Invasion of the Pod People

I have discovered podcasts. Have you? I'm behind the curve on this one for sure. If you are even more behind the times than I am and don't know what a podcast is, it is an itunes video or audio clip available on the web for download or streaming. Much like blogs allow wannabe journalists such as myself to "publish" a daily column, podcasts allow people to broadcast their own radio or television shows.

I am fascinated. Last week, I listened to a guy drive through the North Shore suburbs of Chicago (where I grew up). He just drove around and talked about what he was seeing. I listened to the whole 20 minutes. He talked about a whole lot of nothing, but I was captivated. I couldn't turn the thing off.

Podcasts are a global phenomenon, and have even caught on in China as described by this NY Times piece last Friday.

According to Thomas L. Friedman:

Another favorite is a podcast by two Chinese architecture students in Houston Rockets jerseys (the team of the Chinese N.B.A. star Yao Ming) who lip-sync a Backstreet Boys tune.

I watched this podcast. I was totally fascinated. You can watch the aforementioned podcast here. You can watch a different podcast by the same two students here

If Wayne and Garth were broadcasting today, I'm sure it would be a podcast.