here (1 mb wav). As usual, a transcript is inside.
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Greg Palast interview

When I wrote the edit on voter fraud tonight I realized I had forgotten to post a short interview I did with Greg Palast on Friday, Oct 15. Palast, as I also say in the edit (entry), was the reporter who broke the story about the felon purge list that illegally disenfranchised thousands of voters in Florida during the election in 2000.

Audio file here, a transcripts is inside.
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interview with Gloria Steinem

Speaking on behalf of Planned Parenthood action fund and punkvoter.com women’s rights activist legend Gloria Steinem (info on Steinem) briefly spoke during an appearance of Michael Moore on our campus. Moore was goign to give a press conference after his appearance. Before the press conference started I had a chance to get short interview with Steinem.

Transcript and sound clip inside.
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Kerry speech account and sound

Speaking at USF today, Kerry did not waste much time. He harshly criticized Bush for not prioritizing homeland security. The attack was dead on and will likely play a big part in Kerry?s campaign over the next week.
Audio clip link Mp3

Detailed description inside
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