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Galactica Commentary Podcast Available
Kichigai Mentat writes "Apparently SciFi channel is pushing the bounds of your average TV viewing experience with "Battlestar Galactica." First came a full, uncut stream of the first episode, now a full episode commentary podcast available as a Podcast stream, episode-length MP3 file for download, or invividual MP3 files for each "Act." The podcasts are released a week in advance, and listeners are warned about spoilers."
Isn't it great when somebody actually get's it...unlike some people.
Wtf is a podcast?
Ah, Wikipedia to the rescue!
Slagborr
It's a term coined by Adam Curry of iPodder. He developed the technique for downloading webcasts/interenet radio shows into iTunes and subsequently onto his iPod for later listening. Of course, the casts are not limited to iPods.
See Wired's article.
And re: the first person's comment, this isn't a webcast. A webcast would be the idea of something broadcast over the web. The "unique" aspect of the podcasting stuff is supposed to be using the iPodder software to automatically subscribe to podcasts and sync them up to your portable mp3 player to listen to whenever. Which is different than just listening to a webcast online.
-Tom
It's not streaming, so webcast really isn't the right term for it. Podcasting is RSS with downloaded MP3 enclosures. IMO, podcasting is a fine term, much better than "blog", at any rate.
Yes, webcast could be used to describe these audio RSS enclosures but that term is really too broad. There are distinct properties of something labeled a "podcast" which make the term useful. Podcasts are always downloadable in a format you can use on most MP3 players. Webcasts are usually streamed with in a format to prevent you from downloading them. It's difficult to listen to a webcast if there isn't a computer nearby. Webcasts are often low quality audio due to bandwith constraints. Podcasts currently use higher bitrates more often. Podcasts have special RSS feed reader software that automatically downloads the 'casts and adds them to a playlist on a digital audio player. The 'casts are always waiting for you so you don't have to visit a bunch of different sites to listen. The best podcast clients manage disk space like a Tivo. They delete older files according to rules like max number of files or max drive space. Podcast is handy shorthand for these properties. I would hate to have to wade through hundreds of webcasts to try and discern which could easily be added to my RSS MP3 enclosure feed reader.
On topic -- The Battlestar Gallactica commentary feeds are a great use for podcasts. I'd love to see someone add support for these to Tivo and MythTV. I eagerly look forward to someone using this to add MST3K type commentary to state of the union addresses.
This is phracking awesome!
The Television Wiki
In a nuclear winter, the first effect of multiple detonations would indeed be a ton of rain, as all the fallout in the air seeds tons of rainclouds. Then, as the dust blanket spreads around the planet, temperatures would plummet and the ozone layer would disintegrate due to the effects of the nitrous oxides released in the explosions. I'm fairly certain most of that constant rain has cleared up, so it should get very dark and cold soon.
-SPOILERS-
Baltar really is great. He's a perfect example of a character who toes the line between the "good" and "evil" sides, without committing too much to one or the other. Unlike a lot of "renegade" characters who never do anything truly objectionable, even though they might work for the other side, Baltar does things we like and things we hate.
I also like the fact that the Cylons are monotheistic and the humans are polytheistic, insofar as they are religious. There's a tendency in our society to see monotheism as a more sophisticated or advanced philosophy, and usually when we see a polytheistic society fighting a monotheistic one, the monotheistic one is the more advanced and "good" side. Mixing it up like this really gives one an insight into how we unconsciously bias towards societies with religions similar to our own.