Category: Uncategorized

Podfading

Post ImageWired has a new article up today which talks about one of the down sides to podcasting, known as podfading. Ryan and Jen Ozawa, former producers of the popular Lost-themed podcast The Transmission are the latest example of podfading:

Podcasting has drawn thousands on the premise that anyone can create an audio program, build an audience online and even vault to stardom. Less celebrated is the fact that untold numbers of shows just wink out just as suddenly as they started.

The phenomenon has earned its own label, “podfading,” coined by podcaster Scott Fletcher in February 2005 when he gave up on two podcasts of his own.

Podfaders’ motives vary wildly, from those discouraged by their lack of listenership to, in the Ozawas’ case, a success that overwhelmed them.

This story both saddens and motivates me. Podfading will always exist, but there’s no reason it should be any different than blogging, where millions of blogs are abandoned. The difference is that the effort it took to create those blogs in the first place was negligable – not so with a podcast, at least not yet. Brian Reid sums it up:

“There was no money in it and it did nothing to push my career forward. I’ve got a lot of other things in my life, paying work being one and my family is another. It’s not like blogging, where you can do it for 15 minutes at a time and get away with it.”

I know it varies quite a bit, but one survey found that the average time spent producing an episode was just over four and half hours! That’s a long way from fifteen minutes.

At Paramagnus we don’t expect to cut the amount of production time to fifteen minutes, but we do hope to significantly reduce it. The reason we started working on tools and services for podcasters was precisely this problem – the pain involved in creation right now is too great. Too much time, too much effort, too many requirements.

I really wish I had some numbers to share, but we’re not quite there yet. We’ve obviously been doing our own testing, and we’ve found that it’s a lot less work to produce an episode than it used to be (when I was doing BlogosphereRadio “by hand”, for example). Podcast Spot really goes a long way to reducing the pain of publishing audio to the web, adding appropriate metadata, generating an RSS feed, promoting the episode, and gathering feedback and statistics. We’re working hard on Podcast Wizard too, which we hope will reduce the pain of actually planning, recording, and mixing an episode.

I feel sorry for the Ozawa’s – it sounds like they had a great show going (I’m not much of a Lost fan, so I never came across it). Maybe after we’ve launched they’ll find it easier to podcast and who knows, maybe they’ll even decide give it another go!

Read: Wired

Gmail Chat

Post ImageFor years Hotmail and Yahoo Mail have showed the connection status of your Messenger buddies in the web mail interface. A simple icon depicts whether they are online or not, and a simple click can launch a chat window or do other things. Google has taken that idea one step further, enabling conversations to take place inside the browser itself:

Google on Monday was set to launch Gmail Chat, which will let users send instant messages with one click from their e-mail account, see when contacts are online and save the chat history like an e-mail message.

The application’s Quick Contacts list is synchronized with a user’s Google Talk friends list and automatically displays the people a user communicates with most frequently and shows their online status. Clicking on a contact listed as being online opens a chat window in the browsers.

I think this new Chat feature will be played up as “Google innovating in the email space yet again” when really, it’s a poor man’s version of MSN’s Web Messenger. I mean, when you cut through the crap (read: beta label) that’s all it is! And even then, a web messenger is really only useful if you’re on a public computer or something.

Considering I don’t use Google Talk, this new feature is pretty much useless for me.

Read: CNET News.com

Detroit: The Host With the Least

Post ImageI’m sure the mood was jubilant in Detroit yesterday as the Super Bowl went off without a hitch. I have to wonder how long it will last though, after reading a very interesting Slate article which examines the city and the sorry state it appears to be in:

Local architects have set up displays in seven abandoned buildings and more than 20 eye-level store windows near Ford Field so that passers-by won’t be greeted by gated or boarded-up shops. In addition, the city has spent money to turn some vacant buildings in the area into temporary memorabilia shops. They will most likely return to their previous state once visitors—and Super Bowl retailers—have left town following the game.

Sounds like a lot of patchwork right? That’s the general vibe the article gives – that Detroit is almost a city in ruins, and they have no idea how to redevelop it. The Super Bowl would have been a great chance, but it seems they missed the boat on that one.

But the main explanation for these missteps is Detroit’s perennial problem: Suburbanites don’t need the city. The resources that most cities offer—high-end restaurants, movie theaters, retail, museums, hotels—are located in the suburbs instead of the city core.

When people talk about the city of Edmonton, there is much of the same – too much development has occurred in the suburbs, the downtown core is dying, etc. Fortunately our city has seen a great revival of the downtown area in the last few years, so maybe Detroit can too one day.

Read: Slate

Superbowl Commercials

Do you care who wins the Superbowl? Or are you more interested in the commercials? That’s what I thought! Here are some sites to check for the infamous ads for 2006 (most will appear after the game):

Enjoy the game!

PodcastUser Magazine

Post ImageIn January I wrote about the new ID3 Podcast Magazine, which I figured would be the one and only magazine devoted to podcasting. Today I noticed at Podcasting News that there’s a second such magazine called PodcastUser, though it appears this one will only be published in PDF and not as a physical magazine.

The first issue is now available for download, and at 24 pages, there’s quite a bit of information packed into the magazine. I haven’t read it in great detail, but there’s reviews, some news, quite a few “how-to’s”, and as far as I can tell, no advertising.

From the first issue:

Podcasting has a great community feel to it, and that is precisely what this magazine celebrates; a thriving community of people, discussing and providing different content by using the same medium.

The second issue will be available on March 1st, so check it out!

Read: PodcastUser Magazine

Edmonton Rush and Swollen Members

Post ImageI went with Tom to the Rush game last night and even though we didn’t win (lost 7-6 in regulation) it was a pretty cool night anyway! The half time entertainment was three members of Swollen Members, and they performed four songs including one from their upcoming album. But that wasn’t the best part.

Our row of seats must have been really lucky last night, because we all kept winning things! Tom was randomly selected to win a Rush prize pack and was chosen as a finalist in the Argyll Motorosports contest to win a quad! He got a couple t-shirts, a hat, wristbands to meet the team and cheerleaders after the game, and two tickets to the final game (so he has four total now). Shortly after that the guys next to us won a prize as it was one of their birthdays. And a little later the people at the end of the row won something too!

At the end of the game, the guys next to us left their t-shirt and wristbands at their seats (don’t ask my why) so we gladly took them! Tom and I each had a Rush t-shirt, so we went down to the field to meet the team and the Crush girls and to get autographs. It was pretty cool, and damn, those Crush girls are really hot!

The attendance at this game wasn’t as high as the first two home games, but it was still a very respectable 8,700 or so. We’re still winless, but at least we’re keeping it close. The first win will come sooner or later!

Read: Edmonton Rush

Mack is back!

Yes I know, for some of you it seems like I fell off the face of the earth (you’d be surprised how many emails/IMs said those exact words in the last few days). As you can tell, I am most certainly still alive! Or maybe this is some AI program typing, haha! I’d be rich if that were the case.

I didn’t disappear so much as unplug. Here’s what I have been up to, in no particular order:

  • Working working working, mainly on our business plan. The submission deadline for VenturePrize was Tuesday, and I am happy to report that we submitted an excellent plan. Well, we think it’s excellent! We worked with a few different mentors and consultants over the last couple weeks which gave us tons of great feedback to work with. Cross your fingers for us!
  • Addicted to Smallville. I am all caught up in season five (the current season) and more addicted than ever. It’s funny too, because I never really liked the “Superman” story all that much. I think it’s because with Superman, you just accept that he has all of his abilities. In Smallville, you see him acquire and master them! A friend also said something I found really interesting: “Most superheros are putting on a mask when they become the hero, but Superman puts on the mask when he becomes Clark Kent.” Episode 100 last week was amazing!
  • I’ve been using IE7 Beta 2 Preview (what a dumb name) for the last couple days, and so far I really like it! Quick tabs is an awesome feature. I am one of those people that likes to leave the browser running at all times, even just minimized. Unfortunately if I do that with Firefox, it eats up memory. So far IE7 seems to work better.
  • I was at the office on Sunday working late to finish an assignment (yes I’ve been doing schoolwork too) and ran into a problem. I had a meeting at the University that day, so I had parked on campus and just took the train to the office. When I was done my assignment and ready to leave, it was about 12:30 AM, which meant that I had missed every bus and train going south! So I ended up staying at the office until the LRT started again at 5:30 AM. I was surprised at how many people were on the train that early! I was also shocked at the number of people sleeping on couches in SUB – it was quite amazing.
  • I have been sleeping lots too, well sort of. Lots for me! Wasn’t feeling too good yesterday so stayed pretty close to home and rested.
  • I’m now really behind on reading blogs and that sort of thing. I find if I am not blogging, I’m also less likely to be reading. Or sometimes even the other way around! Such a positive feedback loop.

I don’t usually take these sort of breaks, but I think they are good for a person once in a while. Lots of stuff coming up too (midterms, Northern Voice, another competition, etc) so it was probably a good time for me to do it. Anyway, your regularly scheduled blog will now return!

(Interestingly, my traffic didn’t take a hit at all from the lack of posting, which probably means my old content is more popular than my newer content (and the statistics seem to support that claim)).

Yahoo buying Digg?

Post ImageYahoo keeps going further and further down the acquisition path lately – or at least generating rumors that they are. The newest rumor is that they are set to purchase Digg.com for nearly $30 million. Since the rumor first appeared there have been a number of updates that dispute such an acquisition, but it’s interesting to consider nonetheless. From Kevin Burton’s Feed Blog:

Update 2: The Digg blog officially denies the acquisition. Jeremy was smart enough to have “no comment“… Next time there’s a Digg acquisition rumor you’ll know you’re on to something 🙂

I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be true. Digg would be an excellent addition to the growing stable of apps under the Yahoo umbrella, including del.icio.us and Flickr among others. The other factor to consider in this rumor, which Kevin does a good job of pointing out, is that Digg has insane amounts of traffic, and is going to need either more investment or a suitor with lots of resources to keep pace.

Read: Kevin Burton

Laptop data worth millions

Symantec released a report today containing research that attempts to determine how much the content on a typical laptop is worth. Even if the numbers haven’t been seen before, the lessons are not new – back up your data and be cautious when it comes to security.

[The report] suggests that an ordinary notebook holds content valued at 550,000 pounds ($972,000), and that some could store as much as 5 million pounds–or $8.8 million–in commercially sensitive data and intellectual property.

The same research, commissioned by Symantec, shows that only 42 percent of companies automatically back up employees’ e-mails, where much of this critical data is stored, and 45 percent leave it to the individual to do so.

I wonder how they came to those valuations, because I’d be interested in determining how much my content is worth. Not for any real reason I suppose, just curiousity.

Read: CNET News.com

More on the oil sands

Post ImageA week ago today I wrote a post explaining how I think Canada should be making a greater effort to develop and benefit from the oil sands in Alberta. Naturally, I’ve been keeping my eyes open for any news regarding the oil sands, and I’ve actually come across a couple things.

First is The Oil Sands of Alberta which aired on 60 minutes on Sunday. A couple things stood out for me:

There are 175 billion barrels of proven oil reserves here. That’s second to Saudi Arabia’s 260 billion but it’s only what companies can get with today’s technology. The estimate of how many more barrels of oil are buried deeper underground is staggering.

We know there’s much, much more there. The total estimates could be two trillion or even higher,” says Clive Mather, Shell’s Canada chief. “This is a very, very big resource.”

Very big? That’s eight times the amount of reserves in Saudi Arabia.

Clearly, there’s a lot of oil there. We just need the technology to be able to get it out of the ground for a reasonable cost! That’s key to my argument – we need to work on ways of fostering that research and development.

“I think it’s bigger than a gold rush. We’re expecting $100 billion over the next 10 years to be invested in this area – $100 billion in a population that, currently, is 70,000 people,” says Brian Jean, who represents the region in Canada’s parliament.

There’s a lot of money coming in too. More than I expected, to be honest. However, I am still not convinced that big corporations are going to be the ones who find a way to improve the technology and thus the ROI. Sure companies make progress in a lot of areas, but more often than not, it’s an individual or smaller group of individuals that find a way. Corporations then either copy or acquire.

For more commentary on the piece, The Oil Drum has a very good post with a ton of interesting comments too.

The 60 Minutes episode makes it seem as though China currently doesn’t have much interest in the oil sands, though not for lack of desire. A press release I found yesterday though tends to suggest that the country is starting to make investments:

What is certain is that global demand for oil – especially from Asia – is far outstripping the ability of companies to meet current demand and replenish their diminishing reserves. These factors are being exacerbated by global political uncertainty. The oil sands are increasingly on the U.S. radar screen as they focus on reducing their reliance on oil producing countries outside of North America. The Chinese have become increasingly involved in the oil sands with the China National Offshore Oil Corp., recently investing $150 million in MEG Energy Corp., a private company engaged in the oil sands.

In a different press release, I learned that Purvin & Gertz, an independent energy consulting firm, made available a study that analyzes the challenges and opportunities presented by development in the oil sands.

Producers face issues of growing existing and new markets for oil sands crudes. The need for diluent to transport heavy crude will increase with bitumen production. Upgrading in Alberta could reduce diluent demand, but requires major capital investment and does not eliminate the market risks associated with marketing SCO.

I’d have thought that with the increasing demand for oil there would be little or no risks associated with marketing synthetic crude oil! I’m not an expert though, so maybe I’m missing something. You can find out more on the study at the Purvin & Gertz website.

I need to dig around a little more, but I would not be surprised if much of the $100 billion that has been announced turns out to be nothing more than a foot in the door for the companies making the investments. If you’re in the oil business, you don’t want to miss out on the oil sands. In order to benefit though, we need to get better at extracting and refining the oil!

I guess one reason Canada wouldn’t be all that interested in sponsoring research and development is that so much of the oil sands has been sold to foreign investment (at least that’s how it appears). Like I said, more research is needed, but if that’s the case, it’s potentially a major loss for Canada.