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Doug Kaye (producer of IT Conversations & purveyor of fine podcasts) linked to my TiVo-casting post. Thinking on it again, I saw a couple aspects to it that I had not thought through before:

• By getting the podcasting religion, TiVo loosens its reliance on the TV and cable networks and programmers. While this will remain the lion’s share of its content for the foreseeable future, TiVo could expose it’s bajillions of customers to some great new content from the un-usual suspects. it also opens a massive market to the podcasters.

• TiVo has an award-winning, wonderfully usable, home entertainment system interface. It’s usable for a variety of content types, and easily navigated with a single remote. The audio and (coming soon) video podcasts will fit in nicely with this paradigm.

• Big seller: TiVo searches and Wishlists of podcast content, and TiVo Suggestions of related podcasts (Like IT Conversations? Maybe it will download several podcasts from the BBC, too) would be natural.

My TiVo is already using my home broadband connection to get it’s programming, and it constantly records new stuff for me while I’m sleeping - why not podcasts?

So Doug, how about an IT Conversations panel on the convergence of the DVR/PVR, the reputation/suggestion services (like TiVo’s), and the new channels for personal publishing and consumption of content?

I know things are sort of broken on this site right now - please be patient. I’ve reduced the home page to one post, and I’m trying to figure out why its taking minutes for the home page to load.

Update: Things seem to be back to normal. Stand by…

This is the coffee shop where I often come to work when I’m not going into the office. Free WiFi, great coffee and muffins. It’s right around the corner from my house, I could walk if I weren’t so lazy.

Here’s the inside, you can see Fezzik (my 17″ Powerbook) set up at one of their computer stations.

BigMarv’s How I Did That: Tivo’s 30 Second Skip Easter Egg:

“As it turns out, a 30 second skip is buried within the programming of the TiVo device and can be brought to the surface using an Easter Egg. After enabling the 30 second skip feature, The skip-to-hash button becomes a 30 second skip button. Once you begin using this feature, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.”

(Via Google. )

NYT: With Airpower and Armor, Troops Enter Rebel-Held City:

“Amid the blasts and roar of the battle, loudspeakers at mosques throughout the city were blaring, “Prepare for jihad!” and “God is great!”. American commanders appeared to avoid striking the mosques.”

(Via The Belmont Club.)

I wonder why they don’t have a sniper take out the loudspeakers? Would at least make the invasion a bit less annoying for our guys.

Ryan Boren, |WordPress| developer extraorinaire, posted an article describing how themes are contructed for the upcoming release of WordPress 1.3. Will be useful sometime next summer when I find time to upgrade.

Hehe. I should tell Matt.