Tune In by iPod

HEAR SOMETHING MORE than music in your iPod, a sleek and slim gadget almost the size of a cigarette pack that cannot only store 10,000 songs, all important data files and memorable photographs, but also radio shows.

Yes! the iPod is now becoming a home to the endless chatter of people who simply want to share mundane stories with others who might care to listen. Known as iPodcasting, or simply podcasting, it is a form of mass communication where ordinary people broadcast and share information via the internet. Podcasts are not restricted to any genre. Talk about anything under the sun: news, movies, opinions, daily lives and personal experiences. There's absolutely no limit and everyone is free to air their own shows.

iPodcasting is clearly a blend of iPod and broadcasting, though it is not exclusive to iPods. A podcast is in MP3 format ( a standard used specially for digitally transmitting music over the internet) and the audio player has to be MP3-compatible. To listen to the podcasts, the information is first downloaded from a source on the web and is then stored in one's computer. So far, the ipod has been the preferred device of podcast subscribers.

Apart from listening to opinion interchanges, iPod users can also subscribe to a service that makes sure they get their favorite programs regularly. These are downloaded automatically to the computer on a designated time. For instance, you want to know the latest update on the heated game of your favorite basketball team, but you're already running late for a client meeting. You may therefore subscribe online to a podcast, after which the information is automatically fed to your computer, and from there you can just simply transfer it to your iPod. But make sure you have enough disk space because a 30-minutes feed can take up about 20 megabytes ( i.e., a unit of computer memory or data storage capacity).

So what propels the growing support for podcasting? First is clearly convenience. One is no longer glued to the computer while waiting for the transfer of files to be completed. Second is mobility. Listen to the latest broadcasts anywhere and anytime you please. Lastly, the popularity of podcasting has been attributed to the so-called "blogging" phenomenon, where individuals post their journals on the internet.

So the next time you see people with those white wires hanging out from their ears, don't automatically assume that they are merely listening to their favorite songs. They could be tuned in to world events or sport issues broadcasted by BBC radio, or even blogs posted on the internet. And it might be your very own blogs.