I think the only drawback to podcasting is the goofy name. Between "mp3", "mpeg", "audio file", etc., we already had plenty of names for audio recordings that you can download and listen to on a PC or portable device. "Podcast" sounds forced and overly cute, but what the hell--if it catches on as a way for people to get useful information, that's a pretty small price to pay for the benefit.

I really liked Adam Porter's oil casts (www.oilcast.com), but he hasn't done one since April 20, so I'm wondering if he's ever coming back.

Are you thinking of doing something similar, Mike?

I'd like audio posts if only a transcript was also available. I can read and scan through posts much faster than I can listen to them, and when I want to reference or quote some things somewhere else it gets complicated.

I also usually surf the web while listening to music and it's a pity to interrupt a good album :D

quality is not that good considering this is 128 kbps and stereo
There are other codecs that are better for voice either that or
the recording was terrible.

Best podcast is BBC's InOurTime. which is just 40 kbps.

Lou, I was thinking of it...although it’s hard to render diagrams and charts in audio. :-)

I was an early adopter (listener) of podcasts. I've scaled back from my hardcore listening ... but I still grab things from http://www.itconversations.com/ now and then.

FWIW, they might be a great outlet for any hypothetical "green" podcast. They have the infrastructure, and might provide a wider audience.

I would rather read the news quickly than listen to someone read me the news

Hi
We are back up and running at oilcast.com, have been for a few weeks.
All the best
adam