Instacast: A Quick Review

 Apple, Apps, iPhone, Podcast  No Responses »
Apr 172011
 

A good number of folks have been pimping Instacast lately, as a replacement to iOS’ built-in podcast management.

Why would you need to replace iOS’ built-in podcast management? There’s only one reason, really: if I want to get new podcasts on my device, I have to physically sync it (or go through a ridiculous process of finding that podcast in the iTunes store and downloading it or syncing it). That’s annoying.

So, what does Instacaster having going for it?

  • It’s got the basic functionality you need (stream, download, play, pause, double-speed)
  • It’s got OPML support (as of version 1.2) to let you easily (not quickly, but easily) add your podcast subscriptions
  • It let’s you pseudo-automatically download new podcasts right on your phone, without having to sync it

That last bullet is pretty much the big one. You can refresh your list of podcasts (on 3G or wifi) and pull down any new episodes, reasonably quickly. So, if you’re away from your computer and need something new to listen to, there’s always something available, and it’s easier than the iTunes phone interface.

What’s not so hot?

  • The interface isn’t the most straightforward thing ever. Expect a good bit of “oh, that’s what that button does” and “wait, why isn’t this thing cached on my phone” until you figure it out. It’ll only take you a few tries.
  • It’s hindered by a fundamental limitation: the iOS APIs won’t let you add songs into the device’s music library. That means that I have to listen to these tracks inside of the application. That’s fine, but it makes it much harder to listen to stuff through my car’s iPhone interface. I have to keep track of where I was at for when I get to work and switch to using my computer and headphones (whereas podcasts in the iPod player simply sync their location and you’re good to go.)

The app is $2, so regardless of the limitations, it’s worth it to me to have the convenience, but if you’re on the fence, wait until you see iOS 5. It wouldn’t shock me to see the podcast interface overhauled, rendering the app obsolete.

 Posted by Ryan Toohil at 12:11 pm

Simmons vs. Klosterman IV

 ESPN, Podcast  No Responses »
Apr 102011
 

I’m actually not sure how many Simmons/Klosterman podcasts there have actually been, but Bill Simmons may want to think twice about having another one. Each time he has a podcast with Klosterman, he comes off like your local sports bar yokel, spouting off random ridiculous theories, and having the calm, knowledgeable friend talk him back down off the ledge.

If Simmons wasn’t so influential, it’d almost be funny.

As it was, this most recent podcast was incredibly sad. At times, it bordered on unlistenable due to how intellectually obstinate Simmons was, and how Chuck Klosterman had to keep backing off basically calling him an idiot.

A few of the stellar moments:

  • Simmons insisting that Maya Moore 2.0 could play in the NBA, as a 15th man, to draw fans. Klosterman comparing that to Eddie Gaedel (which is actually a pretty apt comparison), and Simmons simply either not getting it or, quite frankly, just being obstinate.
  • Simmons trying to come up with a way to keep college kids from jumping to the NBA, with Klosterman simply derailing each one with a single sentence.
  • Simmons challenging Klosterman to describe how he would turn around a downtrodden NBA team, to which Klosterman replies (paraphrasing) “I would build a competitive team, since that’s all that matters in the long run”, leading Simmons to reply that he wouldn’t hire him, that he would bottom out and build a team the way Sam Presti did (i.e. exactly what Klosterman was saying), but while doing it, he would do something for the fans. Apparently, like hiring a token woman to ride the end of the bench.

I could go on, but I really don’t want to. There are a bunch of other people who’ve captured some good moments.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually really enjoy reading Bill Simmons (for the most part). But, over the past few months, he has obviously been spread way too thin, and that has lead to some pretty poor columns (when he bothers to write them), some poor podcasts (though the quality of guests he gets makes them still required listening), and a seeming erosion of his talent.

Hopefully, his new sports site will allow him to do a little bit less of the heavy lifting for his brand, letting him be a curator of good stuff (something he is truly good at), and maybe letting him get his head back into his writing.

(As an aside, it took everything I had to not end that last sentence “get his head back into his writing and out of his own ass,” because he seems to have bought into his own hype a bit. I really enjoyed parts of his last book, The Big Book of Basketball, especially when you pulled out all of the complete douchebaggery about “the secret,” and his constant namedropping. But, I guess now I’ve written it here, so I probably just should have ended my sentence with it.)

 Posted by Ryan Toohil at 5:10 pm

Looking for Some Great Music?

 Music, Podcast  No Responses »
Nov 272009
 

Check out this week’s kexp.org Music That Matters Podcast. Pretty much my favorite hour of music this year.

Check it out.

 Posted by Ryan Toohil at 7:03 pm

PTBNL: The Top 10 Songs of 2007

 Music, Podcast, PTBNL  1 Response »
Sep 292008
 

Hey! I just finished this. It’s only 10 months late. Come listen to my favorite songs of last year and wonder why it took me 10 months to finish and publish this.

Some hints: 2 British bands, 2 Boston bands, 3 other American bands, 3 Canadian bands.

PTBNL: Episode 4: Top 10 Songs of 2007 [ 44:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Posted by Ryan Toohil at 8:45 pm

What Do You Do When You’re Sick?

 Podcast, Television, TiVo  No Responses »
May 272007
 

Around Wednesday I started feeling sore — an achy back and neck. It got progessively worse (from handleable to requiring a few Advil every couple of hours) until Saturday when I had a fever, headache, and even worse back pain. It was a fantastic way to start a long weekend.

So, given that I was going to be spending a majority of my time on the couch or in bed, most of it was going to be consuming a bunch of the media that had been collecting over the past few weeks. 10 or 12 podcasts, 3 Netflix DVDs, and a whole bunch of season finales on my DVR (Heroes, Lost, Veronica Mars). With work and the generally nicer weather, a variety of things have been building up across my network.

It’s an odd feeling to be anxious about the things building up on your “convenience” devices (DVRs, iPods, DVDs-by-mail). The whole point of these tools is to make life more convenient (which they do!), but the downside is that from time to time, when you’ve been really enjoying the convenience, you get to a point where you’re not sure how you’re going to get through all of the media you’ve saved up. It’s an oddly daunting feeling.

It’s the downside (if you can call it that) of the “digital-content-at-your-convenience-era”. Media overload.

After spending a whole bunch of time on the couch, I’ve made it through most of the TV on my DVR. I’ve still got 7 or 8 hours of podcasts to get through, but I’ll make up that time at work (just one of the benefits of working at a computer). Hopefully, I’ll get through one more DVD, too, which would make this little bout with what seems to be the flu about as successful as it could be (minus the night sweats, fever, and inability to sleep).

 Posted by Ryan Toohil at 8:34 pm
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