The golden age of communication?

[Questor]

I'm so used to using MP3s downloaded from podcasts that I seldom listen to local radio any more. There are some really good shows, lectures, interviews, etc out there for free. The information quality and density is much higher than the repetitive stuff on typical local talk radio. That little MP3 player I got a couple of years ago has become a real asset. I prefer the Sansa model I have, which is a lot cheaper than an iPod, and also has the advantage of playing the Windows media files that are created when I get the songs off an audio CD.

[Graybeard]

I'm so used to using MP3s downloaded from podcasts

I don't even know what that means.   

[Cabin4]

I worked for Apple for 3 years (2005 to 2008) out here in Silicon Valley. Its all gobbly goop.

[slim rem 7]

 ive heard of it ,,even think i seen one,, one time... didn t have fur on it an i wouldn t have known how to cook it anyway... so i didn t shoot it.

[BBF]

Haven't got the foggiest myself and.............................................................don't give a rats curly hair.

[Rustyinfla]

 So where do you go to download all these talks?

  My company gave me an MP3 player but all I know how to use is itunes from the home computer.

[Questor]

I resisted it at first too because I thought MP3 players like the iPod were just things that teenagers walked around with in their ears all the time so they could listen to music constantly. But to a guy who listens to a fair amount of radio during a longish commute and while puttering around in the basement, the MP3 player has really improved the quality of my listening dramatically. I can find shows that I like, download them, and then listen at my leisure. For example, Tom Gresham's Gun Talk show is on podcast. So is Mark Levin and some other political talk shows.

Interestingly I never listen to it using "ear buds". Those put the sound too close to your ear drums and it can't be good for your hearing. Instead, I've got a gadget that lets me plug it into the cassette player of my car stereo.

[mirage1988]

Questor-
It plugs into what?

[Graybeard]

A better question is what plugs into what? My uninteruptible power supply plugs into the wall and my computer into it. I have a box on a shelf that it plugs into also and I think that's where all the internet stuff comes from. Heck I dunno that's what I have Matt for to figure out all that technical junk.

[Questor]

The cassette interface is about a $20 gizmo with one end that plugs into the MP3 player and the other end looks like a cassette tape with a wire sticking out of it. You put the cassette tape looking thing into the cassette player and the MP3 player's audio is played on the car stereo. Pretty cool.

The other thing it plugs into is a charger that I run on my car's cigarette lighter accessory. That charges the battery.

To download stuff to it, you plug it into your PC's USB port and it's treated like a disk drive that you can copy stuff to.

Some new cars have accessories that allow you to plug an MP3 player into the stereo directly to charge it and play audio.

There's a chain called Best Buy in my area that sells a lot of consumer electronics. Any place that has a lot of consumer electronics will have this stuff.

Total cost for all my stuff related to this was about $100, and it's been well worth it.

After you've downloaded some MP3s you can organize them into a "play list" that puts them into the order you like to listen to them in.

It's easy to use.

My recommendation if you're interested in this stuff is to search for a topic you like in Google, and add the word "podcast" to it. For example "gun talk podcast". Then go to one of the links and click on the MP3s you can download. Your PC can play them. So there's no need to buy an MP3 player if you're not going to get much use out of it.

A lot of the good shows on public radio, like Science Friday, are on podcast for free.

I use mine every day, though.

[Cabin4]

Too many plugs....

Too many connections...

Too much crape to remember....

Too much BS. Not worth it.

[gypsyman]

MP3, isn't that a semi-automatic version of an MP5?? gypstman

[Questor]

You're already using a computer. These things are easier to work than a computer. Much easier.

[teamnelson]

Far easier to operate and maintain than a 1911 

I have a fairly good commute, and once a week I tour the whole island visiting all my folks. I subscribe to a couple different podcasts (think recorded radio programs) that automatically load onto my iPod every night when I plug it into the computer to charge. Get up the next morning and plug it into the $2 cassette adapter my father-in-law found at a yard sale, hit play and I can be listening to any show I like, at my own time, at my own convenience.

[powderman]

SLIM. Know what ya mean, they kinda remind me of them golfs, hard to get a shot at but eggs are everywhere. Boil em fer hours and they're still like rubber.
GYPSYMAN. Believe yer right, that would be the civilian version. POWDERMAN.