Sunday, September 24, 2006

ConvergeSouth, Oct 13-14, Greensboro, NC. 

Russell Shaw digs into Apple's history with the USPTO on trademark applicaitons for iPod and (gulp) iPodcast. This may explain why they're being so aggressive.  

Check this out. Now Google is using my previous search results (and presumably choices) to find the results "most relevant to you." Good move. Next step: Let me tell you where my blog is, and you can use that data too.  

Stewart Brand reviews Roomba. "It is perfect for bachelors of either sex who put off vacuuming chores for months." 

More twists and turns in my iPod saga 

The commenters finally nailed the problem, I think. The DRM strategy of the iPod is getting in my way. Each iPod binds to one and only one desktop or laptop computer. Connecting to another is a no-no. That's why it comes up as a read-only device when you plug it into a different computer. There are ways to hack around that, by copying an XML file from one machine to another, but that's not too much help when the other machine is a few miles away, and aside from that, I don't like to hack around that way because -- dumb me -- I actually paid for this stuff.

So I decided to move the machine. It was time to do it anyway. So now the old desktop is in the new house, I downloaded the weekend's podcasts, some real good stuff, a few interviews with former President Bill Clinton, a Modern Love podcast from the NY Times, an all-star cast with Scoble, Malik and Arrington. Nice stuff for a walk on a Sunday afternoon. Only one problem. When I plug the iPod into the desktop, the original one, the one it used to like, it now acts like this is a foreign computer! Want to reformat the iPod, the Mac asks? No fucking way Jose. I like the iPod just the way it is, no thanks. But it insists. Sighhhh.

Okay, so this may seem a little subtle for people who are blinded by Mac devotion, but listen up. 1. I'm using these podcasts with the permission of the publishers. 2. I'm breaking no law. 3. I paid for the Mac and the iPod (quite a bit of money, I might add).

So, dear friends, is this really the best the industry can come up with for a podcast player? Perhaps some venture capitalist with a bit of guts, instead of dipping their big toe in the market (i.e. Odeo, Podtech, Podshow, et al) wants to go all the way and fund the development of a real podcast playing device? Give me a call if you want to pursue this. I have a few ideas.