Engadget Podcast 017 - 11.26.2004

Represent Interweb. On today's show we talk about the free 128MB card you can score if you have a Treo 650, a pen that cost $10 million, how Sony gives in and does CF, weird eBay stuff, more TV activism, a super mash with Popeye, NPR on BitTorrent, the CBC on the same, as well as BBC Arts on this weird thing.

Host: Phillip Torrone.
Format: 58 minutes, 13MB, MP3.

Click here to listen to the show (MP3) or add the Engadget Podcast Feed to your Podcasting application and have the show delivered automatically. This show as created with LineIn, GarageBand and Audacity.

We've added time codes in the following list and links to the stories or references.

Minutia..
00:00 - Intro
03:15 - Treo 650, remember the memory issue? Free 128mb cards!
05:30 - The 10 million dollar bic pen, yikes.
11:45 - Bizarro world, Sony is introducing the Sony Microdrive.
15:55 - eBay, $125 Wal-Mart gift card goes for $127.51?
17:50 - Digital Signage in Retail, TV-B-Gone is looking better and better.
23:00 - More mashing, anime meets Popeye.
27:30 - NPR, file-sharing tool grows in popularity, the quiet resistance grows.
40:00 - CBC BitTorrent woes, whoops.
46:00 - BBC Arts, the culture show, thanks Adam! Props to Dawn and Drew! Torrent here.
55:30 - Go to Podcast Alley and vote for us, and win.

LISTEN

[Oliver @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

Another great show!

I voted for engadget at podcastalley, but i wasn't the first to post a comment there :-(

[Tod Maffin @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

Hi Philip,

I'm the CBC journalist who did the piece you played about BitTorrent -- thanks for playing it!

You mentioned that it isn't illegal to download TV shows. This may be a difference between Canada (where I am and where the radio audience for that piece you heard is) and the U.S. But nearly all TV shows are held by some kind of copyright and almost none are released to the public commons.

In Canada, it's illegal to offer any copyrighted content to others (i.e. UPload) that you don't own the rights to or otherwise have permission. By its nature, BitTorrent ONLY permits downloading if you are uploading as well. Thus, the use of BitTorrent to download a TV show is illegal.

While you and I might think that's unfair or that shows like The Daily Show get free publicity by it, they do still own that content.

If I were a print journalist, of course I'd have 2000 words in which to point out every possible exception, like that, but I've only got 450 words a week (3 min) to try to communicate how BitTorrent works to our audience which is primarily fifty years and older. And try to make it entertaining.

Sometimes I hit, and sometimes I miss, but I always appreciate the feedback.

:)

[brickballs @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

as always, definately an awesome show

for those of you not working today, be thankful.
for those of you who are (or for some other reason cant dl mp3 files):

http://www.gemair.com/~nathan/proxy-/index.php?url=uggc%2Sjjj.ratnqtrg.pbz%2Spbzzba%2Sivqrbf%2Scg%2SRatnqtrg_Cbqpnfg17.zc3

[Brandon Campbell @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

I work at the Isle of Capri Casino Boat on the Mississippi River in Bettendorf, Iowa and we just added Philips plasmas to a lot of key locations such as the back walls n the cages so the guests can read them as they cash in there coins and chips. We have one in the break room which sole purpose is for property announcements. Its been very useful to our older guests, which is 95% of our market.

[pt @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

tod, you're right in the black & white sense of course-- i wanted to spend more time on it, your segment was great.

the daily show likes what's going on and for now, they'll ignore it or even encourage it, since this hasn't been tested, the fair use arguments aren't known. for now, it's amazing to watch something new :-]

cheers,
pt

[c.marin @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

Hi Tod,

I'm a younger cbc fan from ontario - love the stuff you've done on the radio over the years - keep it up.

Thanks for the great show on bit torrent. If only the cbc would distribute its shows over rssed torrents (without dead air where the copyrighted music once was)!

cheers,
cm

[c.marin @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

Hi Tod,

I'm a younger cbc fan from ontario - love the stuff you've done on the radio over the years - keep it up.

Thanks for the great show on bit torrent. If only the cbc would distribute its shows over rssed torrents (without dead air where the copyrighted music once was)!

cheers,
cm

[prasanth @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

please put the podcast in smaller files like 10 minute clips. or compress them with 16 bit mp3 which take like 800 kb for 10 minutes. since this is just talking it would sound the same in less bits too. so please do the all of us don't have dsl to download the stuff. we still are on dial up so smaller files will be appreciated. you fan from india.

[prasanth @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

please put the podcast in smaller files like 10 minute clips. or compress them with 16 bit mp3 which take like 800 kb for 10 minutes. since this is just talking it would sound the same in less bits too. so please do the all of us don't have dsl to download the stuff. we still are on dial up so smaller files will be appreciated. you fan from india.

[Keith @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

Quit whining about Walmart on the podcasts. It's getting old. I listen for Tech stories.

[Pureblue @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM]

The popeye animation reminds me of the GI Joe public safety cartoons where a website dubbed over them with some random dialogue http://www.ebaumsworld.com/gijoe.html .

The GI Joe legal people were so upset they sent this http://www.ebaumsworld.com/legal-hasbro.html letter asking them to take it down as the general public may get confused between the redubbed animations and the originals.

Totally missing the point...