Alltop just launched a new podcasts category. You can find it at:

http://podcasts.alltop.com/

It looks like they are initially focusing on NPR and business-related podcasts, as opposed to the technology podcasts that I am typically subscribed to.

After looking at Alltop Podcasts, I subscribed to:

• The Web 2.0 Show
• Startup Story Radio
• PRI's The World: Technology
• World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN Podcast via NPR

Posted by Dave Aiello at 6:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Until I listened to this week's edition of This Week in Tech I had no idea that the Transportation Safety Administration had a blog called Evolution of Security, that Blogger Bob was one of the authors, or that they had posted a reassuring video of the process they used to test a MacBook Air with a solid-state drive.

As I said to my friend Henry Scheuer when I emailed a link to this video to him, a couple of things stand out to me:

1. Bob X-rayed the MacBook Air, but doesn't show us any of the pictures, because it's "sensitive security information".
2. The TSA blog only provides the video in Windows Media format, so actual Mac users can't watch it unless they find it on YouTube, as I did.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In Episode 45 of Tekzilla Daily, Patrick Norton pointed out a website called System Requirements Lab that can help you determine if your PC has the minimum or recommended hardware and software necessary to run dozens of popular PC games.

I tried this myself and the way it works is to download either a signed Java or Active X component which collects information about your PC and compares it to System Requirements Lab's database of minimum game requirements. If you pass those requirements, it also tells you if your PC meets the recommended requirements for the game you chose. If your machine comes in above the minimum and below the recommended requirements, then certain features of the game will appear degraded or won't operate at all.

I asked System Requirements Lab if my Dell Latitude C810 can run UEFA Champions League 2006-2007. The site told me that my machine failed the CPU minimum requirement, CPU minimum speed, and video card minimum requirement test. It recommended that I buy a new machine, and referred me to a customized list at CNET.com. I guess it's a good thing that one is already on order.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am a big fan of This Week in Tech, MacBreak Weekly, and The Apple Phone Show. They are all excellent podcasts that are have very high production standards.

What I'm most impressed with is the sound quality of each of these shows. I think that Leo Laporte, the host of TWiT and MacBreak, and Scott Bourne, the host of The Apple Phone Show, each have tremendous backgrounds in radio and TV program production, so they've had time to figure out what equipment and services work best.

I decided to do some research and see if they had ever published any how to articles on the craft of podcasting. Here's what I found:

• PodcastGearGuy.com: Scott Bourne has a blog on the subject of podcasting equipment and software called PodcastGearGuy. This blog hasn't seen a lot of entries since he started hosting The Apple Phone Show, but it makes good recommendations about semi-portable sound isolation booths to help you get clean audio, and digital recorders which podcasters use as backup devices when they are doing a multi-person podcast recording using Skype.
• TWiT's "Podcasting Equipment" Article: Leo Laporte does a good summary of the technology and services he was using during the mid-Summer 2006. I hope he updates this article if he changes his setup. From occasional mentions of different gear in his podcasts that I've listened to during the past few months, it seems like the setup he describes is pretty up-to-date.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've been listening to The Apple Phone Show since before the iPhone launched. I think this is the one podcast that I'd recommend to all iPhone owners.

The Apple Phone Show provides a good balance of features, news, and discussion about the iPhone in a concise format. Host Scott Bourne and his regular guests (most frequently Andy Ihnako and Chris Breen) cover all of the important developments in the market each week with a minimum of rambling. (This seems to be a particular problem for some of the other popular, technology-oriented podcasts).

This show could easily make the jump to syndicated terrestrial radio or satellite radio, if the right channel for it existed.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've dramatically increased my consumption of podcasts since I bought my iPhone back in June. I thought that I'd share some of my thoughts on podcasts that I listen to regularly and those that I've listed to that aren't worth my time.

Podcast reviews will appear in their own category on Operation Gadget beginning today. Let me know what you think of the reviews by emailing me or posting a comment. Thanks.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)