Some professors at Virginia Commonwealth University have begun offering lectures and training sessions as podcasts.VCU information technology analyst Lucy Halunko recently began podcasting. “I offered a training session on the new e-phones but I couldn’t find a time when everyone could meet,” Halunko said. “Instead of offering multiple training sessions, I decided to record my lecture and broadcast on the Internet so people could watch it when it fit into their schedule. It just made more sense.”

Richard Brumfield, an information technology analyst at VCU, thinks podcasting is a great way to improve education. “Podcasting is exceptional because it gives your target population access to the information they need,” Brumfield said. “You just record what you want and then you make it available on the Internet when you want.”

Jenny Callear, sophomore psychology major, swears by podcasts. “Podcasts are awesome. I can walk down the street with my iPod and listen to my teacher’s lecture,” Callear said. “I only have one teacher who does it, but I wish all my teachers would podcast. It makes my life so much easier and less stressful.”

via Richmond(VA).com

One of the creators of podcasting, Podshow’s Adam Curry, thinks that the controversial Saddam Hussein execution video represents a defining moment for Internet media, and a jump-the-shark moment for mainstream media:

“One last prediction as we close out 2006,” notes Curry. “The Saddam Hanging video will go down in history as the Shark Jump moment for mainstream media worldwide. The ‘people’ get what they want to see and no bureau chief or network boss can stop us. Recorded on a cellphone by a single citizen in Iraq, seen worldwide the very next day.”

Added to podcast client software list: Kinoma Player 4 EX is a $24.99 media player for Treo smartphones and Palm handhelds that handles MP3, Windows Media 9, Flash Video, MPEG-4 and RTSP.

With the built-in Kinoma Media Guide, you can watch Internet video and live web cams, and listen to radio and podcasts. Kinoma Player 4 EX also plays media from your memory card – from Windows Media Video 9 and MPEG-4 video to AAC songs ripped with iTunes to JPEG photos.

Video clips of Saddam Hussein’s execution have been published to YouTube, Google Video and other video sharing sites. The grainy, poorly-filmed footage is a chilling example of the state of user-created media.

“We won’t pass judgement on those that want to see the clip, but what’s becoming abundantly clear is that information can no longer be suppressed Рwith cameraphones, video-sharing sites and thousands of independent bloggers, not to mention the social filters and rating systems that help us find the most interesting content, this media will always become available online,” notes Pete Cashmore at Mashable!.

While an argument can be made that the execution footage has news value, it seems that there’s a strong likelihood that other, less newsworthy footage of death, torture and sadism are now more likely to be distributed via video sharing sites. The scandal that the United States faced over Abu Ghraib could be easily be dwarfed by camera phone footage of similar incidents.

YouTube and other sharing sites are likely to make changes to adapt to more graphic content, but it’s clear already that without massive changes, it will be impossible to keep the sites from being used to distribute videos that are more graphic and potentially disturbing than ever shown on television.

via VPN

The Jazz Video Podcast offers a swinging look at some of the giants of jazz.

The podcast, created by Bret Primack, is formatted for video iPod and features performances and interviews with Sonny Rollins, Joe Lovano, Billy Taylor, David Liebman and others. The podcast is designed to introduce new listeners to jazz and its artists.

A recent episode looked at burning B3 player Tony Monaco. Monaco talks about the influence seminal B3 player Jimmy Smith had on his life and playing.

Apple, which has had its share of public relations problems this year, said Friday that it is facing several federal lawsuits, including one alleging the company created an illegal monopoly by tying iTunes music and video sales to its market-leading iPod portable players.

The case, filed July 21, is over Apple’s use of a copy-protection system that prevents iTunes music and video from playing on rival players. The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages and other relief. The court denied Apple’s motion to dismiss the complaint on Dec. 20.

Another lawsuit, filed Nov. 7, alleges that the logic board of Apple’s iBook G4 fails at an abnormally high rate. The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages. In a filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple said its response to the complaint is not yet due.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company also disclosed that PhatRat Technology LLC filed a lawsuit Oct. 24 alleging patent infringement over the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, which lets runners keep track of how far and how fast they’ve gone.
The lawsuits were disclosed in Apple’s delayed regulatory filing with the SEC.

via Yahoo! News

Doga Armangil, author of the command-line podcast client Armangil’s Podcatcher, has announced the release of version 2.0.0.

The update adds major new features to the software, including the ability to download any type of content (video, audio, MP3 only, etc), and downloading content in chronological order. Details are available at the Podcatcher site.

Armangil’s podcatcher is a command-line podcast client that provides several download strategies (new shows only, back-catalog allowed, etc), offers cache management, supports BitTorrent, and generates playlists for media player applications. It is written in Ruby, and runs on Linux, Windows, Mac OS X and many other operating systems.

The Art Institute of Chicago has introduced a new podcast, the Musecast. The Chicago museum plans to offer interviews, conversations, features, and music. The podcast has grown out of the museum’s online lectures and gallery talks, which have been available for download for several months.

The most recent podcast (link below) features an interview with Betti Xiang, as she plays the Chinese erhu and talks about music of the Silk Road; conceptual artist Mel Bochner speaks with curator Mark Pascale; and an update on projects at the Museum.

Starting this semester, students at Phoenix College (AZ) will have the chance to learn how to write, produce, and star in their own video blog or podcast. A new course, Videoblogging and Podcasting: Self-Broadcasting in the Web 2.0 World, begins Jan. 22 at the college’s downtown campus, 640 N. First Ave., Phoenix.

Cheryl Colan, an adjunct faculty member at the college, said she is looking forward to teaching the class and helping students learn about the latest Internet marketing trends. Students will produce at least nine episodes of an audio or video program of their choosing. They will write the scripts, record audio or video and compress it for Web distribution. Students will use free blogging Web sites to create their own blog for host their show.

“They will then use www.feedburner.com to create an RSS feed, an automated way to distribute content over the Web, to set up a distribution channel for their program,” said Colan. “Finally, students will use some of the many social networking sites to introduce and promote their show.”

via AZ Central

Diversion Web Publishing has introduced a new site, DivShare, that promises to let you upload anything and share it to the Internet forever.

“DivShare is a free file hosting service for everyone,” according to the site. “No registration required!”

The only catch is that, at some point in time, DivShare will have to come up with a business model to pay for this.

Features (per DivShare):

• Upload unlimited files
• Serve unlimited downloads
• Files stay online forever
• No pop-up ads or spam
• Incredibly fast, reliable servers