Meanderings

Podcasting has hit the mainstream, due in a major way to Apple’s latest version of iTunes. And, as has always been the case whenever a technology blooms into the general public awareness, the “experts” are out in full force … interviewing and being interviewed, expounding their expertise and making their predictions. You pretty much hear it all:

• Podcasting is the next media
• Podcasting is a fad
• Podcasting will kill radio
• Podcasting can cure male pattern baldness

While listening to G’Day World’s podcast with Frank Baranko (On The Pod #40), I keep hearing the same thing:

• Podcasting will be taken over by “the big guys”
• Little (indie) podcasters are being squeezed out
• The little guy will be stomped out
• Unless you can monetize it, you won’t succeed

Granted, this isn’t the first show I’ve heard this take on, but come on, people … open your bloody eyes! It’s sad that the unwashed masses are so indoctrinated into the mass-market pablum spewing forth today that’s colloquially called “radio and tv” … that “wonderfully interesting, intellectual, challenging” collection of reality shows (how many different ways can you eat bugs?) that all we can think about is “how can I make money from this?”

I don’t get it.

I doubt I ever will.

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Came home from work to find a flyer (junk mail as a door mat … somehow it seems appropriate). Wait … it looks like SimonDelivers is finally getting over to this side of the Twin Cities. Excellent! This is a fantastic concept for the time-constrained:

• Call them or surf their site
• Place your order
• Have it delivered right to your door

Sweet! Hold it … hmmm … lessee …

• Delivery times are on a weekday between 2 and 4 pm
• No need to be home

Ok, I live in an apartment building. You mean to tell me that my orders gonna be sitting out by the elevator in the public area until I get back? Wait … there’s more …

• Groceries are packed with dry/blue ice, items stay fresh for up to 8 hours

“Up to”? It’s July in Minnesota … one of only two months of the year where the temperature gets above freezing (I may be exaggerating, but it doesn’t seem by flippin’ much). So … if they’re efficient in the delivery, and the clock starts close to 2, I’ll be down to 2 hours of “fresh time” if I make it back by 6 (which ain’t easy with my current commute). Note to self, do not order ice cream, mayonnaise, eggs, or anything else that’s hyper-bacterial velcro.

I’m still a little intrigued by the “don’t have to be home” and the “we’ll leave it by the elevator”. I’ve seen how people handle the phone books (delivered by the stack and parked next to the mailboxes) … you’d swear some folks have a call center in their bathroom with the number of books they cart off. I wonder how they’re gonna handle something packed in dry ice in a clearly distinguishable SimonDelivers tote bag.

Gonna sit this one out for a bit … see what happens.

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… I get this sucker moving again. Sorry, spent the last week trying to get several different projects tied off. Moving sites around, consolidating stuff (it’s amazing how much crap I’ve got strung out all over the internet … guess that makes me a “digital packrat” … or a “byte-rat” … something like that).

I should have life back to normal again this week.

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