Your Computer Minute with Peter Kay

You heard it here first. YourComputerMinute.Com broke the story!

I just love reviewing Hawaii success stories. Ryan Ozawa’s Hawaii Up podcast is being broadcast over San Francisco’s KYOU podcast-only format radio station. Way to go Ryan!

Now if you’re wondering what’s going on over here, KYOU is taking select podcast programming and broadcasting it over their airwaves. They have way more podcast content to deal with than they do airtime, so it’s pretty safe to say that whatever they are broadcasting is what they think is really good stuff.

This is one of those “only with the magic of the Internet” kind of things. Imagine, our local boy Ryan records a podcast in his home, uploads it to a server, and then a radio station in San Francisco downloads it, and broadcasts it across the city. Here’s the link to the specific show audio file if you want to hear it yourself. Amazing!

Way to go Ryan! If the Hawaii Geek Patrol keeps this up I’m going to need more space on the server to keep up with all the posts!

Want to see how to use this feature the cool way?
Checkout the video for a step-by-step demonstration!
(And let me know if you experienced any difficulties)

What do the Pope and Paris Hilton have in common? They both have a Podcast.

Next Big Things don’t come along too often and those of you that know me may recall that my other company CyberCom created the first commercial Web site in Hawaii and I was very active in getting Hawaii to make the most out of that Big Thing called the Internet.

Well, I’m here to tell you about the Next Big Thing and while this one won’t be quite as earth-shattering as the Internet, it will completely change the way you listen to audio content and I’m not just talking about music.  Drumroll please…

The Next Big Thing is "Podcasting" and it’s a new way to surf the Internet for audio content. A podcast is typically an mp3 recording of a radio-like show that’s available for you to download to your mp3 player.  There are over 5000 different podcasts going on right now on just about any given topic you can think of.  What makes podcasting different from just downloading mp3 files is the use of a free "podcatcher"application which lets you subscribe to your favorite podcasts. The podcatcher then checks those Web sites on a regular basis and automatically downloads any newly published audio content.

When you combine the podcatcher’s automated download feature with your existing mp3 player’s ability to synchronize files on your computer, the end result is that your mp3 player is automatically updated with the latest shows you asked for. You simply get up in the morning, disconnect your player, and off you go with your favorite audio in your ear.  And if you consider yourself an uberGeek you can add on an FM transmitter to your mp3 player so that you can listen to your favorite Podcasts through your car stereo.

I’ve put together an introductory video that will get you started on subscribing and downloading to podcasts. If you have an mp3 player or if you play mp3s on your computer at work, you gotta see why I’m all excited.  This truly really is the Next Big Thing.  When you get everything hooked up, make sure you visit my new sites VoteHawaii.com and a completely redesigned YourComputerMinute.Com and download the podcasts I have waiting for you over there.

Let me know what you think!

Subscribe to the Podcast and automatically download new video and audio tips as they come!

Show notes (things I mention in the video):

• Download the free podcatcher
• My other podcast site
• Buy Todd Cochrane’s book on podcasting
• TechPodcasts.com Directory founded by Hawaii Resident Todd Cochrane
• HawaiiUp local podcast by Ryan Ozawa
• RoughTake local podcast by Burt Lum
• More information at the Hawaii Podcasters Association

We are oh-so-proud of Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central. Todd has just announced his book, Podcasting: Do It Yourself Guide which will soon be on shelves everywhere and of course including Amazon.com.

Ryan Ozawa over at HawaiiPodcasting.com (where yours truly is also a member) put out a great press release. Go check him out.

What’s very cool about this is that a local guy becomes the first to write a book on podcasting. Podcasting is a really, really new thing, just over 6 months old. It’s quickly taking the country by storm and essentially creating a new media. We’re so proud to have a fellow Geek (hey, what’s your Geek score anyway Todd?) right in our backyard be one of the pioneers of a new industry.

Way to go Todd! We’ll be rooting for you man!